New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-08-28
DOCTORS AND P1TIENTS.
From The .Sp ectafOr.

In his Life and Death of Sir Matthew Hale Kt ~
Gilbert Burnett says that the celebrated Judge had
g great skill in Physick Anatomy and Chyrurrery
From the bench he would put such questions To
Physicians or Chyrurgcons that they have protested
the College of Physicians could not do it more ex-
actIy." lhis was all very well but whom Burnett
goes GA TO inform us that " in sickness he used o
argue with his doctors about his distempcrs and the
methods they took with them,' we begin won Ter
how the Physicians and Chyrugeons liked it. What
they thought of 1t. We are indirectly informed. for
Burnett adds. though with entire simplicity that
"one of them told Inn" Sir Matthew understood
practice 60 lid carry him" The limitation was
admirable. Speculative knowledge is, of course,
good IN itself but the line between speculation
and practice cannot he drawn absolutely. 4 ,,asha
who had lost an eye ordered glass one, and bad /
httcd IN, showing transports Of Joy; hut when
aiteS month TRIAL he found hn could not see with
II, No had the "cliyrurgeon" bastmadoed and
banishcd. Here there was lack of &" speculation"
on the part of the pasha But the too well known
case OF the Indian prince aud the scidlitz powders is
doubtful. He first took the whole of the twelve
blue powders dissolved in n punchbowI and then
not feeling much refreshed took the twelve white
ones also ri one dTanght. The most experienced
physician, when i'll, goes to another physicianthat
"argu"' with each other. But the best thing the
tinted patient can do is TO get good doctor,
in favor of this principle.
Mr. Gladstone. whose health and prospects of
vigorous old age wrIc. IN the spring of 1874, made
the subject of cheerful article IN The Lancet,
which gently reluhcd him for talking of my age
has more Than justified the rcbuke of his medi cal
critic. lie has shown MT ouly staying power, but
hnoyancy. He has been betting ten 10 one, aud
pralslug the Burton nlrs as ncctarcous if not
nectar He has been twice very seriously and once
at least less seriously laid 10y. and has more than
pulled through. And We have all heard-some of
with surprise sensible people without any-that
ho minds what tho doctor saws, is a strictly ohe.
dent patient. But there is obedience aud obe-
dience. Dickens treated unguarantecd prcscrip-
tons iof which lac used 10 receive many hundredS)
much rs Lord Granville does, and he also minded
his doctor. Bnt there can be no doubt that he
iractious patient, whose obedience was often but
formal.
ltmust be admitted that it is sometimes difficult
to obey physicians orders Tho lato Dr. Eiiotson
once began some wrltton directions dor II very
young man, who had MOI hing particular the matter
with hum la the following terms No wine, beer,
toa. coffee, spins or tobacco No churches, chapels
theatres public meetings, lectures or concerts"
and 80 On. The patent might almost Az well have
become u Irappist, ii he had needed all this. No
douLt, such rcoIrpts excused, on the ground
that the patient viii certainly break through the
severest rules and that the physicians only
chance with him Is to make them SO strict that he
VIII feel bound 70 korp portion OF thenl
preac er has been made much moro difficult of late
years by the growth of culturc we need not repeat
any of the platItudes about Che pulpit and the
pew" But n similar thing might be said of doc ors
aud patients, amongst the educated classes. True,
The clergyman has often TO encounter the concet OF
the uneducaied rs well as The criticism of the we'll
informed Tor, under the lhiuehc9 on great lro-
iestant superstition, every man thinks that in eX-
pounding the 5ibic his way IL clcar II fancy which
the publication of the revised vursion OF the New
IestamcnG must surely do much to shake, even IN
leader Of the blind bnt though the ordinary
practitioner has it pretty much his own way with
the poor the number of more or less educated pa
tients who can "argue" with the physician or
chyrurgeOn is greatly increased
Perhaps there would not be much risk in saying
that the medical profession rs n whole, is more
alive than the clerical to what is new IN the con-
ditions under which the work has to be done. A
man can hardly be good physician without hay-
ing considerable native of scientific ability
aud lie should also have much of the artists SEN
slbility to FORM color, and expressive motion The
physician, besides actual accomplishments which
he IS likely enough to have quite outside his voca-
ton, Is often the most agreeable aud well-normcd
man OF the world in his very large circle. And
everything consplrcs at present TO compel or invite
the widening of his horizon. TO he really good
physician, u man must be psychologist. This
does not mean that, If he finds in of insomnia
no obvious cause for tie patients disorder ho
should ask the unfortunate man whether he has
anything on his conscience, embezzlement for IN
stance. IL Is well known that Lord l!ldon, when
plain John Scott eloped with the lady whom he
married, and that they were lovers all their lives.
While 1t was yet very early days with them, young
Mrs Scott fell Ill in strange village and the local
practitioner sent for. Having, after the usual
routine, failed to make out what was the matter
with this beautiful lady. he said ." I'm afraid,
ma am. there is something on your mind You are
not happy with your husbandW This was bad
practice. Mrs. Scott had much spirit and natural
eloquence, and there nothing tne matter with
Mr. Scott, who was both tall and athletic; but the
muse will not sing tho dismissal of that doctor
The anecdote only illustrates in passing, the sense
In which tho physician must not be Psychologist.