The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1889-11-14
''But do you deceive really sick peo,

smile. 81 recall case now. A man
living hard by marsh entered nv
Office one morning. His face wore the
peculiar color and expression of one
who is afflicted with what is called the
shakes in portions of the South. /
mean ague and fever. See yere, doc
tor, he said, Pm orful sick man. m
1t pestered me dreadful to get up here.
want so m'thin' ter git me well, but
wants none er yer pizen stuff
Il have in my Office very limited
supply of drugs, upon which l some
times draw for Office patients. AS |
proceeded to put up some powders he
regarded me suspiciously for moment
and then said:
"'See yere, doctor; hold on a bit.
Some years ago when lived down in
Arkansaw had the shakes orful, n a
quack down there gin me calermel,
wich salervated me thet bad l lost
erbout half my teeth. Soon's l got so
could git eroun' went a gunnin' fer
thet quack, but somebody gin him a
p'nt thet | was arter him n he crared
out. | then tuck mortyal oath, n I'll
keep it, too, thet eff any other feller
gives me er dose er ealermel I'll kill
him ef hangs fer it the mex minnit.
''The man looked as if he would keep
his oath as he repeated:
" 1 say, now, that do look orful like
calermel. Be it calermelP'
"'Why certainly not. l hastened to
assure him. DO you suppose I'd give
you such poison as that?"
"'What be it, then?' he persisted.
"'This powder? Well, you see, we
doctors are not in the habit of giving
our secrets out to every body, but
know it will be safe with you, so TIL
tell you. This is hydrarg. chlor. mite.
"As you know, l merely read from
the label on the jar. the abbreviation
of the technical name for calomel
He took the calomel with the quinine
gave him and went away entirely
satisfied"
''Do you always give medicine when
you find patient who insists upon
having some?"
''By no means. A short time ago
was called all in hurry to prosper
GUS merchant. His face was pallid,
and cold sweat covered his brow.
His weeping wife met me in the hall
and declared he was dying. The
man himself in feeble tones and with
choking voice confirmed this statement.
| took a seat by his bedside, felt his
pulse and examined his eyes. He i'm
portuned me to haste with the ap-
plication of remedies, and his wife,
who had followed me into the bed
chamber. regarded me with reproach-
ful eyes because of my deliberateness.
'Instead of yielding to his request !
told him bit of gossip. He is an
ardent politician, and / repeated a
story told me by friend that day
about certain local politician well
known to both of us. 1t was very
funny, but failed to provoke my patient
to laughter. Instead, he interrupted
me several times during its recital with
urgent entreaties that / relieve his suf-
fering. declaring that the death dew
was on his brow and that his limbs had
lost all feeling.
Changing my tactics, I started up a
topic in which knew he took interest
and adroitly presented it in such a
y,oDuar 90 aouovoaJlod him N @aI~o Al .
opposing side. During the next quar-
ter of an hour he would begin an ap-
peal for relief. but my persistent, pur-
posed misstatement of fact so worked
upon him that he would not complete
his demand, but broke off to confute
what had but then said. Within a
half hour he was sitting up talking
animatedly and vigorously, with height
ened color of excitement in his cheeks.
Soon he arose from his bed and became
so animated that he strobe up and
down the floor, his wife having in the
meantime brought his study-gown,
which he put on.
when he was completely restored
in mind to normal condition, l arose,
took my hat, and said, as l was about
to leave:
1.-The next time you wish to take q
ginger sweat don't drink more than g
gill of the essence or extract, but if you
should don't mistake your condition
for that of a dying man. He had been
troubled with some sort of pain; had
mixed ginger extract with sugar, found
it palataDle, and swallowed within an
hour or so half a hundred ordinary
doses"
"Youado find it needful to give bread
pills, sweetened water and other harm.
less doses?"
Cant help it. If our patients would
but place entire confidence in us and
take our word for it when we assure
them that they need no medicine, we
wouldn't find such recourse necessary.
An estimable lady of highly wrought
temperament when but sixteen years
old, was married to coarse, vulgar
fellow. from whom she separated 8
year or two later. Her troubles during