There is nothing to do but for Dr. Wilkinson to remain in town over night and for Dr. Jennings to identify him at the bank the next day. This is done, and the money drawn and divided. Who gets the best of the bargain? Apparently both doctors are on the same footing, but are they? Dr. Wilkinson has $500. For this he will send once a month for a few months a supply of treatment the actual cost of which will not exceed $2.50 a month—perhaps $25 for ten months. Dr. Jennings, on the other hand, must visit the patient every day, administer the treatment, keep track of his condition, note such changes as may occur, and report them to Dr. Wilkinson. Dr. Jennings must perform his duty in person, he cannot delegate it to another. Dr. Wilkinson does most of his work, except the actual case taking, through hired help. He has a dozen, or a hundred, Dr. Jennings working for him all the time. 90Many specialists are averse to working in connection with family physicians. In some instances this is because of short-sightedness on the part of the specialist. He doesn’t like the idea of dividing his fee with the country practitioner. In other words he is greedy and wants it all, losing sight of the fact that in the great majority of instances the family physician is the deciding arbiter and, without his aid, a lot of cases would be lost. Then there are specialists who have not the knack of making friends with the country doctor. The latter is naturally opposed to the specialist; he thinks, whether justly or not, that his own method is best and looks askance on “new-fangled” ideas in practice, especially when a good fee is liable to go to the stranger. But, let this same country physician be led up in the proper manner to the division of fee proposition and he takes a different view of the situation. It seems like a lot of money to give away, but it is a good investment. The man who accepts the division stands committed to the treatment; he becomes a booster instead of a knocker. If the case does not turn out well there is little chance to find fault with the specialist. The local Dr. Jennings has been in charge and upon his shoulders rests the responsibility. Should the patient complain the local physician can, and very likely will say: “Of course it is a disappointment Mr. Smith, but the practice of medicine is full of disappointments. There is one consolation. You have had the benefit of the latest treatment evolved by medical science. Dr. Wilkinson arranged the treatment to meet your special needs 91after I had given him a complete history of your case, and you must admit that I have been faithful in its administration. I’m sorry that the results were not different, but that is something every physician has to contend with.”