Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1889-11-13

Columbus the Headquarters of the Great
est Physeclon and Most SkilLfM Surgeon
OF the Age-A Chapter of Instructive News.
There are few great men. There are
few who, in the practice of their pro-
fess1on or avocation, are able to outstrip
their fellows and rise to such relative
| pre-emlnence as to be called great Ma
| ture seems to have doomed all but very
few to mediocraty, whether in art or
science. The popularization of science
is slowly elevatiDg the mass of mankind,
but furnishes no means by which one
| man may usurp any great superiority.
Great men are born, not made. The
reason why some men rise like a rocket
far above the habitual dead level does
not appear either in their faithfulness
or opportunities. Others, with faithful
application and opportunities, fail to
get beyond the commonplace. The
world furnishes to-day but few great
surgeons, although it furnishes a great
many. Surgery as all art, is surely yet
slowly. improving; but the number of
men who can be called great, as COM
pared to the many, are still as few as
ever: Such cities as New York, Phila-
delphla and Chicago can each boast of
one, or possibly two, men who can be
truly called great surgeons. It is, there
fore, with just pride that our city (Co-
lumbus, Ohio can, without any exag-
geratlon, claim as resident great sur
geon. His name-Dr. S. B. Hartman
Is known to all, and has become a
household word to many Wishing to
lind out the exact truth concerning the
many reports concerning his remark
able cures, a reporter visited his offices,
241 and 243 South Fourth street. The
doctor, OF course, is very busy man, as
the crowd of waiting patients testify,
and being quite disinclined to talk of
his great success in his profession, we
cleaned few facts from observation
and conversation with patients He is
regarded by the eager crowd of patients
as wonderful man, holding him in al
most superstitious awe, obeying implic-
lily his minutest directions. He has
very distinguished personality, noble
head, fine, intelligent face, keen,
pleasant eyes, a rich, cultivated voice;
these make an impression at first sight
one cannot soon forget. One visit at his
office is enough to convice any one that
the doctor is truly great surgeon. AS
to the main facts of
DR.. Hartman's Life,
they can be briefly stated. Born in
Pennsylvania, he came to Ohio when
Is years of age. After taking a literary
course at the Farmers College, near
Cincinnati, he studied medicine under
the distinguished Dr. Shackleford, of
Midway, and, taking a course of Iect-
ures at the University Medical college
of Cleveland, he practiced medicine
most successfully at Tippecanoe. De
string, however, to make special study
of diseasek of the eye and ear and de-
formities of the body, he went to New
York, where he attended all the large
eye and ear infrmaries and orthopedic
hospitals. He then went to Jefferson
Medical college, the celebrated Phila-
delphia institution, and, after taking
special course on the eye and ear, and
full course Of lectures. he graduated
with honors. He established himself
at his old home in Lancaster county,
Pa. There he practiced forsome twelve
years with success that made him IA
nous throughout all Eastern Pennsyl-
vania Especially did he become cele-
brated for his unparalleled success in
the treatment of the eve and ear and
deformities of the feet, limbs and body
in general. So immense did his office
and general practice become that it
taxed even his extraordinary vital en-
ergies to the utmost to take care of it.
The work he did in these years would
have laid adozen ordinary men in their
graves. AS it was, his oAn fIerculean
constitution finally succumbed to the
intense strain, and he was compelled
to relinquish his general practice, and,
combining health with business, to
make tour of the states in the prac-
tice of his specialties.
And it was here that DR.. IIa-tman's
career as physician and surgeon of
national renown began. IIe',ceforth
the broad expanse of the mighty Union
was to be his field of labor And from
the day he started out on that first tour
to the present time the number of his
patients has grown until now there is
not a city, village or hamlet in the
United States to which his name and
the fame Of his wondrous doines have
not penetrated.
One cannot be in the doctors Office
ten minutes without being astonished
by his method of treating patients. The
rapidity with which be disposes of
case is almost inconceivable. And
when it is borne in mind that e is as
successful as he is rapid one cannot but
feel that this man is one of the most ex
traordlnary personages this age has
seen and this generation has been
blessed with Take a case that occurred
while the reporter was present. Itwas
that of lady who had long suffered the
inconvenience and the blemish of
crooked eye. But, anxious as she was
to have H4sHred, she could hardly per-
suade herself to endure the operation.
Before the lady could realize that he
had touched her eye, her eye was as
straight as an eve could be! "Why,
doctor" she cried, lis it all over? Why,
/ didn't feel it. And I thought it would
take you an hour at least. I can hard
ly believe it. 1t seems like miracle.
And yet this is most common case
with DR.. Hartman. He straightened
this lady's eye in less than half min
ute by actual count of the time.
One of the things that commends DIR.
Hartman SO highly to his patients is
something shat can be said of too few
physicians-he always
Tells HIS Patients the Tradhl
He never deceives them. IF he sees
that he can't help them at all, he tells
them SO; if he sees that he can help
them, he says SO; if he sees that he can
both help and cure them, he promises
to do 80, and he has never once been
known to fail to keep his promise
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