Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1903-01-30

beneficent IN healing IL devoted TO uu
dermining the purity OF society. il H.
like the soft and velyety paw OF the
leopard. which covers terrible and
merciless claw. Oh, young man about
TO enter the noble medical profession.
l beg of you not to prove false to your
trust beg OF you when you enter
the home OF man who surrenders in
TO your care the life and the safety OF
his children that you never prove I'M
true by advice or action TO the trust
in you!
No matter how brilliant an unprinci-
pied doctor may be. no Christian man
or woman can afford or has any right
to employ him as family physician.
L once heard of n reformed drunkard
who was supposed to be dying. The
physician 10y his bedside said. '-rhP
only medicine which can cure him is
alcohol" Then the wife. who sat near
and had lived through the horrors of
being a drunkard's wife. turned to the
physician and said: Doctor, II the
only medicine which can save him is
alcohol, then / refuse to let him live.
Yes, let him die sober rather than live
drunk"
The Most Ilonorcd OF Men.
The best family physician is the man
who. in addition to the diploma OF the
medical faculty guaranteeing his pro-
ficlency, bears the commentator of
Christ on his private life. The Chris
tan physician is not only among the
most honored of men, but without
doubt he can become the most beloved
of men. He has greater opportunity
for winning the confidence and love OF
men than the lawyer, the statesman.
the author or even the minister. He
has such opportunities OF winning the
confidence and the love Of people that
our foreign missionary societies are
more anxious to send out the Christian
medical missionary than they are to
send the Christian minister, pure and
simple.
1t is the fashion now In certain cir
cles to disparage the physician. Some
people say that not only Is the doctor q
Qu0ck and a charlatan, but they have
no use for physicians at all. They ex-
ultantly boast that they have never
taken any medicine In their lives. They
contend that most people would be far
better off If they never consulted a
physician; that the doctors kill as
many people as they cure, and that
most people are hypochondriacs, which
means that most diseases of the human
race are purely imaginary. But though
some OF us In the past may have boast
ed that VIC had no use for doctors. alas,
there has come time when many OF
us were only too glad to change our
minds.
Some years ago, rs q merchant, on
account of worry and overwork. you
became physically run down. A friend
told you that you ought to see physi-
clan. You sneered at him. but you con-
tinued to grow worse. You became so
weak that you had TO take a carriage
to business. One day you felt an aw-
full pain shoot through your lung
Pneumonia had stabbed your breath
ing apparatus rs with sharp knife.
You uttered cry of pain; you at.
TO stagger to your feet, then
you fell back. white as corpse and
with your forehead covered with cold,
clammy sweat. The clerks bundled
you up and took you home. Your wife
at once rang the telephone and called
the doctor. Then you did not order
the physician out of the house. You
watched him. You knew, as you lay
there, that your life was held in til.
palm of his hand. oh, how faithful
that doctor wasl He came IN the
morning: he came in the evening. When
you had that sinking spell. he came at
midnight. He worked and worked and
worked over you. Yes. you can re-
member II as though 1t were yesterday
when the doctor turned and said:
well, my man, / think the crisis 1,
past. think you will get well But
we have had ii hard fight for your life
yes, an awful hard fight" Then In
that crisis were you not willing TO let
that family physician give to you any
advice he could? II that physician at
that time had come and prayed at your
bedside and as a Christian doctor had
told you about the love OF the Good
Physician Christ, would you not have
listened TO him and have gladly said
"AmenT'
by the recital OF this simple
scene, specimen OF the experience
which at some time or other takes
place In almost every homo, want
you to fully realize your glorious Cos
pei opportunities. / want you to be
able, like the good old DIR. Luke, to 20
TO the patients bed with a prescription
suggested by your medical books In one
hand and spiritual prescription taken
from your Bible In the other hand. i
want you TO be glorious Christian
physician, like DIR. John Brown of Scot.
land or DIR. Rush OF Philadelphia or
Or. James Y. Simpson OF anasthetis
fame or like Bishop Matthew Simpson.
who learned how to be the greatest
preacher OF his day by being
first practicing Christian physician
and by praying at the bedsidfes of his
sick patients. Your gospel work can
be made glorious for God and for the
betterment OF the world IL you will
here and now promise TO love and live
for the Good Physician, who at Laza-
rus tomb called the dead back to life.
Medicines Chief TrIumphs.
But the purpose OF the medical pro-
fession Il nor only 10 mako the sick
well. but also 10 prevent the we'll from
getting sick. We are all ready to agree
that the chief duty Of the good lawyer
IS TO keep HIS clients out Of court. Why
should we not be ready TO confess that |
me chief purpose OF the doctor is to |
Keep his patients as long as possible |
'ut or the hospital and the sickroom7
That the chief triumphs Of the med |
cal profession have been won during |
he last century in the prevention of |
disease rather than In the cure there is |
10 doubt. How have the great plaques |
Which used to sweep over Europe been
laltedf BY the power OF the sword? |
No. By the power OF the bacteriol- |
'gists microscope and the physician's |
Zen. DR.. Earle, leading professor In |
"A a NAll.