The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1938-08-25
Roar Over
Hole

Hole Owners Loan cor
poration had
loaned $4,000 out of its own treas
ury to its employees who wanted to
organize a group which could hire
its own doctors on an annual basis.
This was public money, because the
Hole is wholly owned by the fed
eral treasury and it's function is to
loan money on private homes to en-
courage home ownership. The
Group Health association, as it was
named, guaranteed medical treat
ment to its members for fixed
annual fee and hired doctors to do
the job.
There was a roar from many
quarters at the time because of the
use of government money in this
manner, but the loudest roar came
from the doctors who are members
of the District of Columbia Medi-
cal society. Few of us realized then,
think, where this controversy was
going to lead. I doubt that there
were very many persons expected
to see the tiny spark famed into a
flame so large. Now, however, that
spark has become a national flame,
national issue of serious import. For
what could be more serious, indeed,
than chance to live when the cold
fingers of death creep closer?
The issue as it is now defined, sue
cinctly, is whether the long and hon
orable history of the medical pro-
fession, and all of the scientific as
sets that this implies, shall be
thrown to the winds; whether, in
the place of that history and gain
and the services of those individual
doctors, there shall be created a
new basic method, procedure
where the doctors are hired by a
corporation subsisting on the annual
fees paid by its members who will
telephone the corporation offices and
say: send me one of your best doc
tors. In short, as I see it, the issue
is whether there is to be personal :
lied, conscientious service or serv-
ice as lacking in personal interest as
ELL my tank, please" at the gaso-
line service station.
That is the preface to the recent
legal proceedings by our own gov
eminent against the American Med
ical association and the District of
Columbia Medical society, which
are threatened with prosecution as
trust" The government action,
of course, makes the controversy a
national issue, one which interests
all of us. The trust busting assist
ant attorney general, Thurman Ar
mold, former Yale professor, vows
he will break up the trust" which
is the national organization of doc
tors, but there are those of us who
cannot help linking the corporation
method of medical practice with
Professor Arnold's blast and threats
against the doctors who believe in
individual practice.
The whole department of justice
position strikes me as rather fuzzy,
rather asinine and, in some re-
spects, reprehensible. However, if
there is to be a complete analysis
made and complete understanding
of the situation obtained, it is nee
essary to know that president
Roosevelt wants it DONE" and Mr..
Arnold is proceeding. It does not
seem to matter that there are only a
few medical crooks, only a few I'm
ethical and INSCRIPTIONS medical
practitioners the whole profession
must be attacked and DETAINED. Nor
does it seem of great concern to the
prosecuting officials that some of
those doctors who are promoting
corporation medicine throughout the
United States have been denied adj
mission to the American Medical
association for reasons of character
and ethics deemed sufficient to war
rant non-recognition.
And while / am about it, I want
to pay tribute to that greatest of all
American charac-
Lduds Country tiers, the country
Doctor doctor. have per-
sonal reasons for
offering my humble praise to one of
their number, but throughout Amer
lea there can be found no greater
asset. He is a friend and confdant
and adviser, minister to the body
and the mind. There are some
among his numbers that will not
have, even do not warrant, respect.
But that obtains in every walk of
life and my belief is that there are
fewer country doctors lacking in
honesty and good conscience than in
any regular profession or avocation
of life.
The country doctor is different
from his brother practitioner of the
city. The latter probably is better
trained, more up to date on all de-
velopments of science, perhaps
more expert in most fields, but I
think I can say without equivocation
or doubt because of personal expert
ence that the country doctor is not
excelled anywhere among humans
for good, common horse sense. And
the man or woman who is equipped
with horse sense keeps the human
race on an even keel.
But to get back to the govern
ment proceedings: here we see an
action, or threat, against a whole