The Shasta courier., 1866-01-27
Choosing a Physician.

There is an eastern story of certain
prince who had received from fairy the
faculty of not only assuming whatever ap-
pearance he thought proper, but of discern.
ing the wandering spirits of the Departed
He had long labored under painful chron-
ic disease, that none of the court physicians,
ordinary or extraordinary, could relieve;
and he resolved to wander about the streets
of his capital to find physician, regular or
irregular, who could alleviate his sufferings.
For this purpose he donned the garb and
appearance of a dervish. As he was pass
ing through one of the principal streets, he
was surprised to see it SO thronged with
ghosts that had they still been inhabitants
of their earthly tenements, they must have
obstructed the thoroughfare.
But what was his amazement and dismay
when he saw that they were all grouped,
with anxious looks, round the door of his
fathers physician, haunting, no doubt, the
man to whom they attributed their ultimate
doom. Shocked with the sight, he hurried
to another part of the city, where resided
another physician of the court, holding the
second rank in fashionable estimation.-
Alas his gateway was surrounded with the
ghosts of departed patients. Thunderstorm
at such discovery, and returning thanks to
despite the practice of these great men, he
resolved to submit all the other renowned
practitioners to a similar visit; and he was
pleased to find that the scale of ghosts kept
pace with with the scale of their medical
rank. Heart broken and despairing of
cure lie was slowly sauntering back to the
palace, when in on obscure street. and on
the door of humble dwelling, he read q
Doctors name. One single, poor, solitary
ghost, leaning his despondent cheek upon
his fleshless hand, was seated on the doctor's
step.
Alas ~ exclaimed the prince, 'it is
then too true that humble merit withers in
the shade, while ostentatious ignorance in
habits golden mansions. This poor, neg
lected doctor, who has but one unlucky case
to lament, is then the only man in whom l
can place confidence"
He raped the door was opened by the
doctor himself venerable old man, not
rich enough, perhaps, to keep domestic to-
answer his unfrequent calls. His white,
locks..and flowing beard added to the conf
dence which his situation inspired. The
elated youth then related at full length all
his complicated ailments, and still more
complicated treatment to which he had in
vain been submitted. The sapient physician
was not liberal enough to say the princes
attendants had all been in error, since all
mankind may err; but his sarcastic smile,
the curl of his lips, and the dubious shake
of his hoary head, most eloquently told the
patient that he considered his former ply
sicians as an ignorant, murderous set OF up
starts, only fit to depopulate community.
With triumphant look, he promised cure,
and gave his everjoyed patient much
valued prescription, which he carefully con.
fided to his bosom after which he expressed
his gratitude by pouring upon the Doctors
table purse of golden sequins, which made
the old mans blinking eyes shine as bright
ly as the coin he held in wondrous delight.
His Joy gave suppleness to his rigid spine.
and after bowling the prince out in the most
obseouious manner, he ventured to ask him
one humble question:
Bv what good luck, by what kind plan
ct. had he been recommended to seek his
advice ?"
The prince naturally asked for the reason
of so strange a question; to which the wor-
thy doctor replied, with eyes brimful with
tears of gratitude:
"Oh. sir, because consider myself the
most unfortunate man in Bagdad until this
happy moment, for have been settled in
this noble and wealthy city for the last ff-
teen years, and have only been able to OBJ
tain one single patient"
"Ah ~ cried the prince in despair, "then
it must be that poor, solitary, unhappy look.
ing ghost that is now sitting on your steps!"