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Show QRUTALITY OF MEDICAL ETHICS. Great Surgeon Barred from Membership Mem-bership In Medical Association. ;i'rom thu National DriiKKlxt for June, l.MT.) Dr. AugustiiB Churlcs Dcrnays, who died n few dajii ago In St. Louis, was, probably, the foremout Hiirgeon In tho United States. Ills fame was co-cxtcnslvo co-cxtcnslvo with the civilized world. IIo was not only an operator of the high-cat high-cat order, but a tireless nnd cxhaus-ttvo cxhaus-ttvo worker In the field of original surgery. Ho performed tho first successful suc-cessful Cacsarlnn section in 1SS9 In St. Louis, nnd also the first successful coellotomy for gunshot wound of tho abdomen nud tho first gallstone operation opera-tion In Missouri. A record held by Dr. Hornays has never been equaled: Out of cighty-ouo successive cases of appendicitis which 'necessitated operations, Boventy-one In succession wero with perfectly satisfactory ro-suits, ro-suits, tho Bovcnty-second patient falling fall-ing of recovery, but tho subsequent nine cases wero successfully treated. And yet, with such n record, matchless match-less as was his skill, varied and ex-tcnslvo ex-tcnslvo as was his learning, wonderful wonder-ful ns wore his accomplishments, he was not considered, by tho American Medical Association, ns worthy of membership In that organization. No charges wero over brought against him which, In tho remotest degree, reflected on his qualifications ns a surgeon; his moral character was never tho subject of attack; ho was novcr accused of having dono anything any-thing unbecoming a man or u gentleman. gentle-man. "Tho head and front of his offending of-fending had this extent no nioro!" IIo dared to think! lib refused to mold his opinions nnd to govern his actions by tho nrhltrary rules which thoso whom ho know to bo his Inferiors Infer-iors had set up for his guidance! In othor words, ho could not regard tho Codo of Kthlcs of tho American Medical Medi-cal Association ns being Inspired, ot hnvlng any binding nuthorlty on him where his judgment told him it was wrong. And so, twenty years ago or more, on nccouut of somo trivial Infraction In-fraction of this sacred "Code," a movement wns started to expel him from tho local association, which was only defeated by his hastily sending In his resignation. As membership in tho A. M. A. is dependent upon membership mem-bership In tho local and State societies, socie-ties, his name was dropped by tho national organization. And so, though he had saved thousands thou-sands of lives; though othor physicians physi-cians had profited by his art; this brilliant Burgeon; this great nud ahlu man, has, during nil theso years, been an outcast a medical "scab;" noc recognized ns "ethical" or worthy of fellowship by that body of physicians handed together In tho American Medical Med-ical Association! And thts Is thu association which, uuder protenso of working for tho public good, Is, In reality, only seeking to control Congress anil the Stnte Legislatures in the Interest of theli own sol fish Hellenics; which Is trying to crcato n Cabinet position and tn place ono of Its members In that position; po-sition; which Ic, endeavoring by law to cxcludo from the use of tho mails, all manufacturers of medicines who do not comply with tho nbsurd ro qulrcments that thoy chooso to sot up; which, lu short, Is trying to put upon tho statute books of Stato 'and nation laws that will, In offect, cstab llsh n kind of medical priesthood, to which only their own mombers will be eligible with power and control ovor tho health and lives of tho people! God holp tho druggists, the drug manufacturers, physicians not members mem-bers of their guild, and tho pcoplo generally, If this association ovor succeeds suc-ceeds in Its undertaking. It It docs, It will, after tho fashion ot the labor unions, dictate a "closed shop," and say to doctors who profor to bo Independent, Inde-pendent, "You nuiBt Join our union or, falling to do so, compel them to got out of tho business. It will say what medicines shall bo takon, nnd how thoy shall bo mado. It will hedgu tho people about with a lot of potty regulations under pretonso of protecting protect-ing tho public health, lii tlno, if modi cal bureuuerncy will bo established to tyrannize ovor tho people. ' Lot no man call this a falsa alarm. If there aro thoso who aro Inclined to do bo, let 'them read tho Jo'urha of tho A. M. A. Let thorn scan tho proceedings of tho association, held always behind closed doors, ard bare-fully bare-fully edited, as thoy a,r(S, befo'ro thoy aro published In Its, official organ) If they wll do' this they will Beo that wo aro hot trylnj; to create, a bugaboo Jo frighten their Jlpild souIb, |
