Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1897-06-10

No, aniiounc6 these things not only TO
increase the appreciation of laymen in re-
gard to the work of physicians, but to stir
in the hearts of the men of the medical
profession a feeling of gratitude to God
that they have been allowed to put their
hand to such a magnificent work and that
they have been called into such illustrious
company. Have you never felt spirit Of
gratitude for this opportunity? Do you
not feel thankful now? Then lam afraid,
doctor, you are not a Christian, and that
the old proyerb which Christ quoted in
his sermon may be appropriate to you,
Physician, heal thyself."
Another reason why think the medical
profession ought to be Christians is be-
cause there are so many trials and annoy
ances in that profession that need positive
Christian solace. l know you have the
gratitude of great many good people,
and know 1t must be a grand thing to
walk intelligently through the avenues Of
human life and with anatomic skill poise
yourself on the nerves and flbers which
cross and recross this wonderful physical
system. l suppose skilled eye can sec
more beauty even in malformation than
an architect can point out in any of his
structures, though it be the very triumph
Of arch and plinth and abacus. But how
many annoyances and trials the medical
profession have DIR. Rush used to say, in
his'valedictory address to the students of
the medical college, "Young gentlemen,
have two pockets-a small pocket and q
big pocket; small pocket in which to put
your fees, large pocket in which to put
your annoyances."
A Doctors Sacrifices.
In the first place, the physician has no
Sabbath. Busy merchants and lawyers
and mechanics cannot afford to bo sick
during the secular week, and so they nurse
themselves along with lozenges and hore.
hound candy until Sabbath morning
comes, and then they say, 81 must have a
doctor" And that spoils the Sabbath
morning church service for the physician.
Besides that, there are great many men
who dine but once week with their fam.
lilies. During the secular days they take
hasty lunch at the restaurant, and on
the Sabbath they make up for their six
days abstinence by especial gormandizing,
hhiOh LlShO UllClI
digestive organs cry out for doctor. And
that spoils the evening church service fol-
the physician.
Then they are annoyed by people coming
tco late. Men wait until the last fortress
Of physical strength is taken and death
has dug around it the trench of the grave
and then they run for the doctor. The
slight fever which might have been cured
with footbath has become virulent ty
phus, and the hacking cough, killing
pneumonia. AS though a captain should
sink his ship off Amagansett, and ther
put ashore in yawl and then come tc
New York to the marine office and want
to get his vessel insured. Too late for the
ship, too late for the patient.
Then there are many who always blame
the doctor because the people die, forget
ting the Divine enactment, "It Is appoint
ed unto oil men once to die" The father
in medicine who announced the fac
that he had discovered the art by which t.
make men in this world immortal him
self died at AZ years of age, showing thai
Immortality was less than half century
for him. Oh, how easy 1t is, when people
die, to cry out, "Malpractice. Then the
physician must bear with all the whims
and the sophistries, and the deceptions
and the stratagems, and the irritations OF
the shattered nerves and the beclouded
brains of women, and more especially oi
men, who never know how gracefully tt
be sick, and who with their salivated
mouth curse the doctor, giving him his
dues, as they say-about the only dues he
will in that case collect. The last bill that
Is paid is the DOCTORS bill. 1t seems sc
incoherent for q restored patient, with
ruddy cheeks and rotund form, to be
bothered with bill charging him for old
calomel and jalop. The physicians Of this
country do moro missionary work without
charge than all the other professions put
together. From the concert room, from
the merry party, from the comfortable
couch on cold night, when the ther
mometer Is degrees below zero, the doc
tor must go right away; he always mus
go right away. To keep up under this
nervous strain, to go through this night
work, to bear all these annoyances, many
physicians have resorted to strong drink
and perished. Others have appealed te
God for sympathy and help and have lived
Which were the wise doctors, judge yer
Piety and Medical Skill.
Again, the medical profession ought tc
be Christian because there are professional
exigencies when they need Gcd. Asa's de-
struction by unblessed physicians was O
warning. There are awful crises In every
medical practice when doctor ought tc
know how to pray. All the hosts of ills
will sometimes hurl themselves on the
weak points of the physical organism, OF
with equal ferocity will assault the entire
line or susceptibility to suffering. The
next dose of medicine will decide whether
or not the happy home shall be broken up.
Shall it be this medicine or that medicinei
God help the doctor. Between the five
drops and the ten drops may be the ques.
tion Of life or death. Shall it be the five
or the ten dropsp Be careful how you put
that knife through those delicate portions
of the body, for if it swing out of the way
the sixth part of an inch the patient per
ishes Under such circumstances physi-
cian needs not so much consultation with
men of his own calling as he needs consul
tation with that God who strung the
nerves and built the cells and swung the
crimson tide through the arteries. You
wonder why the heart throbs-why it
seems to open and shut. There is no won
der about it. 1t is Gods hand shutting,
opening, shutting, opening, on every
heart. When man comes to doctor the
eye, he ought to be in communication with
him who said to the blind, "Receive thy
sight," When doctor comes to treat a
paralytic arm, he ought to be in commu.
nication with him who said, "Stretch forth
thy hand, and he stretched it FORTH