Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1902-10-18
THE DOCTOR
WHO LEFT
copyright, 1902, by c. B. Lewis.l

OF hundred or us at turkey BenQ ana
no doctor within thirty miles of the
camp. Now and then miner fell sick
and died, but we argued that his tiLlo
had come and he couldn't have been
saved anyhow. There was pot Of tar
for cuts, pot of grease for sprains and
bruises and if any one felt that his in
ternal economy needed bracing up ne
went out and dug bcarwOOd or gath
cred bark from tree. If n miner was
really i'll, his tent mate nursed him as
we'll as possible, which consisted In
washing his feet, cutting his hair and
asking him whether he wanted to be
buried on the hillside or in the valley,
but it was considered point of honor
not to fall sick. Now and then stray
doctor passed through the Bend and
left a few doses of calomel or Quinine
behind, but we were not prepared for
the surprise when a stranger sat down
among us one day and announced that
he was "Jim Ford, phys, surg and
doc" AS far as his personal looks
went, he might have been taken for a
wagon driver who had got the bounce
and was picking up the next best
thing, but looks often belle man in
a mining camp.
We rather liked the idea of q doctor
coming among us, as it helped to dig
nifty the camp, but old Joe Hurry, who
had been elected as general boss"
felt it his duty to call upon the man
and say:
Look yere, stranger, ar ye wllin'
to answer a few questions about yer
self?"
"Oh, certainly" was the prompt re-
ply.
"Ye claim to be a reg'lar doctor. do
ye?'
81 do, sir. l am a graduate of six
different colleges, and have practiced
for ten years in Illinois,"
THAT Orter pass" said old Joe. who
didn't know whether the doctor grad
uated from Il college or woodward.
Got a stock of medicine with ye?"
Enough to last for year, sir. Here.
try my elixir for general lassitude.
It's my own compound, and it works
like 4 charm"
He handed Joe a pint bottle of good
whisky, with a little wintergreen
rubbed on the cork to get up an OdOr,
and after taking a swig the old man
smiled all over his wrinkled face and
said:
Il don't know nuthn' bout medi-
cines, 'cept calomel and ointments,
but believe if | was dyin' that elixir
would draw me back from the grave.
7 nI-nn Ii, rio nd
bizness. thought at first that We
looked like a man who'd run saw
mill or driv' six mewl team but see
| was mistOOken."
What old Joe thought and said set
tied it with the rest of us. though we
didn't accept the newcomer as literally
as he did. However, Ford soon Sc
cured confidence enough to insure his
being called on, if any one needed his
services, so long as there was no COM
petition in the medical profession at
Turkey Bend.
His first case was that of Sam
Adams, who had nothing more serious
than bilious attack and wouldn't have
been laid up beyond thirtysiX hours
if there had been no doctor to send for.
Sans pulse was counted, his tongue
inspected and his eyelids turned back.
and Dr. Ford solemnly said:
ITS n case of what we call febris
finitus, or water on the brain. l may
possibly save you, but had you waite.
five seconds longer before calling me
your clavicle would have been driven
through your diaphragm and produced
mortal fatality"
He didn't have any more of the elixir,
having consumed it himself. and
whether he dosed Sam with antimony
or corn salve we never knew. What
ever it was, it killed the miner in about
three days, and the doctor got out of it
by explaining:
"IIe was beyond saving. He had
probably inherited febris tinitus from
his parents, and working with the
shovel and pick had gradually pushed
the ventricle against the pulmonary
pylorus until the hearts action was
stopped"
We accepted the explanation, and
he was next called in to see miner
named Dobbs. The man had a touch
of rheumatic fever, but his case was
diagnosed as ''tranScendent case of
carotid artery threatening to interrupt
the workings of the lateral tibia," and
he was dosed accordingly. AS near
as we could learn, the dose was made
up of rosln, black pepper and bacon
grease, and perhaps the fever killed
Dobbs instead of the medicine. At any
rate, he died in Il couple of weeks. and
the doctor could not have saved him.
Two other miners were taken ill, treat
ed and sent to their long homes within
the next fortnight, and then we began
to have doubts of the skill of DR.. Ford.
He was treating Tom Holden for what
he diagnosed as n redundant cOnsid-
Grafton of the liver" and Tom was
growing steadily worse when old Joe
Hurry put up job. He was as healthy
as whale and as hard as flints. but
he went to bed and sent for the doctor,
and the doctor said to him:
Il can save you, but it will be a
close call. | find that the auricle has
a tendency to crowd the cartilage, and
the cerebellum is moving over to re-
place the sciatic pleXus 1t will be a
month before you can be out again."
But it wasn't. 1t wasn't more than
q minute before he was up and out
and his boot was striking the "DhyS