The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1897-11-11
A Country Doctors Practice.

G. A. Wheeler, M. D., of Castine is
and Science "reminiscences of his practice.
| From the October number of the maya
zine we make the following extracts:
A continuous practice of twenty seven
years, even in small community and by a
physician who claims only ordinary skill
or success, must necessarily afford many
does not change SO rapidly as in cities, and
one gets better acquainted with family
traits and peculialities. These are some
times vely marked. | am acquainted
with certain families in which the prog
nosis in any serious disease is bad from
the start, W lille l know other families in
which | should never think of giving a
patient up-unless recovery was impossi-
ble-until actually molibund. | wish it
were in my power to describe adequately
some OF the more important cases that
have come under my notice.
The early Yeas OF my practice in this
town we've peculiarly hard There We're
two other physicians in it, but they were
both advanced i'll yeals-consderabi old =
ell than the writer himself is to-day.
They were both of excellent repute in the
community and when the intirmities OF
age would allow them to attend they were
sure to be called upon. AS consequence
of this the greater part of my business
was in the adjoining towns. Living on
the sea- coast where the land is much in
tersected by. estuaries, large part of my
practice was reached by crossing the wa
ter or by travelling on foot. Many time
have | been routed from my bed at
twelve and one O clock at night in the dead
of winter, and been rowed mile or more
across the water and then had to walk up
to my knees in snow for several miles.
When | came here there were but five
horses in the village, and very few in the
surrounding towns, SO that walking was
often necessity. did not ride bicycle,
because there were none; roads were too
poor. l remember on two occasions after
crossing the water | had to walk five miles
in the deep snow. went solely as mat
ter of duty. / undoubtedly saved the life
of my patient, and he paid me with prone
Use to bring me some fish.
Much of my early practice was on some
what distant islands and though the trip
was enjoyable enough in pleasant summer
weather in a good yacht, it was decidedly
the reverse in an open boat in winter S
gale. The trips in a summer fog though
not dangerous were not exactly agreeable.
On several occasions | have spent nearly
the entire night On the water rowing aim
lessly about and unable to find my desti
nation.
The hardest time that ever experience
ed was once in the spring when the ice
was breaking up. l Lad distance of but
three miles to go-two by water and one
by land. | reached the place after some
delay but on my return to the shore l
found the stream SO full of floating ice
that it was impossible. | was so anxious
to get back that [ offered twenty-five dol
lars to any one who would undertake to
get me across. The amount offered was
five times that of my fee. | could find no
one who would risk the attempt | then
got man to take me in his sleigh to a
point where the ice had not broken up, so
that | might walk across. | started for
house that | saw but lost my way on the
ice and landed in thick woods. There
had been heavy storm a day or two be-
fore and | floundered around in the snow,
one minute on a rock or boulder and the
next up to my neck in drift, until be-
came so exhausted that after l at length
got sight of the house | could not get to
it until had lain down on the snow and
rested nearly half an hour l left my
home at a. m. and did not get back IN
til I p m. | lost twenty dollars by being
away and have never fully recovered from
the exposure and fatigue l underwent.
Fortunately advancing years bring some
alleviations-I leave all such trips now
for my juniors.