The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1870-08-18
Chinese Doctors fn San Francisco.

Tho San Francisco correspondent OF Inc
Pittsburg Chronicle gives an amusing ac
count Of s'Dr. John Chinaman" In The
"Golden City," He says:
'"We have about fifteen Chinese doctors
in the city, of which number eight or ten
devote themselves entirely 10 whlte pa,
tients. refusing to attend to any but The
merchants amongst their own countrymen'
The most famous of these is Ii Pc Sal. lie
has been in practice for several years, and
has acquired an enviable reputation Tor the
cures he is said to have effected. That the
Chinese pharmacop9ia should contain some
remedies unknown to western PHYSICIANS Is
not at all improbable, but be that rs it may,
no reasonable person can doubt that ne mas
relieved and cured quite as many OF ms
patients as the average white pnyslclailS no.
People come from all parts OF the coasC 10
get his advice, and he is now worth seferai
hundred thousand dollars.
/" Having curiosity to see the man ana
endeayor if possible to learn something
ahout his business, l went short time ago,
in company with a lady who believed hGr-
self to he in an incipient consumption. lis
office is on Washington street near the
Plaza. and large sign outside the door an
nounced that the hours for gentlemen are
from 8 to II and 6 to s, for ladies from II TO
9, and for outdoor patients to 4.
"kntering long, dirty passage, opening
directly from the street. we turned INTO 4
room lettered For Ladies Only and waited
for some moments, until we were ihlofineo
that the doctor was at liberty.
"'rhe ONLY other occupant OF the apart
ment was an elderly woman, and soon after
we had taken our seat a Chinese attendant
brought her Il small basin OF medicine ana
handed her q straw, through which she
sucked the decoctiou, and then lett. lmme-
diately afterwurd another Chnaman opened
side door, and reckoning us TO enter, we
walked into the presence OF the celestial
healer.
"The room was almost counterpart OIL
the passage-very long and very narrow
At the extreme end was long range, ON
which stood twenty-five or thirty iron pots,
each one containing some liquid gently SIM
mering. Two Cinnamon were buslly at
tending to thcm-now sknnming OIL the
surface of one, now stirring up another
and whenever they had a few moments tc
spare from these duties, either setting FRESH
Dots on the range or adding various curious
substances to others, rs directed by hume.
rous prescriptions in large Chinese charac'
tiers, which were spread on a table near
The doctor was about forty-tve years o
are, dressed in the ordinary garb of hi:
countrymen, very clean and neat III person
and with bright, quick eye, rather sunkel
face, and long moustache ana goatee. Mo
tioning my companion to seat, he gave
her quick glance, and, pointing to me,
said in very good English:
" Husband?'
"The lady replied NO
"'You have baby? You married"
"To both of these questions the same an.
swer was returned.
WYou make plenty cough, plenty spit
all some blood
"My companion told him her symp
toms, which did not appear TO be very
alarming.
"sAh, know returned the Chinaman
-Four weeks forty dollars cure you.
"But the lady's friends would like tt
know what is the matter with her. said
before entering into an agreement
"Oh, me give her medicine cure hel
sure in four weeks was the reply.
AFTER some further parlcying, the lady
being anxious to try his treatment, it wa'
arranged that she should become his pa
tient for fortnight, and received medicine
for twenty-five dollars, and that she should
call next day for her first dose of tea.
GAS soon as the money was paid, Ii Pc
Sal, rising from his seat, said to me, !
think you too much dance, too much cal
with q strong emphasis), too much foo
round i'm loud voice.. Ii you dance yor
no get better, too much eating no good
too much fooling round no good. Good
bye And saying this he walked into al
inner room, and we saw him no more.
"Whether it was the medicine OF the ad
vice Il strongly suspect it was the latter
for it was strictly followed,) my lady trien'
soon recovered her health, and is OF cours'
firm believer in the medical abilities Q
tho Chinese" .s SO