Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1947-07-18
Washington
LaborReport
by PAUL SIFTON
LPA C0lumnist

CllCIllg lIlob . 4lCNS'
When the client happens to
be the American Medical AS
sociation and the press agents
reason is that his own profes-
sional standards are outraged
by the AMA's conduct and
therefore he's walking out be-
fore he throws up, 1t should
be Page / news. Maybe it will
be yet, in some papers.
Doctors, particularly the oil.
ier medical politicians spend
a lot of time hollering about
professional ethics" "profes-
sional conduct" the. Hippo
cratic oath that Is supposed to
make a doctor relieve pain
and fight off disease and
death at any hour of the day
or night, They murmer about
the sacred confidential rela-
tionship between doctor and
patient that is alleged to be
menaced by any limitation of
"the right of the patient to
choose his own physician -
and, though it isn't mentioned
very much, the right of the
doctor to choose his patients
by screening out those who
can't pay his fees. Organized
medicine seeks to give the inn
preston that its members
practice the principles of
holy order.
Press agents, up to now,
have been commonly regarded
as quick-witted, rather anus.
ing and necessary nulsances
in modern life. They hav,
been called space grabbers,
trainers of phoney stories,
collectors Of trick statistics,
having the morals of a porch
climber, the manners of a
camel and the persistence of
a pack rat. Up to now, COM
parison of the ethics of press
agents and of doctors would
have been a gag.
RESIGNS
But no longer. Raymond
Rich Associates, one of the
most reputable public rela'
tions outfits in the business,
has quit, resigned as public
relations counsel to the Amer
ican Medical Association be-
cause, In Rich's words,
THE Association has yet TO
take unequivocal and effective
action on the policies which it
adopted on our recommended
ton last year:
ito seek the truth on the
economic and social aspects of
medicine;
Ito put the public first; and
ito become adequate TO its
responsibilities"
It's not clear whether Rich
has broken with the ANA out
of pure nausea, or because of
a combination of nausea and
a hunch that the ANA aroma
wouldn't do the, firm any
good in the long run, Rich
Associates have checked out
and sent a blistering memo of
explanation to the $50 mem
bers of the AMA's House of
Delegates,
Instead Of a budget of about
100000 for the public rela-
tons man to work with, a
figure of S125,000 was set
and then cut $57,0 900 to $685.
379, Pamphlets, visual tech
niuues. a speakers bureau and
a promotion expert were cut
out. But more important than
mailing the public relations
mans feet to the floor, as
Rich pointed out in a May "a,
1947 report to the ANA trus.
tees, action had been "gravely
insufficient on the ANA S
National Health Program"
ANA SURVEY
A year earlier, Rich had
made a careful survey of
AMA's public relations stand
ing, Interviewing AFL and
CIO officials among others,
and had presented a report to
ANA, Although this report
was not, so far as is known,
published nor made available
TO ANA membership, it was
the basis for acceptance OF
Rich's three recommendation
and a contract between ANA
and Rich Associates,
II is obvious that voluntary
prepayment plans for medical
care must be developed with
sufficient rapidity and success
to meet the needs OF the Ma
ton, If compulsory health in
surance is to become unneces'
sary. The fact that relatively
so little is yet being done to
promote these modern meas.
ures reveals amazing short
sightedness There must
- ,@aetttxa aorasciya J.ixya In