The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-03-11


you out more or less painfully
than suffer agony at the hands
of a practitioner, which may
only be a snappier introduction
to the gravedigger.
DR.. Ernest A. Goldman Of Boston,
declared that hospital records showed
that "legs are amputated where they
should not have BEEN and probably
when they should not have been. He
also stated that patients have died
on the operating table without the
operating surgeon knowing for a cers
tainty whether they should live or
die"
This is by no means encouraging
to prospective patrons of the oper-
ating room. The writer knows of a
young man who went to a hospital
in Boston to have a serious opera
ton performed. The disease was
diagnosed and the doctor who made
the diagnosis agreed to perform the
operation. But imagine the patients
surprise when, after he was strapped
to the operating table, the said sur
geon looked at him with thoughtful
surprise and rather brusquely asked
what are you here fort"
Osteopaths, chiropractors and other
radicals" engaged in the lucrative
calling of healing the wounded with
out pain, may take some comfort
from the preceding remarks. But
wait.
A man disappointed with the ef-
forts Of surgeons to relieve him Of
bodily ills hied forth to one who
offered health in return for a modest
financial consideration and a loyal,
unquestioning belief. He entered
well rugged Office, was received cor
daily and before he had time to say
"Jack Robinson" he was thrown on
a stretcher and severely pummelled
by two husky doctors" who took
turns at the exercise.
They seemed to have a special
grudge against the victims neck,
which they twisted violently, placing
one knee against the patients back
while the head was slowly turned
SO that the owner could see straight
behind him. The doctors" were not
entirely successful however, but they
were persistent and succeeded in
cracking the neck in two places.
This appeared to give them much
satisfaction and filled them with new
hope. Perhaps the burned neck
would be more accommodating next
day! Then the spine was attacked,
the ribs pummeled and the shoulder
blades assaulted vigorously. The
groans Of the sufferer fell on deaf
ears. Science could not be disturbed.
Feeling somewhat groggy, after
this experience the patient was hus-
tied into another chamber where he
was introduced to the mysteries Of
what looked like a radio machine.
The "doctor" proceeded to tune up
and the victim did not know whether
he was in a beauty parlor or Stat
ton r. /. P. ready to send forth his
death song to waiting world.
For the latter treatment, however,
the patient says a kind word. It
is not very painful-immediately. It's
after effects however, were by no
means painless. He was assured the
reactions" would destroy the mali
cious germs under the skin, but it
almost destroyed the germs meal
ticket as well. So far as the patient
knows the germs are still doing busi-
ness at the old stand.
The patient was almost as per.
sistent as the doctors. He was I'M
. der the impression when a child that
the most obnoxious medicine was the
best, that only a suffering sinner
/ could enter the kingdom Of heaven in
short that the value Of anything
. could be measured in proportion to
the pain it's possession caused. On
the same principle he believed that
only doctors who hurt were worth
bothering with.
He returned for another trial.
Since then he has been in bed hover
ing between life and death. The
neck which registered the first ef-
! forts almost succumbed to the sec
ond attempt. AS a result Of the
! adjustment" Of certain parts of the
central column of his neck, sound
sometimes misses its way and wan
ders aimlessly around seeking egress
thru the nasal and ear tubes, before
finally stumbling into the regular
channel. 1t is sad.
What are we to do about IL? The
business Of tinkering with human
bodies is a paying one. Sick people
will insist on getting cured. Under
, this capitalist system even the work
Of looking after the health Of the
people-a most sacred duty - il
looked at from the cold eye Of profit
rather than from the point Of view
Of the welfare Of the people. AND
: in spite Of attempts Of honest doc
tors TO remedy this situation, igno'
rant doctors and inscriptions quacks
with new cure-alls will be inflicted
on humanity until the profit is taker
! out Of medical science.