Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

A Talk on the Need of Laboratory Work by Doctors and the Cause of Failure in Many Cases of T F you have any prejudice against an adver tising doctor or against an advertising doctor’s office, come and see me, take time enough to investigate me, my associates and our methods, bring your family physician with you, and all I will ask him is NOT to keep his criticisms for the “soap box brigade,’’ but to state them to me personally. If they have merit in them he.can rest assured I will try to correct them. I am writing this espe cially for the reader who has been trained and educated into what I believe to be the erroneous idea that phy sicians should not advertise and that all advertising doc tors must necessarily be quacks and humbugs. I am writing this for the intelli gent man and woman. I am free to admit that much has crept into the ad vertising columns that might, with benefit to suffering hu manity, be eliminated. But at the same time there is not only a little, but a great big lot of quackery—yes, I mean quackery—among the so-call ed regular profession, or the non-advertising doctors. I have believed always in science being the real foun dation of all that is best in ? doctor's practice. The day has gone by when new and marvellous cures can be foisted on an unsus pecting nublic. CT I COURT INVESTIGATION. I might add, an ignorant public. For no matter how brainy or how well educated the layman may be, it is quite probable that when it comes to discussing physiology or disease, he is in all probability absolutely ignorant and may be deceived by statements that, to the man well posted on the subject, will be known to be arrant nonsense. What I want from anyone having doubts about this office or its conduct, is a thorough but unprejudiced investigation. For any of fice, any personality that bids for the public’s clientage and that does not bear the closest scrutiny, is not worthy of the public's confi dence. I have certain opinions that I believe have been pounded into me by experience—that have thoroughly saturated every fiber of my physical being. For instance, I believe that the study of disease and the practice of medi cine is so hard, and there is so much necessary to be learned and our responsibilities to our patients are so great, that it takes all the brains and all the good health of the best and ablest sort of man to keep abreast of the times. I believe it naturally follows that no man can, by dissipation, waste any of it and be a good doctor. So no man can ever be a drinking man and be a good doctor. I have heard of them, but I never knew one in my more than 35 years’ experience in the profession. Recently a gentleman spoke to me of a cer tain doctor and said: “What a pity he drinks! If it wasn’t for that there wouldn’t be a better doctor any where.’’ Now I happened to know this doctor’s abil ity as a physician and know that among those qualified to judge, his opinion would not be worth the expenditure of enough energy to snap your finger. Then, too, I am a firm believer in the fact— at least I believe it to be a fact—that true morality and true physiology are hand maid ens. Necessarily no true physician can coun tenance or encourage in his patients anything but the straight path physiologically or morally. THE IMPORTANCE OF DIAGNOSIS I most earnestly believe that diagnosis is the most important thing to the invalid who has probably been in the hands of several phy sicians without benefit, I have found this il lustrated daily for the past four decades, and so I KNOW it is true. Only today a gentleman told me his expe rience. how he had suffered with rheumatism, how several doctors had treated him without success, how he went to Hot Springs. Ark., and took the baths for several months, how he went home and a doctor after examination (and the doctor was a celebrated nerve expert) told him it was rest he needed. Then he went to bed for weeks and hired an attendant to feed, rub and massage him daily, but after all he was unable to even walk. In desperation he consulted a young physician who, after an examination, found the arches of his feet broken down, or what is popularly known as flat foot, fitted him with arch supports. Then his “rheumatism’’ was gone and he has been walking ever since. Now I was not the Doctor who discovered the condition, so I do not tell this as a cure by myself, but only to illustrate the truth of what I have so long contended to be the most im portant part of a doctor s education and prac tice—diagnosis. , HOW THE SCIENTIFIC PHYSICIAN WORKS But diagnosis is not the easy thing it seems to be to the layman. The time was when all By DR. WM. M. BAIRD Wil I DR. WM. M. BAIRD. 56 Marietta Street. Brown-Randolph Building. Atlanta, Ga. that was thought necessary was to feel the patient’s pulse, look at his tongue, possibly listen to the breathing or the sound of his heart, and give a decision. The scientific physi cian of today knows there is much more than this. He knows that the methods of the laboratory are intricate and complex and can only be car ried out by one who has been thoroughly trained in the details of these methods. There lies before me an article by a doctor who ad mits the value of these meth ods, but says they are so ex pensive and so complex and often take so much time that very few doctors can employ them. I thought while read ing it that here was an argu ment in favor of advertising, for it is only in seeing and treating a large number that it is possible to do this at fees which can be paid by the average person. MY NEW SCIENTIFIC EQUIPMENT. Right now I am adding to the equipment of this office certain laboratory facilities that will cost several hun dred dollars. They will not make any great show. There will be no brilliant display of electrical fireworks—no fake violet ray business. But they will be useful adjuncts which no doctor with an av erage practice can afford to employ. There are tests we can make here at a rea sonable price, because of the large number of patients we see daily. If, however, we were seeing only a few patients each day it would be so expensive as to be prohibitive. Bacte riological tests, examinations and laboratory methods are today revolutionizing medicine and surgery, and I can say without fear of contradiction that 90 per cent of physicians are not keeping up to date. When I was recently forced to move on ac count of lack of room I thought when I took 5,000 feet of floor space, subdivided into 12 rooms, with other space making practically 3 rooms more, that I was amply provided for. But I soon found that I had to give up my own consultation room in order to make room for increased laboratory equipment which I was determined should be the best in the South. Under the methods for caring for patients in vogue even 10 years ago, four or five small rooms would have been amply sufficient. WHAT I THINK OF “606.’’ That bacteriological examinations are nec essary has been very forcibly illustrated during the past couple of years in the history of Ehr lich ’s Salvarsan, or ‘ ‘ 606. ’ ’ I have been quot ed as being opposed to it and as condemning it which is not true. I simply told the public the absolute truth, and every criticism I made has been shown to be absolutely true in every respect. I have said it was only another one of the arsenic preparations, all of which we knew to be of value in relieving symptoms, and nearly all were dangerous. The methods used at first have all been dis carded on account of its danger, and every day we see in this office evidences of the results of its use by incompetent physicians, who see m it only a means of adding to their bank ac counts. But what the public does not fully understand as yet is that there are very few of the men who give it who are really compe tent to prepare it. Ehrlich pointed this out long ago and has always expressed a fear of this being the cause of bad results that would follow its use. This has been proven to be the case, and then there are a few so unscrupulous as to use it and promise the patient that one, or at the most, two doses would be a cure, and they gamble on its relieving temporarily and long enough for them to collect their fees. Then, too, in the treatment of this disease, certain tests must be made to determine the result and here is where the bacteriological laboratory comes in. I NEVER HAVE SOLD CURES. BUT come to see us—see whether I tell the truth in my advertisements or not. All ordinary examinations and tests are made free of charge. Go and see first whether or not you like the methods and equipment of others. Then come to me and use your common sense. We don’t promise you a cure for a certain sum, and neither does any honest doctor. And if there is anyone who does this I dare him to come out in print and deny that he is anything but a fraud and a faker. But YOU, who have been under the care of several physicians for a long time without success, come and see me, and the evidences of your own sense will, I believe, convince you. The chronic invalid needs and has a right to demand not only the best that science can give, but the attention and conscientious service and intelligence of those who think of the good of the patient above all else. This kind of ser vice I have been giving and shall always be determined to give my patients. I am the public’s obedient servant for add ing to its health and strength (and that means happiness). WM. M. BAIRD, M. D. THE ATLANTA GEORGIAN AND NEWS: MONDAY, MAY 6, 1912. ■ r --- 0 / * ! ,2/ 333 •*= “ '' ' V ? s sf-y? tv VI 11 • io 7 S * usk J• : <3. Pf- y? A * - & t’ @ : » i 0 t Q Zz « \ J < 0 z-x $ Q- Lu) * 'P x o o 5 „ 9 k S 2 st. o @ r * r _ //93-y?. » T/ 'o r —--secsj— ' S'? _ • • c *;c / j Q L 0 $ dr kj | 0 O' W V. \ 1 \ * fk...^££xJ.. I .... V- j 1 P I X. / _ 10 p x / 0 K p s yt \ 1 0 A ” rj //\\ I— // \ u 0 C / / \ Y* s s- y? VS 0 1 / / \ \ V I N\\ L_ / / 4 \ (?) J y w * / / V- /£.. “2- / / \ V /Z @ \\ // I \ \ /<y sj - \ \ /y u // r K £ \\ c\ w A V 1 \ ® i V - t\ '■A 1 \/ o 'i \\ a \ O’ I i 'V 3 / ; —\ yjßj —HZ i 1 a # a(h 1 ” yy i „ n/*’/ r <x —— // \ z 1 v \ « ~7 \*’ 5 e .oa-z t, * @ I HA? —T 2 "—- —. —. ! \ZT *— *' * 1 . , , Z . / / 5? 6 A \ / / \ / / a /o <s-y? ® 1 // IV S / / IK 4 □ / / \t> 4 , ® Z?Z"/=>/<=» s 1 Q / / o c w 1 »<9 J- / / k- XJ£2 V " I j STEVE R. Z'zzzx IfIUNgTHN PLASTER ESTATE »IDN, Auctioneer c y /e? / 2O C <_/■'//>«= ZS 1 // v 77 C*. <_Zoc*Z oz? o. z z- £>C- Z'o //> <Ta Administratrix’s SALE Auction fiiESOAY MAY? 1912 At 10 A.M. Before Courthouse Hum 19 Beautiful LOTS Ranging in size from 2 tt to 15 acres, as shown by accompanying plat. Fronting on Plastei Bridge Road or Piedmont Avenue One of the prettiest drives in Fulton county. Most of these Lois are beautifully shaded with virgin forest and several of them have fine springs. AN IDEAL PLAGE FOR A COUNTRY HOME. About a mile north of Piedmont Park and street ear line and about 15 minutes from the center of the city by automobile. This property has been in the Plaster fam ily since it was first granted by the state, and this is the first op portunity to buy any part of it. Take this and go out and examine the prop erty before Sales Day, so that you can bid in telligently. Signs are on each lot giving dimensions and acreage. Terms, 1-4 Cash Balance 1,2, 3 Years at Seven Per Cent For Plats and Informa tion, Apply to EDWIN P ANSLEY Forsyth Building 9