The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1891-08-12
An Old New England Doctor.

This country doctor had not studied
deeply in college and in hospital; nor had
he taken any long courses of instruction in
foreign schools and universities. When he
had decided to become a doctor, he had sim
ply ridden with an old established physi-
clan ridden literally-in half-menial, half
medical capacity. He had cared for the
doctors horse, swept the doctors office, run
the doctors errands, pounded drugs, gath
cred herbs and mixed plasters, until he
was fitted to a." ride - for himself. Then he
had applied to the court and received Ii
cense to practce-that was all. | doubt
not that this book of mine and a few Latin
treatises that he could hardly decipher,
formed his entire pharmacopma. AS he
had CHANGED to inherit a small fortune from
a relative, he became quite a physicians for
in colonial days wealth and position were
as essential as were learning and expert
ence to enable one to become good doctor.
| like to think of the rich and pompous
old doctor a-riding out to see his patients,
clad in his suit of sober brown or claret
color, with great shining buttons made OF
silver coins. The full sllirted coat had great
pockets and flaps, as did the long wastcoat
that reached well over the hips. Rather
short were the sleeves of the coat, to show
the white rufiles and frlls at the wrist; but
the forearm was well protected in cold
weather by the long gauntlets of his riding
gloves and by his muifetees. Full knee
breeches dressed his shapely legs, while the
\
| played his well-turned calves and ankles.
| But in muddy weather high leather boots
took the place of fine hose and shoes, and
his handsome breeches were covered with
long tow overalls or tongs," as they were
| called. On his head the doctor wore a
cooked hat and wig. He owned and wore
| in turn wigs of different sizes and dignity
| ties, bags, periwigs and hobs. His portrait
was painted in full-bottomed wig that ri
vailed the lord chancellor's in size; but his
/ Il,
place horsehar affair with stiff eelskin
cue One wig he lost by mysterious acct
| dent one day while he was attending pa
tent who was lying i'll of a fever of which
| the crisis seemed at hand. The doctor de-
cded to remain all night, and sat down by
| the side of a table in the sick mans room.
! The hours passed slowly away. Physician
! and nurse and goodwfe talked and droned
! on; the sick man moaned and tossed in his
! bed, and begged fruitlessly for water. AT
! last the room grew silent; the tired watch
| ers doZed in their chairs; the doctor nodded
and nodded bringing his eelskin cue dam
gerously near the flame of the candle that
stood on the table. Suddenly there was
heard violent explosion, hiss, sizzle;
and when the smoke cleared, and the terri
| fled occupants of the room collected their
senses, the nurse and wife were discovered
under the valance of the bed the doctor
stood, scorched and bareheaded, looking
for his wig; while the sick man, who had
jumped out of bed, in the confusion, and
captured pitcher of water, drunk half the
contents and thrown the remainder over
! the doctors head, was lying behind the bed
curtains laughing Historically at the rdicu-
lous appearance of the man of medicine.
Instant death was predicted for the invalid,
who strange to say, either from the laugh
ter or the water, began to recover from that
moment. The terrified physician was UNI
certain whether he ought to attribute the
explosion and contlagration of his wig TO a
violent demonstration of the devil to obtain
possession of the sick mans soul, or to the
powerful influence of some conjunction of
! the planets, or to the new-fanged power of
electricity which DIR. Franklin had just dis
covered, and was making so much talk
about, and was so recklessly tinkering with
in Philadelphia at that very time. The doc
tor had strongly disapproved of Franklin's
reprehensible and meddlesome boldness,
but he felt that it was best, nevertheless, to
write and to obtain the philosophers advice
as to the feasibility, advisability and best
convenience of having one of the new light
ning-rods rugged upon his medical back,
and running thence up through his wig,
thus warding off further alarming accident.
Ere this was done, the mystery of the eX-
plosion was solved. When the doctors new
wig arrived from Boston, he ordered his In
dian servant to powder it well ere it was
worn. He was Mortified to see Noantum
give the wig liberal sprinkling of gunpow-
der from the powder-horn, instead of starch
from the dredging-boX. So the explosion of
the old wig was no longer assigned to da-
bolical, thaumaturgcal or meteorological
inhuences.-Alic Morse, in atlantic Monthly.
EVERY tissue of the body, every
| hAn ii 1a 10