The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1933-06-01
ABUSE OF MEDICAL
CHARITIES SCORED
AT STATE MEETING
Physicians Told Strong Organ.
ization Needed to Oppose
Unethical Practice

l.
Valley City, N. D., June 1.-R-|
Abuse OF medical charities, illegitimate
and unethical methods Of practice,
and other evils which embarrass the
physician can only be successfully
handled by well-organized and COM
pact medical profession, Dr.. Paul H.
Burton, president, told members Of
the North Dakota State Medical asso-
citation at their annual meeting here
Thursday. Sessions continue through
Friday.
The ethical physician needs his
brothers hand in his far more now
than he ever did before, Dr.. Burton
said. He saw need for q medical
organization able to take q positive
stand on these matters and to carry
out its decisions.
Il hope to see the day when health
departments are restored to their
proper functions Of dealing with
general menaces to peoples health
and free medical service Is restricted
to the actually INDECENT.
Activities Of our health depart
ments q generation ago were pretty
well confined to compiling vital sta
tisticS, to safeguarding water and
food supplies and to maintaining
guarantees against contagious dis
eases; but Of late they have gone in
for doctoring and nursing on q truly
colossal SCALE
Burton said the far-seeing medical
man will have to develop some plan
for taking care Of the distribution Of
medical care to the INDECENT. enter
ing into a contract with the county
for this work.
Urges County Clinics
He urged each county medical So
Ciety to organize q clinic for physl-
cally handicapped children. Medical
activities in North Dakota should be
sponsored by medically trained indi-
viduals. All clinics In North Dakota,
that they may be highly successful,
most necessarily be organized and
operated upon direct county medical
society supervision, he said.
The workmen's compensation law In
North Dakota Is one Of the most ef-
fective among the different states Of
the union, according to DR.. w. H.
Bodenstab Of Bismarck, who gave a
paper on 1.-THE Doctor and the Work
mems Compensation Bureau" Other
papers were given by DR.. F. G. Rodda,
Minneapolis, on "Intussusception" and
DR.. M. s. Henderson, Rochester. on
Bone Tumors."
DR.. Richard z. Scammon, dean Of
medical sciences at the University of
Minnesota, discussed "Guild Medi-
cines."
Pediatr1c and orthopedic clinics
were conducted by DR.. Rodda and
DR.. Henderson, respectively, Thurs
day morning following an address of
welcome by Mayor Fred ]. Fredrick-
son, Valley City.
North Dakota's workmen's compen-
eation law, second only to that Of the
state of New York in the specific
benefits paid to injured employees is
compulsory, Bodenstab said, adding
that every employer must carry in
surance to protect his employees
agriculture, domestic service and cas-
ual employment only being exclud-
ed.
1.-THE annual sum paid out is ap-
proximately half million dollars"
Bodenstab stated.
Explains State Law
He explained details Of the state
law. In addition to any injury by &C.
cident, injury under the law includes
any disease proximately caused by the
employment, the doctor said, point
ing out that this opens q vast field Of
possibilities and the bureau Is con-
fronted by the task OF determining
liability.
Stating that the workman has a
tendency to ascribe disease to a pos
sible accident at work, Bodenstab said
the physician is inclined to follow the
same reasoning, using the sequence
OF events as the basis for his proof
rather than an exact study Of the
cause Of the disease, and the injury
alleged to be responsible for it.,
"The general tendency in compen-
satton practice to give the injured
man the benefit Of the doubt Is repre-
hensible In that the traumatic cause
Of the disease IS usually based on pos
sibilities. The relation should be
highly J. probable. and not merely pos
Delving into the problems Of work.
mems compensation, DR.. Bodenstab
said one Of the difficulties to over
come is the claim Of the petitioner
that up to q certain day he was en-
tirely well. Illustrating, he said that
when an individual suffers q back
injury, and there Is sent q pre-exist-
ing osteoarthritis which becomes ag-
gravated, the bureau can be held la
bic only for the acute exacerbation.
Speaking on Bone Tumors," DR..
Henderson separated tumors into two
classes: Bone cancer and sarcoma
which Is spreading and dangerous,
and benign, not spreading widely and
usually not dangerous to life.
General discussion on bone tumors
was opened by DR.. Harry Fortin Of
Fargo. DR.. Philip H. Woutat of
Grand Forks led discussion on intus-
SUBSCRIPTION.
Cancer control In North Dakota
will be emphasized at q banquet to-
might the principal address will be
given by DR.. Frank L. Rector OF
Evanston, III. L. Benshoof Of Detroit
Lakes will talk on medical publicity.
Dr.. Frank I. Darrow Of Fargo Is to
preside.
Devils Lake Store
Robbed During Night
Devils Lake, N. D., June l.-lF-
Entering . rear upstairs window. rob-
bers obtained about $500 In merchan-
disc from the Brocket Mercantile