Vicksburg weekly herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1868-1883, 1878-05-17
0uF AEhaBsas Traveller
warzEs A YRRsE or RACKEEsAcK DOC
ANA

huttuE NlgApVNAh ANH@A4s
Dfummers aud unners for hotels
aud doctors at this place grew 90 mum.
erous and 90 persistent In the exerciaG
OF th ir duties that : sick man, whom
they tackled, often grew apprehensivC
Of losing HE life before reaching the
Springs. The nuisance became go In
tOlerable that the little road from Nal
vern over here posted up notices pro
hibiting drumming or collecting bust
ness Of any kind on their cara or O.
their stations; aud here they have an
ordinance covering the same points, &C
that on arrival here no one laid violent
hands OF our persons or on our bag
gage. But while such steps as
have named prevent auy public
efforts at Influencing travellers
there has grown up q system
Of quiet e,eCtiOnetring more ef'
t~ective, and not much less annoy Ing OF
disgusting. And especially 10 this ia;
case with the doctor, he greater mum
Der of HON seem 10 be in collision
with certain holel keepers who cften
appear more eager that you secure
your doctor than that you lake rO0mi
with them. Before leaving Vicksburg
my family physician gave ii as his part
ing advice that | trust in the waters,
and keep away from the doctors entire.
u ; aud as | came over from Malvern
fell In with a gentleman who gave II
as his opinion that, TO say the least oil
1t, they were not needed in q case IN
twenty. He said ii wa ten years after
the Springs were discovered before q
doctor showed bis fac al them to prac'
tice, aud yet people came here and goI
cured al soon, II not sooner, than they
do now.
Il is wonderful, however, how soon
after arrival here one becomes impreg.
mated with the idea that Q doctor is ab-
sOlulely essential. You speak 10 the
landlord, OF the laDdlady, or The porter,
or the cook about taking q bath with.
out one and they oil look serious on
the spot aud warn you against such q
step. You defer the matter for Q day
and 60 out upon the street where you
meet some OF your friends, aud you
put the question to them aud try TO get
some points about taking a bath. They
seem TO b. impressed with the belief
that every case needs a different kind
Of treatment, and II would De unsafe 20
attempt to "gO 1t alone" II one did
not know il we're not so 10 the case Of
bis friends, be would even suspect
them to be In the pay Of tee doctors
and out drumming for the tribe. You
at last go over to a bath-hOuse aud con-
suit the proprietor. He is doubt.
full about the propriely OF your starting
In before consulting a doctor. You
might have the heart dis Ease or you
lungs be troubled, aud the result might
be disastrous. You might 60 down to
an untimelY grave. With still a little
hope Of meeting some nj who may
encourage you In your determination
TO avoid the man OF pbysic, you walk
out and approach q bath attendant who
is hanging out his blankets aud towels
10 dry. and put the question 10 him II
he don't think ne could give you a
series of baths without a bath ticket OF
directions from . doctor "Oh no, sab
II would be risky, sab better see q doc.
tor, sab, and If l was you, sab, | would
call GU Doctor Gargleman, for he's sho'
the best man here" Aud, so, In self.
defense, you 60 over to see Dr.. Gargle-
man, and II you have made up your
mind simply to get bath directions you
tell him so aud state you will probably
not want bis services any more and
will pay tho one fee aud stop. Ger
tainly. You ought to have been here
sooner The water will do you good,
II properly used, with q little medicine
to assist. The bath directions are writ
ten out on a printed form wmmerse
Eve minutes; vapor three minutes
pack five minutes" You are then
handed from two to twenty prescrip.
tons, with q special injunction that you
have them put up OF Mr.. Mottar's, who
will not rob you,but who does II In the
most successful way. Besides, you ind
that one Of the prescriptions brings up
q miserable little sinking piece Of
soap that any thrifty house.
vie, up 10 soap.making, would
be ashamed of, and on this you find q
clumsy label bearing the name Of "youT
doctor" as the manufactures. You
think this q nice way to get siX.bits for
a piece OF soap that would be dear In
any grocery al three cents. So you
go 10 your room and stuff the soap In
the corner of your trunk, to b. carried
home ls a curiosity, while you pitcE the
other stuff, il you are goose enough 10
buy It, out Of the window.
My honest belief Is that as a rule the
doctors here ae the veriesl humbugs
In existence. The sorritst Of all the
profession seem to have dIifted here
and all Of them are apparently thrlv'
ing. They generally succeed In getting
from $50 up 10 any sum within human
reason, out Of each person who comes
here with money and seeking the vir'
tues of the water. You could hardly
throw a stone without striking some
species of landlord or a doctor. And
they are not very friendly to those o.
their own calling. The doctors are
continually at war, and often attack
each other through the papers. They
say bad things of each other, aud dom
CAmnorf Ihamaalvaa In n vary nrOfaa.