The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1879-01-29
The 1o~T0R'S STORY.

| gether after meeting OF the Hippocrati,
Medical society, whose members were &C
cuztOmed to assemble once a year for the
purposes of mutual edifcation aud i'm
provemsnt.
DR.. Galen Cupps was in the chair
lie was our Nestor, our old man eloquent
living professional legendary budget.
On his face you could -ead entertain
ment' IS plainly as you ever saw it pain
ted on an Old fashioned tavern sign, and
to it, after day of weary rambling over
the dusty paths of therapeutic lore, we
tnrned as naturally for refreshment as
the tired wayfrrer halts before the invit-
ing sign board waving hospitable welcome
/ TO the cheer within.
Genial DR. Cupps.-like father Grimes,
+ that other good old man, '.we'll never see
/ him more" No monument marks his
( last resting place. The guild of under
/ takers, possessed they a spark of gratitude,
would not futfer this to be- AS for his
/ surviving professional brethren, few of US,
ferr, have money to spend in that was.
Glow do young doctors, rule, get
their start. queried cynical looking NJ
( D., at the foot of the table, with IA nose
as shary as the tip of his own lancet
leaving out, of courte, exceptional cas-
es, like that Of a man swallowing a fish
bone or dropping suddenly into a fit where
there Is no choice but to seek the nearest
aid. What | ask is, how do people come
to trust their livep deliberately in mex
perienced hauds?-what's the philosophy
of it?'
popular ignorance, probably" sug
gestea one.
cor cheek in the youngsters" another
hinted.
Its mostly luck, l think" remarked
the chair, wherein had converged mum
Der Of iuquiring looks.
Come, doctor, give MS your experience
on the point, was moved and seconded.
mine was a case of pure luck" said
he.
won't you tell US about it?' we en-
treated
DIR. Galen Cupps was not the man to
refuse.
Young men nova days" he began,
''enter the profession with other advan-
tages than we old fellows had. The pub
lie hospitals, now accessible to students,
afford them opportunities tie learn much
observations, which We were to ma out
through experiments on onr patients.
Though L took my degree after a
creditabe examination, l doubt if could
then have distinguished by inspection
between the lnslpient stages Of chicken
pOx and measles. Had | been called to
treat a simple case of rheumatism, ten to
one | should have found a verdict of
white swelling, and passed sentence Of
/ to fD ,.-l- fho
victim what he had to say against it
My first patient was Percy Topham,
young man who had inherited a spIen-
did constitution as well as fortune, but
was fast making away with both,
The case, no doubt, would have fallen
into Dingo's hands, for he monopolized
the practice thereabout, but for his alb
sence on a distant call
Come quick, sir" urged the mess
enger, Mr.. Percy's takin' on at an awful
rate.
9 Without stopping to inquire further,
| took my hat and sailed forth, quite
forgetting, in the excitement, the new
pill bags wherein were stored my stock Of
samples.
g arrived to find my patient 'takin'
on at an awful rate sure enough.
Poker in hand, he was laying about
him in a manner highly detrimental to
the furniture. He was killing snakes,
ne said. Had he been killing dogs, by
drophobia might have been my diagnO
Sis; but snakes, l knew, meant delirium
tremens And such was the decision of
Mr.. Topham's own more practical judg
ment, for turning toward me, in a lucid
moment :
We got EN-, Doc he said
- did my best to calm him, assured
him | should bring him round, placed
my fingers on his pulse and began to
count the beats, but darting from me, he
exclaimed:
There goes the biggest snake yet
the old serpent of all!' making a slash
with the poker which caused me to dodge
into corner.
- Leaving two to watch him, and ac-
companied by the man who had sum
moned me, hurried home to prepare
such remedies as | should conclude the
case required-a point l must confess, |
was very far from clear upon. | had
been reared in temperate community,
had seen little of intoxication, or its eff
fects, and my reading had not borne
specially in that direction.
Before reaching my Office, however,
| decided what course to take. There
was no time to consult books. Besides,
| was ashamed to do that in the presence
of the man who waited to carry back the
physic. He would have taken it as a
confession of ignorance, and would have
lost no time in proclaiming me Ounce.
. Overhauling my supply of drugs,
and taking a little from every one, |
hoped might prove of service.
. Give him a tablespoonful of it every
half hour, | SAID to the man, handing
MIN the bottle, on which [ was careful
10 put no label.
Not caring to be present to witness the
effect of my maiden prescription, Tell
Mr.. Topham I'll call in the morning,
said
wv hatever my patient did, I passed
a bad night Of all cases in which to
make my debut, why should the malig
nant Fates send the very one likely to
expose me?
With many misgivings, presented
myself next morning at the patients
door. was glad to see there was no
Grape on it.
Passing the servant who admitted
me. | hurried, trenblingIy, to the sick
room.
" Good morning, Doc. cried the in
valid, rising from sumptuous breakfast,
wiping his mouth with one hand and
extending me the other. BY George,
you did bring me through famously
That stuff was mighty nasty. but it did
the business. I'm sound as dollar this
morning.