Over-crowding in the Professions.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20330, 13 June 1934, Page 6

Over-crowding in the Professions.

Dear Sir,—The suggestion put forward by the medical and dental professions that the supply of practitioners exceeds the demand for their services appears to me to be the most ridiculous statement that I have heard for some time. Perhaps during these hard times their takings are rather below normal, but 1 beg to assure you there are plenty’ of us who would gladly avail ourselves of the services of both doctors and dentists were their fees a little more reasonable. One has only to stand in Cathedral Square for an hour or two to witness the fact that about every’ tenth citizen gives visible evidence of neglected teeth, and about every twentieth person seems to be in need of medical attention. The whole trouble is that while once we could afford to pay a guinea a time for Having our teeth bored and a shilling’s worth of gold foil inserted we are unable to do so to-dav when every penny is needed to keep the home fires burning. People are endangering their health and future happiness by putting off the visit to the doctor or dentist to the last minute, simply because of the nightmare of the prospective cost I know that the majoritv of doctors and dentists are very considerate to their impecunious patients and do an immense amount of work for which they are never paid; but then there are many’ of us in the middle classes who are over-charged, and who can afford to run no risks of incurring a large account to-day. Far from the ranks of the profession being over-crowded, I feel sure that a hundred or so exiled Jews would be a blessing to the Dominion, even if the competition caused a drop in fees, which seem to be the same throughout the ages. One is charged 10s 6d for a mere doctor’s certificate even in a case where a doctor is r.ot required but where the firm insists upon a certificate after two day’s' absence I think if there was a reduction in doctor-' and dentists’ fees of about 50 per cent, both professions woqld l>e lushed by’ patients.

There is really nothing to be afraid of in the fact that the German outcasts are Jews. Vou will remember from our hist> rv lessons that Alexander na-I a verv high opinion of Jews as citizens and went to great trouble to bring large numbers of them from Palestine to Alexandria. If I remember rightly, this policy was continued by Ptolemy Soter. who brought a hundred thousand more after the siege of Jeiusalem. Thus there is no reason whv the Germans' loss should not be our gain. —I am, etc., DECAYED TEETH.