The Somerset reporter., 1885-09-02
SELECTED.
DR.. TREDICKAR'S PILLS.

There never was more popular youn!
physician than DR.. Trcdickar. His man
ncrs were perfection of the sympathetic
his tact and his judgment were onl,
cqualed by his devotion and skill. lii
| personal magnetism was immense ant
the cures he wrought marvellous.
Fresh from the hospitals as he was
and eager in the pursuit of his science
many old families welcomed him as like
| lytU have ii newer knowledge than the az.
cdphySician who had carried them through
their lifetime; and young families, just
| setting up for themselves, chose him II,
| likely to 90 along the road with them
selves to the end.
The event certainly justified THEN
choice. and reports of the Young Doc
tors ability went through the country
! side, and even extended To the next lar9o
city 50 that not intrcqucntlN he was
called in consultation there with physi-
clans of longer and wider reputc than
| his own. His diagnosis of II case was
so swift and sure that people used to say
that DR.. Trcdickar could tell what allied
YOU by just looking at YOU, and many II
good Whnan aVcrrcd that She WIS more
benefited by his touch upon the pulse
] tii''u ~ dilpliitI : tO'NVl = pltNtI pun.
Very possibly She was. for DR.. Trcdick-
ar gave very little medicine; the case
was extreme in which he sent much Gus
tom to the druggist. lie carried about
with him in his gig certain mcdicamcntS
that he was wont to administer. apparent
/ ~ potent, and made up under his own
forlnular. From peculiar liquid in Il
vial lac measured one drop; IT, by any ac-
cidcnt. a portion of another drop left the
vial. the glass had to be rinscd and the
single drop tried again; to this drop II
half-glaSs of sWeetencd water being adj
ded the patient was allowed Il teaspoon
full of the result once in six hours, if
waking.
1t was generally understood that the
liquid was something of DR.. Trcdickar's
own importation. difficult To obtain and
enormous in cost; and the gratitude his
patients felt for the kindness of his thus
procuring and keeping on hand what they
could hardly have procured themselves.
WAS something eXcellcd only by the ra-
piditN with which they picked up health
and strength under its effect.
Another of the remarkable things he
MAS fond of administering was II tiny pill
that he always had about him. and that
he left in small numbers to be taken at
morning and night, under certain other
directions. always ordering that if the
patient felt too much braccd ON the sec
ond day with ringing cars or crowded
sensations in the head or II pain in the
left thumb. the number was to be les
Scncd, the pills, however. to be taken
three days, and then omitted for three
days, until cure was effected.
If these and the liquid did not work in
Dir. Trcdickar seemed to take another
view of the case. and to devote himself
to it with personal aS>iduity and fiery
carneStncsS and to cndCayor to bring the
patient up as if ON the strong wings of
all his powers and learning.
The fact was that DIR. Trcdickar be-
licVcd in Nature. He know that in Ger
tain malignant phases of disease the ply
stefan and strong drugs and heroic meas
urcS are rs necessary a. the air we breathe
but he believed that many Whimsical by
pochondrac, Predetermined, weary and
worn-out patients were to be helped by II
purely hygicnic treatment, by proper Iii
ct and other aids to health. and should
not have one organ or another intCrfcrcd
with by the strong poison of drugs: and
in every such instance he gave his price
less liquid and little dark pills, and let
Nature and the tonic effect off faith and
hope do the rcviving work. And of
course he had many such patients, rs
many such people abound and the cures
were so satisfactory that his fame spread
in wide and wider circles. people who
had been hurt and not helped by drugs
leaving other physicians for his
advice.
And he gave the advice, and his little
dark pills too: and with some individu-
ais relief came quickly, and with others,
where the system had been still further
upset by strong medicines. not 50 quick
lN.
If he had at amy time doubts as to the
cmpircism of this treatment, he excused
himself by stating the weakness of hui
man nature. and by remembering that a.
cure was what was wanted. he was the
one to decide how TO effect the cure.
But a> DR.. Tredickar's practice mcrcas-
ed he had not the time for dividing slices
of brown bread into imtinitcsimal bits
that once he had. and, frequently called
away. he would leave the task for pretty
Dorothy Merle To finish, and she would
divide and rcdivide the tiny >c@mcntS
and roll them between two fruit knives
and set them in the sun to dry. and have
all his boxes filled with fresh supplies of
the little dark pills when he came home
Dolly did that no more faithfully than
she did everything else, though; she was
hui>ckecpcr and maid-of-allwo and
general ovcrsecr for tie Young doctor
and knew very we'll how To take care 70
him and of herself too. =
She was pretty thing, this young
| Dorothy Merle; not very tall, and rather
slender. with dark-brown hair falling of
the low white brow in natural waves,
with brilliant haZel-brown eyes. and
small, fine features. among which was 4
mouth whose rosy lips parted over teeth
! like seed pearls. She very seldom smiled :
She was grave little body, intent IN her
beauty, II farmers daughter, brought up
to work, brought up To be Il lady, too,
with Il good common-school education
and simple manners.
often when the Doctor returned from
/ his visits he left his study and went ont
into her little sitting-room. where the fire
was bright and the hearth was clean, and
sat down there to have glass of milk
and bit of gingerbread, and To speak
first of some household matters, and al
tcrward of some patient; and presently
he found himself discussing his most per
picking case with her, and deriving more
or less benefit from her dsintcrcstet
common sense.
Somehow, this brief rest In the littl,
SittingroOm became to him very pleasant
and, learning more every day, Dolly love,
to listen. Often, when her cheek flushed
and her brown eyes lighted with interest
81. 4.