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Show STATE MEDICINE During the past few years there has been much talk about "socialized "social-ized medicine" or state medicine. ; V It is an issue which every one should be interested in and which all should unders t a n d . Its final settlement will determine the quality qual-ity of medical service serv-ice that will be available, at any Dr. Nathan S. Price' wheD you; Davis III yur "latwes and your friends become be-come seriously ill. In the United States, we have always al-ways had independent medical practice. prac-tice. The individual citizen has had the right to select and employ the services of any licensed practitioner of medicine in whom he has confidence. con-fidence. Under this system of personal medical practice, miracles have been achieved in the conquering of disease. In the short period of 150 years, in the United States, the average length of life of man has been nearly near-ly doubled. The life expectancy of the newborn new-born child was 35 years. It is now over 62 years. During this period, typhoid fever has well nigh disappeared; smallpox has been subdued; diphtheria has almost been eliminated; pernicious anemia, tuberculosis, diabetes, and I PREVALENCE OF PYORRHEA IN EXAMINED DENTAL CASES IN THE UNITED STATES 3383 MALES - 4158 FEMALES - 1940 o.l I I I LJ I I I I 20 25 JO IS AO V 50 V GO WALES FEMALES a score of lesser ailments have been brought under control. American medicine gave to the United States, in the . calendar year of 1940, the most favorable health record of its 150 years' history. his-tory. It resulted in 1940 in the highest general level of health and in the lowest death rate ever known for the United States, or for any comparable number of people anywhere any-where in the world. It now appears that the record for 1941 will be even better. In this country, there are some who seek to establish political control con-trol of medicine and of medical practice. It is granted that their motives are entirely honorable and wholly altruistic; that their arguments argu-ments are plausible and alluring. But the record shows that the accomplishment ac-complishment of this purpose would hamper the medical profession in the performance of its duties and so break down the morale and the effectiveness ef-fectiveness of the physicians the men who are responsible for the physical well-being of 130,000,000 men, women and children. These proposals must be recognized recog-nized for what they really are. They are moves toward the establishment establish-ment of political control of medical services and the bureaucratic domination dom-ination of both the patient and the doctor. They embody the menace of a step by step process of destruction destruc-tion of the system that has given this nation the highest level of health ever known; that has given its people peo-ple the most resourcefulness, the most wealth, and the highest standard stand-ard of living in the history of the world. (From the brochure "Priceless Heritage," published by the National Nation-al Physicians Committee for the Extension Ex-tension of Medical Service, Pittsfield Building, Chicago, 111. On request a free copy will be mailed to you.) r 1 "For the most part, American Ameri-can doctors are determinedly opposed to this drive for socialized so-cialized medicine, and I must say that I am with them all the way. State medicine, in my opinion, bears disaster for doctor doc-tor and patient alike. You can not pipe out medicine to the community as you do with steam heat." DR. A. J. CROXIN English Physician, Author of "The Citadel." 1 . I QUESTION BOX Send questions to Dr. Nrith.in S. Davis III, Winnetka, III. (Enclose a seJf-addresaed. stamped envelope.) Q. What causes the joints to be sore in the morning? B. A. A. Usually some form of rheumatism rheu-matism plus chilling; and lack of motion while asleep. Q. My fingernails peel and become, be-come, pitied for no apparent reason. What is the cause for it? C. E. A. It may be due to nail polish, some general disease, anemia or malnutrition or to some local infection. |