The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-07-28
PHYSICIANS PARCHMENTS.
The Microbe-Laden Documents Exhibited
Daily to County Clerk McLain.

Dr. James J. Lighthall was On yesterday ar
rested by Constable Rheinhold for practicing
without license, and later be sauntered intothe
Office of the county clerk, under the care, advice
and protection of the blue coated minion of the
law. After shaking hands all round and being
introduced to the few with whom he was not
already facile prnceps, he intimated that he
would like to conform with the law and deposit
two dollars with Clerk McLain-a dollar and
half in accordance with the ruling of Attorney
General Hord, and fifty cents in accordance
with Mr. McLain's views; that it would be
good thing for the clerks would show the gen
crosby of the doctors who despise a mere pre-
scription priced -trivlality, and would help the
thing along generally.
The Doctor" who is travelling man. was
allowed to unroI his sheepskin from battered
! Nashville newspaper, and was not submitted to
the annoyance of bringing it down in
o dray frame and all, as is the
custom with the local physicians. The
well-worn sheepskin proved to be from
the dental department of the University of
Nashville, and was executed and signed in due
form. The fee. legal and illegal, was secured,
and the doctor departed with the policeman to
attend court and settle up his old scores with
the red eyed law
These diplomas are quite a study. They are
done in polyglot with gilt frames. They are in
English, and framed in black walnut. They are
wrinked and smooth; they are folded and rolled.
They are unrolled gingerv and they handled
tenderly. They are slapped down pom
ponsly and ,carelessly. Some of
them from New York London, Boston,
Vienna Paris Dublin. But most OF them are the
unaoyed product of the Mississippi Valley, and
are just reeking with cholera. malarial and
yellowfever microbes of all the great epidemics
of the last forty years. Clerk McIIain is rur-
ming great risk, and yesterday retired from
the office, leaving the responsibility Of setting
free and utilizing these microbous germs with
his deputy. A copious supply of deodorizers ana
dsinfectants has been ordered and every care
taken to prevent the introduction of yellow fever
and cholera contagion by the uncorking of these
long time quiescent phials of wrath. The most
dangerous diplomas are beliey ed to be those of
1882, 1913 and 1856, which are rolled up and in
cased in right tin cans; they are, no doubt,
| reeking with the comma bacillus of Koch, and
should be opened in the court house yard under
the best known antiseptic surroundings. If
they are opened in a bath of corrosive subli-
mate, one to one thousand of water, or if a tub
of glacial carboic acid is provided, they may be
opened and examined under either with safety.
The regular physicians of the city, appreciat-
ing the great danger of Uncorking these
microbes In dog DAYS, have. most of them, agreed
not to turn their diplomas loose upon the pres
ent clerk, but will wait until cold weather, or
| until a Democratic county clerk has been
elected. few living in the rural districts to-
gether with those who want their names in the
papers as being first on record, have bucked the
tiger and turned their microbes loose. 1t is to
be hoped our county clerks Offices will not be-
come the centers from which pestience and
death will be disseminated into the remotest
hamlets of the State.
The following physicians also procured licenses
during the day: Joseph E. Morrow, Richard NJ
Kerley, Joseph r. Boyd William II. Sarber,
John O. Burch, Fernandez o. Cenmer, Joshua
Webb (under the ten years clause) Moses Hurley
under the three years cause). Samuel Fl. Moore,
James }. Rocker, Samuel McGaughney and r.
French Stone