The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1898-06-30
"Dropsy."
A Medical school sketch Written for the
Burlington Free Press.
[by Il. " aldo Sears, Nj. d.

nature, tnat Benlan carter was rendered
such sobriquet by his classmates in Shell
burne Medical School. 1t was because he
stood five feet eight, had a girth of forty
seven inches, dewlaps filled to the full and
rolling over his turn down paper collar,
and legs filling his baggy trousers almost
10 the bursting. You would swear, that
is you could swear, that his tissues We're
permeated by some fluid that made him
soft and squashy, that distendtd his skin
until it shone like bottle, and that on hot
days, OF in times of even mild over exercise,
oozed through his pores as through rid
die sieve. 1t was because of this tendency
of his physical nature that Beniah Carter
aliases as Corp lence, "ObesityA and
annie Sarca.
lie was the Nheeziest. biggest, latest
student in the whole Medical school, and
tile most countlitied, TOO. The day he
came from Mendon, a tiny backwoods
town where they manufacture spruce gum
and have a shingle mill, To the school he
attracted more attention than seven ci1-
euses With an Old fashioned "dicel'
hat towering fully TWO aud half inches
above its marrow brim, paper collar to fin
lSh Of a black and white checked shirt, no
Tie, clothes that ntted much ''too soon,
red wooden stockings and low shoes: with
these and a well / M hete sort of ain,
BeuIah was the observed OF observers. 1t
WAS Woodruff Of the senior class who
bounded out of the reading room as Be.
niah came ND the steps ON his way to the
serretary's ,itice the first dav. yelling and
beckoning To the other fellows, and said:
Come On. fellows, Another clinicw At
this bali dozen students had seized the
colpuleut countlvu.an. taken him to one
of the broad reading room tables and held
a mock clinic over his souirming body,
Woodruff oravelv. if ludlcrouslv. diagnos
me the case as a most serious and alarm
mo one OF drnusy. From that hour Beniah
Carter was Familiarity knoNnas s.Dropsy."
For the frst term he was the butt of the
whole school. His verv makeup seemed
to impelthe fellows toact like they were
nossetsed ,, Ills short fat +iotnre with IT'S
full moon face GROWING the paper collar,
the collar commented ar the top by ooz
ines of perspiratiop. was withal so ludi
crous that almost against ones will. one
would feel impelled TO Veil ont AT the fel
low. OF bump one shoulder against his
stomach or nlay some Joke pr3ctieal Or
impractical mon him. He was known bv
his mot inanpronriate name Inv all the SIN.
a =
sors. while down Town. mile away even
the bows ON rhe streets were not Slow to
make lise of the same anne1lation
As Tor Dropsv himself. he suffered all
these Jokes and banterinos for some time
tai5ino them evidently as matter of
course He even appeared good natured
when The bows one nichr relieved him of
his flat s,dieer - and he discovered If the
next nnorninu ,,llled down tioht over the
head of the Sr4tt1a ON the SaI,Iinrs' Nonn-
ment ont on the camnus And he cave
no nll+varC sim, at iaas+ of il1 hn},or
when Kimball nm u1,ner. cIassnan amused
birse1f nv +alyi,,r 1ltons,-'s now Da,.br e,,l
SHOOTING if mi ii holes Nor ala he
seem 10 rake II yt.1.v much an,iss wb4ntvvn
or three. of tlla t,IIn0,s sraaa,p,i same ro,,-
non, of a >Ilcfef,l oven. with c1Icinm-
nbn,l,ba1e and buno IT NJ biS window in
The n5j,ldIa nt tho 7;rb+ rn ha .n,,risoi
and ,,4rI.,,,s a1,,.,,,.4.l J,,
tle 1,a,,,s il, H.. 1,.,ir,, iic.l,t
rI,I5,,,- t,,-., l''
Thai he seemed ,,, ,,i,,I hnr
said rha+ l,t. wa. +,,,, l,a,li, f,i-,3,+.,,a,f
lJropsv lad f.an rnrnlIpd Lnt / few
n,ourl-. HINT l.,yir,,. :, ,.s,f,- and a., ASSOC.
ilativa mind ~ ,.,l,,.,,..i,,lr ,,1,it.. e.,
moil,lv in IL. os., w.. VIE ,,sa1n''s
and I,4insfai.i,,,. -.'.1.nr e,,1 Suomi 1,,l,'+
nj n7s A,-t,a, +i,,5,, ID, ,,, ..,+i,; H., I,.+.,
rnu1l ~ ~ dis-e,.ri,,'r ,.,a,,, ,,.i';oh
c.,+ed M tLa tn,, fn'I,. j,,,.l- of 49,, fI,,.,,
a..