The Daily Alaska empire. [volume] (Juneau, Alaska) 1926-1964, 1937-06-19
The Doctor and the Public
New York Tines


A few days ago Mr. Howard w. Bakeslee of The
Associated Press delivered the commencement address
of the Medical College of Virginia. 1t is not the first
time that he and other newsmen who have made the
Interpretation of science their speciality have been thus
honored by technical institutions The existence of
healthy National Association of Science Writers fur
nishes additional evidence that new profession has
been created and that out of atoms, stars and Vita
Minis may come-great news constructive news
in world that faces many problems.
Apart from its vision of the medical future MI
Blakeslees address deserved attention because it
phasized the need of better understanding on the
medical professions part of the newspapers true func
ton. BY a singular coincidence Dean Carl W. Acker
man of Columbias Graduate School of journalism
elucdated another aspect of the subject at the
annual meeting of the Medical Society of New York
Rousing people, making them think, is the job of
the newspaper" remarked Mr. Blakeslee This is the
great contribution which the newspaper offers to
medicine" But medical men still think of newspaper
articles publicty-something very different from
public opinion-and through their organizations pro-
coed to hound the physician whose name happens to
be connected with it.
In response to the public demand for medical
news and in recognition of the part played by the
press in combating disease medical press bureaus
have been established. Newspaper grateful
for their aid in interpreting medicine But the infor
nation supplied about discovery is secondhand
There questions that the reporter would like to
ask the dscoverer and pictures of the great that
the public would like to Woe unto the medico
who yields to opportunities He runs the risk Of
being elected from medical societies a publicity
seeker. Cruel injustces sometimes thus perpe-
trated The great physicist who grants an interview
on his success in driving new particle of matter
out of the atom permits himself to be photographed
in his laboratory is certainly more given to adver
Using himself than the who becomes famous
through his method of treating pneumonia schizo-
phrenia In democracy where speech is still free
the physician is the scientist who is muzzled
Mr.. Blakeslee made it clear that newspapers
will not follow medical precedents' and that they
will not confine themselves ito those items which
the physicians would select" And Dean Alderman
was equally emphatic in holding that the medical
profession SIS isolated from the current thinking of
mankind" though his concern more with the
physicians attitude toward the State control of med
cine. The medical bureaus of information have done
comnendabe work in aiding the newspapers to sup
press the quacksalvers who seek publicity Yet only
a beginning has been made in bringing about better
understanding between the press and medicine. The
next step is to make it possible for engaged in
research to escape ostracism when they satisfy 4
legitimate demand for first-hand opinions of the
kind that the public is entitled to hear.