Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
May,  19 19. 
Editorial. 
263 
justment  of  social  conditions,  and  the  demand  for  better  professional 
service  and  with  the  shortage  of  medical  practitioners,  there  is 
afforded  at  this  time  an  unusual  opportunity  for  reform  in  the 
medical  practices.  The  various  branches  of  the  medical  profes- 
sion should  realize  that  this  is  the  golden  opportunity  for  them 
to  combine  their  efforts  for  the  eradication  of  long  standing  evils 
and  jealousies.  Such  a  regeneration  is  a  need  of  the  time  and  is 
essential  to  the  proper  advancement  of  the  ethical  practice  of  medi- 
cine. It  is  not  a  new  principle  that  we  are  proposing  in  advocating 
that  selfishness  shall  cease  to  be  the  controlling  influence  and  that 
in  the  future  these  practices  shall  be  swayed  by  altruistic,  yet  poten- 
tial, professionalism.  In  a  recent  article  Elihu  Root  declared  that 
"  change  and  growth  are  the  law  of  life  "  and  this  law  is  applicable 
to  the  existence  of  vocations  as  well  as  to  that  of  nations. 
Can  the  leaders  in  the  several  medical  practices  rise  to  the  oppor- 
tunity and  appreciate  the  possibilities  growing  out  of  such  a  regen- 
eration? It  should  not  be  too  much  to  expect  of  broad  minded 
professional  gentlemen  that  they  entertain  this  proposition  with  the 
thought  that  "  the  past  is  behind  us,  the  future  is  ahead.  Let  us  all 
strive  to  make  the  future  better  and  brighter  than  the  past  ever  was." 
The  regeneration  advocated  is  not  chimerical  but  a  reformation 
that  is  needed  and  should  appeal  to  all  as  a  perfectly  just  and  feas- 
ible proposition.  Cooperation  will  be  essential  and  it  must  be  co- 
operation of  the  real  earnest  and  sincere  type.  It  should  not  be 
considered  at  all  impractical  for  the  national  organizations  repre- 
senting medicine,  surgery,  dentistry,  veterinary  medicine  and  phar- 
macy each  to  appoint  a  representative  Committee  on  Fraternal  Rela- 
tions and  to  charge  these  joint  committees  to  act  as  a  commission 
to  define  the  scope  and  policy  for  each  branch  of  medical  practice 
and  to  study  the  means  of  bringing  about  a  closer  relation  among 
them  and  a  correlation  of  their  services  of  eliminating  unethical 
practices  and  encroachments. 
G.  M.  B. 
