Evening star., 1905-10-22

did the next caller, and the next, and yet
again the next. And all the time that the
young man was turning away good money
his own little pile was growing rapidly less
For a period of several months he de-
prived himself of patients by his explana-
ton But one day, when he was beginning
to think that it might be wise to change
his tactics in the interests OF his stomach.
the door bell was rung violently, and when
the ringer was admitted he burst out with:
YOU'RE the specialist in children's dis
eases, aren't you? Well, our baby Is sud-
denly Ill. our regular physician Is away and
my wife, who heard from the neighbors
that you're specialist for children, told
me to get YOU.
cover that the baby was in pretty bad
way indeed But, being really skillful in
such matters, he had the child out of dan
ger in the course of a week or ten days;
send in bill several times the size per-
missible in a general practitioner under
similar circumS mStances.
The parents not only paid the large bill
cheerfully; they also sang the praises of the
new found specialist to all their friends
with children, and in a short while the
young man woke up to the realization that
ha was getting new case on an average
of once a week or thereabouts. And with
all he was remarkably successful, surpass-
ing his fondest hopes and most ardent
prayers; so that before the first year was
over he was In possession of a steady prac-
eral practitioner Of years standing would
have envied had he been aware of its size
This was ten years ago; decade of spe-
cializing has made the doctor independently
rich.
Let another doctor who started his SUBJ
sequent successful career with a bluff tell
In his own words why and how he did 1t:
when I was getting my hospital train
ing I continually heard young physicians
with whom was thrown from time to time
complaining that they were handicapped in
their practice by the old. deep-rooted and
widespread prejudice existing against un-
me rried practitioners.
Now down east there was little girl
who had pledged her love to me before I
had gone to the city. As soon as was
through at the hospital / went to her and
asked her to marry me at once and not
wait until had got started in my practice;
and the chief reason l advanced for such
action was that as my wife she would en-
able me to build UP a practice much sooner
than l could hope to do alone.
"She saw the point at once, sensible lit
tie girl that she has always been, and,
nothing daunted by the fact that 1 had a
very slim pocketbook and no sign out as
yet she trustingly became my wife.
"Our honeymoon was spent in selecting
a locality for my office in New York. We
decided that, as we had started out to over
come prejudices. 1t would be wise not to
overlook the fact that an air of prosperity
is material benefit to a physician; SO we
took big four-story and basement brown
stone front house in good residential Sec
| ton, paid over large share of our pocket
books contents for two months rent, fit
ted up the offices attractively, got the sim
plest Gf furnishings for solitary bedroom
and the dining room. hung lace curtains at
every window in the house. and then. with
the creates portion OF 1t bare and unten-
anted. and with just little more than $500
in cash to our name, started on our perilous
experimental journey.
But we won out; and 1t was our outward
air of prosperity though inwardly were
as poor as church mice, that brought us pa
tients while other physicians who had TAX
en- thought of their slender resources and