The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1883-03-06

The Doctor In Camp
You may wonder how the miners 20
along without doctor in camp. for-ther
were indeed times enough when the ser
vices of y skillful physician were i,
demand. That winter we put in at Gallo,
Flats there was somebody on the sick ms
all the time, and there were days when W,
had three or four patients in hospital a,
once.
As to medicines, our mainstay was no
sweat. When man began to dunn
around We didn't lose time by feeling of hi
pulse or looking at his tongue. Three O
four stones were put into the fire to heat
blankets borrowed for the occasion, ant
when we got steam on the knots aud twist,
ana KINKS IN that chaps case, he had to un
ravel. Fled come out rs long aud flat ant
thin and white rs You please, and If any
one pointed finger at him for the ne X
week he'd cry like baby.
Next TO a sweat we had decoctions al
herbs, barks and roots and once or twice
we tried the earth cure. On one occasion
when a red-headed miner from Ohio Was
| laid up with a pain In the side, STRANGER
came along from White Dog Bend and said
he could cure him by laying on of hands
For three long hours he smoothod away nj
the patient as steadily as clock-work,
and then there was a row. The Smoother
asserted that the cure WAS complete, while
the patient denied that the pain was a whit
easier, aud, OF course we stood by our COM
rade and gave the stranger tumble OIL a
Gill twenty-eight feet high into an old snow
driit eighteen feet deep.
But, rs said atthe start, sickness became
SO prevalent, and our plain remedies had so
little effect, that ii was finally decided to
send up to Sacramento for y doctor, The
idea WAS TO have him come down and brace
MS all up, and leave medicines amt remedies.
and the expense was to be borne by shake
purse.
A letter was sent to a dealer in the town
asking him to forward doctor, and. In
about five days, along he came. He was n
young man OF a, Just out Of college IN the
east, and just landed on the slope without n
dollar in his pocket, and all he brought
with him WAS lancet, some prescription
blanks and stick of salve for making
sticking plasters.
There were four men in hospital that
day, and after a bit the doctor entered TO
take a look at them. 1t happened that he
came to Big jim Smith first. Smith was
threatened with inilsmmstory rhenma.
tsm, and was in no mood to take non
sense.
Run out your tongue said the doctor.
as he bent over the man.
Big Jim displayed it, but in such A be.
grndging way that it was plain to see that
he thought IL was all bosh.
y our pulse, said the doctor, as he
reached over for Jim's great paw.
Pulse? / hain't got anvil growled Inn
Oh, yes, you have. Here it is in your
wrist. Keep still for moment"
stranger" said Jim, after the doctor
had dropped his hand, dye mean TO tell
me that ye kin feel mans wrist and tell
what ails his insides2r
es, III measure
Excuse me not calling you liar, but
some OF the boys will do ii for me afore
you are an hour older"
Z What are your symptoms" asked the
doctor.
Never had any,"
But how do you feel?"
"Sick."
How were You taken?''
Stranger, what are We driving at?n de-
manded Jim, as he sat up in bed.
Have you got pains?'
In course | hayel Dye 'spose I'd be
lying flat on my back here if ANYTHING
less'n ton was holding me down."
DO you ache?n 49,
t'Raytherp
ANY fever"
Wal, gitaway with quart of cold
water at q gulp."
The doctor sat and studied the case for
few minutes. and then he came over to the
shanty where the committee had assembled
and said
Gentlemen, the case Of Big Jim is SO.
rlous one, lie needs change of diet. seem
cry and ar. My advice is that you brace
MN up all you can on chicken soup and
oeei Tea ana then send him Off for trip to
Cuba. I'll look at the other cases in the
morning.
But he never did. When the BOYS found
that he had come without even n dose of
quinine, and they heard him talk about
chicken soup and tripsto Cnba for o man
VINO hadn't fye dollars to his name, they
waited upon him in sort ofhilarious body.
ana ~ midnight he wentup the trail at the
rate oil twelve miles an hour, with n crowd
behind him aching for his ears as relics.
Next day we heated halfa ton Of rocks,
took six or eight blankets, and gave Big Jim
such sweat that all his toenails shed Off,
and rather than be cured in the same way,
the other men got well.
II did have some faith in the chap" ex.
planned Jim-',jist leetle bit, until he axed
my symptoms That floored me. The idea
OF sehuing 100 miles Tor doctor to walk in
on We and not be able to tell symptoms
from the alliredest back-sche man ever
mad, topped off with chills galloping up and
down the spine'walls. I'm only sorry that
you moved the procession on him aiore |
was able to head it."-[Detroit Free Press.
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