Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1895-12-26
THE DUAL-DOSAGE SYSTEM.

Dog, Cnlaveras county, was puzzle to
the doctors. He had such variety oil
peculiar symptoms that medical opin-
ion inclined to the belief that he SUI.
fered from complication Of diseases
To one doctor the liver seemed to be
the chief organ at fault; to another, the
great trouble appeared to be in the kid
neys; while d third would say that in.
testlnal indigestion was the main diff
Guilty. And yet Mr.. Cutter had been adj
yised that his stomach was chemically
disordcred, and still another diagnosis
found grave derangemcnto OF the hearts
action.
What added to the troubles Of the pa
tlent was his Inconsistency with regard
to treatment He had such distrust
Of medical science that he would not
long adhere to the advice Of any physi.
clan. He consulted doctor after doctor
and each expressed dissatisfaction with
the previous treatment and diagnosis.
There seemed to be so many things
wrong with his internal organs that
there was room for great diversity OF
opinion, and yet none Of the doctors
need he wholly astray.
II Mr.. Cutter did not get well 1t was
not because he had failed to take medi
cine. He had a morbid delight in drugs
After completing the rounds of the doc
tors Offices in his town he would some
times take n course Of patent medicines
of his own account. He spent hours in
reading the advertisements of the va
rlous nostrums, and occasionally he
would find recital Of symptoms that
appeared to coincide with his own.
Then be would rush to the nearest drug
store, buy bottle Of the much-wanted
remedy and faithfully take the dose pre-
scribed. By the time he had exhausted
the bottle his fckle thirst for medica.
ton Ind found some fresh object Of at
traction, or he had repaired TO some
practicing physician, regular or irreg-
ular.
The wonder was, In view OF the guam
titles Of medicine he took, that he con-
tinued well enough to attend to his Of
fetal duties as treasurer of Calaveras
county. Moreover, he drank more
| whisky than he could well carry with
entire equilibrium. Another failingwas
a fondness for faro, which gossips said
had often cost him more than he could
afford to lose. His drinking and gam
bling were the only things that served
TO divert his attention from his real or
imaginary ailments. We're 1t not for
cards and liquor, as he expressed 1t, his |
stomach would have been constantly
upon his mind. But some Of his cronles |
declared that there was nothing in re-
atty the matter with HIM; that his 4
naladics We're imaginary, the truth |
D,eing that he had become a hypo-
chondrinc, and had deceived all the doc
torsby describing symptoms which had
no existence in fact.
In his restless search for novelty, Mr..
Cutter originated what he called u dual
system Of treatment, In It's applica-
ton to his own case this consisted in
dosing himself for one ailmcnt while
following n medical prescription foran-
other. lie had u theory that the doc
tors failed to give him relief because
they did not make their prescriptions
sufficiently comprehensive, having an
eye to only one disorder, while he was
the victim of a number of diseases at
the same time 1T was shortly after
the adoption Of this new doctrine that
Mr., Cutter called one day upon DR.. Slick
for consultation.
The doctor listened with the utmost
professional gravity to the recital Of a
long train Of distressing symptoms.
u think your troubles" he said, at
last, may all be attributed to the liver.
It needs stirring up
Mr.. Cutter was secretly convinced that
the fault was chiefly In the lungs, but
he dutifully took the prescription
which the doctor handed him, paid the
fec and went to the Red Dog druggist
to have the medicine compounded.
When the prescription had been filled
he decided that he would take some
glycerin for the benefit OF his lungs,
and so he purchased Il bottle Of that sub
stance from the sympathetic apothc-
cary, who never failed to recommend
whatever Mr. Cutter was disposed to
try,
Mr.. Cutter was widower, and the
only other occupant of his isolated
dwelling, on The outskirts of the town
of Red Dog, was an aged housckeeper,
Her chief virtue, in his eyes, was that
she never meddled with the medicine
closet whose shelves were filled with a
wonderful accumulation of bottles,
every form and size being represented.
Despite the enormous consumption by
the owner, the stock OF medicines re-
naming, in quantity as well az In va.
riety, would have suiliced for a ships
crew on voyage around the world CT
for the supply 81 4 county hospital.
His latest acquisitions we're now
added to this curious collection. And
each time that he took dose Of the med
icine prescribed by DR., Slick he followed
it up with spoonful of glycerin. He
lcgnn to feel some rather curious ef-
fects from this combination treatment
nftcra few days, But as the sensations
he experienced were rather agreeable
than other wise, be concluded that the
dual system was working well and he
perseyercd in 1t. In the course Of an
other week he was conscious OF o Pc
cular sort of exhiaration, and when he
walked out Of doors he seemed to be
on air. This aroused his curl ,
osity, and he made second call on DR.. s
Slick. II
~ am feeling much better, doctor"
said the nntient "Dp Won mind telling