Medical Fads and Fancies 25 
seriously concerning all medical minds; a problem with- 
out precedent and with no very promising solution in 
view; the question of how it may be possible to make 
available this vast advance in diagnostic refinement to 
the public to the satisfaction and encouragement of phy- 
sicians. | 
It is perfectly obvious that no one man may have an 
even working knowledge of the various diagnostic 
methods now developed. It has come to pass that of 
even the specialties no one person can exhaust the pos- 
sibilities. Hach is now split into sub-specialties through 
the unusual accomplishments of different workers de- 
veloping different lines within the specialty. Since this 
is true, it would seem to lead to the solution that the 
only way by which this vast store of valuable knowledge 
can be made available to the patient is through some 
sort of codperative arrangement. The idea has been 
and is being tried in various forms; it cannot be said 
so far with any great success. Perhaps the most prom- 
ising arrangement is to be found in what are known as 
the one-man groups, a few of which are in operation. 
In them one dominant personality, highly accomplished 
in certain lines of work, is supported by various experts 
in other branches. The Mayo Clinic and the Cleveland 
Clinic, of which Dr. George W. Crile is head, are lead- 
ing examples. These one-man groups have the weak- 
ness of lack of permanency, the anticipation being that 
they will disrupt with the loss of the chief. Codperative 
groups, closed hospital groups, and groups having a 
purely diagnostic function attempting through this. to 
serve the practitioner, are other variations. The diffi- 
culties in the operation of any such schemes are those 
of personal adjustment between the workers in the group 
—since most men enter medicine for one reason, because 
