The San Francisco call., 1898-12-25

Erz laa about your bargains. Your swans so often turn out to be geese. Well, then, it's an offer by woman (physl- cian to give free medical advice Dy letter, and it says it's better to write to a woman because man cant un- derstand a woman, just because he's man, and it says, too, that it's just re- volting to go to a man physician any how" And Mrs. Lovegood stopped be- cause she was out of breath.
 "I bet you,'' said her husband. that the advertisement doesn't say shes a woman physician" Why, yes it does" said his wife, as she looked at the ad- vertisement again. Well, no, l guess it doesn't say she's physician, but it means the same thing, for it says that it is a woman whose experience in treating Woman's diseases is greater than that of any living physician, male or female.'" MT. Lovegood chuckled and said: That's what love about you, my dear. You are so ready to believe without question when there's a bargain in view. If you were lit tie fish, I'd catch you every time with a rubber worm if I put bargain sign above the hook
 "Oh, do be serious for once,'' cried Mrs. Lovegood. Then, to be serious" he replied, this woman doesn't claim to be physician. She would claim to be a physician if she could, because she is trying to convey the impression in every other way than by direct claim that she is physician. She is not, therefore, a physician and can never have practiced medicine. Yet not being a physician and therefore never having practiced medicine, she
 
 ing woman's diseases, greater than any living physician. Now the question is, since she never practiced medicine, where did she get that experienced"
 Well, that is so," Mrs. -Lovegood somewhat reluctantly admitted. but then she is a woman,' I'm not so sure about that even," said her hus- band. Tt looks to me as if some man was working the women with the bearded lady act.''
 Bearded lady act! Do you mean to say that they have dime museum freaks for doctors? Why you must be foolish, or else amazingly prejudiced," cried his wife.
 You are too literal, my dear" said MT. Lovegood. What I mean by the bearded lady act is that some man is posing as a woman, writing over womans signature or using 6 woman as a stalking horse, assuming woman's character to miSlead. The bearded lady of the show is always a freak and generally fraud. The point in this advertisement that we are dis cussing is that you are asked to write to a woman, the implication being that the woman is competent to give and will give you qualified and valuable medical advice. But as it isn't speci- fled that the woman is a physician there's no infraction of the law The ,ay.n nha hi ho fhQrQ Q l. flied doctor around the place, and the whole so-called medical correspond ence' is done by lot of girl clerks"
 "Oh!" Mrs. Lovegood interjected, that's what it means then when they say that only women see the core spondence.'
 Exactly, my dear" continued her the advertisement is a real woman and not the bearded lady, there's your dressmaker, who is also a woman, not to speak of Mrs Flannigan, the cooks mother, who is a really excellent woman If the woman's not a doctor then one woman's as good as another and it's foolish going to a stranger hundreds of miles distant for the sympathy which friends at home can better supply. And as for a man not understanding woman's diseases be- cause he's a man, that is the cheapest sort of claptrap. Who have done the doctoring in the past two thousand wears? The men. Where must the modern woman physician go for her knowledge? To schools taught by men and books written by men, If this woman, who claims men don't under stand woman's diseases, should ever take to the study of medicine she'd have to be taught everything she knew by the men, who don't know anything, noo nrd; fn hnr> n-1iy, lem is, how a man who doesn't know anything about woman's diseases can teach a woman to know everything about them. I give it up.'
 Then you wouldn't writer" said Mrs. Lovegood, doubtfully.
 Write? What for?" said her hus- band. Write to woman? Whats the use of writing to a woman? If you want to write. write to a doctor. The first question in sickness is not a ques- tion of sex, but a question of medical ability and qualifications. There's no sex in medicine, anyhow. If you want to write, why not write to man of medical standing. a specialist like Dr. R. V. Pierce of Buffalo. N. Y? You know he's a regularly graduated doc tor You know he's a good one and at the head of great medical institution. You know he's had thirty years ex- perience and has, with the aid of his staff of nearly score of skilled spe- cialists, treated more than half a mil lion women, who freely confided in the integrity of the man and the skill of the physician. President Garfield once said of Dr. Pierce, He is one of the best men in the world and he is. at the head of one of the best medical in- stitutions in the world There's noth- ing new about this free consultation by letter, my dear. It has been a feature of Dr. Pierce's practice for years-in fact for more than a quarter of a cen tury. Write to him, because you'll get the, best advice and no string tied to it, so to speak