Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-10-20
Why Some Big Medicine Men Are
Rich While Others Are Poor.
SPECIALISTS PRINCELY FEES
A Pork-Packer Who Paid $4,000 For One
Professional Visit.
PAUPERs CURED WHILE PRINCES DIE
WRITTEN FOR THE DIsPATcH.l


story goes that H. B. Plankinton, who is
one of Phil Armour's partners, and who
lives in Milwaukee, was recently taken sick
and wanted the Philadelphia specialist to
diagnose his case. His family therefore wrote
to the specialist asking him to come to Mil
waukee to treat the pork packer. They re-
ceived rather a surly reply in the negative,
but nothing daunted, they wrote again, say
ing that money would be no object if he
would only come. The specialist hated to
leave home, SO by way OF discouragiug them
he wrote to the family of the pork packer
telling them that they would have to
pay him at least $4,000 before he
would consent to make the trip Ito
the Brewery City. Much to his surprise he
got telegram telling him to come on. 1t is
hardly necessary to say that he went, and
equally unnecessary to add that he got the
$4,000. Whether the pork packer was
cured of his nervous affection the story
doesn't say, but the size of the fee has set to
talking all the saw bones and pill-rollers who
have heard OF it.
SMALL FEES FOR DIFFICULT CASES.
1t was the chief theme of conversational
symposium between a number of disciples of
Esculapius the other night, at which q
newspaper man happened TO be prerent. The
ensuing discussion brought out the interest
ing fact that as a rule it is not for the most
complicated and difficult cases that the
largest fees are received. On the contrary,
the most difficult cases, especially in sur
gerry, are those which are usually under
taken in the hospitals and the demonstrating
rooms of our large colleges. In most cases
these surgical operations are free.
AS an instance of this it was told that DR..
Bull, Of Bellevue Hospital, recently per-
formed the operation of tracheotomy on
65-year-old patient who was afflicted with
tnat same fungus, cancerous growth of the
laryn1, of which the late Emperor of Ger
many died. There was lust about one
chance In ten that this cancerous growth
could be removed and the patient would
survive the operation, but there was a GER
tainty on the other hand that his death
from the fungus growth was only a matter
OF time and that his life in the meantime
would be SO painful burden as to render it
undesirable, if not unendurable. All this
was explained to the aged patient, who
eagerly consented to the operation. 1t was
performed, a silver plate was substituted in
place OF the cartilageous substance re-
moved, the aperture sewed up, and now the
old man is, to all intents and purposes, as
well as ever he was in his life
A PAUPER's PRIVILEGE.
Thus it is, as the @sculapians explain,
that physicians dare to undertake upon a
comparatively poor and obscure patient
what they would not presume to undertake
if the patient was rich and prominent. IT,
they say, Sir Morrell Mackenzie had not
been hampered by the German physicians
he might have succeeded in saving the life
of the Emperor just as DR.. Bull succeeded
in saving the life of the pauper, but it can
readily be seen that while success meant
much more to DIR. Mackenzie than it did to
DR.. Bull, failure would have been ruin to
the one, while it was a matter of compare
lively little consequence to the other.
II must not be supposed, however, that
because a case happens to come to
physician through the channels of a public
hospital that it is always improbable. The
younger doctors tell with a great deal of
gusto the hitherto unpublished story of DR..
Wiedekind's big fee. DR.. Wiedekind is
now surgeon in the United States NAVY
and is on cruise to China. A year ago he
was house physician in the Chambers Street
Hospital in New York City. One day
well-dressed, prosperous looking old man
was brought into the hospital BY the
ambulance surgeon, suffering from a severe
and apparently fatal case of sunstroke. It
was generally ag-eed among the hospital
recovery.
A GENEROUS PATIENT
DR.. Weidekind determined, however
that he would make desperate effort in
this case as much from professional pride
as anything else to save the patient He
had him taken up stairs, put in a cot, and
began to apply all the known remedies for
sunstroke. He worked with him all night
never leaving his bedside for an instant
applying ice, electricity and everything else
that his science had taught him. At 10,
o'clock the next morning he was rewarded
by seeing his patient emerge from the coma
caused by the sunstroke, and before NIGHT
was rejoiced to be able to pronounce him
comparatively out of danger. Four days
later the patient was we'll enough to be con-
veyed to his home in Newark, N. j.. and
within a week DR.. Wiedekind received a
check for $1,000 signed by one OF the
wealthiest brewers in that prosperous New
Jersey town, together with letter in which
be thanked the energetic young physician
for having saved his life
1t does not follow as matter of course.
IN.
the doctors fee will be big one. As an
illustration OF this point, it is told of the
late DR.. Austin Flint that, after having at
tended Commodore Vanderbilt for wears
prior to his last illness, he received as his
fee an amount calculated at exactly SIS per
visit, and discovered that there was no more
profit in attending man who was worth
500, 600 900 than there was in attending one
worth 500.
FOUR WORDS FOR $500.
Nor is the size of the fee always conn.,
mensurate with the service rendered as for
instance in the case of the nervous special
ist already mentioned, a fee of $500 was once
charged by him for saying just four words:
"Send him to Europe" The doctor was
summoned to see gentleman in Trenton.
N. j., who was bedridden, and had been for
months. After hearing the history of the
case and making an examination, he uttered
those four words, clapped on his hat and
left the house. The patient went to Europe
and got well. The same specialist on an
other occasion prescribed the same formula
in the case of young lady and received a
from Europe very much improved. her
father suggested that she call upon the
physician and let him see how much better
she was. She did so, and the fond parent
received bill for $50 from the eminent
physician for looking at the young lady and
saving she was better. In another case he
received q fee of 81, 700 fromsthe family of a
hysterical New York girl, who insisted
upon his going to that city to see her.
OF . weli-known surgeon it is told that
he was one day riding by the side of
stranger on the Pennsylvania road when a
cinder few into the eye of his neighbor.
rnr L