Am.  Jour.  Pharm, 
June,  1915 
Modem  Medicine. 
283 
years,  however,  is  its  failure  to  adopt  any  definite,  permanent  and 
constructive  program  in  its  efforts  to  secure  adequate  public  health 
legislation.  We  have  asked  the  public  to  accept  us  as  scientific 
authorities,  and  we  have  not  been  scientific  ourselves  in  handling 
this  problem.  There  has  been  little  effort  made  to  separate  the 
essential  and  fundamental  from  the  non-essential  and  incidental,  to 
secure  first  the  passage  of  those  measures  which  would  lay  the 
foundation  for  an  efficient  health  organization  which  is  closely  re- 
lated to  the  rest  of  the  State  government,  and  to  develop  the  powers, 
functions  and  activities  of  such  a  department.  Closely  related  to  this 
is  the  occasional  advocacy  by  individuals  or  organizations  of  laws 
on  fads  or  sensational  topics.  Enthusiastic  members  of  State  legis- 
lative committees,  especially  interested  in  subjects  interesting,  but  of 
comparatively  little  relative  importance,  push  their  claims  for  con- 
sideration, and  these  subjects,  because  they  are  sensational,  are  taken 
up  by  the  newspapers  to  the  exclusion  of  far  more  important  ques- 
tions. Abundant  illustrations  of  this  tendency  can  be  found  in  the 
history  of  the  last  forty  years.  Such  legislation  is  often  commend- 
able, if  the  State  and  the  public  are  ready  for  it,  and  if  it  does  not 
crowd  out  more  important  subjects  ;  but  as  scientific  men  we  should 
not  allow  ourselves  to  be  unduly  influenced,  either  by  enthusiasts  or 
by  temporary  public  interest. 
If  any  doubt  remains  in  the  minds  of  any  of  you  as  to  the  differ- 
ence in  point  of  view  of  the  physician  and  the  layman,  it  is  only 
necessary  to  instance  the  wild  and  unwarranted  charges  and  loose 
statements  regarding  the  purposes  and  aims  of  our  medical  organiza- 
tions that  have  appeared  in  the  editorial  columns  of  some  of  our 
leading  newspapers  during  the  last  six  years.  The  facts  are  plain  to 
any  one  who  will  go  to  the  trouble  to  investigate,  yet  the  unfounded 
and  unprovable  statements  made  have  seriously  reflected  on  the 
motives  of  physicians.  The  medical  profession  is  not  "  a  medical 
trust,"  neither  is  it  a  highly-organized,  centrally-controlled,  powerful 
organization  with  sinister  plans  and  motives  against  the  liberties  and 
habits  of  the  public.  It  is,  on  the  contrary,  as  every  one  conversant 
with  the  facts  knows,  a  more  or  less  discordant  body  of  140,000  men 
of  average  ability  and  personal  qualities.  The  principal  national 
organization  of  physicians,  the  American  Medical  Association,  is  a 
loose  union  of  fifty-two  State  and  territorial  associations,  comprising 
2000  county  societies  and  approximately  70,000  members,  or  about 
one-half  of  the  profession.   Careful  study  of  its  records  and  proceed- 
