The Coconino sun., 1927-02-18

Al physician was travelling across
country with his family. One night
the highway to their evenings des-
tination town led parallel to the rail-
road. A train overlook them just as
they were approaching block sema-
phore signal. The doctors son, lad
of nine or ten, sitting beside his faith
er noticed the change from green to
red light. He wanted to know all
about it. His father explained the
system of red, orange and green light.
Then he went on to tell how some
humans were color blind. That green
looks red to them and red looks green
and for this reason all men who have
to deal with handling trains must be
examined. After a period Of silence
while all this was sinking in, he sud-
denly spoke up. "Sad, dad, I sure
feel sorry for the eolor-blind guy that
marries a red-headed girl.
In discussing the question of "Shall
a physician accept and prescribe for
case when he is positive that the
patient is suffering from no physical
Illness" which Henry Albers and the
better business method committee
have assigned me, I may be somewhat
in the dilemma of the color blind guy.
There are to my mind several reasons
why such questions are presented for
discussion by the international cCTa-
mittee on better business methods. To
my mind the first reason is that
Rotary international is constantly
considering the propriety of question
able business and professional prac-
tees and trying to improve them, or
wishes them to be justified if they be
proper. Obviously the second reason
is that when the question is raised
there certainly must be in the minds
of men the idea that such a thing is
actually practiced; and, third, we
know that the frank discussion OF
such a problem leads to better un-
derstanding by helping to enlighten
those who believe or are inclined to
believe such things are generally
praeticed, and giving an opportunity
for those who are accused to defend
themselves.
The first thing which occurred to
me when confronted by the question
was to consult the medicah code OF
as to conduct of this character. was
unable to find a word. This leads to
the conclusion that it is so obviously
wrong as to make it absolutely un-
necessary for the code of ethics to
even consider it. It is just as wrong
for a doctor to prescribe for and
treat a patient who has nothing the
matter with him as it is for the den
tist to extract or treat a healthy
tooth; or a watch maker to pretend
that a watch which is functioning pe..-
fectly needs certain repairs. A law
yer could no doubt be confronted with
a similar situation and would then be
put in the same class.
There are times when patient
comes to a physician with a conf
plant. The physician concludes after
a careful examination that his patient
is perfectly well. The patient never
theless insists that he does have pain
or a certain defect which annoys him
and which he wants corrected. Our
experience with a certain percentage
of these cases is that if we make light
of the patients trouble the next thing
we hear of him is that he has con-
suited another physician and that this
physician by more careful examina-
tion or by wider experience detected
some definite trouble and by apply
ing the proper measures was able to
relieve the patient to their mutual
satisfaction. Are we not justified
therefore in being very cautious about
asserting that there is nothing wrong,
even though we cannot find 1t. On