History of medical practice in Illinois - Bushnell Historical Society

Organization of State Medical Society 67tion of the law to regulate the practice of medicine inIllinois. These twomeasures were discussed in detail in the President's address. The Board, asfinally constituted, consisted of three regular physicians, one homeopath,one eclectic and two non-medical men.As for the Medical Practice Act, their examinations were "rigid andthorough and cannot fail to have a decided effect in elevating the professionalstandards." A large percentage of these early physicians failed toprocure certificates to practice. Statistics showed that 352 applicants tookthe examinations, but certificates were issued to only 136. At this time4456 certificates had been issued in Illinois and, from the best informationon hand, 1 100 "practitioners" had either quit practice or left the state followingthe enactment of this legislation.There were several comments on committee reports; for example: "Puta physician who has never had any ambition for writing essays at the headof a standing committee, and he feels himself constrained to show his appreciationof the honor conferred upon him; he will go into labor anddeliver himself of a few pages of grammatical blunders and general absurdities,dished up under the guise of a committee report."The physician, as a leading citizen in his community, was the subject ofseveral remarks, the first of which is quoted from the President's address:"Assembled as we are in a city made famous by the remains resting withinher limits of one who fell a martyr to his country, and whose memory thewhole civilized world reveres, and with all around evincing the grandeur ofIllinois and tending to remind us of the proud position she occupies in thesisterhood of States, it is to be hoped we may go from this session of ourSociety inspired not only with fresh zeal in the performance of our professionalduties, but also with a renewed sense of the obligations we are underto discharge faithfully the duties of citizenship, and with a feeling ofgratitude that our lives have fallen in such pleasant places."Dr. E. L. Holmes, in his report on "Ophthalmology as Related to GeneralMedicine" stated:"Physicians in every town and village should interestthemselves in the structure and lighting of school houses, in the form ofdesks, and should advise teachers to have all possible regard for the welfareof the children under their care in reference to the use and abuse of theireyes."Dr. N. S. Davis in a "Report on Drugs and Medicines" stated: "Thereis no more reason why the business of filling the prescriptions of physiciansshould be connected with the traffic in paints, oils, dye-stuffs, toilet articles,fancy goods and cigars than with other dry goods and groceries. And I thinkthere is no way by which the dispensing of medicines can be made safe, economical,and free from imposition and admixture with every species of proprietarynostrums, but to make it a perfectly separate business."