The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1885-05-08
DOCTORS AND DOCTORING.
A Few Words of Advice to People Who Are
Inclined to Medication.


we do or not, we generally send for
them when we are ILL., Still, if were
asked my opinion, | should say the
profession is largely overcrowded.
Physc is hugely overdone Half the
complaints people-especially idle
people-suifer from are imaginary.
do not deny that men and women get
i'll, and occasionally die, but l hold
that in vast number of cases, doc
tor is unnecessary ut first, and quite
helpless at last-that is, so far as his
physic is concerned, and | have pretty
good authority for what | say.
Sir William Jenner has the courage
to declare that ''the science OF medi-
cine is barbarous jargon-every dose
of medicine is blind experimentm
When the great Majendie assumed the
Professors Chair of Medicine at the
College of France, he thus addressed
the astonished students: 'Gentlemen,
medicine is a humbug. Who knows
anything about medlcinep tell you
frankly, / don't. Nature does good
deal; doctors do very little-when
they don't do harm Majendie went
on to tell the following pungent little
professional tale out OF school:
.'When l was head physician at the
Hotel Dieu | divided the patients into
three sections. To one l gave the
regulation way; to another l gave
bread, milk and colored water and to
the third section gave nothing at all.
Well, gentlemen, every one IN the
third section got well. Nature in
variably came to the rescue.
Now, of course, we must allow
something for the obtrusive candor OF
professional onfession-which is al
ways apt to overleap the mark and
give the opponent n few more points
than he asks for, really for the sake of
placing him at disadvantage. Still
there is truth IN the candid jest, if jest
it be; and the truth is this: The doc
tor is often superhuous, sometimes
mischievous, and occasionally fatal.
Phvsicking, as Sir VIM. Jenner Quoted
by Dr. Ridge) admits, is largely a
speculative operation. The ingenious
.sdoseist," as Artemus Ward would
say, has theories about what is the
matter with you; he physics according
to his theory, and then physics to cor
ing the treatment" Wrong again
4
at the new diet. Wrong again! Pa
tient gets worse. Perhaps it is change
of air, not change of food he wants
bright idea! send him out of town.
Off he goes into the country; forgets
to take his physic; feels better; gets
well; doctor looks bland, mods his head
and says: Told you SO; change of air
that's what you wanted. What he
really wanted was to be left alone.
Leave of worrying Nature-that is
what is required; not in all cases, but
in a good many; and that is probably
what Majendie and Jenner and all the
wise doctors think. They aim at diet
and scipline-they assist, they do
not try to force, Natures hand-and
they every now and then admit this in
burst of confidence.
There is another dubious side of the
question. Doctors often say to you,
.'Be Alre you come to me at once.
can arrest disease at an early stage;
but delay-hesitate hesitate!-and
you are lost!' This is just one of
those dangerous half-truths whereout
doctors do suck no small advantage.
If you call the doctor in for every lit
tie ailment, you will get into an arti-
ticial state. Nature will strike work,
and YOU will never be we'll without
the doctor-nor with him either. If you
always take opiates, you will never
sleep without them; or tonics, you will
never eat without them; or stimulants,
you will never work without them.
1t is law true in sociology and
physics alike that dependence grows
by what il feeds on. There are doctors
who always send people to bed directly
they have little cold-and those peo-
pie are forever catching cold-they
have no resistance left. You are some
what 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. 81 am not going to trouble my
self about you" she virtually says.
''Send for the doctor; you prefer his
physic to my more slow, but more sure
and more healthy recuperative power.
Take physic-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
until its gradations of eff
icacy are quite imperceptible, but they
ire just enough to keep nature in lead
NO strings and to make each step de-
pendent upon the therapeutic art.
OF course, l admit that there are
many cases to which these remarks are
wholly inapplicable. Bronchitis, incip-
ent cancer and others, both functional
md organic-to take these in time may
,e everything. There are cases where
he diagnosis of a good physician is
imply invaluable; his hints about food
re not to be neglected, yet they should
'e taken, perhaps, cum 9rano. and
hecked by personal experience. There
re cases, too, where cod liver oil, qui
line and one or two other drugs are
bsolute specifics. Who can not real
ze DR.. Livingstone's gloomy conscious
ess of having signed his own death
yarrant when he determined 10 go for
yard after losing his medIcine-chest of
uinine in the dismal riverP-London
ruth
IA. L.