The times., 1898-12-16

medical advice by letter. and it says it's
| better to write TO n woman because q
man can't understand a woman, just be-
cause he's man, and 1t says, too that
it's just revolving TO so to a man physi-
clan anyhow" And Mrs. Lovegood stopped
because she was out of breath
II bet you." said her husband. THAT
| the advertlseme't don't say she's wom-
an physician" ''Why, yes it does said
| his wife, as she booked at the advertise
ment again. ''Well. no, | guess It doesn't
| say she's n physician, but ii means the
same thing, for It says that 1t is wom-
an whose experience in treating woman
| diseases is greater than that of any lN-
ing physician. male or female - Mr..
Lovegood chuckled and said, That's
| yha; / love abo-t you my dear. You
| are SO ready TO believe without ques-
| tion when there's bargain IN
view II you We're little fish. I'd catch
you every time with rubber worm If l
put a bargain sign above the hook.
"Oh, 90 be serious for once cried Mrs.
| I.ovegood Then. to be serious he re-
p,ied. This woman doesn't claim to be a
physician. She would claim to be a ply
| sician if she could, because she is trying
TO convey the impression in every other
way than by a direct claim that she is
pbysician. She is not therefore physi-
| clan and can never have practced medi-
! cine. Yet not being a physician and there-
| fore never having practiced medicine, she
| claims to have had experience in treat
! ing woman's diseases greater than any
| living physician Now the question Is,
| since She never practiced medicine, whefe
/! did she get that experience?
We'll, that is so" Mrs. Lovesood soii,e-
what reluctantly admitted, but then she
|
| that. even.' said her husband. 1T LOOKS
| to me as IL some man was 'woranE the
women with the bearded lady act.
| :" Bearded lady act! Do you mean
| to saw that they have dime museum
| freaks for doctors? Why, you must De
| foolish or else amazingly pre)udiceu'
| cried his wife.
| Mr.. Iovegood What 1 mean by the
| .bearded lady act is that some man is
posing as n woman, writing over a won-
| ans signature or using woman as d
| stalking horse. assuming a womans
| character to mis!ead. The bearded lady
| of the show is always freak ana gen
eralIy a fraud. The point In TINS ad-
| vertisement we are discussing 'na. ..i'
| vou are asked to write to a woman the
| implication being that the woman Is
| competent to give and will give you quail
| fled and valuable medical advice Bul
| as II isn't specified that the woman is
| a phvsician. there's no infracuon OF the
law. The probabilities are that there
isn't a qualified doctor around the place
| and the whole so-called medical CORE,
spondence' is done by lot OF girl
| clerks"
"ob." Mrs. Lovegood interjected,
"that's what it means. then, when they
saw that only women see the correspond
| ence? F."
| "Exactly. my dear" continued her hus-
band. And suppose the woman In the
advertisement is Il real woman, and not
the bearded lady there's your dress
maker. who is also n woman, not TO
sneak of Mrs. Flanagan, the cook
mother. who is a really excellent woman.
If n woman's not a doctor, then one
woman's as good as another and II
| foolish going to stranger hundreos OF
| miles distant for the sympathy Whch
friends at home can better supply. Ana
as for a man not understanding woman's
diseases because he's man, that IS the
cheapest sort of claptrap. Who have
done the doctoring in the past two thou-
sand years? The men. Where must the
| modern woman physician go Tor her
knowledge? To schools taught by men
| and books written by men, II this wom-
an who claims men don't understand
woman's diseases, should ever take 10
| the study oil Slit u iiaNS " w
taught everything she knew by the men
who don't know anything, according to
her opinion. The problem Is, how a man
who don't know anything about woman S
| diseases can teach woman TO know
everything about them. give 1t up.
..Then you wouldn't write" said Mrs.
Lovegood, doubtfully.
Write? What for?' said her husband
write to a woman? What's the use of
| {
write, write to n doctor. The first ques-
! ton in sickness is not a question 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 a man of medical standing, q
specialist like DIR. r. V. Pierce, of Buff
/ falo. n. Y. You know he's a regularly
G graduated doctor You know he's a goot
a one and at the head of great medica
institution. You know he's had thirty
wears experience, and has, with the ait
of his staff of nearly score of skil!et
SPECIALISTS treated more than half mil
lion women, who freely confided in th'
j, integrity of the man and the skill o.
the physician President Garfield ono,
n said of Dr. Pierce, he is one of the bes
: men in the world and he is at the heat
a of one of the best medical institutions il
{ the world There's nothing new abou
u this free consultation by letter, my dear
a it has been feature of DR.. Pierce's prac
tice for years. in fact, for more than ;
o quarter of a century. Write to him be
. cause you'll get the best advice and M
y string tied to it, to speak.
. But" queried Mrs. Lovegood. "do yo,
( think even though DR.. Pierce is quail
fled physician, and ranks so high as
e specialist, he can treat disease by cor
respondence?"
i 81 don't see why not" answered Mr.
10 Lovegood. Medical science is wheelin.
v into line with everything else, and drop
It ping the hocus pocus of the middle ages
The divinity that hedged in the prizes
and physician is thing of the past !
:, man is taken for what he is and what h.
' can do. OF course the members of tn
profession who are not specialists woul,
!, naturally fight an innovation which tool
t away their patients and their profits
s But when a new idea makes for publ
good 1t can't be destroyed. They used t
i say no steamer could be built to eros
the Atlantic. She couldn't carry Goa