Evening star., 1949-04-07
Letters to The Star
"Socialized Medicine" Under Fire

"Socialized Medicine" Under Fire
re tie E1s.a- @: The sa..
would like to reply 10 Helen wsterhoases
letter published in The Star o. March 20.
She recommends that physicians and dem
fists be put or a salary bass ard lkens
the medical profession TO the teaching pro
feSslou. Since / am an ex-teacher. having
found il necessary TO leave my profession 70
seek more adequate wages In other work.
perhaps ! an qualified 70 offer q few re
marks
believe that most teachers as well as
most doctors take up their professions
because they love 1t. Certainly. Il is no;
because they expect 70 reap great earnings
from II. Today many trades and businesses.
| requiring little or no special training. yield
better income than the highly and ex-
pensively trained teaching and medical pro-
fessions. However. In order 10 exist, teachers
and doctors must earn q living from their
profession.
have Just returned from London where
was visiting my sister. Under "socialiEed
medicine" there she had her eyes examined
and eyeglasses prescribed II took three
months for her TO get her glasses and
when she finally received them they were
OF no use TO her as during the three months
Of waiting for them her eyes had become
worse. She was re-examined and told
tIldt GLASSES NUuIu
months. She still has no eyeglasses Per-
haps she will be blind before she finally
receives them under the so-called free med
tcal care in socialistic England. Most OF
the sensible. intelligent people in England
are not In favor of the wholesale type OF
medicine that Is being provided for them.
Many Of the doctors in London are forced
to live on borrowed money now that they
are on . very inadequate wage. Naturally.
t,In knN,, =
other worries. 1t Is not likely that even the
best physician can be expected 70 give the
best service.
In London looked about me and could
not help but compare the standard OF living
with our own here In the United States,
Here the average person looks clean and
well dressed. our houses are neat. tidy and
well kept as compared to the average Eng
lish home. Americans generally look
healthier than Britons. In American res
taurants the food served to one person would
in many cases provide meal for the entire
family in Briton today.
Having Just returned from q socialistic
country to our free enterprise America.
1t is impossible for me TO conceive how
any intelligent person can advocate any
form Of socialism.
MARGARET GREGORY.
To the Editor Of The Star:
Helen Warerhouss has failed to make
intelligent comment regarding "socialzed
medicine" I'd like to ask her If the grocer.
landlord or the department store executive
asks her II she can afford to pay todays
high prices for food. housing and clothing
all Of which are essential needs?
Perhaps the writer is not aware that 1t
Is considered the accepted practice today
for many physicians and dentists. in order
to tighten the load of payment. to refer
patients to a medicinal credit association.
In this manner q large bill divided in
monthly installmentS is easier to pay and
assures the doctor Of receiving payment
and the doctor not the patient. pays the
credit association fee for handling the bill
in this manner. In nearly all other INSTALL
ment contracts. a 6 per cent (or more) serv-
ice charge Is added to the purchasers bill.
It would seem to me that conscientious
person would be glad to be able to avail
himself Of such q means Of payment.
Since Miss Waterhouse compares ply
sicians and dentists to teachers. would like
to point out that 1t takes only four years
of special training to make one eligible for
the teaching profession and that 1t takes
10 years Of intensive expensive education
to become q medical doctor or dentist. Fur
thermore. 1t takes doctors to train doctors;
not merely academic teachers
Many teachers and many doctors enter
their respective professions because OF the
love Of their work or because Of some special
aptitude for 1t: but they also expect to be
able to earn their living. Miss Waterhouse
evidently has not kept herself well Informed
on the teaching profession In this country.
She seems unaware Of the fact that hum
dreds of teachers are deserting their pro-
fession because the salaries they receive are
inadequate to meet the high cost Of living
today. They can earn more In many other
types Of work. 1t does seem logical that
many doctors likewise might be forced to
desert their honored profession under a
socialistic wage plan. They too have to
buy groceries. pay rent and provide clothing
for their families.
All of us hope to escape serious illness
but none of us are immune to 1t. The sensi-
BILE thing Is to avail oneself Of the many
voluntary health insurance plans that now
are in practice and thus ease the pain Of
sudden and heavy expense for hospital and
medical care.
MARGARET w. ANDERSON.
Married Women Who Work
To the Editor OF The Star: