Jasper County Democrat, Volume 1, Number 19, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 August 1898 — THE STATE MEDICAL BOARD. [ARTICLE]

THE STATE MEDICAL BOARD.

Its Action In the Burroughs Case Roundly Condemned. To the Editor —Sir; In the refusal of the state medical board to issue a license to Dr. Burroughs to continue the practice of nis profession in the state as sustained by the recent decision of the supreme court there are some features of more than passing interest to many beside physicians, in that it invades the rights of individuals as' guaranteed by the constitution of the United Staten, and confers mandatory and discretionary power upon a set of men personally interested in having the number of physicians as limited as possible, which, altogether, is completely at variance with the authorizing the creation of a medical board. Therefore a considerof what are some of the assumed powers, of this board and of what are its really legitimate functions is commended to all persons who would conserve the constitutional rights of the individual or who knows that an injury to one class in a community is necessarily an injury to the whole. Dr. Burroughs was refused a license on the nominal ground of “irregular schooling,” the real objection to his continuing practice, as is well understood by many, was that, contrary to the so-called “ethics” of the profession, he advertised largely in the public press.

Now, as regards the real or the nominal grounds upon which Dr. Burroughs was refused a certificate. there is in the law, as it stands on our statute books today, not the slighest shadow of warrant as a very brief analysis will readily show. In the firfet place the law says: “A 11 persons wishing to begin the •?. % tice of medicine in the state, shall, in brief, prove that” they have pursued a certain prescribed course of study, when, if of good moral character, the board shall issue the license admitting them to practice within the state.” For those already practicing at the time the law went into effect, it was provided that to those who could show regularity Erocured license under the old iw the board also “shall issue” certificates entitling them to the privilege of continuing practice—a plain mandatory provision without a vestige of discretionary power in it, nor the shadow of right to raise the question of how or where the already established physicians received their mental training, the clause bearing upon this point relating exclusively to those wishing “to begin” practice within the state. Did the law read otherwise it would be retroactive and therefore unconstitutional. But this board ignores this point and goes the law one better, by formulating a set of rules under which all old physicians are arbitrarilly required to submit to the conditions of this one clause or be deprived of their right to continue in practice! < . What this means to many physicians who have not had the benefits of the later method of the schools, but who nevertheless are doing faithful, conscientious and really skillful work in their several communities, let any man answer for himself who has a business which it bus taken him years to build ’• i and which, to be suddenly deprived of, would leave him

without the means of support. Yet it is this clearly unjust and illegal action of the medical board which our supreme court upholds. Surely the board can ask for nothing more. For by this decision there is established a medical censorship as dangerous and illegal as any of the so-called trusts which in these days of almost universal monopolistic domination are undermining the liberties of the people and in so many subtle and underhanded ways lessening individual chances for making a living. So much fpr the nominal grounds upon which Dr. Burroughs was refused a license. As regards the real cause it is reported on good authority that one member of the board was heard to say in reference to this case that “no d—d advertising doctor” would be allowed in the state, from which it is the natural inference that advertising was the chief of Dr. Burroughs offending. On this point the attitude of the board is as clearly illegal and unjustifiable as upon the one already explained. In the law as written there is no hint nor specification as to how a physician shall manage his business, when a license to go into business has been given. That is a matter very rightly left to his own judgement

and business sense. In these days of struggle for a living, among professional men as well as others, a physician will not be long in learning that it is the one who profits by established business methods, the man who advertises honestly, boldly and contiguously, who “gets there” the surest and soonest. And in the name of all that is good and sensible, why should not a physician advertise his specialities of skill and knowlege the same as does the dry goods merchant or green groeer those wayes of which they know there is need in the community, for is not he in business as well as they? Are not his knowledge and skill his “stock in trade?” And is it not his purpose to convert these into money and thus obtain the means of living the same as does the merchant or green grocer his wares which constitute his stock in trade? Most assuredly; yet in almost every town or hamlet throughout our land today there are doctors well educated and capable sitting behind their modest door plates in a condition of semi-starvation, waiting, waiting, waiting for calls which never come rather than violate that pitiful rule of “profession pthics” which forbids them to advertise. Verily the old adage which says, “it takes a fool to be a physician,” is not

without some foundation in fact, for this they do well knowing that all about them are sufferers to whom they could bring the blessings of cure or relief if but ones these sufferers could be brought to their hands, while the physicians themselves would quickly be raised from a state of chronic impecunosity to one of ease and comfort or, oftentimes, even affluence. In the rapid multiplication of “trusts” and monopolies at th© present time there is good reason to believe that in certain high circles the great American public is regarded as a good deal or an ass. If the physicians of our state tamely submit to the arrogant domination of an illegal censorship, as thus far exercised by the so-called medical board the utter assinity of one class of our people will certainly have to be conceded. W. M. L. Watch The Daylight Clothing House for the finest line of clothing, shoes, hats, caps and gent’s furnishings ever shown in Jasper county. Bring your buggy, wagon and harness wants to Judy and The Lief Buggy Company and they will supply you. They have th© material and ability to do it.