The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1899-02-03
GRIPS GRIM GRIP.
The Malady Prevails TO Alarming Ex-
tent-No Doctor in all Buffalo
District.


Editor Herdid;-The chief topic OF
conversation in the community is con-
corning the strange epidemic that is
prevailing to an alarming extent, for
merly called LdGrippe now plain grip.
1t has taken hold upon the neighbor-
hood bodily and mentally-pains ex-
circulating and fearful forebOdngs of
something dreadful about to happen,
upsetting the whole nervous system.
In some families there are not well
ones left to wait on the sick, and
owing to the distress among the neigh
b0rs little or no help can be rendered
by nearby friends. The popularity of
the disease is that there seems to be
no getting rid Of it, Cold comes upon
cold, and a. one begins to ilatter him
self that he is getting well again,
without exposure or any apparent
cause, he finds himself down again
and worse than he was at first. For
tunately so far few or no deaths have
resulted. The sequel of the disease is
said to be worse than the disease itself,
and what is in store for US in the form
Of pneumonia, consumption, rheuma-
tism and sundry other resultant dis
orders remains to be seen.
Strange to say there is not a prac-
ticing physician in Buffalo district,
space Of country as large as the District
of Columbia. From Buckingham
Courthouse, North of us, to Charlotte
Courthouse on the South, and from
Pamplin City on the West to Farm
vile on the East there is not one that
processes to belong to the gentry of
the pill" Some have conjectured that
perhaps the absence of the doctor from
the community has had something to
do with the low death rate. BE the re-
Election just or unjust, one thing is
certain, when the pains of grip get |
hold of Its victim and the mind fears
that dissolution is approaching and |
is apparently near at hand and the
family drugs have afforded no relief
but seem to have done harm and the |
dear ones feel that they had rather di-
vide the esponsibility, the doctor is
sent for in great haste. but being so far |
of he arrives maybe the second or
third day, and when he does come he |
meets his patient, perhaps, out Of doors,
aud congratulates him upon his speedy |
recovery. These doctors are polite
men and know how to say polite |
things. In some cases a doctor could
very honestly tell his patient he was
glad to see him up Whea he SdW moth
ing ahead, just as a good hearted old
lady truthfulIy said to a disagreeable
woman who was about to move out of
the neighborhood, 81 will miss you ever
80 much"
On the other hand when the sick get
well without the aid of the doctor, they
often rejoice in the fact that they have
no Doctors bill to pay and congratu-
late themselves that they have some
thing to pay the preacher, but like
many sick mems resolves, they fail to
mdteridiize.
In spite of what men may say "in
throwing Off on doctors,n much could
be written and enough to fill columns
in honor and praise for the real down
right charity in its unstinted abund-
ance that physicians dispense in the
communities in which they move.
There is no class of men who do more
genuine kindness to their fellOw-beIngs |
than physicians. No one knows but
the physician himself his anXieties,
his perplexities, his discomforts, his
feeling of responsibilities, his hopes,
his personal sacrifices, his sympathies,
his distress. When his last dose is
given and he sees his friends weeping
around him and calling upon him to
do more, then he feels the hOpelessness
of his mission and almost in despair as
he wends his lonely way to his home,
is sorry that he ever gave himself to
tho obnioa Of guab life II / q