Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1877-07-05

eeh Iohcetse Oh cases where, listening
to the pleadings of both personal and
professional honor, ] should respectful.
ly refuse to answer al all, even though
called 10 suffer the penalty for contempt.
Coleman the younger, in his poem of
the knight and the Friar," has depic-
ted asiaistart. trusty serving-man known
as the."tDuke OF Limbs" with fine
sense Of bsaor. He saysot bin:
peas hat. s.ss-a ID i.im, ansf1 Ia siue hi, him
Like ro-in round weli-corked bottles snout.:
Had forty devils come with corkscrews TO him
They could not pull the secret out
OF the same pious stuff should every
discreet physician be made. Not only
should the medical attendant zealously
guard his patients secrets-he should
be equally careful never to expose any
| flaws or weakness Of character which
Illness may betray. Though he passes
his life among agedies, the farce un.
terlics them all. II he has any sense
OF humor he will wear out sleeve. in
Vulnerable with secret laughter. An
excellent woman once complained to
| Mr.. Beecher because he said such fun
ny things in the pulpit by which her
moral sense was shocked. "Ah !" SAID
the notorious divine, '.if YOU only knew
the number of funny things that come
into my head in the pulpit which re-
slst and don't say, you would think me
saint" And something in the same
way, if the laity had any conception of
the funny things which come daily un-
der the physicians notice and which he
resi>ts they would accrcdit him with
works of supercrogation innumerable.
! There are two forces that sometimes
gam access To the sick-room-wit and
humor. The former should have no
place there, for il is inci>ive, vindictive.
bitter and destructive; it laughs. but it
laughs at you. The latter, literally a
moisture. wells up from the depths of
human sympathy. and Is always loving,
generous and kind; it laughs, but II
laughs always with YOU. A physician
may carry bumor always with him as a
garment and if worn with propriety it
will do good like a medicine. and illu-
mine dark recesseS of human suffering
where otherwise the genial light might
never come. For humor is the twin
| brother OF love, and laugh is akin to a
sob, smile 10 a tear Humor is a ten
drill Of the heart, and clings lovingly to
human infrmities. And it was the
mother of Goethe who said that HE
who laughs can commit no deadly sin"
In the relation OF physician and patient
an important point is to be determined
IN reference to the frequency OF visits.
A. this l. 4 matter that must be left to
the honor of the medical attendant, it Is
incumbent on him To decide il strictly
according to the golden rule. While
he should never omit to make visit
that he deems necessary, he should
scrupulou>ly avoid imposing unneces-
>ary expense on his patient. Nor should
he play on the fears of the sick and en-
courage them to solicit more visits than
are necessary. He should announce
definitely what he considers necessary
in this regard. II, however, the patient
or his friends, through excess Cf anx-
icty, demand extra visits not only should
the physician make them. but in nv judg-
ment II would be cruel in him 10 refuse.
Let it, however. be distinctly understood
that these extra visits are made al the
request and on the responsibility of the
tamIly-not a a necessity, but as a lux
~ury. II Is much to be regretted that as
profession we do not study more the
charm Of manner which, If properly cul-
tivated. Is irresistible. To do a thing
we'll l. commendable: to do il well and
gracefully Is much more meritorlous.
When Frederick the Great was on his
bed OF death the celebrated Zimmerman
was brought to his chamber. You
have, | presume, sir, said the King.
helped many man into the next
world. Not so MANY a. Your Maies-
ty.' replied the accomplished doctor.
NOR with 80 much honor 10 mv>clf."
Under the same circumstances. | doubt
not, the ignorant and illiterate Dr. Bo-
lu> around the corner would have hurled
the ethics of the National Medical As
sociation at the roval head and lett the
palace in a tempest of plebeian rage.
But the manner Of the physician should
not only be graceiul->o far a. nature
will peImit-but il should lead into the
the sick room those most welcome
guests, good cheer and hope. II there
Is any object that the natural man ab-
hors II is gloomy doctor. A medical
man with the air of an undertaken on
the verge of bankruptcy has no business
10 cumber'the profession. and should. in
my judgment. die-as soon as he is
prepared (0 The physician should
never set himself up a a scarecrow and
even IN those >ad cases where it NAV
he necessary 10 warn the sufferer that
he IL about 10 cross the ''insuperable
threshold. the announcement should
he made by n iudicious friend or dis
Greet clergyman, never bv the medical
adviser. He bears the relation Of SUI
bordin2te Providence 10 the sufferer: II
Is TO hlm that he looks Tor hope and sue
cor. A death-warrant from him leaves
the box Of Pandora absolutely void of
contents. ! have heard of a dear. dis
nal old maid in Massachusetts, tho OBJ
Jected 70 her clergyman because he was
cheerful man. All" said she. II
don't like such cheerful sermons. What
| want is sermons in which there is no
hope. Blu, the physician, unless he is
the sleeping partner of an undertaken,
cannot afford TO preach such sermons as
this fell >pinstcr demanded. Even the
non medical Byron recognized the dam
ger OF destroying hope
Despair of all recovery spoils longevity,
Aud maAeS men miSerses u alarming brvvity.