The state herald. (Holyoke, Logan County, Colo.) 1887-1921, 1893-11-17
WHEN DOCTORS ARE ILL
THEY PRESCRIBE FOR Them
SELVES WITH SUCCESS.
Physicians Always Appear In Good
Health, Though They Often succumb to
Diseaso-whcn In Nesd OF Specialist
They Cali In Fsllaw Practitioners.

Ono sids Of physician's character
is seldom seen by his patients. That
Is whom the doctor becomes patient;
md in turn has to have another
physician to attend him. This con-
tingency never seems to occur to tho
layman.
Tho doctor 10 always In good
physical condition when he makcs
his round OF sick calls. lIo goes
whore cpidemics and contagious
diseases OF all sorts arc rife, and II
he ever succumbs to them his former
patients arc not apt to see him, SO
that to tho ctsual observer he ap;
pears to bear charmed lifo and
to BIO beyond the reach OF any harm,
barring perhaps railroad accident
or collapse OF government build
Ing But this is not so. The physi-
clan is sick, not quite so often, per-
haps. as tho average citizen, who
knows less OF the rules of hygiepe,
but every doctor knows what 1t is to
have had some OF his fellow brae.
titioners Under his caro-.
DR.. w. A. Hammond, in speaking
Of this phase of the DOCTORS life to d
Washington Post reporter, said:
".Yes, tho physician Is subject to
sickness us much us any other man.
As u rule, he makes n worst patient
than alayman, principally, suppose,
from the fact that no misses the
moral support that is lent to tho lay
man from his ignorance OF The pro-
fession. For instance il you give a
layman a hypodermic injection OF
water and tell him II is morphine, he
will go to sleep almost as quickly us
though he had taken tho drug into
his system. while physician would
not taho dose In that way, and
when ne know of tho deception IL
would not have any effect on him.
Then, too, there are a great many
other ways in which the physician
can morally impress and aid his lay
patients, but which fail whom no
comes to deal with another doctor,
who says to himself, oh, yes, l have
been through all that myself, and
know just what II means
do physicians us rule attend
themselves? Yes should say that
they do, so far as they can, rather
than call in another physician. And
i don't know but what they do us
well or better, in that line than any
one else could do for them. a doc
tor. OF course, can understand his
own symptoms be ter than he can
describe thom to another person, and
unless II Is SERIOUS case hc Is likely
TO be able to treat them successfully.
When, however, tho case gets. be.
You'd his own handling he calls In a
Interpretations. and II he is wise
puts himself completely under tho
other doctors charge. and does us he
is told. Whether he does this grace
fully or not depends entirely on the
man. and think we have some of
tho hest, rs well rs tho worst, speci-
mems OF humanity In the iedical
profession. The really large-minded
incn are pretty much the same In
whatever state you find them, and the
little. contemplate fellows will DO
pctulant and irritable when sick Just
us any other patients.
''Onc thing that now sends ply
sician to another physician for treat
mcnt when no is Ill more than any
thing clsc Is the cutting down OF tho
medical field into spccialtics. and q
physician would be just ms likely to
have specialist to attend himself as
to have one for any other member oil
his family.
al have treated great number Of
doctors In my time. and tho most
troublesome cases have been those
who have been afflicted with tho NOR
phino or alcoholic disease. | remem-
Dor ono case, In particular. OF doc
tor who came 10 me to DO treated for
the opium habit lie put himself
under my care, and authorized mo 10
lock him up II necessary. which. how
over. Ibid not do until | found that
he was getting opium on the sly. and
when he was locked up In u room
with nurse with him, he got up
one night and. going to tho third
story window. made n rope Of his bod
clothes and let himself down, and
broke his leg in getting to tho
ground. Then he made u terrible
fuss about the setting OF tho leg. and
declared that 1t was not done prop.
crly. and that he wanted the ban
dagcs oil and the job done over. But
nfior tho opium got out OF his sys.
tom he came around moro like an Or
binary patient and ! got along with
him very well
1.-The only immunity that physl-
clans have from epidemic diseases Is
that which comes from superior
knowledge Of the causes Of dlhcase
transmission. md creator care In
guarding themselves against II. A
physician. Tor instance, would novor
have the cholera except through
gross carclossncss. for that IL a
disease that can DO transmitted only
through swallowing the germs. and
this can be avoided by proper caro-
and cleanliness, but In typhus fever,
which Is the most excessively con-
tagious fever known, physicians are
no more exempt than any ono clse,
and u great many Of them die IRON
II In every epidemic. II is possible.
now. however. In tho advanced stnge
OF nntiscp'ic treatment. by proper
caro- and washing In cnrbolic ncld
baths for tho physician and tho nurse,
who Is exposed TO tho disease. to
stand better chance TO escape.
Tho Mad wasp aud ~, Young.
For rnnlnri,a th, ,nul ,,,s,, h,.