THE MEDICAL PROFESSION.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2497, 10 May 1909, Page 6

THE MEDICAL PROFESSION.

A COMING CHANGE

President Charles W. Eliot, of Harvard, recently delivered an address on “The Coming Change in the Medical Profession,” which is commented on in a striking way by the “British Medical Journal.” After speaking of the great advances in medl r ' a l science during the past half-century, he went oii to ask if it was possible to forsee in any measure the changes in practice of medicine as a money-earning and livelihood yielding profession which these advances would bring about. He said_that the great scientific powers that had been brought to bear on preventative medicine would strongly affect private medical pr actice as a means of livelihood and the prospects of the profession, as a whole. • “He proceeded to say that the,practice of medicine would be-seriously affected if preventative medicine becomes successful on a broad scale. “The very source of the livelihood,” he said, “will be dried up if preventative medicine succeeds. Not even the surgeon can rely on private practice fifty years hence as the means.of yielding the livelihood which it yields now, and, as a means of livelihood surgery has already been somewhat impaired. “Inspired, apparently, by the dismal outlook which he sees for surgery; the orator suddenly asks: ‘Shall we not welcome the coming change ? Is not the function of the medical profession regarded as preventative, higher, better, happier than the function of the medical and surgical profession regarded as curative ?” One great consolation he offers us in regard to the future of the profession; we have a great deal of truth still to s learn and acquire, and we may -well be grateful for that prospect. “It is doubtless true that the medicine of the future will be, to a large extent preventative. President Eliot has evidently a high opinion of the selfsacrifice of the medical profession,' but he does not put the . case strongly enough. ’ - ' ' . ' ■ , ; “ He does not point out the remarkable fact that, the progress in science w'hich is to change the healing art into preventative science has been the work of the doctors themselves. The fact was surely remarkable enough to deserve mention for it is the only example of a profession striving to abolish the reason for its own existence, and to dry up the sources from which it draws its livelihood. And what is its reward? Hatred and all uncharitableness oil the part of fanatics who, if they could, would' stop ■ all progress-; carefullymeasured encouragement from the state and from public bodies, and indifference from the people! at large, who, owing to extinction lof the scourges from which they had been delivered, cannot appreciate what lias been done for their welfare.” .