The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Doctor's Dilemma: Preface on Doctors, by
George Bernard Shaw

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org

Title: The Doctor's Dilemma: Preface on Doctors

Author: George Bernard Shaw

Release Date: February, 2004 [EBook #5069]
Posting Date: March 26, 2009

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PREFACE TO DOCTOR'S DILEMMA ***

Produced by Eve Sobol

THE DOCTOR'S DILEMMA: PREFACE ON DOCTORS

By Bernard Shaw

1909

It is not the fault of our doctors that the medical service of the
community, as at present provided for, is a murderous absurdity. That
any sane nation, having observed that you could provide for the supply
of bread by giving bakers a pecuniary interest in baking for you, should
go on to give a surgeon a pecuniary interest in cutting off your leg, is
enough to make one despair of political humanity. But that is precisely
what we have done. And the more appalling the mutilation, the more the
mutilator is paid. He who corrects the ingrowing toe-nail receives a
few shillings: he who cuts your inside out receives hundreds of guineas,
except when he does it to a poor person for practice.

Scandalized voices murmur that these operations are unnecessary. They
may be. It may also be necessary to hang a man or pull down a house.
But we take good care not to make the hangman and the housebreaker the
judges of that. If we did, no man's neck would be safe and no man's
house stable. But we do make the doctor the judge, and fine him anything
from sixpence to several hundred guineas if he decides in our favor.
I cannot knock my shins severely without forcing on some surgeon the
difficult question, "Could I not make a better use of a pocketful
of guineas than this man is making of his leg? Could he not write as
well--or even better--on one leg than on two? And the guineas would
make all the difference in the world to me just now. My wife--my pretty
ones--the leg may mortify--it is always safer to operate--he will be
well in a fortnight--artificial legs are now so well made that they
are really better than natural ones--evolution is towards motors and
leglessness, etc., etc., etc."

Now th