EDITORIAL


A physician who specializes in diagnosis is playing the role of medical traffic cop, directing some patients to a heart man, others to a neurologist and so on through a long and weary list. Nothing is done either to kill or cure the patient until he gets past the diagnostician. On the other hand, there are some general practitioners who attempt anything and everything from pulling teeth and paring corns to examining eyes and fitting glasses.


A physician who specializes in diagnosis is playing the role of medical traffic cop, directing some patients to a heart man, others to a neurologist and so on through a long and weary list. Nothing is done either to kill or cure the patient until he gets past the diagnostician. On the other hand, there are some general practitioners who attempt anything and everything from pulling teeth and paring corns to examining eyes and fitting glasses. Self reliance is a valuable asset in the practice of medicine but versatility must be held within the limits of efficiency.

Referring patients to a dentist, an oculist or even to a chiropodist is no trivial matter. Every physician should keep a carefully selected and well purged list of reliable experts to whom he may have to consult the telephone directory for their addresses or phone numbers.

John D. Rockefeller said that a friendship founded on business is far better than a business founded on friendship and this fact is frequently rediscovered through bitter experience. Select only the best specialists and consultants, those known to be reliable, conservative and expert within their respective fields and then stick to them consistently. Concentrate on a few worthwhile people and they will be glad to take care of any of your patients, rich or poor, who may require their services. In time a sincere friendship based on confidence, respect and mutuality is permanently established to the benefit of all parties concerned.

Good professional work demands assistance and cooperation from many sources. The laboratory angle is an important one and it is not advisable to do business on a cut-rate or wholesale basis. It is generally best to meet people, whenever possible, on their own terms. If a physician choose to make a surcharge to his patients for laboratory work he may do so although we seriously question the ethics and wisdom of such a policy. No matter how reliable a laboratory may appear to be it is good practice to occasionally check their work against that of others of comparable standing.

we find it of distinct advantage to have all laboratory and x- ray reports made out in duplicate. This provides one copy for the office files and another for the patient unless for certain reasons it might seem better for the patient not to have too much evidence of his medical history in his possession. X-ray films should always remain in the physicians office. They should be filed carefully for future reference and for ones own had the patients protection in the event of possible litigation.

Every homoeopathist and internist should include on his professional reference list a good x-ray man, one or more competent surgeons, a conservative obstetrician, a skillful physiotherapist, a modest osteopath, an oculist, a dentist, a chiropodist and such other specialist as the nature of ones practice and clientele may require.

Personally, we have certain well defined phobias in regard to some of the specialist. We are very suspicious of dermatologists, nose and throat men and ear specialists. We do not believe everything the syphilogists tell us and we would not trust a gynecologist too far. We are by no means sold on insulin therapy and would run a mile to avoid getting a shot in the arm. Consequently specialists engaged in such therapeutic endeavors would stand small chance of included on our list.

The homoeopathic physician is a therapeutic specialist in the best sense of the term and he is well qualified to successfully treat the vast majority of medical cases, both acute and chronic, which may come his way, but when he finds it necessary to call in a consultant or refer a patient for special treatment he should know that he is getting the very best man for the job, the man he would call were he himself the patient. E.U., JR.

Rabe R F
Dr Rudolph Frederick RABE (1872-1952)
American Homeopathy Doctor.
Rabe graduated from the New York Homeopathic Medical College and trained under Timothy Field Allen and William Tod Helmuth.

Rabe was President of the International Hahnemannian Association, editor in chief of the Homeopathic Recorder, and he wrote Medical Therapeutics for daily reference. Rabe was Dean and Professor of Homeopathic Therapeutics at the New York Homeopathic Medical College.