The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-01-08
by DIR. Lewis A. sayres.

by DIR. Lewis A. SayFeS.
New York, Jan. elf there are incidents
in the career of any man who has devoted
a lifetime to an arduous profession that
may stimulate others to persevere in the
face of difficulties the career of a con-
scentious physician must afford them,
tri1ing as these incidents may appear in
themselves. After the lapse of nearly
three-quarters of a century, l must confess
that my first two patients died imme-
diately after an operation 1 performed
on them. Wandering into the poultry
yard of my fathers old-fashioned farm
at Bottle Hill, New Jersey, 1 saw two
little yellow chickens that had just been
born united by a cord like that which fas-
tened the Siamese twins together. When
one stood up the other fell down, and i'm
mediately its struggles upset the first.
New Jersey was a slave state then, and
there were thirty or more negroes on the
place. Close by me, as usual, was Pete,
son of black Nanny Peg" and my chos-
en- companion and body servant. Prince,
another negro, was pruning fruit trees in
the garden near by.
Run and get Princes shears" said I
to Pete, and with that had cut the living
rope that held the little creatures to-
gether, and in a moment or two they bed
to death at my feet l put them in my
apron-I was only years of age-and
carried them in TO my mother. l am rs
years old, but 1 remember as if it were
yesterday how she nearly broke my heart
with her reproof for what she considered
cruelty to animals
Now it happened shat it was just about
the time in the morning for DR.. Bishop to
drive UP. The doctor was in my estima-
ton the second citizen in the community
in Importance, the clergyman being first.
Dr. Bishop always drove in style and
this particular morning he came up be-
hind highs Topped, with new harness and
a sleek negro driver. 1t was II when he
arrived generally, and 1t was just at II
that my father was in the habit of going
10 the sideboard and refreshing himself,
with much moderation but great regular
ity l may say from the abundant stores
therein. And DR.. Bishop naturally joined
him. When my mother took the two lit
tie chickens in a preserving jar full of al
cohol into DIR. Bishop that day, l felt i'm
pressed as never had before by his great
ness. And when she came out of the
room where he and my father were, and
found me admiring the bright brass but
tons on the drivers coat, and asked me
if l would like to be a doctor, l unhesita-
tingly answered Yes" L had begun to
think for myself, even then.
Wnvering as to IA Profession.
But was not clearly determined wheth-
er 1 wanted to be a preacher or a doctor
] oil MAJ
that l went out to Lexington. KY, to
spend some time with my uncle, David A.
| Sayre, the first banker west of the Mis-
| sissippi river. The next seven, the best
! years of my life | spent in Lexington,
and attended the Pennsylvania University,
| then a famous institution of learning, the
only one west of the Aleghenes. There
was fine law school and the ablest medi-
! cal school in the West, with such men in
the faculty as DR.. Caldwell, the first
American lecturer on phre nology; DR..
Yandell DR.. Short, DR. Bush, DR.. Drake.
who wrote the Medical History of the
| Mississippi Valley, and DR.. Dudley who
had operated for stone in the bladder
hundred times without losing case. The
medical school was the pride of Lexing-
ton, and young men came from all
over the Southwest 30 attend it's lectures,
I hadn't studied any medicine as yet but
the Presbyterians were so strict that il
| seemed to me they didn't know the differ
euce between amusement and vice-it
wasn't right to laugh on Suuday-so / de-
cided / didn't want to be a preacher. To
my mind there was nothing left but medi-
cine. But ! became so III of a congestiVe
fever, which confused my head so that
l could not study. that ! was brought back
all the way from Kentucky, and stopped
over night in New York at the Astor
House, on the way home to Bottle Hal.
DR.. Bishop. our home doctor, had by this
time been succeeded DR.. II. p Green,
and at his suggestion when ! got to New
York / sent for his brother, DR.. David
Green. He applied blisters all the way
down my spine and drew out a pint of
serum, which Immediately relieved my
| head. The next morning I felt well. I sat
! down and wrote to my uncle in Lexington
that DR.. Green had cured me in one night.
although DR.. Dudley, who had been treat
ing me, hadn't done me any good in six
months. 1t seemed 10 me that Or. Dudley
must have made some vital mistake in INV
case and / proposed now to go to work
and study medicine to find out if / could.
| what the mistake was If / ever did find
IL out l was going out there 10 tell Dr.
Dudley all about 1t. and If didn't learn
It, I'd go ont and apologize, and in the
meantime he could read the letter 10 DR..
Dudley with my compliments
Turning Point in DIR. Sayre's Life.
After this saucy epistle / went TO DR.
Green's Office and tod him OF my resolu
zion. His office was in MS residence, at