The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1884-03-27
A PHYSICIANS PLAIN TALK.
People Who Undertake to Doctor Them
selves.
Nc,v York Sun.

selves.
NcW York ;Sun.
"The extensive use OF patent mcdi'
cincs and the enormous quantity Of drugs
sold without prescriptions Indicate ho"
widespread is the habit of elfdoctor'
ing" said popular physician to Sun
reporter. "To those who know how care
lessly and ignorantly these drugs are
used the thought Of the harm they do i,
appalling. There is no telling how long
prescription once given will be used, or
with what foolish rick it will be applied
in case where it will not only not do
good, but is certain to work harm."
"Do you think this habit of self.doc'
toring decreases the practice of physi'
clans -"
"By no means. The effect is rather to
increase our work. People who think to
do without the services OF 4 physician
will not only do themselves harm by the
delay, out also with the medicines which
they do not know how to use. 1t is like
a man trying to mend leak in a water
pipe by soldering it with the poker. Ho
generally makes the hole bigger. 1t is,
of course, the most difficult 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 thor
oughly studied, and The treatment of the
ailments of each part is a specially. 1t
is impossible for one physician to know
ali these diseases as we'll as the special
lists, and it is common practice among
honest physicians to refer patients to
those who have made special study of
the diseases which afilict them. 1t is
not uncommon for man to 60 from one
physician to another in the vain effort to
discover his ailment. Sometimes a pa
tient will be treated by Successive physi-
clans for the wrong ailment, because
some Of the symptoms of different dis
eases 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 mo-
theirs 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 a
few symptoms that case resembles one
which the family doctor has treated, they
will hunt up an old prescription and ad-
minister the dose to some conhding hus.
band or helpless child. I could tell you
some amusing stories Of the mistakes
that are made in this way, as we'll as
some instances where more serious conse-
quences resulted. Take, for illustration,
headache. 1t may come from dozen
different causes-from hunger, from indi-
gestion, from over-excitement of the
brain, from eating too nuch, from iuhal.
ing foul air. The rfaledy for a head
ache varies with its cause. Yet you will
find women who have universal pana-
cea for headache, regardless of the cause.
Beware of such women"
"With what medicines is the most
harm done?"
"Opiates and aperients. The needless
ness with which morphine, in various
forms, is now administered in families is
alarming. The doctor comes TO attend 4
patient who is in pain. He prescribes
inorphia and directs its Use, and the
patient is relieved. This is enough TO
start the average matron on course Of
fell destruction with morphia. The next
patient may be of a different tempera-
ment, or sex or age, requiring either a
different kind or quantity of the opiate,
but the old prescription will be used, or,
worse than all, will be revived from
memory. Some drug stores watch care
fully and refuse to dispense such drugs
without :. prescription in each case, but
there arc I..ay too eager to make money
to care much whether the patient is be.
ing treated by doctor. The same is
true of the use of bromide, of chloro-
form and of ether. The bottle that is
left partly filled in a family after one
patient has been treated is pretty sure to
be used for another without the doctors
knowledge. AS for paregoric and lauda.
mum, the amount of stupefaction that is
practiced upon children by their use is
so common rs almost to cease to attract
attention. Perhaps the child is natural
ly peevish, or is cutting teeth, or has
some infsAtile ailment; out comes the
paregoric or soothing syrup bottle, and
before long the small dose ceases to have
effect. Then larger doses are given, un'
til the unfortunate youngsters system is
sl'u-ated with the drug and totally dc,
ranged. Sometimes the lazy and dishon.
est nurse, to relieve herself from 'rouble,
administers the anodyne on her own re.
sponsibility, and the hapless child shows
a dulness and stupidity for which no.
body can account.
'I met man once who was d0ctoring
himself for dyspepsia and indigestion.
He told me he wondered why he had
not cured himself. He was apparently
of muscular development and good con-
stitution, but he had somehow got the
idea into his head that he must exercise
vigorously after every meal in order to
promote digestion. He took long and
rapid walks after his meals. Of course
his indigestion got worse. He was ap-
parently man of ordinary intelligence,
yet he was ignorant Of the simplest law
of health. l told him that if a COW
could talk she would teach him more
sense than to take any vigorous exercise,
either physical or mental, in mediately
after a hearty meal. Most horses arc
treated more intelligently than this man
was treating himself.
"Nhat puzzles me is the fact people
are not afraid to meddle with such a
delicate organism as the human body;
Few persons who have watches would
attempt to repair them if they should
get out Of order; get they tackle the
delicate mechanism of their own bodies
with the recklessness of a blacksmith
attempting to adjust a chronomeler.
The evil is widespread, and reaches net
only the cases l have alluded to bat
many other more difficult and dangerous