Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1897-01-21
A Remarkable Physician.

Last spring, in the city of New
York, occurred one of the most re.
markable funerals over Witnessed -
The hearSe which bore the dead man
was attended by sixty pall-bearers,
and each man of the sixty owed his
life, under God, to the ministration
of him they bore.
Behind the hcarse walked eight
hundred men in line, hardly one of
whom but was indebted to the dead
man for his ability TO be there.
Two hundred and ninety-three car
rlageS followed, and these in turn
were attended by large number of
/ people on foot.
Who was this man, who, being
dead, could SO stir up the hearts of
the people? Who was he that he
should he mOurned over by fifteen
thousand persons one day, because
they Wo":t loO0k upon his face No
morr. Was he great general a
world hOnOred statesman?
No. He was q simple east. side
physician, whose patients were
dwellers in the tenement districts.
and whose mourners were the poor
to whom he had ministcred.
DIR. Aronson inherited small
property from his father, and early
determined that his life should be
spent in service for others. He made
lung diseases his speciality, and stu
died with Koch in Berlin, and in the
best schools in Europe.
When he came back to New York
ne was unknown, save to physicians,
but he Immediately opened, at his
own expense, hospital for con-
sumptives in the poorest part of the
city, and threw himself, heart and
soul, into the work of alleviating the
distresses of friendless patients.
1t was his custom, when called
upon to attend poor family to
leave few dollars on the table be-
hind him. In the bestowal of these
gifts neither creed nor race was rec
ogniZed.
a friend said Of him: "He was
man who took peculiar pleasure i'm
seeing other people happy.
He often declared that if he had
ten millions of dollars he would
spend his life in driving around in
the tenement districts and relieving
the poor"
He himself once said, CT like to
discover case where hard land
lord is pushing poor tenant to the
wall. Then it is my delight to come
In at the last moment, raise my hand
and call halt, with check for the
amount owed by the tenant.
The real happiness is seen in the
face Of the one relieved"
"A mans life is so short at best y,
he was wont to say. cit would be
AN easy matter to make the world
happy, and oneself, too, if each per-
son would but contribute all he DOS
sibly could to the relief of the suf-
tering."
Several years ago a case of
blood-pOisoning occurred on the east
side Of New York. The patient was
a poor woman, and she was critic.
ally ill. Physicians to whom appli-
cations had been made had refused
to take the case because of the ex-
ceptional risk in the treatment that
was required.
The night when DR.. Aronson
heard of it was the night of his
brothers wedding, and he was
dressed to attend it. He was told
that the woman would die unless she
was operated upon within two hours.
He threw off his dress suit, hurried
to her bedside rnd performed a sue
cessful operation.
a few days after, he himself was
taken down with blood poisoning,
contracted from tho sufferer, and for
weeks fingered between life and
death.
Then wonderful and beautiful
sight was seen. Hundreds came
daily to inquire for the good physi-
cian. Scores of people knelt to-
gether in the open air doorstep and
prayed aloud for his recovery. The
man was greatly loved and grandly
gifted. When he recovered he said
he would gladly undergo the same
again to again save life.
AT last came day when upon his
return from call on "A poor and
wretched patient this good man
dropped dead upon the sidewalk
near his own doorstep, his end thus
coming, it was said, just as he had
secretly hoped and prayed that it
might come.
The end came, we have said.
But who can predicate an end to a
life So filled with the spirit of Him
who was, pre-eminently, the Helper
and Healer of men = YOUTHS COM
pGriOn.