Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1897-06-15

who with their salivated mouth curse
the doctor, giving him his dues, as they
ssy--about the only dues he will in
that case collect. The last bill that Is
paid is the doctors bill. 1t seems SO
incoherent for a restored patient, with
rudy cheeks and rotund form, to be
bothered with bill charging him for
old calomel and jalap. The physicians
of this country do more missionary
work without charge than all the
other professiones put together. From
the concert room, from the merry
party, from the comfortable couch on
cold night, when the thermometer Is
five degrees below zero, the doctor
must go right away; he always must go
right away. To keep up under this
nervous strain, to go THY ough this
night-work, to bear all these annoy
ances, many physicians have resorted
to strong drink and persisted Others
have appealed to God for sympathy
and help. and have lived. Which were
the wise doctors, judge We?
Again: The medical profession ought
to be Christians because there are pro-
fessional exigencies when they need
God. Asa's destruction by unblessed
physicians was a warning. There are
awful crises in every medical practice
when a doctor ought to know how to
pray. All the hosts of ills which some
times hurl themselves on the weak
points of the physical organism, or
with equal ferocity will assault the en-
tire line of susceptibility to suffering.
The next dose of medicine will decide
whether or not the happy home shall
be broken up. Shall it be this medi-
cine or that medicine? God help the
doctor. Between the five drops and the
ten drops may be the question Of life
or death. Shall it be the five or ten
drops? Be careful how you put the
knife through those delicate portions
of the body, for If it swings out of the
way the sixth part Of an inch the pa
tient perishes. Under such circum-
stances physician needs not so much
consultation with men of his own call
ing, as he needs consultation 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 wonder about it.
1t is Gods hand, shutting, opening
shutting, opening, on every heart
Whnn q RI dOofor h.
he ought to be in communication with
him who said to the blind: Receive
thy sight" When a doctor comes to
treat paralytic arm, he ought to be in
communication with him who said
stretch forth thy hand, and he
stretched it forth" When a man comes
to doctor bad case of hemorrhage, he
needs to be in communication with him
who cured the issue of blood, saying
THY faith hath saved thee"
do not mean to say that piety will
make up for medical skill. A bungling
doctor, COMPOUNDED with what was not
very bad case, went into the next
room to pray. A skilled physician was
SdiiSo IA. iaS oShSt Aoh thS Al 81 pl az
titioner. "Oh,' they said. hes in the
next room praying" We'll" said the
skilled doctor. tell him to come out
here and help; he can pray and work
at the same time" 1t was all in that
sentence. Do the best we can and ask
God to help us. There are no two men
in all the world, it seems to me, that
so much need the grace Of God as the
minister who doctors the sick soul. and
the physician who prescribes for the
diseased body.