Evening star., 1938-11-21
New Yorker Hits
Medical Society,"
Flight on 6. H.'A.
Unfortunate Attitude
Laid to Fishbein by
Medicine Units Head

The attitude of the District Medi.
cal Society toward the Group Health
Association here was deplored as
unfortunate both for the society
and the association" by DR.. Kings
ley Roberts, a New York surgeon
and director of the Bureau of CO.
operative Medicine, in a discussion
last night before the Modern Forum
at the Washington Hotel.
Il believe most of it is founded
on a misunderstanding of what the
group health movement is and what
it means to the District" DR.. Rob-
erts said. Il can't believe it is the
action Of individual physicians in
the District"
Calling attention to similar atti-
tudes in other cities, where there
are group health organizations, the
speaker blamed the controversy
largely or DR.. Morris Fishbein, edi-
tor of the American Medical Jour-
nal, and other leaders in the Ameri-
can Medical Association.
Unfortunately" he said, "the
words 'socialized medicine came
into the picture. DR.. Fishbein saw
these and acted very much as bull
acts when he sees a red flag. He
lowered his head, shut his eyes and
charged"
'Nimble MatadOrs."
Fortunately for the group health
movement, DR.. Roberts said, it's
leaders have been "nimble matadors"
and side-stepped the rush, with the
result that the movement has not
been checked.
His comments on the controversy
here between the medical society
and the hospitals on the one hand
and the group health organization
on the other were asked in a panel
discussion that took place at the
conclusion of his address on DOL
lars and Doctors
Hospitals denying their facilities
to Group Health Association men,
bers and doctors are making "a very
serious mistake" DR.. Roberts said
mistake he blamed on 'inadvert-
ent advice"
Hospitals" he continued, "are
place for the care and treatment
of the sick, no matter what the
method of pay is"
He expressed the belief that "in
a few years" the misunderstanding
will be removed.
Group Health Is Answer.
Asserting that group health Is
"the answer to supplying medical
care in this country" DR.. Roberts
gave these four principles for its
success:
/. A prepayment, volunteer, cost
sharing plan.
2. Group medical practices, af-
fording the benefits of consultation.
improved technics and specializa-
ton when needed.
g. Use of health conservation and
medical education.
4. Consumer control of health
services.
Whether group health is subsi-
died is another question. the speak
er asserted, pointing out. however.
that some provision must be made
to care for the medically INDECENT
and selhi-indigent.
He said he has no dispute with
any methods that bring medical care
to the INDECENT, and has no basic
quarrel with compulsory health in
surance, but he listed eight charges
he said he holds against medicine.
Eight Charges Against Medicine.
These were: Cd Too expensive:
CD too much emphasis on special
lists. 90 too little attention is paid
to keeping people well; 90 too diff
f1cult to get in rural areas; go very
bad relation between private prac-
tice and public health work; 60
not making scientific discoveries
available to people soon enough;
CD supports individual practice VS..
cooperative practice at the expense
of professional efficiency and better
economies, and 90 employs obstruc-
tive and not constructive methods
toward group health, which DR.. Rob-
erts said is the most serious charge
of all"
Harry Laberton. chairman Of the
Washington Chapter of the Ameri-
can League for Peace and Democ-
racy, with which the Modern Forum
is affiliated. opened the meeting.
Ross Garrett of the Health Security
Administration here was chairman,
and panel leaders were Robert H.
Shields of the Office of the solicitor
of the Department OF Agriculture
and leader in the Group Health
Association, and Irving J. Levy, chief
of litigation for the Wage-Hour Ad-
ministration.
This is one Of series of discus
sions on the forums winter pro-
gram. The next will be held on
December 4, with Langdon w. Post