The age-herald., 1900-12-22
SKETCHES FROM
 EVERYDAY LIFE

There are only two ways of becoming a doctor in Alabama" said one of Birmng- hams well-known young physicians "One is to pass an examination before one of the county boards of censors or else to pass an examination before the state board. The latter course is not considered quite the thing in medical ethics but the proper way is to pass an examination before the board or the county in which the physician in- tends to practice. In Alabama it makes no difference how many college diplomas a man may have, he can't practice medicine in the State until he has stood such an ex- animation. This board consists of five phy- sieians Who are elected for term of five years. Each one examines the applicant two departments of medicine, making ten divisions of the science which every physi- clan must knew. The Birmingham board are an especially able set of men, as would nat urally be expected in the largest county in the State, and one which contains fine medical college, and many of the young pnYscfans shrink from their examina ton. A slick trick that many of them work is to go before the board of some obscure county, pass their examination and come to Birmingham to practice
 'T met a young doctor once who had grad uated at a medical college. but whose cour- age failed him at the thought of appearing before the Birmingham board of censors. I tried to bolster up his courage, and at his request gave him the set of questions which they had propounded to me- Cen sors, like other people, get into ruts and the questions propounded from year to year are more less the same This set of questions the young man studied over, hoping that most of them would be pro- pounded to him. It happened, however, that just prior to his examination the censors had made an all round change of subjects and the one Who had the subjects of sur gerry and obstetrics took chemistry and Therapeutics, etc. The result was an en- tirely new set of questions, which com pletely~ foored the would-be physician. He disappeared, and I have never seen him since
 Mine men out of ten" he continued, when standing an examination if asked a question on a subject concerning which they are igorant, will attempt to make some kind of answer instead of frankly saying they don't know. I suppose this is due to a widely prevalent idea that examiners do not read all of an examination paper, but skim over 1t, only reading 1t here and there People who have this idea may as well learn that such is not the case. One of the questions asked us at the examination 1 attended was describe the origin, distribu-> t1on and function of the glosso-pharangyeal nerve Briefly this nerve has to do with the sense of taste, but one of the students duSNeTeu that II was a great DIE nerve that comes out of the head I don't know where it comes out, but 1t gets out and goes down on the chest and that's where @you get cold Another question which puzzled some of them was give diagnosis, prognocis and pathology of tabes dorsalis.' One student answered that this. was the method of catching 'em agwine or a comin'.'
 He had some faint idea of the disease for it is what is commonly known as loco- motor ataxia which makes a man just as liable to step backward as forward"
 All tricks" said a gentleman who is fond of the occult, appear wonderful until you know how they are done. When the mystery is explained the trick is seen to be so simple that a childd could perform it. There is no such thing as spiritualism supernatural powers. All the wonderful things done by these fakirs the stage are tricks pure and simple. They are won derfully clever tricks and no one can find out the secret unless he is told by some one who knows There is, however, a free ma sorry among magicians and as secrecy is their stock in trade, they will not tell on each other. To illustrate how simple the best tricks are l will explain one. Some one is asked to write a question at their home on sheet of paper and seal it i'll an envelope. To prevent il being read through the envelope several sheets of white paper can be wrapped around the sheet on which is the question; the whole is then sealed up in an envelope and to prevent it being opened by steam, sealing wax can be used AS a further precaution to prevent the edges of the envelope being opened they can e-sewed all around with thread and to prevent this from being taken out, the envelope opened and other thread put back the ends can be tied together and sealed with wax. The wax be stamped with private seal The envelope is then taken to the theatre where the magician is exhibiting and handed to him. He takes it in a cabinet closes the door, comes out and informs the questioner of what Is writ ten inside This appears very wonderful but the magician simply uses embryo scope, by means of which he read through many eight sheets of plain paper which might be placed between the envelope and the writing inside. This em- bryoscope is an instrument which throws a powerful light focused through a small opening and is usually used to see whethe eggs are fresh, and to watch the process of hatching. By means of it a magician or fakr can read letter through an ordinary envelope as readily as If there were no en- velope at all. It is a kind of cousin f@the X-ray.