The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1877-08-03
a unUOuOxoUs DocroR.
TribuIaIIOmS and Trials of q
Youthful ADlIlbaEEers

at the banquet given to the Mis-
souri, Medical association at the st.
James hotel in Kansas City on June
18th, the chairman called on DR..
Willis p. King, of Sedalia, to re-
spond to the toast, "The Central
District Medical Association" The
inimitable drollery of the Doctors
manner is of course lost in the fol-
lowing report of his remarks, but
the matter is also full of humor.
He said:
Mr.. PRESIDENT AND GENTLEMEN :
Il know it would be the proper
thing for me to say that l did not
expect to be called upon for a speech
tonight; but it would not be true.
l am thus particular about telling
the truth in the beginning because
want to get your confidence, when
l will proceed to lead you astray
by telling you some things that are
not true. l am glad that l have
been called upon to say something
in regard to the experience of q
young physician, for ! have q warm
and tender place in my heart for
the young doctors. No one knows,
except the yOurg doctor himself,
how his heart palpitates over his
first case of sickness, and how his
soul yearns for an epidimic of mea-
sles or chicken-pox.
After 1 graduated, eleven years
ago., started out from Sedalia, on
horseback, to the far Southwest,
where my family had moved while
was at college. Il will remark,
while passing, that the first thing
did when | ~i.Ived at manhood was
to get q family. 1 had heard that
it was best and that no family should
be witheut one.) On my second
night out, l staid all night on the
banks of the Usage river. During
the evening Q neighbor came in and
saw my pill bags. When / started
out next morning ] met the same
neighbor in company with an awk-
ward youth of about eighteen sum-
mers, or thereabouts. The youth
had his hand tied up in q bundle
about the size of q yearling mule.
He asked me If / was q doctor. ]
told him thought was. I really
did think so, gentlemen.) He pro-
ceeded 10 undo his hand by unWrap-
ping a blue cloth from him. He
then took of an old red shawl, un-
winding toward IL. He proceed
ed in this way until he finally
reached his hand. He had q felon.
We went to the house. / remem-
Der the instructions of my friend
DIR. Gregory, to get the patient be-
hind you when you go TO lance q
felon, with his arm under your
arm. got him in this position,
put my knife down to the bone and
walked out on his phalanxI He
grabbed his sick hand with his well
one and hoped around on one foot
and howled like q wolf with a
grindstone on Install, W hlle WasL-
ed my knife. He got out his only
half dollar. Itook 1t and felt like
a highway robert / had q young
and tender conscience then, gentle
men, but have got all over that
now. ! can take the last cent q man
has now without any compunctions.
I would have liked very much to
have kept that half dollar, as it was
my first fee; but ] had to spend &c,
/ was like the boy in the novel
poor, but honest. am poor yet.
i arrived home in due time and
went into the practice. had all
the experiences common to young
physicians. i met the old LADY who
doctored Sam Slocum's wife when
she was sick. She was handy with
q mustard draft and q hot poultice.
She wore Q wart on her nose and 9
red bandanna handkerchief on her
head. The old lady and I became
fast friends, and would haYe re.
manned so until this day If the old
lady had not taken the cramp collie.
l was called to see her and concIud.
to cup her. ] had no cupping glass
and concluded to use q glass t1mb-
Ter. When ] put on the glass heI
whole abdomen seemed to run right
into the glass, and when desired
to take IL of could not. work.
ed and pulled and the old lad
howled. i CROPPED In inter dark.
mesa for quarter of an hour, and
then got 9 hammer and broke the
glass5 We meyer spoke agaip.
OF all the things that afflicted ms
In my early experience sc . phyaiciau
the idea Of Q consultation was the
worst. ] dreaded meeting the old
physicians. ! thought gray hairs