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Show DOCTOR MISTAKEN. The Tribune has received a letter from a practicing physician of Utah in which he declares that under the "edict" of the state board of health the doctors, in making inoculations for the purpose of preventing Spauish influenza, in-fluenza, must not charge for their services, serv-ices, the serum used being free. Tho physician who makes complaint resents the accusation of "profiteering" against certain members of the profession. profes-sion. The position of the state board has evidently been misunderstood. When a family 'employs a private physician phy-sician on its own account it must pay the bill. Doctors must be paid by those who cali them in whether they 'be called by private families or by municipal or county authorities. They are entitled to remuneration in either case. The distinction is that doctors are not supposed to. bceive free vaccine from tho state p.nd then charge, the patient for i$. The state furnishes free vaccine where itf is to bo administered free by physicians in the employ of the city or county, either regularly or especially es-pecially during epidemic periods. If a doctor buys his own- vaccine and is called privately by a family to administer admin-ister it he is entitled to charge both for the virus and the service and there 'is no intimation of profiteering in any such cases. This charge lies only where free vaccine is obtained from the state and is then charged for by the physician phy-sician in his private practice. We trust the doctor who m'adc the protest will take note of this explanation and revise his opinion of the action of the state board of health. |