The morning news., 1899-12-31
TOLD A DOCTORS SECRETS.
MEMBER OF THE PROFESSION EN-
POSES ITS CHARLATANISM.
Medicine Is often Given Credit for
Cures Nature Performs-Few Ply
sicians Can Diagnose Patients ALL
ments-FataI Complaints Rarely
sues.
From The New York Sun.

Determined Till After Death En-
sues.
From the New York Sun.
The doctor was talking. He does that
frequently and sometimes under impress
sive circumstances. Then meetings of m d.
ical societies listen to him His reputa-
ton among his associates is high. His
word is authority on several subjects and
he stands at the head of one branch of the
profession. So the societies hear him with
pleasure. He is talking to only one man
this time. He was not looking at him,
but his eyes seemed to be fixei through
the smoke of his cigar on something very
different and distant that was probably a
little bit intangible. He seemed absorbed
in that while he was talking.
The cure of cancer?" he said. Cure
cancer? What can medicine cure? 1 ask
myself that question nearly as oftea as
some of my patients put it to me. Medi-
cine cures nothing now and in this stage
of the world has not made one step of es-
sential progress. Can medicine cure tu-
berculosis or typhoid fever or scarlet fe-
yer? Persons get well of some of these
ailments now just as they always did. but
it is not a question of what the doctors
do for them. 1t is the vitality of the man
himself that decides whether he is to de
or to live, if, for instance. he is sick with
typhoid fever Left alone just as he used
10 be before the days of doctors and
nurses, the man would get well if there
was strength in him to struggle against
disease, but if there was not he would have
to die. The same thing is true to-day
The disease runs its course. If man
has appendicitis the surgeon can cut out
his appendix and cure him if it is not 100
late, but of surgery l am not talki, g when
l say that medicine stands no further fog
ward to-day than it ever did l mean in
the eatment of those diseases doctors are
commonly thought to be abe to cure"
Not Medicine, but Sense.
The Doctors gaze at the underlined point
in the stance vas ten po ari.y oi e ed
rot to the float ng cloud of smoke bGt TO
tn bottom Of ass which was soon es-
to ed 10 It's proper place on the marble
tabe.
MY patients come TO me and tell me
ther nerves are out of order or tn ir
stomachs or their hearl and ask me t.
whom they shall go. 1 can send one to
Smith and one to Brown and one to Jon. 5,
accord ng 90 tie famous men in the spe-
cialties for which my patients are seeking
treatment Yet ! know perfectly weI at
not one of them will do very much go
They want staff to ean on, somebody to
help them out of doing what they know
they ought to do. If it is a man who has
nerve trouble he doesn't want to sep
smoking and drinking and begin to take
e2 ercise. He kr ows hat W, uld cure him
if he did 1t long enough and thorough
enough but such abstinence is not want
ed He must go to the do tor who Will
diminish very gra iualy and proba ly " ry
lilt the amount he daily takes of those
supplies which have brought HIM 10 the
diseased condition. If anybody comes with
indigestion all that is necessary l. TO tel
him not TO eat. Let him starve himself:
avoid what he likes, even if ii is a 6epr.-
walton, and he will get well just as quick
ly as the doctor can cure him. The doc
tor must htlp the weak, who are UNIV fin
10 do what they know they ought to do
and who look Tor somebody to give hem
an excuse ior doi0g what they want 10
do. The most striking instance of this at
tltude toward doctors that l ever saw in
my life exists in a famous fore gn spa.
Many English reopla go there annually TO
take the wa ers ard they have made the
reputat on of two physicians that p actice
III tndl IidESs
Their Patients Drink whisky.
These men are known to be incompe-
tent; one of them never had any special
preparation for his work and ne served
several years as an army surgeon, and the
other has never been able to satisfy his
colleagues as to the extent of his medical
studies, although he possesses the neces-
sary diploma. These two men treat year
ly a long string of dukes and countesses,
diplomats and statesmen who come to
them from England. This has given them
a great vogue in the place and they have
many American patients. The Anglo
mania that is rampant in certain classes
of German and French society has put
these men in demand among patients of
those nations, although the continental
visitors have no need of the kind of serv-
ice that first made them popular with the
British These two physicians are the
only ones who allow their patients to drink
whisky 1t is a well-established fact that
the waters from these springs have very
little effect when alcoholic indulgence is
continued along with their use, yet the
Enelishmen who come to this famous place
for gout. liver or kidney trouble all patron
ize these two men solely because they are
able TO take their Scotch whisky twice
day and with no particular limitation as
To quantity Any other doctor who was
conscientious would never permit such
mixed use of the springs by patient
really trying to get well. 1t is tribute
tn the powers of the waters that u spite
of this misuse some of the Bnglishmen
do improve, although not half so much as
thev would with proper treatment. Yet
these are the famous physicians of the
Mace because they are willing to indulge
their patients in what they want TO do,
and not what they know they ought
to do"
Medicine Does Nothing.
THE doctor looked serious again when
the question was put to him whether medi-
cine does nothing now for persons with
serious diseases.
"Notbing.'' he said. ''in the way of cure.
There may be amelioration, but where Is
anv cure for Brights disease. for instance,
or anv disease of really serious character
ihat the world is subject to? A man with
ont vitality enough to pull through ty-
ohoid fever could not be saved by whole
College Of doctors, nor could anybody ever
he cured OF consumption If the whole
world of mecidine devoted its attention to
him. on every side the same situation
will be found In serious matters medi-
line is powerless. A doctor always seems