Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-11-08
TRIALS OF PHYSICIANS.
Famous S0vereigns and the Diseases
Which Caused Their Deaths.
All History Testifies That the Deaths
Of Important PersonageS are
Chargeable to the Doctors.

difficult than that filled by royal physi-
Clan. Hundreds of eyes are upon him,
criticising every word aud every act, and
often throwing on his shoulders the bur-
| den of the royal sufferers complaints in
stead of sttributiEg them TO hereditary
taints or carelessness OF the patient him
self.
/ The most modern instance of a famous
royal physician Is of course DR.. Macken-
zie. and from his newly published book
We know how much he had to bear at a
foreign court, through jealousy and dis
trust of brother physicians. As to the
resignation and kindness of his royal pa
tient, DIR. Mackenzie gives willing evil
dence in his papers.
| But that all famous patients are as re-
signed and reasonable as the late emperor
is by no means the case. Our own ruler,
President Garfield, showed these charac-
teristics to q marked degree during his
| long and painful struggle with death,
while the doctors held consultations aud
arguments over his condition. The forti-
tude which both he and Emperor Freder-
lex displayed in those weary days of suf-
fsring mark them as soldiers had they
never fought on the field.
| The wife OF James H., of England, Mary
Beatrice of Modena, suffered for years
| with malignant cancer. She was an exile
at the French court and friend of Nine.
Maintenon. Having tried simple rene
dies without relief, she heard of doc
tress in Paris who claimed to cure every
| form of cancer. Thus We see that quacks
fourished then as aow. Nine. de Main :
tenon advised the queen of England TO be
careful of such practitioners; but the lat
| Scr hair RI tn
| this woman without beneficial results.
Mary then placed herself under the care
of Surgeon Beulin, who gave testimony
to his patients gentleness in suffering.
The skill with which this physician treat
ed the disease-for Mary lived several
years though in continual suffering show
that he must have been very proficient in
his profession.
| 8 case in which the doctors disag reed
was that of Mary II, of England. She
was a high liver, remained in bed until
late in the day, drinking chocolate once
or twice before rising, and as conse-
quence was extremely feshy and full
/ FLOODED. She was taken i'll, and one of
her physicians, DR.. Radcliff, declared she
had measles, and the other DR.. Milling
ton, pronounced hei disease small pox.
Between them the queen had little hope
of recovery. About three days before
her death, violent erysipelas covered her
face. When the doctors saw this, they
warned King William that she would not
live. DR.. Radclif certainly had hard
time. He was a Jaoobite and the OPP
posite party declared that he was ipdif-
ferent about the queen. She herself, be-
ing out of her head, imagined ne had
given her q popish hurse, and was con-
tinually raving against him.
Queen Anne in her last sickness, being
| overcome with remorse for her treatment
of her father and brother, continually
cried out: sob, nay brother! Oh, my
poor brother!' Lest the queens wild
stuff" should be breathed abroad a con-
sultation of physicians was delayed. The
trouble was violent pain in the head.
Finally DR.. Mead, one of the royal ply
sIcians, was called in. He caused the
queen to be blooded and declared she
could not live an hour. AS he was a whig,
how much the wish was father to the
thought in this decision we may guess.
But the queen lived many hours, and tie
attendants tainted the doctor for his
mistaken representation. However, the
mistake caused the peacsable accession
of George T., for DR.. Mead had sent in
telligence of the queens expected death
hours bsfors it really occurred.
We know that Francis, husband of
Mary, Queen of Scots, suffered for three
months with an abscess in his ear, for
which the physicians could afford no re-
lief. However, they knew how hopeless
his case was, and told him be could not
live at most more than two years. But
he did not live one fourth OF that time.
The death of Henrietta Maria, wife of
| Charles l., was caused by the obstinate
| ignorance of French doctor. The
! queen had lung trouble, caused by the
| fogs OF England. Hoping to ina prove by
living in a milder climate, she went to
| France. Here consultation Of the royal
physicians was held. The queen finding
it impossible TO sleep, they ordered a
certain quantity of opium to be admins
tered at IL o'clock at night She declared
that her English physician had warned
| her never to take opium, as its results on
her constitution would be fatal. At this
all the French physicians but one gave
way. But he insisted that opium should
be administered Early in the evening
the queen slept soundly; but one OF her
maids awaked her at IL to give the drug.
In the morning the queen was dead from
an overdose of opium
Good Queen Bess held physicians and
physics in contempt, and moreover, was
a coward wherever they were concerned
She being in great affection from tooth
ache, summoned her doctor. He wished
| to extract the tooth, but she could not
summon sufficient courage. To show how
little pais was really experienced in le sing
tooth, Lord Burleigh, who had but few
teeth left, had one of his own pulled in
the presence of the queen. Even this
would not induce her to have the offend
ing member taken out.
The death of Richard the lion hearted
was caused by the unskillful treatment or
slight wound. Presumably q court
| physician was not with him and some ig
norant physician attended him.
| The recovery of Prince Edward in the
| Holy Land, from the wound caHsed by
poisoned weapon. was not due to the fact
that his wife Elinor sucked the poison
! from the wound, as the romancers have
it; though her nursing may have done
something toward il, but to the skill with
which his physician treated the poisoned
cut.