Litchfield enquirer., 1830-12-09
ABERNETHlANA.

'iSN''y 0'N "O" tuc INbttOh6t EOFtBaN UaI. IeFy, an able work edited by Mir. Jerden.
 MT. I---, young gentleman with broken limb, which refused to heal long af- ter the Fracture, went to consult Mir. Aber- nethy: and, as usual, was entering into all the details of his complaint, when he was thus stopped almost in Emine---' Pray, sir, do you come here to talk, or to hear me 1? If you want my ,advicei it is SO and so---I wish you good morning. A scene of greater length and still greater interest and entertainment, took place between our eminent surgeon and the famous John Philpot Curran. MT. Currsn, it seems, being personally unknown to him, had vis- ited Mir Abernethy several times, without having an opportunity of fully explaining (as he thought) the nature of his malady i; at last determined to have bearing, when
 being interrupted in his story, he fixed his dark bright eye on the doctor and said t-- - MT Abernetby, have been here on eight different days, and have paid you elght different guineas; but you have new CT yet listened toihe symptoms of my conn plaint. I am resolved, sir, not to leave this room till you satisfy me by doing SOL Struck by his manner, Mr.. Abernethy threw himself back in his chair, and assu- ming the posture of d most indefatigable listener, exclaimed, in a tone of half sur prise, half humour, Oh, very we'll, sir, I am ready to hear you out. Go on, give me the whole--your birth, percentage, and ed- ucation. wait your pleasure go on.'- Upon which, Curran, not whit discon- certed, gravely began;- My name is John Phiipot Curran. My parents were poor, but I believe honest people, oi the Prov ence of Munster, where also I was born, being a native of New-market, county of Cork, in the year one thousand seven hun dred and fifty. My father being employ. ed to collect the rents of Protestant gem tleman of small fortune, in that neighbor- hood, obtained my entrance into one of the Protestant free-schools, where | ob- tained the first rudiments of nay education. I was next enabled to enter Trinity Col lege, Dublin, in the humble sphere of sizer'---and so he continued for several minutes, giving his astonshed nearer true, but irresistibly Imaginable account of his birth, percentage, and education,' as de- sired, till ho came to his illness and suffer-
 
 terrupted. It is hardly necessary to add, that Mir. Abcrnethy's attention to his gift ed patient was from that hour to the close of his life, assiduous, unremiuing, and de- voted.' Again, Miss I---- consulted him on a nervous disorder, the minutie of which appeared to be so fantastical, that MT. Abernetlv interrupted their frivolous detail, by holding out his hand for the fee. A one pound note and a shilling were pla- ced in it, upon which he returned the latter to his fair patient with the angry exclama- tion of---' There ma'am go and buy skipping-rope: that is all you want MT. Aberncthy's strong point of prescribing is generally addressed to the relief of the bow els, and to the lowering and regulation of tho diet and regimen. He is, consequent ly, much sought in dyspeptic disorders i; and, it is stated, often refers to such page in one of his books, where he has already given the remedy. Tho patients have on- ly to buy the work, where they will find an exact description of their symptoms, and a
 recipe for their cure. On enc occasion, a
 lady, unsatisfied with this amount of infor- nation, persisted in extracting from Mr. fAOCTuetuy WHdt SttC ub,gWt CutS oHu daeCA suffering from her volubility with considers able patience for a while, he exclaimed to the repeated, May eat oysters, Doctor May eat suppers 'I'll tell you what, ma'am, you may eat any thing but the poker and the bellows; for the one is too hard of digestion, and the other is full of wind The reported fashion of his court ship and marriage is also extremely char acteristic. It is told, that while attending a lady for several weeks, Ic observed those admirable qualifications in her daughter, which he truly esteemed to be calculated to render the. married state happy. Ac. cordingly on Saturday, when taking leave of his patient, he addressed her to the fol- lowing purport: You are now so well that need not see you until after Monday next, when shall come and pay you my farewell visit. But, in tine meantime, 4
 wish you and your daughter seriously to
 consider the proposal l am now about to
 make. It is abrupt and unceremonious,
 l am aware, bat the excessive occupation
 of my time, by my professional duties. af- lords no leisure to accomplish what de- sire by the more ordinary course of atten- ton and solicitation. My annual receipts amount to ---l. and can settle ---l. on my
 wife, my character is generally known to
 the public, SO that you may readily asccr. ,a;n what if is | have seen in your daugh.