Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-06-30
A Doctors Electric Collector.

HIS CLEVER PLAN FOR GETTING EEEs FROM
PATIENTS.
From the New York Tribune
yes sir, you may depend upon it that medi.
cine is the most laborious OF all professions to
follow for a livelihood" The speaker whose dog
matlcally laid down the law was a younp
physician who had recently cut loose from the
protecting apron Of the hospital In which he
had been an inferno for three years. and was
now trying to reconcile the golden gilt err of the
letters on his new "shingIe" with the plebeian
copper which tenanted his purse He vas
Clothed In Sombre, not to say seedy black for
the professional aspect of the practising nI,vSi.
can must in many respects correspond with
that OF MS natural complement the under
taker. The gay hospital surgeon whose
patients come because they have to- not from
choice, may be as gay of raiment as the
flowers that bloom in the spring but let hin,
once abandon that beuencent roof To branch
out for himself and his clothes, like his counte-
nance, must bear continual testimony 10 mis-
professional decoruIn. The somDre geulleman
after giving vent to u sigh over the unnrnmie
Ing state OF the medical market, continues:
III not the lack OF patients. they come often
enough and drag "a man away from "a unfat
game or out Of bed at midnight to see a Win.
Ing youngster that needs only a local apnlica
ton OF slipper to cause Immediate COM aies
cence. On, we get patients enough; the tr,nhie
r Is .ney o dont pay. You newspaper men may
columns; tell you the physician was nm
abused creditor before men BEGAN weor;nn
clothes. Inc trouble is that a physician cant
ask patient Tor a fee imined lately after tic
consultation. a doctor don't like 10 he a du,
It's different in England, where the patient in
going out deposits his guinea neatly wranned
up In paper In some convenient spot " here I no
physician can find IL later. That saves hoth
the feelings and the cash of the docInr uthiIa
here both are apt to suffer. But there 3 ona
IN New York who has "a beautiful plan tor Cot
ting MS lees at 0nce-giyes his advice C. q n
SO 10 speak. he Is "a wel-known snecia,iSt
VINO has Just completed new house nntown
In this house his office is so arranged that
patients In going away pass out throuoh
an ante-rGOm in which sits a nnrso
ready to aid the physician In case of need hmt
always on duty as collector. On the wall ia
an INDICATOR with dIals numbered g. 10 1han6
SO on. w Tres connect these diais with n row of
Keys on the physicians desk and the whole
forms an electric circuit. See the schemes Mo-
Well, you see, after a consultation the uhys,
can Is not oDiiged to mention with many NUNS
and haws his little bill to his departing natient
ne SIMPLY touches a key and the departing pa-
lent iaiis prey 10 the nurse, who PROMPTLY
collects 81 or $50, according to the indicator
In the ante-rOon. Oh, it's great plan but it's
SAD commentary on profession that can onIv
De made profitable by the assistance OF eIectri.
CITY,. BY and by suppose each doctors Office
Will be provided with one of those mysterious
machines That by single turn of q crank dis
play ulal with the amount of the bill con.
tracted, add this amount to previous REGENTS
ana give due bill To the debtor You NAV
nave noticed such affairs in certain establis H.
ments where prescriptions are put up Tor i'm
mediate use.' ava "