The Sully County watchman. (Clifton, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1894, 1888-11-10
TRIALS OF PHYSICIANS.
Famous SOvereigns and the Diseases
Which Caused Their Deaths.
All History Testities That the Deaths
of Important PersOnages are
Chargeable to the Doctors.

There is probably no position more
difficult than that filled by royal physi-
clan, Hundreds of eyes are upon him,
critcising every word and every act, and
often throwing on his shoulders the bur
den of the royal sufferers complaints in
stead of attributing them to hereditary
taints or carelessuess of the patient him
self.
The most modern instance of famous
royal physician is of course pr. Macken-
zie, and from his newly published book
we know how much he had to bear at
foreign court, through jealousy and dis
trust of brother physicians. As to the
resignation and kindness of his royal pa
tient, DR.. Mackenzie gives willing evil
dence in his papers.
But that all famous patients are as re-
signed and reasonable "a the late emperor
is by no means the case. Our own ruler,
President Garfield, showed these charac.
teristics to 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-
iok displayed in those weary days of suf-
fering 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.
Maihtenon. 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
fourishsd then as now. Nine. de Main
tenon advised the queen of England TO be
careful of such practitioners; but the lat
ter being desperate, went to Paris to see
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.
case in which the doctors disag reed
was that of Mary H., of England. She
was high liver, remained in bed until
late in the day, drinking chocolate one e
or twice before rising, and as a conse-
quence was extremely heshy and full
blooded. She was taken ill, and one of
her ply ysicians, DR.. Radcliff, declared she
had measles, and the other DR.. Milling
ton, pronounced hen 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. DIR. Radcliff certainly had hard
| time. He was Jacobite and the op
posite party declared that he was ipdif
ferent about the queen. She herself, be-
ing out of her head, imagined ne had
given her popish aurse, 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: "Oh, my brother! Oh, my
poor brother!" Lest the queens wild
stuff" should be brea.hed abroad a con
sultation of physicians was delayed. The
trouble was violent pain in the head.
Finally DIR. 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 taunted the doctor for his
mistaken representation. However, the
mistake cansed the peaceable accession
of George l., for DR.. Mead had sent in
telligence of the queens expected death
hours bsfore 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 ply sicians could afford no re-
lief. However, they knew how hopeless
his case waa, and told him he could not
live at most more than two years. But
- "A.
The death of Henrietta Maria, wife of
Charles L., was cansed by the obstinate
ignorance of a French doctor. The
queen had lung trouble, caused by the
fogs of England. Hoping to improve by
living in milder climate, she went TO
FraLce. Here consultation os the royal
physicians was held. Ths queen finding
it impossible to sleep, they ordered
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 osing in great aftilction from tooth
ache, summoned her doctor. He wished
TO extract the tooth, but she could not
summon sufficient courage. To show how
little pain was really experienced in lesipg
tooth, Lord Burleigh, who had but few
teeth left, had one of his own pulled in
the presencs 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 bv the uuskillful treatment OF
slight wound. Presumably a court
physician WAS not with him and some ig
norant phyricign attended him.
The recovery of Prince Edward in the
Holy Land, from the wound caused by a
poisoned weapon. was not due 10 the fact