The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-10-02
TURKISH DOCTORS.
Business Done on a Cash Basis but "Regu-
lars' Have Much to Contend With

Business Done on a Cash Basis but ''Regu-
lars' Have Much to Contend With.
CorrespoI depce San Francisco Chronicle
The number of regular physicians in Constan-
tnoDe is strictly limited and many of them are
foreigners. Every doctor has his own territory
into which professional etiquette allows no other
physician to intrude. Each makes daily
round through his territory, beating up patients
in the coffee houses and the streets. And woe
to the well-to-do man found ailing on the route.
He is taken in hand unceremoniously and sub
Jectected to an examination that seldom fails to
end In some sort of treatment or other Besides
the regulars, there are an innumerable number
OF specialists and QuackS who cut in prices
and peddle all sorts of nostrums. They reeog
nize no limitations to territory and
take practice wherever they can find it. l
have seen the same vender practicing and crying
his wares in STEAMBOAT, Galata and Scutari Mod
esty in Turkey leaving off where American mod
esty begins. it is good thing that most foreigners
in Constantirople Go not understand Turkish.
Otherwise they would hear things from these
itinerant doctors on the street concerning their
cures and their ability to cure that would bring
the blush to the cheek of the most hardened.
AS it is, there is always crowd about their
stands. and the public seems as gullible in
Turkey as in America. What their remedies
compounded of is matter to be taken on
faith. The nastier the ingredients the more
popular the medicine seems to be. Most of
them cannot be spoken of with decency. Among
those that are mentionable the bodies of
reptiles dried and powdered, singed hair,
chopped fine, dogs grease and the excrement of
birds.
Probably the regular profession has harder
time in Turkey than in any other part of the
world Aside from the cutting in of the quacks
above mentioned. the regular field is overlapped
by so many other branches of industry that the
real physicians find their field of action alarm
ingly ircumscrbed. The most profitable class
of cases-the obstetrical-are entirely forbidden
to them by the rigid law of the Koran. The
fharc g H.
wives, and render all the assistance necessary at
births. The Turkish mother would expect the
blight of evil eye to follow her child all it's life
II a male doctor were present at its birth. All
the common cases of blood-letting and headache
go to the BARRIERS who also pull teeth; and all
classes Unfortunately patronize the der
wishes and shrnes. 1t is only in cases
of fever, and colds and other standard troubles
that the regular physician is called in at all.
Perhaps after ALL it is as we'll that this is So for
the regular physician in Turkey is expected to
exhibit a preternatural sagacty that would GER
talnly fail him If the range over which it is ex-
ercsed were wide. When he is called to see
sick person he is not allowed to diagnose the
case as Western physician would deem nee.
essary He is supposed to know as soon as he
sets eyes on a patient what the matter is with
him, and any hesitation would be deemed con-
fession of ignorance. A little Irish doctor told
me with wrath in his breath of case which he
had attended, where from looking al the patient
he seemed to have fever and be suffering great
pain. The usual remedies failing to give relief
a closer examination showed that the sick man
was chary of moving his left leg. This, be-
ing uncovered proved to be broken and
manged and horribly swollen. The doctors
indignant question, why they had not told him
this at first, elected the contemptuous answer
that they supposed he knew his business, and
thought. of course, he lad been treating the
patient for the trouble from the first. And be-
fore he could throw up the case and gracefully
retire they discharged him for incompeteucy.
All that is necessary to set up foreigner as
doctor in Turkey is little blue mass and quinine
and an unlimited amount of cheek. If a man is
a good guesser, and has the nerve to go right to
work on patient as if he knew all about the
case, he can generally get near enough the truth
before his first dose of medicine gets in it's work
to counterfeit the bad effects it might have if left
to its own sweet will. Bleed a Turk and he will
adore you; physic him and he will believe you
divine. If patient dies the doctor still has the
best of 1t; for life death, the result is the will
of Allah, and the doctor. is never held TO blame