Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1871-09-16
From drLlHrs Hozne Ma0azfns.
A PHYSICIANS EXPERIENCE
Or, the Unsteady Hand.
BY rue AUTHOR or ''TrS SIoHrs IN nan RooS.


There is greater curse than drunken
ness said DIR. Grantly. .. a... .e...
'lt may be so,' ! answered, 'but il so
happens that ! am not aware of its name
or existence
Moderate drinking said the Doctor,
with an emphasis Of tone aud manner
that showed him TO be very much in
earnest.
Dr. Grantly was somewhat OF an en-
thusiast on the subject Of temperance :;
yet clear, strong thinker | did not
expect from him any special pleading or
begging on the question.
Il would like to hear you make good
the assertion,' | replied.
Nothing is easier. The fact is so plain.
that am surprised il is not seen by every
one
i am all attention. Make it plain to
me- said |.
You do not trust drunkard in any
responsible position he replied. 'You
would not if he were n lawyer, give an
important case into his hands nor if he
were surgeon, risk with him a delicate
operation, Known drunkards ar. not
rnt in command of ships, ncr in charge
OF steam engines, nor assigned to places
where life, property, or important inter
ests are at stake, Ouce class a man
with drunkards, and you narrow his in
tlueDce, both for good or evil, to a small
circle. You rule him ont of the greai
world of action, and render him compare.
lively harmless He is his own worst
enemy-disgusling to all around him
but OF this much use, that he is living
e&pnunder of the evils of iEtemperancr.
teaching by example their saddest aud
most humuiliating lesson.
But your respectable, virtuous, high
minded moderate drinkers,' the Doctor
continued, hold to society q very differ
ent relation. They command your ships
and armies they are your lawyers, your
surgeons, your engineers, your merchants
and manufacturers, with whom you risk
your goods and money. You trust with
them your highest and best worldly ill.,
terests, And it never seems to occur to
| you that they who drink, sometimes
tarry long at the wine and may, in
some fatal moment, when clear head or
steady hand is the only guaranty of sue
cess or safely, hurt you through a slight
aud temporary incapacity, beyond re-
pair .. '''
drew a Tong, deep breath, as the mag
ni,ude OF danger had not thought OF
looming mp before me with an almost ap-
palling distinctness. 80.
'Nhlle we count the drunkards who
are not truse !, by tens,' said the Doctor,
1--WE may count his other Class, vino hold
our lives aud property in their hands, by
thousands
observed that DR.. Grantley's voice
had in it Il low thrill, and that he was
unusually disturbed. 'You feel strongly
on this subject said l,
There is cause he answered, dropping
his tones, and bending his head forward,
as though weight had tal len on it sud
denly, lie was silent tor an unusuallv
long time.
Il will give you,' he sud, at length, IAN
illustration OF what / mean. Are you al
lie sure for half an hour ?
ENTIRELY at your service
Il drink nothing stronger than tea or
coffee, as you are aware. Once ] took
my glass of WINE at dinner and at social
circles. 1t was genteel had in it
smack of good breeding, apd familiarity
with society. Icultivated the little vaui-
ties Of connoissourship, and .alked in
the usual seltsats6ed way of brands.
ylntages, favoEs and the like, as tluently |
as any one. / had, SO to speak, all the
wine-lingoes at my fingers ends, and was
not little proud of the accomplish
ment.
My special work, as you know, is sur
gerry work that, of all others, requires
the clear head and steady hand. There |
are occasions when, if the knife passes
by lpndredth part of an inch from the
right direction, fatal result is inevita- |
bile. We cut down into uhe yquiRering
flesh, and grope about darkly amid sensi- |
tive nerves and life-foodld arteries, with
deaih waiting eagerly for some fatal
breach in the delicate organism. 4
'We hear frequent alLusion made to 4
,steadying I he nerves with wine or brandy. |
was sufficiently wen acquainted With
the action of this class of slimulanas on
myself, to ignor them altogether for at
least twenly-topr hours prior to the per-
tormance Of even the slightest surgical
operation. / would have regarded it as
criminal to take glass of wine just be-
fore using the scalpel, because its effect |
would have been to disturb the free and |
rapid directions of my will to the cutting
hand, hindering, confusing and it might 4
be rendering death certain where | was |
trying to save lite.'
Il know that il is the custom with |
some surgeons 10 steady their nerves
with wine or brandy before going to the
operating table bat think 1t will be
found in nearly all of these cases that
the habitual use Of these articles has
substituted an artificial for normal 4
steadiness OF nerve, aud that the slimu-
liant has become necessity through |
ahnse. 1t is said of professional gam
blers that mary of them rigidly abstain
from driuk in order to secure clear heads
and steady hands 4oR their infamous |
work. The surgeon, of all other men,
should profit by their example,
Did it not occur to you,' | said, shat !
in your own social use of wines. you
were gradually substituting this general
artificial steadiness of nerve for the
natural and healthy, and that, in time