Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-06-18
AT The DISPENSARY

lessness he explained th,.1 he was poor, he
could not raise that much money In six
months, and in that time the child would
lose the sight of his eye. The specialist wa
Vered hesitated, and was lost. What could
the father raise to save his child's sight :?
One hundred dollars was the limit and this
only at tremendous sacrifice and through
hard hours of overwork on the part of the
father.
The operation finished the bill was rem
dered, and there came to the surgeon
check from the office of hourishng manu-
featuring plant in Jersey City. He later as
ceftained that the father, the hopeless
deprecatory creature who had fairly grovel-
ed IN his office, was the head and front Of
the manufacturing concern, and would
never have felt the loss of the $500.
A cancer specialist operated on and saved
the life of wine importer. He received
for the work fee of $500. Six months
later young girl, related to the wine i'm
porter, was taken Ill with bowel trouble
she had heard of the miracle performed on
her relative, and, frightened by the pain
sent for the specialist. AT first he could not
ascertain the exact nature OF the difficulty.
and came to the house twice a day Later
IL proved to be only trfling matter which
needed, however, the attendance of a physi-
elan, lest it turn into something more seri-
Gus. The specialist said TO the young
woman;
Who Is going to pay your biIl?'
W. ny, am when l get well again ana
earn the money
Have you no relatives to help your said
the doctor.
No, said the girl.
Have you no money in the bank?
The answer was in the negative for she
was typical city girl who lived up to the
tip of her salary each week.
Then you had best let me send YOU an
other and less expensive physician You
already owe me Si00 for ten visits at $40
each. 1t will take you some time to save
money and pay me. 1 can send you a physi-
clan who will charge only 81 for his visits
and who is perfectly capable of handling
case like yours"
The woman flew into a rage and later all
her callers were entertained with garbled
details of her experience, in which the
heartlesc, mercenary specialist was held up
gone to the hospital whose staff this
specialist is numbered she would have had
his services free. and it was in hospital
that a penniless, improvident girl belonged.
She has paid her bill to this day,
though entirely well, and she is still talking
about the specialists desertion of her in
her hour of need Should the physician fol-
low very frequent custom of the day and
turn her account over to a lawyer or a
collecting firm, he would merely cost her
her position and in the end fail to secure
the amount due him.
II
X
Another case which occurred In q small
city was for a long time cited as heartiess-
ness on the Doctors part, because the gem
eral public knew nothing of the circufn-
stances. A seIf-willed girl left comfort
able home provided by a married brother
and went the pice that kills. She landed
in private hospital with appendicitis The
surgeon called upon to operate babe the
nurses wait until he called up the girls
brother-a city official drawing a large SAL
ary He demanded that the brother come
to the hospital and sign a paper holding
himself responsible for the payment of his
sisters bill.
of heartiessness are something that can be
understood only by those who have lived in
small cities where news travels from stoop
to stoop and porch to porch. Yet the physi-
clan was entirely right The hospital was
struggling for existence. unasSisted by mu-
nicipai authorities. Its charity wards were
overfiowing and there was no reason why
the girl who had wisifully left her home
should not be cared for by this brother, who
was perfectly able to help the hospital In its
good work. Many patient facing crisis
or rallyiug from an operation thinks how
promptly he viii pay the attending pliysi-
clan, but when life once more courses
through his veins. with pleasures draining
his purse, the good resolutions are apt to