Evening star., 1933-04-26
Former D. c. Commissioner
Says Program Would Make
Doctors Automatons.
HITS AT PROPOSALS
OF COSTS COMMITTEE
Morning Session Of Meeting De-
voted to Surgical Dry
Clinic.

fIeoer1ck A. Fennlng, former District
Commissioner and now counsel for the
District Medical Society. sharply at
tackled today report of its Committee
on Costs of Medical Care, which recon-
mended more doctors at public expense.
Speaking before the Medical Society
at its two-day annual scientific meeting,
Mr.. Fenning said such a policy would
bring an additional drain on the public
treasury and would degrade physicians
by making them automatons, subject to
the caprice of political expediency.
The outstanding achievements of the
past, he continued, were made by doc
tors working as individuals in private
practice. the class rooms and labora-
tories. Standardization stiffens and kills
incentive, independence and individual
lty and rates every activity according to
the ability of mediocre workers"
Report Disputed.
Mr.. Fenning took issue with what he
said was current campaign by salaried
workers and lobbyists which undertakes
to standardize ali the activities of life
at staggering financial cost. II this
practice is carried further. the speaker
warned, 1t will bankrupt the independ-
ence OF the American people.
The report of the committee, made
two years ago. has been vigorously de-
bated within the profession since.
An address by DR.. Maude E. Abbott,
curator of the medical museum of
McGiu University, Montreal. was
scheduled for this afternoon DR.. Alb
bott was a student and close personal
friend of Sir William Osler and is ex-
pected to speak on his contribution to
knowledge of heart disease as well as
of incidents in his life work
Speakers at this mornings session,
given over to a surgical dry clinic. in
cluded DR.. G. w. Leadbetter, DR.. w. P.
Herbst, DR.. H. F.. Strine, DR.. j. F.
Mitchell. DR.. William c. Meloy and DR..
H. L. Darner.
100000 Hear Poorly.
This afternoon the society was to
hear DR.. Charles Stanley White, Dr.
Oswald F. Hedley, Dr. Joseph Horgan
and Dr. Edward j. Cummings.
Tonight DR.. Dean Lewis, president
elect of the American Medical As
Sociation, will speak on Changing
Times in Medicine" Dr. Harry A.
Fowler, president Of the District So
clety, Will preside.
An exhibit was presented at the
meeting this morning showing that
100000 persons in the United States
suffer from some degree of hearing
impairment and 100000 of these are
school children.
The figures, assembled by the Amer
the Hard of Hearing, 1887 Thirty fifth
street, were presented by Miss Ada M
Hill, director of vocational advice for
the organization, assisted by Miss Eliz-
abeth. Springer. Information on lip
| reading. hearing aids, hearing tests
and vocational guidance for the hard
of hearing has been made available to
the doctors attending the session
Serious medical papers read yesterday
at the societys scientific meeting were
reread with wild distortion of medical
terms by black-faced doctor comedians
last night at the annual banquet of the
society in the Shoreham Hotel.
Entertainment Program.
Visiting physicians from Virginia,
Maryland and West Virginia likewise
were lampooned for the entertainment
of the 500 guests. Among the jokesters
were Drs. Edward j. Grass Herbert J.
OCIOcIiltlu anu IeOTSe y. brllmyer,
playing the parts, respectively of Doc
tor Catch-em," Doctor Cut-em" and
Brother Crawford"
DR.. H. NJ Dorman led a dancing
troupe Of male chorus girls composed
Of Drs. George Dewey, F. A. Geier, Henry
]. r. McNitt, Duane Richtmeyer, Mar
vim w. Glover, Benjamin F. Dean and
Michael McInerney. The piano accom-
panist was DR.. Francis G. Speidel.
An "Old-Fashioned Revue" was pre-
sented by the women doctors. Those
participating included Drs. Gladys Kahn
Elizabeth E. Chickering, Anna Bartsch
Dunno, Mary A. Parsons Mary Holmes,
Edith Seville Coale, Esther Nathanson
Margary Stuart, Frances Rother and
Margaret M. Nicholson.
Among the singers were Drs. Robert
H. Harmon, w. Preston Haynes. Guy w
Leadbetter, Howard H. Smith, Frank F
Hand, William NJ Ballinger, Hugh
House and Mildred Ottman.
Others on the program included Drs
Donald S. Knowlton, ]. A. Cannon and
A. B. Bennett.