Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1878-06-28
a Country Doctor Of oIden Times.
A SKETCH FROM LIFE.


Hampshire doctor, of II pattern in common
use in the back country down to as late n
period as twenty-five years ago, and which
may, for all we know TO the contrary, have
been the kind used for a hundred years back,
or more. 1t is n rusty old instrument of
sort of wrench-liko pattern, and many time
have looked upon it with dread as the doc
tor took it out Of its wrappings of old cloth,
and prepared to apply its jaws to my own.
Only diagram could give its precise charac-
ter understandlngly. Once fastened on the
objective tooth that tooth must come out un-
less the doctor or the patients jaw broke
down. But the doctor, though short-winded,
was pretty muscular and very persevering.
If one grinding horrible twist did not tear out
the tooth, there must be repetitions Of the
agonizing operations The charge made was
invariably seventeen cents. We have before
us the old doctors day-book. We keep it
with the black old jaw breaker.
We turn to the date of 1926, and run over
month or two of his charges to get the av-
erage rates of his tariff in those days. We
run across many of those tooth-pulling items
The charge is always the same, cents. Wis
it to patients, where no charge was made for
drugs, are entered at 33 cents. But the coun-
try doctor was then also travelling apothe-
cary. In dingy, small black trunk 1--WE have
the trunk, and II still smells of drugs and viv-
idly recalls the old doctor. he carried the
tooth -puller, IA lancet or two, and a small
stock of the druggiest kind of drugs-tough
old favorites Of the heroic practitioners of the
old school-a small list of which were made
to do service in all sorts of diseases, and
which were administered in heavy doses, as
the old book Of charges shows. But though
the medicines were heavy the charges were
light Fifty cents often covers n visit and the
cost Of several medicines furnished. And
these visits generally involved the harness.
ing up Of the doctors faithful. fast little horse
he always kept two good horses which for
effect, or of necessity, he always drove at the
rate of about ten miles an hour. The sight
of the doctor in his light open gig, flying over
our country roads, was such "A common one
that we would hardly turn from our hoeing to
give it n second glance, unless we had an idea
that he had some new and sudden call of some
case of sickness We had not heard Of
But the great majority Of the doctors Wis
its We're made to chronic patients, whose cas-
es were familiar TO all which had been talk
ed about year in and year out There was
the widow Jones who had been dying of drop
sy for many year, and who had to be regu-
lary tapped by the doctor. We always look
ed upon this operation as something wonder
full, and the doctor himself spoke of his do
ings in this line with a proud satisfaction.
- ,:,, - M
,o. t,1 e., 49,, - ~ -, .l4',.t' -
never gave her much medicine. Many years
after the doctor had gone to his long home
Sally took II notion to get well" under the
skillful care of some quack who had Yankee
shrewdness TO discover that there was moth
.e ~ - '..' ~ Al uii-
eli. - ~. "a ~ - ; G'iO
S;t'. IN, IL ''''.' y,
I,' ~ ~ I''e IU Ti - ~
hi.,,. i''' 5 ~ A., NJ .;o
III -. rI',,,-i,,; IaJ ,I'a,
tor ;,jts 80, ~ b'ii5 La ,d ia
Cn,,,oi -, 'l31'l III "'.'' Wv
IA I;' no luz i;'a n' ne IJi III
ai, ~ NJ C...'.i; ~, - -.
i - '''li'' , 4"oH, ~ ".''
II ii,a's' g. NsJu 70
i,,. o 's ''. nc ~ %tTSe
IL, I,'1 80, I,,i g. H. ~
10 Oi ''''''' 'O' 'l' '''O'oi "'''n''o"
At i...,.... ..:...,...
fuu @ 'lrnN'ns f ui "luA.ii iii'S ioiiiinua uS
VI V'l Wv" Pan "a SHe u'9 ,iic
t, I"'iie i H!ls "'el .ne % io'I 70 US ioI
We i i''', s siu5 upon iiie ,H'Iu iil''eI
S Slou'' ,ti,, ,iV'i, a''t en- " Eul iunH~"!
itTiS' Su'rue ''J ,i ,, iai' a. ili
| " "b'H .A''
ulGA'" i r rii" eo.iie' ,i,iui9 ~ niliiu @ rs We
:, ~ ie uou'Ut ,9 'uggtI 1io S"eu' 70 se'
M pi''.' ,i l'lu We "'''i'N anu i"nieu uA-
"er mn ."' Pi;it H.. .... A.. ,...-,.
~ '.'9' e';''' 3, ul'ou w ti uoN'ol !, .
e5 - ~ Nf a. ~ "a II ail-
hlsn' ;ii ' ~, u ms, "iion may
oe N'Aen 10 i,l's'ia'e oi,i-insliioneI ieG,c1i
o''''',o 80. u ~
M ~ N',: ~ -. ~. ~ 80 - !,
MI M "n ~ tno y. ''1'a ,
ihere - ho Iisei eiiiS'e oiiu' 6e III 'ile pooN
s'-'''l -, - ~, - !i -
heighooiihB toSn' unu tlih en;llse covered
the lohg rue III 'nat oiu ele' perhaps II, soniS
@ @uarA ghu stormy nisut, o'ei iou5h ,1"us anu
tiie Mnole niSnv "~"I llon' y ioHeis
young iiieHI W. "no eai
OF t"o uSo Mrsi "llliaii "se' anu AeePS nous, nousS
III iasilioi"Oio Fuai''t Vi 'Ho ny, toenu
herseh IA neeu Vi .ue p' SERVICES VI !li"' M. m
YOUNG l'"! 1,o'''u' ~, llo%H "1T n'ea J Jus'
opposite III, Drown was was ASpt iuliy liiIorii i,.
Gu ;i,o ,p' s,'a .vo' t
seeus s"ie niis"Ae9 "oio ni"uv, iOi "t'ei al IA
ne dla NOT get IN at the Geieora.ioh. IN iac'
tne emu was Uo'ii ioiiS peioIe tie uoolol ' "l
INeu' NeNeI'neless ,nvre was Vn"iSe ol
10 III 'hat quarter piii lor services some
Wua' Siinii"i' ouV i"i ieo' oiieio 'ii"i, 'io',
Tor whlch the olu country doctor oharBe'
S-,'o
Our olu uoclor WIS very uusy n'"u' h'
Always ehue"Noreu 10 20 10 chuleil at , leuS
W p" '' - .'s =, -. r -; a. III
IL was no uncommon 'il,e ior nm nm 70 1e eau
eu OUT OF iheellne 70 a''et'u t sonle sleA oeu
Ana What sensation Oh sympathy Woui'
run through the 4ulet coherSBauoil, US th'
good doctor "oulu luietiy ghuo uo"h th'
oro.u u'sie 10 lneS' 'iiS 'eilo''s iiea9e s ensei
Ana no" lulcAIy al'er 'ne ioo was eii'ie'
would every one IN that Klhu-hear,9u assem- n
bly, know Just where the doctor had oeeh eau
ed and Just now much 'he caiier heeued III
services. l., ,....-,. Ia.