1932-08-03

THE QUALIFIED PHYSICIAN AND THE

QUACK.

THE PROS AND CONS. OF BOTH SIDES.

PROF. ĠERRARD'S ADDRESS AT ROTARY CLUB.

An interesting address on "Quackery" was delivered at the Rotary Club yesterday by Professor W. L. Gerrard,

The speaker, in the course of a brief address, explained the difference between the trained and qualified practitioner and the so-called "quack."

The main address was followed by an extremely amusing speech by Mr. M. F. Koy.

MR. KEY AMUSES ROTARIANS.

HONG KONG DAILY PRESS, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3, 1932.

by the doctor, while in other cases, the application of the most scien- tific remedies only too often fails. Why In the one case personal and moral influence have succeeded; in the other too much reliance has been placed on material resources.

Belontine Medicine.

Is there u danger of scientific medicina being discredited ? 1 trust not. It is unthinkable that a method which has been proved over and over again to be the foun. dation of human happiness and pro. sperity should fail. to be universal ly accepted in the fight with disease and death.

As I once said before in this room the quack can never enter the great

SAFE CARRIED AWAY.

THEFT AT DAIRY FARM.

Breaking into the office of Mr. A. Stevenson, manager of the Dairy Farro at Pokfulam,......on... Monday. night, a gang of thieves removed the safe, which was later found in a field some 200 yards away. There was a sum of 82,000 in the safe and this was found to be intact.

An iron bar in the window of Mr. Steveman's office had been sawn through to enable the burglars to force un entry, and once in the office the intruders appear to have con-

"About three weeks ago," Profes-, tinner less than one hundred years field of preventive medicine. Here-centrated on the safe,

His success with his patients lay not so much in his knowledge of disease as in the fact that his au.

Bor Gerrard said in the course of ingo. bis address, "I was talking to ear worthy Secretary, Rotarian Key, As I listened to his sad converss tion on the troubles and steepless nights caused by anxious efforts to get speakers for our weekly meet ings I could one that he was on the vergu of a nervous breakdown,"

In my anxiety for him I pro- mised to give a short contribution

thority in those days was unques tioned. He was credited with mu gical powers which primitive mau has always accepted as belonging to the medicine man of the tribe

non-in

contribution was to be of a scientific nature and to be entirely i free of all the gruesome details of

disease proceRSER.

I know not if

in lies the chief hope for suffering While trying to force it open, humanity. Scientific medicino to the thieves were disturbed or feared day tends to be concerned inore and imminent discovery, for they aban- more with the prevention of disease. doned their efforts, and instead, The great office of the doctor of the carried the sale bodily away.

future will be that of a teacher of

the laws of health and here may 1

The office was last visited by one be allowed to refer to Rotarian with the Dairy Farm at 3.40 p.m. or other of the persons connected

Wellington's enthusiasm and tire-

on Monday, and between that hour less efforts in the advancement of and 4.10 a.m. yesterday when the preventive medicine in Hong Kong attempt was discovered, the thieves (Applause) It is men's ignorane appear to have had a free field for of how to live which brings him to the laborious job of sawing through suffering and the untimely grave. the iron bar. Only scientific medicins can guide away from the dangers which threa.

just to help things along. Such Curiously this belief still survives great measure and we may be allowed to include in the term the magic of a personality of

'ten him amid the morasses of civili quackery. I remember that the our friend the valec, a smile or of a sympathetic zation. Here the qualified medical philanthropist, who sells pills worth "Critic" has joined our Chib. If manner-bit strictly within these men reigns supreme and here his a guinea a box, but is content withr he has, then I trust that anything limits.

prerogative can never be assumed the odd shilling and waives the I any to-day will not bring down

by the man who, sound knowledge{pound, came along one monjing The good doctor is always very of the make-up and functioning of to confess that he turned out every furious wrath on my head nor, 1 hope, will the public be rushing, human, he realises he is dealing the body, yet professes to remedy year fifty-six tons of those tiny about the streets dodging bacteria with a personality and not with an its ills. (Applause).

little pilla. They contained, he de- or writhing in their beds with abstract disease-with man and wo

clared, valuable vegetable ingredi. cholerais pains as a result of our ¦

ents, and if the analysts could not men and not only with cases. But meeting to-day.

In thanking Professor Gerrard find them that was because they did The title of my paper, namely

when magical attributes are looked for his address, Mr. M. F.. Key not know their job, (Laughter). "Quackery," is not quite appro- for in pince of sound knowledge caused much amusement. Ho said | The British Medical Association in part:In the days of my youth in one of its publications on this printe but it was given on the and scientific methods, We Tevert

when I was considering the best subject says: spur of the moment and I have no to savagedom and the infancy of method of employing any peculiar intention of holding unorthodox

mankind. The man in the street is talents, it occurred to me that it methods up to ridiculo. In this my paper may be a disappointment but only beginning to realise that the might be advisable to enter the Do useful purpose would be served up-to-date doctor is a very differ-quack medicine business. Wha

by my beating the big drum-the question in a vast and interesting one and to-day let us take a short glimpse from both sides.

The Old-time Physician. In past days the physicians had less knowledge of the nature, and treatment of disease than is possess ed to-day by the well-read layman.

ignorance of the medical practi

Rotarians Amused.

suggested the idea was the, produe

The surest enemy of quackery ia increased publicity in regard to the fasts, and the recognition by the public of the great dis- parity that exists in many cases botween the actual composition oʻ many nostrums on the one hand, and the extravagant claims that are made for their curative pow ers on the other."

ent person from his predecessor and tion by a venerable aunt of a re he is not by any means certain that cipe for bruises which she declared the change is for the better. He is had been successfully used by not sure that the man who is pre- Florence Nightingale in the Cri pared to tell him offhand that he mean War. The title "Florence knows exactly what is the matter Nightingale's Crimean Embroca who claima a knowledge that is tion" struck me unique and special and promisce ecsame "

In the twenty years that have to fame and fortune. elapsed since the Parliamentary

#8 na open

Even in

to effect a certain care is not more Shakespeare says, "What's in Inquiry it seems to me that the satisfactory than a doctor who aaks name ?". The quack medicine ven-march of progress and the spread In those days the physicians could for a prolonged and careful examindor knows that there is everything of public enlightenment has led easily require a reputation but that ation, who is unwilling to commit in a name: the better the name the proprietary medicine vendors to time had passed. The impressive himself to an opinion and is very less one need spend on ingredients. moderate their claims. bedside manner, the stately costume, cautious in promising a successful But deeper reflection suggested that those days the proprietors of Mo- not forgetting the gold-headed cane, result. The real honest physician a remedy for bruises is likely only ther Seigel's Syrup admitted that the conversation freely interspersed of to-day will maintain that any to have a limited sale. You musthey no longer printed on the wrap with Latins tags, the long elaborate

euro dependa mainly on the natural either promise to heal every super-per round the bottle the statement prescriptions, containing innumer. able drugs,-suck was the stock in and that all he can do is to guidan Mr. H. G. Wells' phrase-in his angol pointed out to Mother Seigel powers of recovery of the patient ficial ill that Resh is heir to, or, which formerly appeared that an trade which served' to cover up the the patient along the ways in novel on this subject called "Tono while she was walking in a wood which nature can best effect he-Bungay-go straight to the noar Heidelberg which particular powers of healing.

great stomach of the people," in herbs she should use for the cure The Invalid's Point of View. other words, provide the gullible of her sick child, which secret she with a cure-all in bottled form. afterwards passed on to humanity What about the invalid's side of the story! He is apt to think he

It so happened that later on Iab a profit. Nor do I see nowadays ought to get something much better made a few hundred pounds out of another quack which was pilloried for his money. Surely there is a

quackery in an indircut fashion. by the Parliamentary Committee.

In this case the label read: magic potion or pill or injectios About 1912, being then a newspaper

FENNING'S FEVEN CURE Cures Influenza in one dose, Cures Diphtheria in two doses Cures Typhoid in three doses."

(Laughter.)

PRIORE

23743

CENTRAL RADIO

SERVICE

KING'S BLOG (Opp. Sher Terry)

man in Fleet Street, I was asked

or coloured light or electrical ma-by the editor of the British Me- chine which can restore him. to dical Journal" to record the pro- health. Ho never, thinks that his body is a very intricate piece of

ceedings of a Parliamentary Com. mittee on Proprietary Medicines which met twice a week for two

| RADIO EXPERTS-WORK GUARANTEED mechanism and that he himself dif.

Latest

and

fers from any other living creature in his personal re-action to the diserse.

It was shown that the principal years in the House of Commons. ingredient was that homely remedy, In those pre-war and pre-Labour sweet nitre. Government days Parliament was) rather a fashionable centre and in order to live up to it I remember

Human Credibility.

Now, we must freely acknowledge that the man of his choice ai re gards treatment, the man full of

After several days of rather confident assurance with an infal-expending the first few guineas shocking revelations, of unscrupu- lible and universal cure for every earned on a top hat and a morn.lous trading upon human credulity. and folly, a member of Parliament

giving every satisfaction. So deep

MELOTONE

RECORDS why and the wherefore, so ready in when a policeman, taking me for water, advertise it widely

BRUNSWICK ailment, vory frequently succeeds in ing cont. In this "Queen's Pier turned solemnly to an expert wit ly ingrained is the belief of suffer. Tegalia" (Laughter) and camou ness (an analytical chemist) and ing humanity that there is a re-flaging my notebook and " copy'

‚»|mid, "Now, Mr. So and So, I am medy for every bodily ill, go un-paper in a leather attache case, I going to ask you this question,

Would it be possible for a person" | questioning is the sufferer as to

as to the was much uplifted one morning to make up a mixture of sugar and

THE

Obtainable-

from

BRUNSWICK HOUSE

Arcade, Gloucester Bldg.

as a re

be to accept at face value any pro- misc to cure and so great is, the an Under-Secretary-of-State at themedy for some disease, and make a power of mind over matter he cares very least, hold up the traffic for living out of it?" "Certainly," little what the method of treatment me to cross the road in solitary has been done without the sugar! replied the witness promptly, it is as long as there is sufficiently splendour at the end of Whitehall (Laughter). They called it 'Elec- impressive and presented with stiff. aient assurance Medical men: ap (Laughter). preciate the practical truth of this anil indeed those who ignore it are robbed of much of their success,

Worth a Gained a Boxl

We heard a good deal in the next

trified Water, but, do you know, it

is impossible to electrify water." | (Laughter.}***

Mr. Key concluded by expressing

DIRECTORY & CHRONICLE

OF THE FAR EAST

CHINA, JAPAN, STRAITS SETTLEMENTS, MALAY

STATES, PHILIPPINE ISLANDS, INDO-CHINA,

NETHERLANDS INDIA, ETC.

(Published by the Hong Kong Daily Press, Ltd.)

First edition 1862, revised and enlarged annually

1933 Edition now in course of preparation

BUSINESS

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