Evening star., 1927-05-17
LAW TO REGULATE
MEDICAL PRACTICE
IN DISTRICT URGED
Association Asked to Back
Act Requiring Doctors to
Pass Examinations.
LOCAL DISASTER RELIEF
AGENCIES ADVOCATED
Reinvestigation of Value Of
Heroin as Drug Requested-In-
dustrial Medicine Debated.

The influence OF the American Med
ical Association is expected to be
thrown behind efforts to secure a gen.
eral practice medical act for the Dis
trict of Columbia.
"A resolution 10 this effect was intro
duced today in the house of delegates
of the association by DIR. Phillip S.
Roy of Washington and was referred
to the board of trustees for action aft.
er examination. The uniform medical
practice act, modelled after similar
laws in New York and Wisconsin, would
force all practitioners of healings arts
in the District of Columbia to pass an
examination in the fundamentals of
medical science. The bill was framed
and is supported by the Medical So
ciety of the District of Columbia. This
legislation, which had been introduced
by Senator Copeland of New York,
was left over by the last Congress.
HerOin Inquiry Asked.
A resolution requesting u reinvesti-
cation of the value of heroin as n
drug, and restrictive legislation placed
upon the distribution of heroin. will
be referred to the council on phar-
macy and dentistry, to be referred
back to the House of Delegates after
study. The resolution. which was APP
proved by the House of Delegates,
included the statement:
THE American Medical Association
condemns as unwiSe and futile any
attempt to evaluate a therapeutic
agent by legislative fiat, referendum
or popular vote. Such evaluation can
he made only by investigation and
decision of experts having knowledge
of the particular subject"
A resolution urging local medical
associations to establish disaster re-
lief agencies. the need of which has
been shown strikingly by the present
Mississippi flood, was adopted.
Industrial Medicine Debated.
Discussion of the spread of indus
trial medicine aroused considerable
debate. DIR. Scale Harris of Birming-
ham, Ala. asked that each local So
ciety make a study of the effects of
industrial medicine in their home
States.
DR.. c. S. Nelson of Illinois stated
that the attitude of the association
was to consider industrial medical
practice as unfair where there was
undertaking. not of a reasonable de-
gree of free choice on the part of the
patient and where fees are too low TO
give good service, but he insisted that
local associations should attend to
the situation in their own States.
Whisky Discussion Postponed.
Discussion of a resolution to hold
a Nationwide referendum on the medi-
cal value of whisky prescription was
postponed until tomorrow morning.
A resolution favoring deductions
from income tax returns of surgical,
hospital, medical and funeral eX-
penses was referred to the board of
trustees.
DIR. Albert Dulsen of Fort Wayne,
Ind. made a hard fight for action by
the House of Delegates against allow
ing individual physicians to publish
articles under their own names in
the daily press, holding that this
might constitute advertising. but it
was held that the judicial counsel Of
the association has sufficient ma
chinery to handle the situation.
An appropriation of $4,000 for five
years was approved to continue a
study of the training and economic
situation of graduate nurses.
Cosmetics Control Urged.
A resolution introduced by DIR. Orin
s. Wightman of New York at the re-
quest of the New York State Medical
Society. urging a Federal law for the
control of cosmetics, was approved by
the house of delegates and referred
to the board of trustees for action
after considerable debate and laughter,
which aroused the ire of the New York
delegates.
THE time has come for definite
action on this important matter" DR..
Wightman said. Innocent patients
are being injured without any means
of defense"
II hate to see this matter laughed
out" said DIR. d. f. Sullivan of Con-
cord, n. II. ut is serious. We had
the same thing up before our own
medical association. but the druggists
and cosmetic manufacturers managed
to have the meeting packed so that
1t was ridiculed. Even death may re-
suit from some of the poisonous pro.
prietary cosmetics that are being
sold"
THE New York Society didn't bring
this matter here to be laughed at"
said DIR. Daniel S. Dougherty of New
York. 1T was given due considera-
ton. The New York City Department
of Health has analyzed many of these
cosmetic preparations and has found
in them dangerous ingredients, like
lead and coal tar. We don't want
this matter buried by the board of
trustees
Efforts to have the matter referred
to committee on skin diseases failed.
Fight Over State Rights.
A fight on State rights legislation
broke out over a proposed amendment
to the constitution which would give
the house of delegates. upon recon-.
mendation of the judicial council, the
power to expel member of the Amer
ican Medical Association. At present
membership in the national associa.
tiOn is secured by membership in a
county or State society, and only the
local societies have the power OF ex.
pusion
1t was brought out that State and
county societies often do not take suffi-
cient interest in local quackS and will
permit man to retain his member
ship who has engaged in questionable
practices. Thus he is able to adver-
tise that he is a member of the Amer
ican Medical Association and get
prestige comes from that So
ciety.
1.-THE American Medical Association
must have control over it's own MEM
bership," said DIR. M. l.. Harris of
Chicago, chairman of the judicial
council. I'VE have a case right now
where the name of the association is
being dragged in the dirt by doctor
who is advertising fake cancer cure
and there is nothing we can do about