The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1856-05-15
For The NatIOnaI Era.
THE OUNCE OF PREVENTION AND POUND
OF CURE.


THE OUNCE OF PREVENTION AND POUND
OF CURE.
Ny father was farmer, hardy, shrewd, and
intelligent. He cultivated his farm faithfully,
as his father had done before him, improving
thereupon by the light of experience, and Ia
king still more hints for improvement from an
agricultural paper or two, which he was wise
enough to read and profit by, without exactly
adopting every theory and new-fangled notion.
My brother Jack and helped him in the
work, going to school in winter, aud working
hard all summer, reading every book we could
lay hands on, and all the better for the aterna-
ton in labor of mind and body. SO we grew
up, sturdy and vigorous, and passably intelli-
gent, for we had, withal, mother who en-
couraged us in our studies, and took an in
terest in our Improvement.
The time came when Jack and l began to
consider our future prospects in lfe and, as
our father was still vigorous, and did not need
our help, and there were, moreover, boys
enough, younger, who might be farmers, if
they chose, we determined to try for something
more, and see what virtue there might be in
education and a profession. Long and many
were our consultations, profound were our de-
alterations, and with this result declared I
would be doctor, while Jack, at the same
time, with seriousness that showed he was in
earnest, said:
II must change my name to John, and
will be minister. They say IAN ounce of
prevention is better than pound of cure l
will try to furnish the ounce of prevention, and
leave you to find the pound of cure.'
Thus it was settled. Our father could give
us some assistance, and beyond that we must
help ourselves. So we went out into the
rough. and tumble of life; and with the more
ease, BECAUSE together we passed through our
preparatory ard college course, and only sepa-
rated when we came to the study of our pro-
fession.
Years went on-and, seldom long asunder,
we at last found ourselves settled side by side,
for it so CHANGED that when my brother had "a
call" to a church in the hourishing town of
B, there was an opening for a young and
enterprising physician, and such I was vain
enough TO consider mySen.
"Now, jack" said l, " for fair trial of your
proverb; your ounce against my pound
1t is not my purpose to enter very infinitely
into our history, dear reader. l have not the
time to write, Tor would you have the patience
to read, what would be, after all, but the record
of common, everyday experience. With results
/ have chiefly to do, and with the application
of my brothers favorite proverb, which he
adopted so zealously as to have it engraved on
his seal, and now and then added, as motto,
to his books. Nay, am not sure that he did
not preach sermon "from that text"
My patients at the first were of course of
those who could give me little but thanks, and
sometimes even few of those. Patients, like
Republics, are often ungratefuL The hardest
cases-and, | am sorry to say, they were
many-were those who, from the use of stimu-
Iants, more or less freely, suffered, not only
from "redness of eyes, and wounds without
cause" but from the various disturbances of
stomach, brain and liver, which are the inevi-
table results of the use of Intoxicating drinks
These were neither hopeful nor profitable pa
tients, and though ] added to my other doses
dose of warning, if they persisted in the habit,
| found they needed it little. Indeed was so
well persuaded that the diseased nerves were
almost beyond the control of the will, in such
cases. that | preached with little faith. The
appetite was too strong with them to be reached
by remonstrance. doctors always talked :"
and they preferred to assign illness to any other
cause than the right one.
Meanwhile, my brother was not idle In the
same cause. He attacked the distilleries, pell-
nell preached to the vendors appealed to
the consciences of those who had any; and
Numbered anathemas upon those who would
hear, as the murderers of their fellow-men.
He took up statistics, and showed the people
how much this traffic cost them in taxation
every year how it increased pauperism and
crime in fine, appealed to their pockets.
About this time, the distier died of q liver
complaint, having, as his last charge, seriously
advised his sons not to continue the business !;
and the dealers, for VT:rious reasons, one by one
abandoned the traffic. And so it came =. -, mass
thai ! ceased to have patients Of the alcoholic
class, to any extent, AID ! must confess that
the effect was greater upon my practice than
upon my pocket; nay was the gamer, for l
now received compensation for the care of their
wives and families, services which / had before
rendered on the score of humanity.
/ have sometimes thought that men will
more readily listen to man on any other sub
ject than his own legitimate business. l found,
as usual, in those under my care, the most
life; but when tried to explain these things
to them, and to teach them how to keep we'll
when / gave them rules of temperance and
prudence, they needed me little and their looks
and acts, if not their words, said, "We sent for
you to cure us, not to teach u.s."
Here, again, Jack came in with his ounce of
prevention, and preached prudence and tenn
perance in his daily visits. When young
girl came home from boarding school sorely
i'll, and her parents were talking of dispense.
tions of Providence, he sympathized with them,
and comforted them, but, at the same time, he
talked to them of the dispensations of lgno-
rance; told them how they had sent their child
away from them when she as much as ever
needed their care; told them of her bare arms
and neck, her thin shoes, tight waist, and can
dy diet, as the natural causes of the disease
which inevitably followed.
When a man ate much and worked little,
and grew i'll, and sent for me, to be sure pre-
scribed medicine and low diet, and told him he
lived too well. But when my brother came to
him in his dspensations, he preached the dan
gers Of excess, and the righteous duty of taking