The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1885-08-05
II PAYS p5oross 70 CURE.



- lPaitlmefs Americana
DO doctors eSer practice on thcii
PATIENTS
The above question was asked o. /
prominent physician 4 few evening
since. THE humber Of physicians o
sense and reputation, . DO replied, "whe
EXPERIMENT onitheir patients Is quite
small. Indeed, do not know such 4
practitioner. There Is a very ierFone
Gus impression among the middle and
lower ClAssis Of persons on this point
Nothing is more common than 10 heal
some one say 'shy, | wouldn't
think Of going to a doctor. When
they once get hold Of you thCy Il
mover lot 90. No general state.
ment could be farther from the truth.
i Is to the best interests Of q physician
to cure the one upon whom he /, in A.
tendance, because every care he effects
increases the ConldenceJeposed in him.
Almost every day some ew disease Of
some hitherto unknown manifestation
OF disease Is developed in practice, and
u Is not surprising, therefore, that even
tho best e, lippei and most experienced
doctor is compelled 10 occasionally grOpC
around in the mateEia medira before he
finds the proper remedy. But the SuS.
pidon Of the desire for experimenting 1.
so nppermoSt in The mind Of the average
patient that il would b. difficult to i'm.
pose upon him, even II IL was SO de.
sired.
What kind Of patients are easiest ID
attend tor was asked.
Women. They will believe any.
thing you tell them.
In great ma. ority Of instances they
display more nerve, under treatment,
than their alleged superiors. the lords
Of creation. They have the most pro.
found hopeo Of recovery. A nan, on the
other hand, is apt to break down; 80 Ia
pieces, as We sly. 1t Is n fact that more
women than men, physical conditions
being relatively equal recover from dis
eases whore endurance, pluck and pa.
tiOnce aud freedom from worriment are
tue CHIEF essentials Of o cure. II has
leon my experience that one woman
who has been thoroughly cured, and
knows II, will bring to her medical
adviser ten times as many good cases us
ton OF the most grateful men who have
been similarly rescued"
Are there many patients who neglect
to pay"
That depends on the nature Of the
practice. Usually the rich are moro
prompt in settling the bills OF their doe
Tor than they are in paying the billscon
tracted in any other way. Perhaps il
Is because they are so big 1t makes them
feel proud 10 pay them, But, takins
the ease Of a physician W o has a mixed
practice, and it Is usual to lose about 70
per cent. Of the fees through bad bills
sometimes the percentage is greatly in
creased, especially in times OF cpl
denies"
what is the average income Of /,
physician asked the reporter.
1T is hard 10 strike an average
However, | think it would DO near The
figure to say that tho average income Of
q well.established physician in the cit,
is $1,000 year. But there is hardll
any profession where tho fees are 81
variable. Since human Iratitudr
for saving life is so great il
not infrequontIy happens that $50,
$50 is paid in single cases a,
fees. Tho average income Of tho country
doctor is about $.,OOO per year. Ii
usually requires FIVE years Of close atten
ton to business to establish a good
practice. ioing doctors find that n
little experience in the hospitals before
settling down in an Office is u great help
TO them in this regard. The fees OF
physicians vary from 81 10 $25 n visit.
] do not think tho profession would
look with favor or any proposition to
lower tho present rates, but there is n
strong disposition to abbreviatc in some
way tho great army of graduates in
medicine that are annually gOund out
Of the colleges, and it is likely that, at
Il not far distant day, tic standard OF
the colleges in the nitcd States will DO
forced up TO that OF the German uni.
vcrsities Of me icine. This would
materially reduce tho number OF
graduates.
81 o you think that medicine will
eventually lea 10 TO successfully cope
with every kind Of diseased"
II am not NJ all certain about That.
But ! would not put myself on record
as denying that such a time may come
Tho practice Of medicine has undergone
marvellous revolutions since its estab.
lishment. Other equally wonderful
revolutions are TO come. While ] believe
that some methods will ultimately DO
discovered for arrcsting the progress OF
every disease, no matter how mortal,
as now considered, do not put much
confidence in tho theory entertained in
some quarters that anything can ever DO
done to replace part or organ Of tho
human body which has been actually
deadcned, destroyed or obliterated For
instance, It will not DO possible TO re
store to vitality a lung vitiatCd BY con.
or to supply new gizzard in
place OF one consumed by a malady.
But If s-Ch things arc within the realm
Of the possible, then there is no doubt
that human life can be indefinitely pro.
lnnnnh y