Evening star., 1923-12-04
Living by Menial Jobs.

zone may read in the daily papers,
says DR.. ScholI. that physicians have
taken their lives because they Were
starving; that continually more physi-
clans are obliged 10 go into other
work, and in order to assure them
selves a few more months of life be-
come cafe pianists, newspaper ped
dlers, bookkeepers, walters, sausage
sellers. night watchmen, factory
wor kers and miners. But how many
are there who are too old for such
work? In the larger cities the num-
Der Of physicians who are obliged to
apply for the unemployment dole Is
ever increasing.
THE widows and orphans Of Ger
man physicians are in an especially
pitiable state. Recently in LIGHTER
clans widow, sixty-seven years old,
was found with her thirty-four-y year
old daughter in state OF complete
collapse and almost unconscious.
They died soon after being taken 70
the hospital and the doctor found
that death was due 10 undernourish-
ment.
The chairman of the Society for
Physicians Relief in Berlin reported
last month: The average income of
physicians Is now considerably below
that of manual laborers and is in
sufficient for food, clothing and
lodging. to say nothing of books. in
struments and study. The number of
the helpless who come to us IS in
creasing in a terrifying way. Many
of the sufferers keep silent out Of
shame, and only lift the Veil and con
fide something of their suffering un-
der promise of strictest secrecy.
would Come 10 America.
Americans have often been known
to grumble al the low quality of the
immigrants that come from the old
world The time has now come when
America can have as immigrants the
best brains in Germany for the mere
asking, if any way can be found 10
employ them, according to Privy
Councillor DIR. Finkelstein. head Of
one of the largest children's hospitals
in Berlin.
Economic conditions have made life
desperately hard for the manual la
boring classes, but almost hopeless
for the intellectual and professional
class. Great numbers of Germany =
best scientific men are eagerly hoping
for an opportunity to go to America
to live. Prof. Finkelstein reiterated
that these Germans are not desert
ing the colorS." They have come TO
the decision to emigrate when posi-
BILE only because Germany no longer
has use for their talents.
Most of the private hospitals have
been closed, for formerly we'll to do
people are now in many cases 50
poor that they cannot even pay the
bare expenses of treatment in a pub
lie ward of a city hospital. The pub
lie hospitals, having lost most Of
their paying patients, have been oh
lised to dismiss many of their staff
(Berlin has recently dismissed % per
cent?, and those remaining are great
ly overw orked.
Research Impossible.
Pure research work has almost
ceased in Germany. The cares of daily
bread winning take all ones time
and leave ones nerves in no state
for calm investigation. Medical
papers are too expensive for most
cannot afford new equipment. Scien-
tific books can no longer be pub
lished.
German clinics, says DR.. Finkel
stein, were supported in part by the
fees paid by foreigners who came
here to study until recently. For
eigners have now almost ceased
coming because of political and
economic conditions.
1t is significant that very few stu
dents are now enrolled in the medical
courses of the universities and a
large proportion of these are women
who have assured means of support
The cost of books being prohibitive,
students have been obliged to resort
to the medieval customs of copying
textbooks by hand and passing them
around.
Under the circumstances it is not
surprising that thousands of Ger
man professional men long for an
opportunity to go to America. Per
haps for many of them there are
places in America which they could
brilliantly fill.