Protective Association ORGANIZED AT WINNIPEG, 1901 Under the Auspices of the Canadian Medical Association HE objects of this Association are to unite the profession of the Dominion for mutual help and protection against unjust, improper or harassing cases of malpractice brought against a member who is not guilty of wrong-doing, and who frequently suffers owing to want of assistance at the right time; and rather than submit to exposure in the courts, and thus gain unenviable notoriety, he is forced to endure black-mailing. The Association affords a ready channel where even those who feel that they are perfectly safe (which no one is) can for a small fee enroll themselves and so assist a professional brother in distress. Experience has abundantly shown how useful the Association has been since its organization. The Association has not lost a single case that it has agreed to defend. The annual fee is only $3.00 at present, payable in January of each year. The Association expects and hopes for the united support of the profession. We have a bright and useful future if the profession will unite and join our ranks. EXECUTIVE. President-R. W. POWELL, M.D., Ottawa. SOLICITOR, F. H. CHRYSLER, K.C., Ottawa, Send fees to the Secretary-Treasurer by Express Order, Money Order, Postal Note or Registered letter. If cheques are sent please add commission. PROVINCIAL EXECUTIVES. ONTARIO-E. E. King, Toronto; I. Olmsted, Hamilton; D. H. Arnott, London: J. C. Connell, Kingston; J. D. Courtenay, Ottawa. QUEBEC-H. S. Birkett, Montreal; E. P. Lachapelle, Montreal; J. E. Dube, Montreal: H. R. Ross, Quebec; Russell Thomas, Lennoxville. NEW BRUNSWICK-T. D. Walker, St. John; A. B. Atherton, Fredericton; Murray MacLaren, St. John. NOVA SCOTIA-John Stewart, Halifax; J. W. T. Patton, Truro; H. Kendall, Sydney. PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND-S. R. Jenkins, Charlottetown. MANITOBA-Harvey Smith, Winnipeg; J. A. MacArthur, Winnipeg; J. Hardy, Morden. NORTH-WEST TERRITORIES-J. D. Lafferty, Calgary; M. Seymour, Regina. BRITISH COLUMBIA-S. J. Tunstall, Vancouver; O. M. Jones, Victoria; Dr. King. Cranbrooke. Published on the 15th of each month. Address all Communications and make all Cheques, Post Office Orders and Postal Notes payable to the Publisher, GEORGE ELLIOTT, 203 Beverley St., Toronto, Canada VOL. XXXI. TORONTO, NOVEMBER, 1908. COMMENT FROM MONTH TO MONTH. No. 5. Canadian Medical Association-Report of the Special Committee on the Establishment of a Department of Public Health for the Dominion of Canada.-To the President and Members of the Canadian Medical Association.-As convener of your Committee on the establishment of a "Federal Department of Public Health," I have the honor to submit the following report: From the beginning of the present session of Parliament, your Committee has endeavored to carry out the instructions of the Association. A memorandum containing, in résumé, the chief arguments in favor of centralizing, in one department and under the direction of one competent Deputy-Minister, all the sanitary services actually scattered in the various departments, was drafted and submitted to each member of the Committee, and subsequently an interview with the Honorable Prime Minister and his colleagues was secured, by Dr. J. B. Black, M.P., for the 3rd of March, 1908. As a delegation from your Committee, Doctors Black, Jones, McIntyre, Powell, Thompson, Barr, Schaffner, Elliott, Chisholm, Cash and Lachapelle (convener), met the Right Honorable Sir Wilfrid Laurier and Honorable Mr. Sidney Fisher, to whom they were introduced by Dr. Black.. The convener of the Committee presented to the Honorable Premier the memorandum which is appended to this report (memo. published in our issue of April), adding what explanations and remarks he deemed useful. Doctors R. W. Powell, George Elliott, Carleton Jones, J. B. Black, F. L. Schaffner and Wilbert McIntyre also joined in the discussion, insisting on all the chief arguments in favor of the establishment of a Federal Department of Public Health. On the invitation of the Honorable Prime Minister, the Honorable Mr. Fisher addressed the delegation and told the Committee of the great interest the Government was taking in this most important question of centralizing, into one department, all of the various sanitary services, as recommended by such a competent body as the Canadian Medical Association. He mentioned that there were difficulties in starting the desired reform, but, however, ended his remarks by stating that, whatever the difficulties were, he was of opinion that the advantages the reform would bring would well compensate them. The Honorable Premier thanked us for our presentation of the case, and assured us that our request would receive all due attention. According to the instructions contained in the resolution adopted by the Association at its Halifax meeting in 1905, your Committee had printed all resolutions of the Association and reports of its committees relating to the question of a Federal Department of Public Health, and had copies distributed to the members of the Cabinet, the Senators and the members of the Commons, also to the medical periodicals and the medical societies in all the provinces of Canada. A copy of the pamphlet is annexed to this report. (Previously published.) Before ending, I might mention that Dr. J. B. Black, a member of the Committee, has called the attention of the Parliament to this question and brought out a debate in the course of which he and other members of the Commons laid stress on the arguments for the establishment of a Public Health Department. The debate was adjourned, and when it will be resumed, we hope the Government will be in a position to express its views on this important question. Allow me to thank you, in the name of my colleagues, for the confidence shown us in asking us to continue the work necessary to bring to a solution a question in which the Association takes so much interest, and which our predecessors in office have 20 earnestly and invariably so well handled. On behalf of the Committee, (Signed) E. P. LACHAPELLE, Convener. The Democratic Platform, we are told by The Medical Council, and American Medicine, contains the following strong plank: "We advocate the organization of all existing national health agencies into a national bureau of public health, with such power over sanitary conditions connected with factories, mines, tenements, child labor and other subjects, as are properly within the jurisdiction of the Federal Government, and do not interfere with the power of the State's controlling public health agencies." When one of the great political parties of that great commonwealth to the south of us, considers a public health bureau of sufficient importance to help construct its platform, it shows progressiveness of a distinct character. Surely in another Dominion general election this factor will figure in the practical politics of either political party. The medical profession and Parliament need a man to espouse this cause and to carry on an educative and convincing campaign in its behalf. It will come sooner or later, as Sir Wilfrid said to the Canadian Medical Association at Ottawa: "It is only by knocking at the door that the door will be eventually opened." Congratulations to the Ontario Government, or probably properly to the Honorable, the Provincial Secretary. The doctorpolitician has got the bump at last-a member of the staff of the Hamilton Provincial Hospital has been installed in succession to the late Dr. Hickey, of the Cobourg provincial institution. Although the public press says "temporarily," surely if it is not made permanent it will be owing to the fact that some one else is slated for promotion. The medical profession, but the patients particularly, may exclaim: Thank God! the day is going or gone, when the best qualification for practising psychiatrics in this province was political activity and pull. A Western Newspaper finds fault with one of Toronto's most able and respected specialists because he did not jump and run with his stomach tube and antidotes to a case of poisoning when vehemently urged to do so. Apparently, the epicurean editor does not believe in specialists. He would have a nose and throat specialist do Whitehead's operation on a moment's notice; an eye and ear man a prostatectomy; a gynecologist, tracheotomy; every one with an M.D. treat everything from the pip to the pox, great or small. He is over twenty-three years behind the times in medical knowledge-but, skiddo. If D. McG's house were on fire at 2 a.m., would he get up and put it out with his tears? Yet this is on a par with his senseless criticism. Such criticism, however, would almost go to show that specialists should have it. stated on their signs what particular practices they are confining their work to. Koch still insists that bovine tuberculosis differs from human tuberculosis, as first expounded by him in London, in 1901. With his adherents he stands in the minority. Although a heart-toheart discussion was held in camera at the recent Washington Tuberculosis Conference, it failed to produce any unanimous agreement on the subject. The majority-and many eminent scientists are included in this-hold that tuberculosis in cattle constitutes a most serious menace to public health. It is a matter of the most vital importance, and Professor Koch and other scientists will have to go deeper into their researches and observations, in order to satisfy both the medical and lay mind. The Local Use of Epsom Salt is a new and interesting, as it appears to be a successful, topical treatment in up-to-date therapeutics. It is being extensively used in hospitals in the United States in acute and sub-acute inflammations of the skin, and in erysipelas. The technique is extracted from The Medical Council. The application consists of a saturated solution of mag. sulph. in water. This is applied in facial cases on a mask consisting of from fifteen to twenty thicknesses of ordinary gauze, of sufficient size to extend well beyond the area involved, a small opening being made to permit breathing; no opening, however, is cut for the eyes. The mask is then thoroughly saturated with the solution, applied and covered with oiled silk or wax paper, and wet as often as necessary to assure a moist dressing-usually once in two hours, depending on the time of year, or the temperature of the room. The dressing should not be removed oftener than once in twelve hours to permit an inspection of the parts, and then immediately re-applied; the infected area should not be washed while the treatment is employed. The temperature rapidly falls and usually becomes normal during the second twenty-four hours. The only other treatment needful, in the average case, is a milk diet until the temperature is again normal. It is said that the chief of one of Philadelphia's largest outpatient departments has given instructions to his workers to employ magnesium sulphate in all cases of ivy poisoning, erysipelas and, in fact, in inflammations generally of the skin. |