The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1879-03-19

and an ALTERATION IN my prescription might
produce the desired alteration in results.
II sat down at little table and prepared
to write. AS l did SO. 1 cast my eyes in
meditative fashion, and encountered those
of the nurse. As soon as these met my
| gaze they were lowered toward the ground.
Before this happened, however, / had
caught their expression, which produced an
extremely disagreeable impression. 1t
seemed to me as if there was kind of silent
| laugh in them-a look of pride and con-
tempt. We doctors are occasionally Obliged
| to put up with little imperhnence from
| grand professional nurses. though this does
not very often happen. Nothing, however,
had occurred in our brief interviews, which
could account for the Circumstance, and
had soon entirely forgotten it.
Il once more took my rounds next day,
and made this one of my first calls. l had
hoped to have found things much better.
| On the contrary, they were worse. The i'll
ness, whatever it was. was making progress,
and the patient was decidedly worse. /
really could not understand this untoward
condition of things, entirely contrary as it
| was to my experience and expectations. /
had some thoughts of calling in another
opinion, but this is a step which did not
! quite like. 1t seems too much of a confes-
! sion of weakness. On this occasion l pre-
scribed remedies OF an heroic kind which
would deal thoroughly with the case and took
my leave, contented to wait and see what
day might bring forth.
st"But as j sat at dinner with my family, my
| thought irresistibly wandered away to the
case of Miss Brinckman. There was an I'M
accountable restlessness and anxiety in my
| mind. Usually I do not carry the cares OF
my profession into my family. l am salts
| fed with knowing that have done my best,
! and after that there's no use fretting ones
self; but found that night l couldn't rest
IN pesce. The case puzzled and alarmed me.
After one or two vain attempts to settle
down, took up my hat and started for the
! big house in the square towards 10 o'clock
! at night.
at was good thing that 1 did so; other
| wise, Miss Brinckman would have breathed
her last that night. The symptoms had
increased with great severity. Her face was
positively blus. She was evidently in state
of collapse. l wondered whether 1t would
be possible to revive her. Now l will let
you in for bit of my practice. The most
powerful restorative / know is mixture of
Champagne and brandy. 1t is not pleasant
cOmbination-two good things spoilt, in
| fact-but have known IL to do good when
everything else had failed. Ny patient
sensibly revived under its influence. Glanc-
ing at the mantlepiece, my eye alighted on
the bottle of medicine containing my pre-
scription; and. as the bottle was nearly full,
l saw at once that the proper doses had not
been administered. Somehow felt that the
nurses eye followed mine ss it wandered
towards the mantlepiece. she hastily arose
and moved towards the spot. with an inten-
ton, obvious to my mind of hiding or re-
moving the medicine bottle.
Nurse said, somewhat peremptorily,
| sWhSt is your name?'
"'Quillimaine'
"'Married or unmarried
/" i am not married.
Tell me Immediately why my Iaedicine
has not been properly administered.
Miss Brinckman could not take the
medicine, sir. She was slck il she tried !;
. I vgnutd G
any,
81 did not think the answer was a true
one; but there was no use interrogatIng
poor, half dying Miss Brinckman.
'.'It was your duty. under such circum-
stances, to have sent for me at once
The woman was silent. A sudden
thought flashed across my mind.
Now, look here, Nurse Quillimaine, I
said. Mark nay words. IL Miss Brinkman
is not better tomorrow morning, l shall i'm
mediately send for detective.
/ 1.-The next morning Miss Brinkman was
marvelously better.
did she eventually recover"
"She got quite we'll, and Is still living in
the big house in the square. She Is much
better tempered, and more rational alto
gether. She is perfectly convinced that
saved her life (Which is true enough and
have to visit her two or three times week."
did you ever talk to her about the
nurses conductY
mo; 1 did not think that would be of any
use But l told her that 1 was not at all
satisfied with the nurse, and hoped that she
would never employ her again. On my
asking how she came to engage such person,
she said that she came to her highly recon-
mended by relative. Pushing my inquiries
respecting this relative, the old lady became
reserved and looked annoyed; and SO / have
never gone further into matters, and have
hardly any idea who she is or who her PEG
pie may be. or course could not resist the
idea that there might be some one who
might profit by her death; but l have never
been able to ascertain any facts"
Certainly, it is a very queer story, but
have something still queereT to tell. You
know that to great extent I am a season
doctor; that am one OF the very few lucky
doctors who, If they like, can take few
months holiday when our town is out Of
season. Now and then / used to take the
practice of some friend less fortunate than
myself in this respect. In this way It hap
pened that, bout twelve month after Miss
Brinckman's case, l found myself under.
taking another mans practice 200 miles
away IN the country. My friend had had
some prosperous years. and was taking his
wife and girls TO the Rhine and Switzerland
for a change; and none knew better thar
himself how necessary is a change to the
| hardly-wrought general practitioner.
II was called in, one hot summer Gay, Il
r see venerable gentleman who had been
t partaking with the utmost freedom of the
, luxurious fruit OF his garden, to which ht
! attributed various disagreeable symptoms.
5 ventured to hint to the reverend gentleman
that little moderation would not be unfit
ting his years and his symptoms l strolle6
with HIM through his shady walks; and, as
surfing him that strawberries We're very bst
r for his com plant, partook literally OF then
= myself. / thought that very simple pre-
scription would make him all rigat at once
( and L was little surprised to be awoke III
4 at O'Clock one morning and be told that n
) was dangerously III. Now, If there is on
r thing to which 1 object more than another
it is to being called out at 2 O'Clock in tn
! morning. In my time l have been doctor I,
S a local club; and have been called out at tina
e unearthly hour. across the snow on win
= ter's night. and have found the patien
y chesrfully partaking of pipe and grog on m.
/, arrival. This old gentleman, however, wa
l. very seriously i'll. He was worse than