The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1890-07-11
WHEN DOCTORS DISAGREE.
The Dificulties Man Has In Following
miscellaneous Advice.

On going into a drug store. or look
ing through the advertising columns
of newspaper, one wonders why any
body, except out of pure willfulness,
should ever die, writes Nj. j. Savage in
the Boston Globe. But when. on the
other hand one notices the different
things that are regarded as fatal by the
doctors, he begins to wonder that any
body should be so illogical as to con-
tinue TO live.
For example, as the winter ap-
proaches. man begins to consider the
practiesl problem of underIiannel. But
If he lays to heart the different varieties
of medical advice he will find himself
in the condition of the celebrated long
cared animal between the two bundles
of hay. He may not starve. but he
will be in serious danger of freezing
have been looking up the matter.
Germany has famous Drofessor-of
flannel. DIR. Jaeger tells all the world
that 1t must dress in wool. the pure.
natural. uncolored article. 1t is good
for sheep, and since the traditional
view is that the human race is only a
flock of sheep TO be shepherded and
fleeced, why-the logic is plain.
But n famous Boston doctor tells us,
on equal authority, that cotton is ''the
only wear l do not recall his rea-
son. Perhaps it is part of a universal
system of yeeetarianism.
On the other hand. DIR. Felix Oswald.
of New York, loudly proclaims that
the only thing that ought TO touch the
outside of n civilized being is linen.
Meantime what is u distracted man
to do as the cold weather comes onP
Prof. Blot used TO say that the best cup
of coffee was the one that contained Il
mixture of the Iargest number of kinds.
How would it do to get up a composite
suit of undertaking and get the bene-
lit of all the different varieties?
But this is only an illustration of q
larger problem. | am not vet aged
but within my memory nearly all kinds
of food have in turn been declared
dangerous. If not fatal. The same Is
true of all the drinks. Fleeing from
the threatening qualities of Cochituate,
| am confronted with the magniiied
forms of death that turks in the in
sidious bottle of Apollinaris- And then
| am startled by au array of statistics
prepared by an English medical COM
mission, wherein it is conclusively
shown that all water is dangerous. Al
any rate, these figures are said TO
prove that, in the tables of longevity,
the total abstinence" man stands
lowest
1t begins TO hook as if there was =
good deal of human nature in doc
tors. As man reads the Bible, and
sees I'll texts that make for his opinions
and treats the rest rs '.fguratiyen so
NAV il not be with Others besides the
ologians? There is such a seductive
tendency in men to make their foot
rule the measure of the universe.
1t seems to me just possible that
there Is grain of truth in the old
proverb: ..What is one mans meat is
another mans poison" Those who,
logically, ought TO die, as a matter OF
fact keep right on living. aud those
who ought 10 live do die. Perhaps =
little individuality should come in here,
rs in some other things. If man has
not sense enough to find out what
kiud of food and drink and clothing
agrees with him, and to govern him.
self accordingly. perhaps it is just
as well for the world for him not to
stay here. Let him go on. and save
( the fool-killer trouble. But if he has
any sense, then experience will become
his teacher. The only safe person
in this world is the one who mas learned
( mis- own personal lesson as 10 how 10
live.