Daily Yellowstone journal., 1889-07-17
THE DAILY YELLOWSTONE JOTRNA ~.
DOCTORS PlATITUDES.
How They CajoIe, iiumor, Mystify sns
Relieve Their Patients.

Relieve Their Patients.
'Illness i, always serious" is II
Of the stock phrases OF the business
like doctor. ''PeIsevcrc with the
medicine. is "A stock remark worth
several hundred 4 year to some men
we knoys The professional air
which is now acquired requires q
genius 10 originate, but il IS easy
enough Ia affect il. The Abel Drug
gers are dying the death. The pubic
nowadays objects to being made III,
and, US rule. in the better class OF
practices, medicines are either sup
piled free Of charge, or prescriptions
are written; but generally the people
in the middle ranks Of life who en-
ploy the general practitioner object
To 80 10 a chemist Iur medicines; con-
scqugMIly the drugs are dispensed by
| the doctor We ltuT tI.at many uf the
most Successful If general Wuctiuon-
crs " their position simply 10 their
| proficiency IN the AT OF pleasing.
Il never contradict a patient, ono
of the most ast,Itc ut our friends used
10 remark. Curious are tie cXpc-
rienccs Oh this head; wc Will give a
case in point. Mrs, \. Imc regular.
~ 10 the surgery OF q professional
friend; her disorder was chronic. In
sober truth. she simply fauclcd that
her skin was too tight for her. For
months the bi-weuily consultations
continued. The practitioner was
aware that the lady was a malade I'M
acinaire, and he rang the changes on
tOnics and placcbos. They did no
harm; he argued they might do good
by their effect on the mind. At length
our friends conscience began 10 prick
him. He hemmed. he hawed; ut last
f. he told Mrs. y. IN polite language that
she had nothing the matter with her.
Mrs. \. rose indignant. And have
you been phySicking me all this tine
if nothing was the matter! MyS, ~
left in "A rage. and, walking straight
TO another practitioner in the neigh
borhood, she explained 10 him that
our friend did not understand her
constitution - in fine, that lac had COM
mitted the GROWING sin oi telling her
that she hal no disorder. The rival
practitioner wac n wise man. lie SYM
plthiZcd, lie prescribed. lp Is possibly
prescribing still. and still. probably,
| the unfortunate lady suffer, from the
! skin. which is too i!-.,L. This is no
historic pour hire; il i a solelau fact
One of the most tglupsuyn ike prac-
titioncrs we know, IN defending what
we fear con only he cgllcd Chariatm-
ism, remarks; They Hscit. III. They
will have it," This pmcJitionur al
ways uses the stttLIu>cIlr, and takes
the patients pulse with u sphygmo-
graph; lac has the rcputatlo, among
hls numerous patients of beng a very
scientific man; lac has a large and
wealthy connection in q fashionable
suburb. Really his Ignorance is Grass.
Many general practitioners seek TO
dazzle their patients by a daShing
turnout, an aiicctation of hurry and
hustle. One eminent GccouChgur is
sud 10 have actually driven himself
into practice. lie was known to his
conlreres as 'Jcla.' He affected d
yellow brougham and a pair of car
riage dogs; he drove with jobbed
horses at a rate of abolS fourteen
miles an hour; he soon became talked
of, and died a rich man. The clever
practitioner never 'lingers, hemakcs
himself desired. and lets the patient
conclude that his moments are pro
cious. As a rule, in general practice
the patient is never told he has moth
inc the matter with him. lie must
be i'll or he wouldn't come TO me" is
the natural sophistry Of the general
practitioner. He is probably right; for
there is something ~conSoiing 10 the
generality of people in the mere seeing
Of a doctor. A. rule. the general
practitioner. Ifan honest man. succeeds
in gaining his patients confidence
Saturday Review