The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1876-07-01
Il Medicine a Silence d?

1t is nice question, in many cases,
which has done the more hurt, the dis
ease or the remedy; whether, for in
stance. the child's health suffers moro
from the intestinal parasites which vex
him, or from the destructive purgatives
employed rs anthelmintics whether the
cancer or the knife produces death more
speedily; whether calomel and quinine
be not pretty much such friends to the
sick man, rs La Fontaine's good -natured
bear was to the gardener. whose mouth
he crushed while trying to brush off the
flies as he slept. 1t is an equally nice
question to determine whether there
ever really does occur critical period
in any disease, when the direct action of
actual medicine. per Sc, can turn back
the wavering life from the jaws of death
to the tiowery meads of re-established
health; or, granting the possibility of
such Il rare occurrence, do we not run
too great II risk, rs rule to profit by it?
These are nice questions, rs l have
called them, nor does the present con-
dition Of medicine entitle us to expect
to see them answered. For these rea-
sons, among many others, medicine can
nOt ne called u science.
1t must not be supposed, however,
that the doctors office is to become
sinecure because his drugs are voted
rubbish and his methods false. On the
contrary, we shall need him quite rs
much. and his advice will he more valu-
able to us than ever. He will not have
it i'll his power to do harm, and conse-
qucntly can give his undivided energies
to the pursuit of good. 1t shall be his
office to teach MS the fallacy Of physic.
He shall present to our minds in all its
horrid array the atrocious enormity of
medicine rs once it was practiced, and
shall save many poor sufferer amongst
MS from unconscious suicide. He shall
he our perpetual bcacon-light against
the iron-bound. immitigable load-stono
rock of qnackery, where SO many fair
keels lie untimcly wrecked. In fine, no
shall become to us the counterpart of
that invaluable member of another pro-
fessiOn, known as the chamber lawyer,
Il quiet man of skill and experience, who
abounds with all the wisdom and nnc-
ton of pertinent counsel. and who
never takes his client into court, where
he is bound to lose, no matter how his
ease is decided. EdrnH Spencer, IN the
atlantic.
SIMPLY ) N1EIING.-An action was
tried recently before tho Lambeth
County Court, in England. which grew
out of simple sneeze. The plaintiff
was i'll the army and navy cooperative
stores, Westminster, III the drapery
department.. of which defendant was
manager. About ten o'clock ut night,
when assisting to take stock. having %
cold in his head, he was compelled to
sneeze. He sncezcd rather loudly, for
defendant came up to where the plain
tiff and others were mt work and de-
manded to know who sneezcd. Tho
plaintiff ut once admitted that he WAS
the sneezer, upon which the defendant
told him that the next time he wanted
to sneeze he must go outside and do 1t.
Shortly aftcrward the plaintiff felt him
self compelled to sneeze again, and put
ting on his overcoat, said to defendant.
Please sir, am going out to snecze.
He was then told by the defendant that
if he went outside he must go alto
gether, and upon his proceeding to do
so, the defendant insisted on his return
ing the weeks wages he had received u
few hours previously, the weeks work
not expiring until the afternoon of tho
next day. As he declined to comply
with this demand, the defendant took
him by the collar and pushed him down
spiral staircase II flight ut II time. He
was subsequently marched of tho prem
ises between u policeman and door
keeper. He claimed damages for tho in
juries he Ind received by his rapid de-
scent down stairs. After several wit
nesses had been examined, and tho de-
PENDANT had given evidence, the jury
rendered verdict in favor of the
sneezer for 600 damages.
IT was at the Aston House that Web
ster, Wishing to buy Il newspaper ono
morning, put his hand into his pocket
only to find it empty. He declared that
he hadn't penny, whcrcupon one of
his satellites said to him You must
be mistaken, Webster l saw You havo
800 bill just when you were going to
bed last evening, and ~ yon haven't
been up half an hour, you could hardly
have spent it," 81 rather think that's
so, answered Daniel, D." rcflcctivcly. ~
wonder what could have done with il?
BY Jupiter, must have given it to tho
boy who BACKED my boots five minutes
ago" And such was the fact.
THE race of mankind would perish did
they cease to aid each other. From the
time that the mother binds the child
head till the moment that some kind as
sistant wipes the death damp from the
brow of the dying, we cannot exist with