The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1879-12-13

In one well known instance a widow la
dy, whose child had been under his care,
received from him, Enclosed in friend
! ly letter, all the fee2 taken from her I'M
der the impression that she was well
able to pay--he had learned that her
means were straitened- ia addition
ESQ, which he begged her to spend in
giving her child q daily ride in the fresh
air. To the honor of the profession be
it said that instances of kind considera-
ton and true generosity are far from
rare among medical men. l7
1t Is difficult to imagine how Abcr-
nethy could act with SO much kindness
and delicacy of feeling toward one lady,
and yet give such offense to another
that she exclaimed: 81 have heard of
your rudeness before came, sir, but
was not prepared for such treatment.
What am / to do with this pn she added,
meaning the prescription he had given
her.
"Any thing you like" the surgeon
roughly answered, "put it ON the fire if
you please"
He had met his match. The lady
took him at his word, placed his fee on
the table and his prescription on the
fire; then, with bow, left him. Aber-
nethy instantly followed into the hall,
apologized and begged her either to
take the fee back or allow him to re-
write the prescription, but all to no pur-
pose; the lady would not yield. = = e
On another occasion the Doctor was
forced to own that he had the worst of
it. The story runs thus. He was sent
for one day in great haste by an inn
keeper, whose wife had in a quarrel
scratched his face with her nails to such
an extent that the poor man was bleed
ing and much disfgured. Abernethy
thought this an opportunity not to be
lost for admonishing the offender, and
said, Madam, are you not ashamed
of yourself to treat your husband thus
the husband who is the head of all
your head, in fact?'
"Well, Doctor" fiercely returned the
virago, "and may not scratch my own
head?''
A gentleman once asked Abernethy if
he thought the moderate use of snuff
would sinjure the BRAIN"
"No, SIR" was the Doctors prompt
reply; "for no man with a single ounce
of brains would ever think Of taking
snuff"
At the end of the last century, and ex-
tending far into this, there fiourished in
Lancashire, England, a family of the
name of Taylor, the male members of
which for two or three generations were
known as the Whitworth Doctors. {"
Indeed, some of their descendants may
possibly be still in the profession.
Though plain of speech and possessing
little refinement, the Whitworth Doc
tors were great provincial celebrities,
especially as surgeons; but their fame
extended far beyond their own region.
In number of Tdit's Magazine, pub
lished forty years ago, William Hewitt
gave an account of visit he paid to the
WhitwOrth Doctor then extant, who re-
lated to him one or two amusing incl
dents connected with his fathers attend
ance upon royalty. He had been called
in to prescribe for the Princess Eliza
beth, daughter Of George Ill.
"Thc complaint of the Princess was a
continued pain and stupor in the head.
OF course John Taylor Immediately
ordered her to take his snuff. This
snuff was made of the powdered leaves
of the Asarabacca, which has the
property of purging the head, and of
which plenty was grown in the garden at
Whitworth. John having given his
order and delivered the snuff, looked
about him, and seeing the Processes all
there, he clapped the Queen Familiarity
on the back, and said, We'll, thor art a
farrently woman good looking) to be
the mother of such set of straight
backed lasses.' Q3x
"Queen Charlotte took the unusual
familiarity with very good grace, smil-
ing and replying, Yes, Mr.. Taylor;
and was once as straight backed lass
as any of them.'
The doctor had not retired from
the presence of royalty very long, when
he was sent for again in great haste.
"sWell, and what is the matter nowp'
asked he, on entering.
"sOh, the Princess is taken with such
q continual sneezing that we are quite
alarmed
ais that ALP said John. Then let
the girl sneeze; that is the very thing
that will do her good ss So :
The doctor is said to have had the
honor Of completely relieving the Prin-
cess of her complaint
Patients doubtless often amuse by
their idiosyncrasies the medical men
they consult. According to Dean Ram
say, DIR. Gregory" of immortal Mix
ture memory used to tell a story of
an old Highland chieftain, Intended to
show how such Celtic potentates were
once held TO be superior to all the usual
considerations which affect ordinary
mortals. The doctor, after due exami-
nation, had in his usual decided and
blunt manner pronounced the liver of