The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-04-04
DOCTORS AND DocToRINa.
Few Words of Advice to People Who Ara
Inclined to- Medication.

| n rev WORDS OF ADVICE I'd People w no Ara
Inclined to Medication.
| London Truth.
| Do we believe in doetorsl Whether we do or
| not we generally send for them when we are i'll.
| Still, if We're asked my opinion should say
the profession is largely overcrowded. Physic
| is hugely overdone. Half the complaints people
| especially idle people-suffer from are iuagi-
nary. | do not deny that men and women Get
| i'll, and occasionally die. but / hold that, in
vast number OF cases, doctor is unnecessary at
first, and quite helpless at astthat IS as far as
his physic is concerned, and have pretty good
authority for what say
Sir William Jenner has the courage to declares
| that ''the science of medicine is barbarous
jargon-every dose OF medicine is blind ex-
pertinent" When the great Maienaie assumed
| the Professors chair of medicine at the College
| OF France, he thus addressed the astonished
| students: Gentlemen, medicine is humhug-
Who knows anything about medicine! tell
| yon frankly, don't. Nature does good deal:
| doctors do very litte--when they don't do
| harm" Majendie went on to tell the following
pungent little professional tale out of school,
/ When was head physician at the Hotel
Dieu divided the patients into three sections
To one gave the regulation dispensary medi-
cine in the regulation way to another gave
bread, milk and colored water. and 20 a third
section gave nothing at ALI Well. gentlemen,
every one in the third section got well. Nature
invariably came TO the rescue
Now of course, wo must allow something for
the obtrusive candor of professional Confession
which is always apt 30 overleap the mark and
give the opponent few more points than he
asks for really for the sake of placing him at a
disadvantage, Still there is truth in the candid
jest, if jest It. be- and the truth Isl this: The
doctor is often superfluous. sometimes miScniev-
Gus, and occasionally fatal. Physiehing, as Sir
William Jsnner quoted by Dr. Ridge admits, is
largely speculative operation. The ingenieus
'doseist, as Artemus Ward would saw has
theories about what is the matter with vou he
physics according to his theory, and then physics
to correct ms theory. This he calls chang
ing the treatment" Wrong again. Try
back; alter diet; then physic away at the new
diet. Wrong again Patient gets worse. Per-
maps 1t Is change of air, NOT change of food he
wants-bright ideal send him out of town OF
he goes into the country; forgets to take his
physic; feels better; gets WE'LL doctor looks
bland neds his head and says: "fold you so;
change of alr--tbats what you wanted" What
he really wanted was to be let alone. Leave off
worrying nature---that is what is REQUIRED, not
IN all cases, but in good many: and that is
probably what Majendie, and Jennar and all the
wisest doctors think They aim at diet and
discipline they assist they do not try to force,
natures hand-and they every now and then aa-
NIT this In a burst of confidence.
There is another dubious side of the question
Doctors often say to you, BE sure you come to.
me at once. can arrest disease at an early
stage; but delay-hesitate hesitate-and you
are lostw This is just one of those dangerous
half truths whereout doctors do suck no small
advantage If you call the doctor in for every
little ailment you will get into an artificial state
Nature will strike work, and you will never be-
well without the doctor--nor with him either. IL
you always take opiates, you viii never sleep.
without them; or tonics, you will never eat
without them; stimulants, you will never
work without them.
1t is law, true in sociology and physics alike,
that dependence grows by what it feeds On.
There are doctors who always send people to
bed directly they have little col9--and those
people are forever catching cold-they have no
resistance left. You are somewhat out of order;
instead of exercise and moderation in comes
the doctor with his dose and next time nature
will refuse to have anything to do with YOU IL
am not going to trouble myself about you," she.
virtually says. Send for the doctor; you pre-
fer his physie to my slow but more snre
and more healthy recuperative power Take
physc-I strike work.
Not only do we Often begin too soon. but We
go on too long with the doctor. He calls and
calls again; he refnes his prescription until its
gradatons of efficacy are quite imperceptible,
but they are just enough to keep nature in
leading strings and 10 make each step depend
emit upon the therapeutic art.
OF course, l admit that there are many eases
to which these remarks wholly mappicable.
Bronchitis ineipient cancer. and Others both
functional and organic--to take these in time
may be everything There are cases where the
diagnosis of a good physician ia simply in
valuable; his hints about food are moi to be-
cum grano, and checked by personal experience.
There are other cases. too where cod liver oil
quinine and one or two other drugs are ahso-
lutte specifics. Who cannot realize Dr. Living
stones gloomly consciousness of having signed
his own death warrant, when he determined to
go forward, after losing his medieine-chest Of
quinine in the dismal river7