The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1880-03-03

1
iDgs. 1t Is not, ] say, ~ these more ob
vious benefits and felitf and consolation
that would speak. 1t Is OF the mighty re
sponsibiity 10 moral point OF view-Sre
quently, rs have been told, and can well ap
preciate, m agonizing responsibility which
the virtuOus, honorable, and hign-toned Dby
sician often finds burden almost too griey
Gus to bear. OF necessity charged with tn,
knowledge OF family secrets-the skeletons
OF many closefs--the good physicians breas
Is often racked with pain and doubt whicl
outweighs and depresses him more than th,
physical pain OF his patient. But at tn,
same time there Is often a silver lining tC
this sable cloud which brings its own glo
rlous compensation. How many family
dssensions have been healed-how many
sparks OF disagreement which II famed oil
neglected might have grown into cousum.
ing tire, where friendship, esteem. aland
conjugal love would have miserabIy perish.
ed-how many OF these good deeds have
been accomplished BY the warm-heaIted
and rigbt-minded physician, is written only
In the Book OF Life, Is known only to Him
who counts alone
"THE BEAriNGs OF THE SOLITARY HEART
BE 1t yours, young gentlemen, to recog.
niZe the s0lemn-vca, sometimes the awful
moral responsibility which rests upon that
physician who appreciates the sorrows and
irailties Of poor weak, erring humanity,
and yours may be reward beside which
all Others are mean and paltry. Remember.
write upon the tablet OF your hearts, that
truth which CARLYLE Is never tired OF re-
reatiDg, that while speech is siiverp, silence
| is golden. Or, taking the lesson from
a higher source. remember that the tongue
Is fire-a world Of iniquity-and setteth on
fire the course OF nature, and is itself set on
fire OF hell. But have upon occasion, too,
"The ready, swift, and funeful tongue
III Falsehood's honey IL al sdaiued
| And when II could not praise was chained
| IL bold in Virtues cause II spoke,
| Vet gentle CONCORD never broke,
| That silent tongue shall pieao for thee
| When Time unveils Eternity"
The unreasonable, unjust. almost sense.
less, remark Is often heard that whist sur
gerry has made almost miraculous strides,
therapeutics, or the healing art strictly, has
unduly Jagged behind; that whilst the sur
geon can deftly do what Falstatf said honor
could not, can "set leg or an arm, or take
away the grief of wound may, can re-
store a nose-and do such other wondrous
| things, that many poor battered and shat
tered hulk, so deformed and deficient as
scarce TO constitute a legal tender for hu-
man being, can yet be kept by surgery in
! tolerable comfort, and even feel what Cole
ridge calls the luxury Of being. Indeed,
so great is
THE REPUTATION WHICH SURGERY ENJOYS
that it was gravely reported some years ago
! that the wife Of one OF our ministers abroad
/ had returned with new patent Indiarubber
stomach, putting pain and dyspepsia at de-
: ar 4 hat tyiI nh
not impossible, il at least as yet rather pre-
mature in its announcement as matter OF
fact, we can in all seriousness and truth pay
the need Of an unstinted admiration and
gratitude for the comforts, assistance, and
restorations that surgery has brought 10
suffering humanity. But on the other
hand it must be utterly denied that
therapeutics have not made corresponding
If not as CONSPICUOUS advances. Without
attempting catalogue. at which the learned
gentlemen around me might smile and pro-
nounce grossly deficient, If not erroneous,
prefer 10 give you more legitimately the
striking proof in single contrast which L
| have picked up in my general and some
what desultorv reading. Compare the
scenes which Macauley so grandly and de-
| lightfuly painted OF the sudden striking
down Of Charles H., OF England, and its
attendant horrors and associations, with
The later Incident of the protracted illness OF
the present Prince, in which may say with
out byperbole ChristendOm was
DEEPLY, ALMOST TENDERLY, INTERESTED
an illness which was protracted through
weeks and months; and distant nations lis
| tened with intensest interest, fearing day
| by day, and almost hour by hour, that the
magic wires would tremble with the tidings
OF his death. I hat he lived to make pro-
gress and pilgrimage 10 st. PauPs 10 thank
Almighty God for his restoration TO health
is due under Providence, as the Faculty
with one consent believe, to the careful,
scientific. and thoroughly experienced prac-
! tice Of the eminent men who day by day,
hour by hour, minnie by minute, w0tched
at his bedside. noting the ebb and flow, the
Insidious sbiftings OF disease which, left
| to run its course unchecked, or not skill
fully met at every turn, must have consigned
the gallant young Prince to an ea.ly tomb.
The contrast Of the death-scene OF Charles
| ii. cannot be made as striking as / could
wish, partly because it is difficult 10 say
what one shall omit when extracting from
Macauley and partly because | would not
offend your ears with a full statement OF The
remedies or of the medicines administered,
| the least offensive Of which was the extract
OF dead mems bones. Fourteen doctors, it
seems, were called in, and, after full delib-
Grafton, concluded by cOntradicing each
other and Themselves. Some said his fits
were epileptic, and that he should be al
lowed to have his doze out. The majority
pronounced him apoplectic, and tortured
him during some hours.
| LIKE AN INDIAN AT THE STAKE.
Then it was determined 10 call bis CON-
plaint a fever, and to administer heroic
doses OF bark. One physician, to his honor
be it said land history should have embalmed
his name). protested against all the rest, and
assured the poor Queen that his brethren
would kill the King amongst them. The
people, who loved Charles even with all his
| faults, or course exaggerated these dlscre-
pancies to the utmost power OF human mis-
statement and error. One said his Maiesty's
tongue had swollen to the size OF NeaPs
| tongue. Another said cake OF deleterlous
powder had been found in his brain. A
third said there were blue spots on his
breast-there were black spots on his shout
der-somethng had been put in his snuil-
box something had been put into his
! broth-in his favorite dish Of eggs and am.
bergrees-the Dutchess OF Portsmouth had
poisoned him in II cup OF chocolate-the
! Queen had poisoned him in jar OF drled
| pears.
"Such tales" the great historian Justly
remarks, ought to be preserved" Tor
they furnish US with measure OF the intel
| ligence and virtue OF the generation when
eagerly devoured them. That such rumors,
even when lives on which great interests
depend have been terminated by unforeseen
o., in mn N 1 " m