The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1883-06-20
MISCELLANY.
AMATEUR DoCToRING.

Do you think this habit of self-doctor.
ing decreases the practice of physicians p''
By no means. The effect is rather to
increase our work. People who think to do
without the services of a physician will not
only do themselves harm by the delay, but
also with the medicines which they do not
know how to use. 1t is like man trying to
mend a leak in water pipe by soldering it
with the poker. He generally makes the
hole bigger. 1t is, of course, the most diff.
cul part of the physicians duty to diagnose
the disease, TO tell what is the real trouble
with the patient. 1t is not uncommon for
even educated physicians to make mistakes
in this respect The science of medicine
has progressed so far that every part of the
human body has been pretty thoroughly
studied, and the treatment of the ailments of
each part is specially. 1t is impossible
for one physician to know all these diseases
as well as the specialists, aud it is "A common
practice among honest physicians TO refer
patients TO those who have made n special
study of the diseases which afliict them. 1t
il not uncommon for a man TO 20 from one
physician to another in the vain effort to dis
cover his ailment Sometimes patient vii
be treated by successive physicians for the
wrong ailment, because some of the symp-
toms of different diseases are similar. How
unlikely is it, therefore, that persons who
have not studied medicine can find out what
ails them"
Which do You think do the most self
doctoring, women or men ?"
Women, decidedly, especially mothers
and old women, The reckless temerity of
some women in this respect is wonderful.
They rush in where angels fear to tread.
Hastily judging from few symptoms that
case resembles one which the family doc.
tor has treated, they will hunt up an old
prescription and administer the dose to some
confding husband or helpless child. could
tell you some amusing stories of the mis-
takes that are made in this way, as well as
some instances where more serious conse-
quences resulted. Take, for illustration, a
headache 1t may come from dozen diff
ferent causes-from hunger, from indiges-
lion, from over-excitement of the brain,
from eating too much, from inhaling foul
air. The remedy for headache varies with
its cause Yet you will find women who
have universal panacea for headache, re-
gardless of the cause. Beware of such wo-
men,"
With what medicines is the mest harm
lone ~
"Opiates and aperients. The Needless
ness with which morphine in various forms
is now administered in families is alarming.
The doctor comes to attend patient who is
in pain. He prescribes morphia and directs
It's use, ard the patient is relieved. This is
enough to start the average matron on course
of fell destruction with morphia. AS for
paregoric and laudanunn, the amount of stu
pefaction that Is practiced upon children by
their use is SO common as almost to cease to
attract attention. Perhaps the child is nat
urally peevish, or is cutting teeth, or has
some infantile ailment; out comes the pare
goric or soothing syrup bottle and before
long the small dose ceases to have effect.
Then larger doses are given, until the unfor-
tunate youngsters system is saturated with
the drug, and totally deranged. What puz
zles me is the fact that people are not afraid
to NEEDLE with such delicate organism as
the human body. Few persons who have
watches would attempt to repair them, il
they should get out of order, yet they
tackle the delicate mechanism of their own
bodies with the recklessness of blacksmith
attempting to adjust chronometer The
evil is widespi cad, and reaches not only the
cases I have alluded to, but many other
more difiicult and dangerous than these"