purposely, wilfully, instigating a lawsuit against a brother. Though this has been done, such extraordinary baseness is a rare exception. What Dr. Hotz had reference to is the inconsiderate careless, thoughtless habit of expressing an opinion about a case, or a colleague. To illustrate: A physician at a dispensary shows a bad case to professional friends, and without thinking of the possible evil consequences, makes in the presence of the patient some remark like this: "Well, perhaps I ought to have done this or that." The patient, already laboring under the impression that he was not fairly treated because he could not pay, sees in the doctor's remark the strongest confirmation of his suspicion, goes to a shyster and begins a suit for damages. And doubtless, in a similar way the mind of a patient is often poisoned and set against his physician by a careless or unkind remark of another physician. So many physicians are always ready to express their opinion about their colleagues in the presence of anybody, or to criticise their professional acts upon the information received from a patient or some old woman. Now you all know how these people misconstrue the words of a doctor; how they pervert the facts inadvertently. You must admit you cannot rely on what patients tell you, and you cannot form an opinion that is worth anything of a case you have not seen or been informed about by the attending physician. Why, then, don't you say so when somebody asks you what you think about the case of Dr. H.? Or if you know the physician, say he is competent to attend to his own business; if you don't know him, change the subject. But at all events, unless he be a notorious quack, refrain from uttering any words which even only insinuate the possibility of a mistake or want of skill of your colleague. Stop running each other down; stand by each other; sustain each other, "stick together and be clannish;" let it be understood in public that no reputable physician will prostitute himself by going to court as expert for a blackmailer. If all the reputable physicians of this city adopt and act on this principle, blackmailing the medical profession would soon be a thing of the past, and malpractice suits more effectually prevented than by the organization of a protective union.