The Bessemer indicator., 1893-11-18

Que side OF physicians character
IS seldom seen by his patients. That
is when the doctor becomes patient,
and in turn has to have anotber
physician to attend him. This con
tingency never seems to occur to the
iayman.
The docto, is always in good
physical condition when he makes
his round OF sick calls. He goes
where epidenics and contagious
diseases OF all sorts are rife, and II
lie evor succumbs to them his former
patients arc not apt to see him, SO
that TO the casual observer he ap-
pears to bear charmed life and
to be beyond the reach OF any harm,
barring perhaps railroad accident
or a 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 hygiene.
but every doctor knows what it is to
have had some Of his follow prac-
titioners under his care
DIR. w A. Hammond. In speaking
OF this phase of the doctors life to p
Washington Post reporter snid;
"ies. the physician is subject to
sickness as much as any other man.
As rule, he makes worst patient
than layman, principally, suppose,
from the fact that he misses tho
moral support that is lent to the lay
man from his ignorance OF the pro-
fession. For instance, II you give u
layman a hypodormic Injection Of
water and tell him it is morphine. he
will go TO sleep almost as quickly rs
though he had taken the drug into
his system. while physician would
not take dose in that way. and
when he knew OF tho deception II
would not have any effect on him.
Then, too, there nrc great many
other ways in which the physician
can morally impress and aid his lay
patients, but which fail when he
comes to deal with another doctor.
who says to himself, oh, yes, havo
been through all that myself. and
know just what 1T means.
do physicians MS rule attend
themselvcs' Yes ] should say that
they do. so fur as they can. rather
than call in another physician. And
l don't know but what they do ns
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 them to another person, and
unless it is n serious case he is likely
to DO able to treat them successfully.
When, however, tho case gets be-
yond his own handling he calls in n
Interpretations. and II he is wise
puts himself completely under the
other doctors charge. and docs as he
is told. Whether he does this grace
fully or not depends entirely on the
man, and think we have some OF
the best. as well as the worst. speci.
mems OF humanity in the medical
profession. Tho really large minded
men are pretty much tho same in
whatever state you find them, and the
little, contemplate fellows will be
petulaut and irritable when sick lust
as any other patients.
''One thing that now sends ply
sician to another physician for treat.
ment when he is i'll more than an
thing else is the cutting down of the
medical field into specialtics. and a
physician would be just as likely to
have specialist to attend himself us
to have one for any other member Of
his family.
| 81 have treated II great numlcr of
doctors in my time, and the most
| troublesome cases have been those
who have been alicted with the NOR
phine or alcoholic disease. remem-
ber one case, in particular. OF doc
| tor who came to me to be treated for
the opium habit. He put himself
under my care, and authorized me to
lock him up Unnecessary. which, how
ever, did not do until found that
he was getting opium on the Sly, and
when he was locked up in II room
with II nurse with kin, he got up
one night and, going 20 tho third
story window. made rope of his bed
clothes and let himself down, and
broke his leg in getting to the
ground. Then he made IL torrible
fuss about the sotting OF tho leg, and
declared that it was not done prop
erly, and that he wanted the ban.
dagcs of and the Job done over. But
after the opium got out OF hia sfs.
TEN he came around more like un tr-