The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1883-03-13
Amateur DoctorinR,

4
| Amateur DoctorinR,
"Do you think this habit Of self-doc
toring decreases the practice OF rphysi
cians2"
"By no menno. The effect Is rathe
toinorease our work. People who thinl
to do without the services Of physician
will not only do themselves harm b,
the delay, but also with the medloinel
which they do not know how to use
1t is like a man trying to mend a leal
in water pipe by soldering it with tht
poker. He generally makes the hole
bigger. It is, of course. the difficult
part of the physician's duty to diagnose
the disease, to tell what is the real trou
bic with the patient. It is not unoom
mon for even educated physicians tc
make mistakes in this respect. The
science Of medicine has progressed sc
far that every part of the human body
has been pretty thoroughly studied, and
the treatment of the ailments of eacl
part is a specially. 1t If impossible 70,
one physician to know all these diseases
as we'll as the specialists, and it is q
common practice among honest physi.
clans to refer patients to those who have
made special study of the diseases
which afflict them. It is not uncommon
for man to go from one physician to
another in the vain effort to discover
his ailment. Sometimes patieut will
be treated by successive physicians fo1
the wrong ailment, because some of the
symptoms of different diseases are sim
liar. How unlikely Is it, therefore,
that persons who have not studied med
icine can find out what ails them"
(Which do you think do the most
self-doctoring, women or men?"
"Women, decidedly, especially moth
ers and old women. The reckless tenn.
erity of some women in this respect ia
wonderful. They rush in where angels
fear to tread. Hastily iudgipg from O
few symptoms that case resembles
one Which the family doctor has treated,
they will hunt up an old prescription
and administer the dose to some confid-
ing husband or helpless child. Icould
tell you some amusing stories of the
mistakes that are made in this way. as
we'll as some instances where more
serious consequences resulted. Take.
for illustration, q headache 1t may
come from a dozen different CAUSES
from hunger, from indigestion, from
over-excitement of the brain, from eat
Ing too much, from inhaIing foul air.
The remedy for headache varies with
its cause. Yet you will find women who
have universal panacea for headache.
regardless Of the cause. Beware OF such
women" ...
"With what medicines is the most
harm done2"
"Opiates and aperients. The health
lessness with which morphine in various
forms is now administered in families is
alarming. The doctor COMES to attend
a patient who is in pain. He presoribes
mOrphia, and directs it's use, and the
patient Is relieved. This is enough to
start the average matron on n course
of fell destruction with morphia. AS
for paragorio and laudanum, the amount
of stupefaction that is practiced upon
phildren by their sue is so common rs
Utmost to oease to attract attention,
Perhaps the child is naturally peevish.
r is cutting teeth. or has some infantile
Elment; out comes the paregoric or
Nothing syrup bottle, and before long
70 small dose ceases to have effect.
'yeen larger doses are glyen until the
fortunate youngsters system is satu-
y 2ed with the drug, and totally de-
wn ged: What puzzles me Is the fact
people are not afraid to meddle
such delicate organism rs the
an body. Few persons who haye
90 q hes would attempt to repair them,
ther by should get out of order; yet they
lght Ib the delicate mechanism of their
bodies with the reckiessness OF q
NV mith attempting to adjust chron-
\. The evil Is widespread, and
not only the cases have aIIud-
IL put many other more difficult and
ring ipus than these"