Vol. 60, 1909 - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

SC) THE CHARLOTTE MEDICAL JOURNAL.
namely, that of the increasing competition only accepted but generally welcomed by
in the art and science of healing, not alone the American people, despite its exercise of
within the ranks of the regular medical pro- arbitrary jjower, on account of its certainly
fession, including its various adjuncts, the beneficent results, pro ^(vm pi/6//iv, and simhospitals.sanatoria,
dispensaries, and boards
of health, but also in the so-called new disply
because they are democratic,
I am no advocate of centralization in the
pensation treatment of disease, such as abstract, nor special pleader of the health
Divine healing, Christian Science, Faith department system: but may not such a
and mind cures, Emmanuel movement, protective union, or "merger, "—to use the
hypnotism, massage, osteopathy, hydro- commercial parlance of the day,—be a pospathy,
and all the other cults and pathies, sible outcome of the growth and developnot
to speak of the advertising quacks and ment of preventive medicine?
charlatans,—who although not more num- Or, are medical services to be engaged
erous today, perhaps, in proportion to the and contracted for, on the co-operative
population, than in times past, still count plan, by societies and families, and phytheirvotariesby
the thousands,— I say that sicians to receive annual salaries for regain
contemplation of these undeniable facts, larly caring for the sick and preserving the
I should like to know what is to become of health of their patients,—as is now largely
the legitimate practice of medicine or the done in Germany with the so-called
general practitioner in the future, from a "Kranken Cassen" and "Hans Artzt, " and
financial standpoint?
to some extent also in the United States by
Physicians, like others, must live; but corporations, etc.? Or, are they to be paid
even now it is getting harder every day to only, like Chinese doctors, to keep people
make a living in the practice of medicine, well, and not paid when they get sick?
and there is no relief in sight. The pros- But be this as it may, in view of the depects
are rather that the conditions will creasing frequency of sickness, as shown
continue to grow worse. It is true, perhaps, by the records of vital statistics, and the
that as the requirements for graduation and waning private practice of physicians,
license become more exacting and difficult, which needs no demonstration, what is to
while the emoluments of practice get com- be the future, Mr. President, of legitimate
paratively less, fewer men may enter the private practice in this country? Intheevomedical
profession, and an increasing num- lution of the new school of treatment,—not
ber of those who do may devote themselves to mention the rapid advance of progressive
to research
career,
work or to a special official surgery, or the successful operative inter-
ference in many affections hitherto regarded
Butarealllegitimatepractitionersof medi- as incurable—what is to become ofthe oldcine,
with the exception of the specialists, time general practitioner of medicine with
to become ultimately merged into some pro- ^'s drugs and galenical preparations, when
tective system, some system of health pre- perfeced methods of modern sanitary
servation, likelhehealth departmentsystem, science shall have arrested or prevented all
for instance, under legislative regulation and infectious diseases and life shall be procontrol?
This is not so impossible as it might longed to a green old age?
appear. The health department svstem,'''as . . ^ .— 7" • ;t r.^r^r.A,^ ^.1.; .f.. ;„ ., *
It
c ^i alreadj exists in tnany parts of this country,
IS a centralized, autocratic organization,
under State or municipal control, de-
,, ., ,. , ,.
^OTE.—In the compilation of this paper I have
„,ade liberal use of other articles and books written
by others, as well as by myself.
'-—^
signed for the care of the public health."
The word "autocratic, " and the acts which
it involves, would seem to be inimical to
our basic principles as a democracy. But
AlcohoJ.
By Wm. deB. MacNider. M. D., Professor of Phar-
macology in the University of North Carolina.
(From The Laboratory of Pharmacology).
in this republic of ours there is a strong and ( a ) The Pharmacalogical Action of Algrowing
tendency toward centralization cohol.
and concentration of authority,—as is seen (b) I.ogical Indications for the use of
in many systems, syndicates and monopo- Alcohol as a Therapeutic Agent.
lies, in commerce and politics, as well as in (c) Changes Produced F.xperimentallv
boards of health. A few of us may declaim in the Blood Vessels of Rabbits Subjected
against this tendency, as being a usurpa- to the Action of Alcohol.
tion of the rights of the individual, a re- The subject under discussion may he apstnction
of personal liberty, a destruction proached and studied with benefit from
of wholesome competition, and so on. Still many points of view. At the present time a
however this may be in the main, when the consideration of alcohol from a sociological
concentration of authority is plainly desig- view point would be of interest, but for many
nated for the common good, as in matters reasons, this side of the subject will be sepertaming
to the public health, it is not verely left alone.