Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1852-11-17
Drunken Doctors-A Desc.

49, A1S @SNSS4O - 0CSOa
Of all the dark and fatal disasters which
ov~er-shadow the hopes and blight the charac--
ter of q medical man, none can equal in in
tensity the ruinous vice of intemperance.-
Under its grasp the body sickcns and dies
the mind is stifed in its developements-the
charities of the heart are ~extinguishcd, and
all nature cries aloud in all her functions,
that a deadly wrong has been inflicted on
her.
Drunkenness In the citizen is folly. and
shame, and ruin in the patriot, disgrace
and dislcyalty in the Judge a foud Stain up
on the ermine in the divine, s~acrilege and
impiety; but in the physician, it is perRdy,
cruelty and a satanic mockery ofhuman wo."
The above is an extract from an introduc-
tory lecture once delivered by Professor Har-
rison, before the class Of Ohio Medical Col
lege.
Reader, have you ever seen a drunken doc
tor? One, who went about administering
medicines to alleviate the pangs of disease
setting himself Up as an arbitor between life
and death-disease and health ? In order to
discriminate between the subtleness and Atm
tiles Of disease, it requires a clear head and
an unclouded anderstanding-the reasoning
faculties should be undimmed and the tact
of prehension quick and acute. We have Of
ten been struck with the power Of a temper
ance lecture that drunken men are in the
habit of delivering unasked how frequently
DO we hear drunken men say 81 want no
drunken doctor to administer medicine to me:
ne would as soon give me ratsbane as Gallo
mel" A powerful temperance lecture that |
Let us imagine for a moment a scene: In a
hithy grog-shop a motley crew is gathered
there are the loungers Of the village, laborers,
carpenters, woodsawyers, coal-heavers, tall
ors, clam-diggers and the village Doctor =
Inc rumbottle IS doing it's work some are
sleeping on benches, some are ~cursing. some
are quarreling, some are laughing, the clam
dlggerS are dancing, the ~loungers and the
doctor are talking politics and discoursing
upon the tast election. A messenger rush
es IN out of breath, calls loudly for the doctor
and bids him go to MIR. BIS, that his daugh-
ter is seriously ill-mako haste-thought to
be dying, &c. The doctor takes another
glass of "0ld Rye" to qualify him for the
discharge of his professional duties-to shar-
pen fiswits, and he starts on his mission Of
mercy" He staggers into the sick-cham-
oer-reels up against the pale sufferer couch.
VINO trcnbles on the coast of eternity, and in
the perilous moment reaches out the hand for
AID and counsel in the dread conaict-con-
hdes the gem of life to a drunken doctor to
be led safely away from danger and death.
or hurled over the precipice with o. crash
conides ALL to a beastly sot Good Heav-
ems the risk! The sot puts on a countenance
OF solemn neutrality-suspicious. to appear the
iount OF neutrality-suspicious. he
discovers symptons-makes an effort to yomit
hImself-recollects he is-a' doetor-deduces
the nature ofhis patients malady@prescribes
a something, or nothing, with more confidence
than any sober man would dare think Of
swears it will cure and concludes the farce
with a presumptucus eulogium in which he
lands his wonderous powers in the healing
art, until Rush, Wistar, Physic and even Sy-
denham and Hippocrates were mere glow
worms and june-bugs when compared with
his astounding powers ! Oh 7! shade of Fscu-
laplus! There on the couch of aHict;on
lies a fair suffercr-an only child-a fathers
pride-a mothers joy-the village belle-a
christian maiden-the cherished jewel ofsome
iond heart, and q drunken sot playing a dan
gerous farce over her-a farce of life and
death If the patient gets well, it viii bcr
owing more to good luck than good man.
agement," as the old adage has it.
such characters should be discountenaneed.
they are a dire disgrace to the medical pro-
1esslon; calculated to diminish the confidence
IN Medicine as a science e~xerting an inau-
ence to lead their fellowmen in the danger
Gus and deadly path of drunkenness and as
destructive to the life and welfare of the COM
munity, as the foulest reptile monster. or
beast of bloody prey, that ever drawed its
lazy length along the plains of Africa. or
eroucned with sullen anger in its hidden
Jungle Plain talk-bitter dose-brother
FHI-DrIyer-Ehi but shut your eyes and
cup IL down, just as you tell your patients
70 40. There now, don't make such a des-
peraoe 1ace at it. Hope it will set well with
your stomach cause why? We expect to
repeat the bitter dose before the next parox-
soAh'