River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1902-05-22
PRACTICE INHERITED.
ers Sometimes Fall Heir to an
Extensive Patronage.

One of the elements that enter large
ly into the success of a young doctor
is the selecting of an office in a house
that has been previously occupied by
an older physician.
when | started in business 80 years
ago." said an old physician speaking
on the subject, relates the New York
Times, this principle was instilled
into my mind by one of our professors,
and my own observation has convinced
me that it is good one. 1t is fact
that no matter what our circumstances
or station, most Of us are slaves to hab-
it, especially in the matter of medical
treatment, and when the people in
block become accustomed to assoclat-
ing a certain house with doctor, that
is where they will go when they tino
themselves in need of his services.
1.-THE fact that the doctor is young
ster who has stepped suddenly into the
shoes of an old practitioner who may
have been located there for years does
not alter the situation. The great
majority of the floating population or
New York have no regular doctor, and
when their physical organization gets
so badly out of killer as to require
attention, they decide bluntly upon
the one with whose sign they are the
most familiar. Here is where the
young fellow profits by living in
house that has been the abode "of
doctor for so long that everybody IN
the neighborhood knows just where
to put his finger on him. The man
himself may be total stranger, but
the fact that there is a doctor at No.
1875, for instance, is part of the blocks
erudition, and consequently, it is at
No. 126 that the neighbors seek relief
from their aches and pains.
"Of course, it behooyes the young
doctor to give some thought to the
character of his predecessor. l was
so unwise as to neglect this precaution.
1t took me several months to discover
nv mistake, but when / did find out
that / had been laboring on the wrong
tack all the time speedily broke camp
and moved into more favorable quar-
tiers. When I look back upon the cir
they seem very funny. The man who
had occupied my back parlor just prior
to my own tenancy was constant tip
pier. Indeed, so steadily did he irrl-
gate his inner man that he didn't know
what a prescription looked like half
the time, much less being able to
write one. Because of this chronic
disability, for which he was noted up
and down the street the visits of his
patients were like those of angels.
'',rhe house had been advertised for
so long as the office of that doctor
who is always drunk that when L
took possession l straightway inner"
tied the odium attached to his name;
and even though was well-nigh tee
totaler, you couldn't have hired any
body thereabout to allow me to dag
nose disease.
81 know of another case where a
mans whole career was shaped by this
same thoughtlessness. Like me, he
had failed to consider the character
and reputation of the late tenant OF
the house where he decided to locate.
none of the evil reports that curtailed
my usefulness, but he suffered almost
as much, in the beginning, from an
other cause. Great responsibility
with which he had unwittingly saddled
himself, was the source of his anxiety.
The man whom he succeeded had been
a very successful specialist, and by no
process of reasoning could my friend
convince the populace that he was
not an expert in the same diseases. In
fact, he didn't spend much time in try
ing to concince them. | believe he did,
Indeed, put up few arguments to the
first person who called for treatment,
but since he knew almost as much
about that ailment as any other, he
tackled the case with the assurance of
a practical hand.
Ellis first experiment turned out so
well that he felt justified in persever-
ing on that line. Accordingly he aban-
doned the intended role of general
practitioner and followed in the foot
steps of his predecessor. AS result of
that happy chance in selecting loca-
ton he is now, and has been for years,
a specialist whose word is law among
his associates.
''It would be well for all young doc
tors to consider this phase of the
question before settling down to prac-
tice. Of course, it is not always pos
sible to secure offices that have been
recently vacated by good doctors, but
the opportunities are by no means
rare, and the young man who avails
himself of one of them will find the
road that he has to travel smoothed
not a little"
LIGHTNING nn the Safety Rnnoa