The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-05-08
SUCCESS rs A PHYSICIAN.
DIR. George /. Sbrady Poipts Out tbe
Way for Young Doctors.

briefly. 10 look upon your profession as
the nobless In the world, and 10 follow II
as sich with courage and enthusiasm,
said DIR. George +. Shrady, the distsn-
guished physician OF presidents. and vet
eran editor of the Medical Record.
But let US begin at the beginning.
continued DIR. Shrady. Let US take the
would-be medical student. standing on
the threshold of his career The question
you ask me is. How is this young man
gong TO succeed as practitioner Oh the
science of medicine?'
I'm the first place, your typical young
man must consider whether or not he Is
suited for the medical profession at all.
Does he experience vocation, an anSo-
lutte call toward the life of a physician?
Does he look upon medicine AS something
far more than mere money-making pur-
suit? Is he content to.adeyote his whole
mind to the study of medical science and
its developments. to study morning, noon
and night, and 10 continue INCREASINGLY TO
study until death shall summon him TO his
reward Unless your young man can
answer these questions IN the Affirmative.
he had better give up all thoughts of
becoming a doctor. and look out for some
more suitable walk in life.
Surprising, however, that a strong
natural inclination toward medicine act
yates him. and that he is capable of grasp
Ing the true scope of that grand profess
sion, your typical student will appreciate
frank talk on the subject of getting on
First of all. he must not dream of Begin
ming his medical studies untsl he has ac-
Quired sound. classical tand, IL possible,
college) education. There is no such thing
as inspiration In medicine. Hard work and
knowledge. together with the Unborn vo-
cation hitherto dwelt upon, are the ply
sicians stock in trade. Therefore. 10 the
would-be student. | say: Go first TO
college and build the foundation Of your
career A college education. or at least.
an education under a first-class pxivate
tutor. is Indispensable.
''You may ask me: IF this be So what
is the poor boy to dos What Is 10 become
of Americas pride. the proverhial penni
less lad who cannot afford college, and
yet wants TO be successful physician:
1t may sound cruel. bat my advice 10 that
boy, il he wants 10 be happy, is to give
up all thoughts of medicine. OF course.
one such lad in a thousand has the real
grit in him. calculated TO overcome all
obstacles. If he really wants to be doe
tor, he will do 4 In the long run; but take
my word for it, he will so through college
first. If he has TO work his way. Such a
boy reminds one OF Wendell Holmes SIM
lie of the horse with the star In his fore
head. The other horses make all the run
ming at the outset Of the race: but look out
a
he is going TO pass the winning post first.
| In the long run.
when your student has taken his de-
gree in arts land in science. too. If pos
| sible). he Is ready 10 take up medicine
but not before No man who jumps out
of high school straight into medical
college can hope to amount to much. II
is just as well to frankly admit right here
that some capital is necessary 10 study
properly Medicine is the most absorbing
OF professions. and no medical neophyte
can afford TO be hampered by pecuniary
considerations. He should be able to re-
main In college until he is 20 or II, and
then TO give his whole working time 10
his four or FIVE years OF medical prepara-
ton Let him not think of eking ont his
subsistence by writing or other forms of
outside labor Even should he obtain a.
degree under such conditions. he cannot be
a competent doctor. Medicine is IA jealous
sweetheart-it allows of no rival.
Here. then. we have Mr.. Typical Young
Man, bachelor of arts. well grounded in
classics and science. conversant with
French and German Uhss is a great desd-
eratum), and about TO enter upon medicine
proper His first step must be TO join a
good medical college. lie can get as good
an education here liz America as he can
In Europe indeed the clinical advantages
are actually better iii New York, Chicago.
Philadelphia and Boston than they are
anywhere else In the world The details
of the four years course may be picked
dp in any college catalogue: and such a
course under the costly conditions now
obtaining. viii cost exclusive of personal
expenses) from $40 TO $40 per year The
degree of NJ d. thus fairly won a year or
more spent by way Of post graduate course.
and in the hospitals, must follow Every
conscientious physician procures hos
4. 49,
world: and he learns more in that last
year than he has done I'm all his previous
term of study. The contagious diseases
hospitals, too. must be familiar ground to
him. Let me give you an anecdote. Illus
trating the grave difficulty under which a
young physician who has not regularly at
tended the contagious wards. must labor.
4 doctor of my acquaintance, since well
known. but then just graduated. was hast
liz r,im;nor,..d to attend a sick child In a
city tenement. He could not diagnose the
little sufferers case. they did not admit
contagious diseases to his hospital The
chids mother, an honest frishwoman.
anxiously inquired regarding her offspring.
4 cold sweat broke out on the physicians
face Already he saw himself dlsgraced
Inundated by lack OF knowledge To
gain time he stammeringly told the woman
that the child was suffering from coniuuct-
wits. i. e., from running al the eyes.
All then. doctor. DEAR remarked his
patients mother rather iiscontentediy.
Won needn't be putting me OFF wild your
long Latin names. Sure, I know VIVA;
measles look like, well you do Tho
word came just in time. 4 case Of measles
ii was and very ordinary one: bat nay
friend would not have recognized the synp-
IONS hut for the mothers lucky inferven-
ton. You can wager that he never made
a mistake about measles again.
III there - enough OF his capital left
after the postgraduate course has ended.
s-our young doct ought 80 study awhile
I'm Europe. and a. she same time increase
his knowledge % modern language. In
this great cosmopolitan country every
physician should be iinguist
"Eouipped thus thoroughly for a prar.i-
cal start In life. let pr. Young Man lay
rot aside his books tfntil death heckons
him away, he Fn-.st read and study All the
new books. all the medical periodicals. al
the latest instruments and cantrsvauees
must he familiar 10 him HE must keep
fully abreast of tile rapid tide 81 medical
Improvement. or else drop hcpeles@ly and
almost cselessly behind. From the day that
/ graduated have never ceased 10 study,