Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1873-05-08
Isn't it Curious?
BY DIR. do LEWIS.

SICldIlS L 1ldNc ever AHON H.
His diagnosis seemed Otter
to verge upon clairyoyance. A
peculiar kind of sore throa
prevailed during the winter of
1868. 1t was a modified dip.
liberia. Not many died, but
the affection was most disagree
able, and cases lasted severa
weeks. Doctor NJ prescribed
for nearly two hundred. ]
asked him about his prescrip.
tons. He described his usual
course, and | saw that it invol-
we'd quite a number of drugs,
pretty generally eight or nine,
Happening to call at the doc
tors one evening, l learned that
Mrs. M and the four chill
dren had all been seized with
the prevailing epidemic. The
doctor soon returned, and | said,
pointing to his sick group, a
"More business, doctori'' 90
~Yes," said Mrs., s'but he
never gives us anything::'a---s,--'
''Howis this, docter?"I asked.
eff my family were the fam
lily of some one else," he re-
piled, Il should prescribe fifty
times or more, and make a bill
of a hundred dollars; but as l
am satisfied that warm extrem-
tiles, a good atmosphere and
very simple food is all there is
of it, l shall not afiict my fam
lily with doses and Aeaastic. !" /
learned, upon subsequent in
quiry, that the doctors family
took nothing, and he assured
me that they did better than the
average, I urged the doctor to
give me his candid opinion a.
bout it, and he confessed that
he thought medical treatment
generally interfered with the re-,
covery of the patient. When,
l asked him how he could con-
scientiously go on, he replied
81 have thought of this mat
ter very seriously for years, and
have concluded that / must take
the world as it is, and not as
the ideal world of which / some;
times dream. The people will
be doctored, and l honestly be-
lieve that l hurt them less than
most physicians, and that if they
were to pass out of my hands,
they would very likely pass in
to those of others who would in.
iure them more. My family
must have a support. ! am a
doctor. Now you have my
reasoning. Knowing what |
do, / should not choose the pro-
fession of medicine if [ could
start in life again; but it is too
late to consider that now, and
all that is left to me is to- do as
little harm and as much good as,
possible" -
/ said, "It seems to me that
no profession offers such an OPP
portunity for usefulness as. the
medical; and if I could start.
in life a hundredetimes, [ should
choose it every time. But /
would not drug. my patients. /
would convince them that drugs
were hurtfuI poisons, and i
would spend my life teaching
the people how to avoid disease:H'
"Oh, yes" said Doctor M
Il have cherished such an am-
bition at various times during
my professional career. and l.
have tried it among the more
intelligent Of my patients: L
will give you a case You re-
member Mrs. D, the writer?
Well, she came here to spend
the summer with her sister, and
soon after her arrival suffered
the seyerest attack of neural
gia / have ever witnessed. I,
made hot applications to the
back of her neck and the side
of her face till she was COM
Portable; and giving her a few
doses of soothing medicine, i
left with the promise to call in
the morning. l found her quite
easy, and resolved not to drug
her exquisite brain any more. -
/ directed the nursing, and at.
the end of about a week she
was well, though weak. Then
j told her how she might avoid
all future attacks. AT her re-
quest l wrote out the suggested
regimen. She paid me forty
dollars. / believe that was six
years ago. l think she has
spent a portion of every sum
mer since in this neighborhood.
I met her the otherldav. and she.