The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1907-10-08
THE UNTVERSTTY--DR.
WILMINGTON

By T. B. KINGSBURY.

struetor in English.
Harvey Ha.chcr Hughes, "A. T., In
tructo IN EagIish.
Writing but recently OF my depart
ed friend. the yeyy ri-hly gifted DR.
William r. Howard. I ~purpoac.y omit
ed Instance OF his great skill in MS
profession. = lew days after my im-
perfect ketch Of him appeared.
received a latter from my friend, Mr..
Henry a. Boyd. a leading lawyer OF
the Warreaton Der relative to DR.
Howard. so l0rE a resilient in that
town. He gave ire an impressive in
cident that occurred in TIC ffties N
his fathers family. the late Mr.. John
f. Boyd. whom had the pleasure
OF knowing personally. and who was
one of the most prominent citizens
Of that then rich n eXcellentiy pop
ulated county Of Warren formerly 4
part of Granville county His father
was desperately i'll with pneumonia,
from which he never entirely recov-
cred. His physician. DR.. Skinner, was
Of reputation. DIR. Howard was called
to see him in extremity ] quote from
the letter:
He examined him and after com
pleting his diagnosis he turned to
Skinner and said to him: Skinner
there is but one chance for him and
hat is an overdose OF morphine,
which is as p to carry him off and
it is to pull him through. but he will
certainly die without it."
said Skinner in reply: "I believe
you are right. but I cannot take the
risk Well said Howard. I will and
he gave him the drug. It saved his
life. but the lung was so contracted
on that side that 1t drew his shoulder
down probably an inch below the level
of the shoulder"
Let me give q case I am fully ac-
quainted with Of another kin alto
gether. A highly accomplished school
teacher visited my family at Warren
tom. The morning she arrived. she
was urged by wife and me to consult
DR.. Howard. She replied that h
was on her way to New York to con-
suit a specialist. 1t was urged that
DIR. Howard was a general and par
ticular specialist Of the first order,
| and she should see. him. I sent for
him and introduced him to her. They
had never met before and never saw
each other again. He was not more
than five minutes in her presence.
Inquiring as to her condition. h
showed him her mouth which was
without skin and had been raw inside
for quite six months. She had been
all that time attended by a physician
of high repute. but with not the leaAt
benefit. DIR. Howard at Once pulled
out his writing book. wrote three
prescriptions, numbered in order and
said: When you get to New York,
whittier you are going, have these
/ prescriptions prepared AZ a first-class
drug store. and AXE them IN the or
der Of their numbering. ] an in
hopes that when YOU nave taken No.
5 YOU will be well Of your trouble He
left ct cnce. That was il 1856. She
re urned her journey the next morn-
ms. \ week later she wrote: Il
have taken N0. /, and am sorry 10
ray I am no better" BY the niddIe
Of the mex week. another letter came.
1t read: Eureka. 1 took less than
helf of No. .. and am perfectly well"
h never q the slightest return OF
her very painful affection, and lived
to be more than eighty years of age,
or more than forty years after she
parted from DR.. Howard. There are
stranger things than these shat
might be given. one By odds the most
wonderful I ever heard OF or read OF.
But | foroear. A great physician has
ceased to bless the human family. Let
his name be cherished. The lady
asked tho Doctor as ne arose 70 leave
her presence: What DO | owe you?"
He said, Two dollars" This was the
small charge Of a doctor of the first
rank quite fo-ty-one years ago. He
Hau TlGQen a mile anu z n2IT TO al
tend her. Her first doctor q treat
ed her in vain for six months.
When I came to Wilmington to re-
side in September 1876, the popUla-
ton was not more than 1880. 1
think it has quite double in popula-
ton since that time. I have been
visiting sections lately in the city that
I had not seen for some years. There
are streets I used to walk and ride in
that l do not recognize as l pass
through them now. Only last week I
was riding with a friend through a
street not more thar seventh from the
Cape Fear River. and I really did
not know in what street l was riding.
and I could not have told in wnich
part OF the city I was passing through.
In July last the city Inspector report
er over zoo residences built within i've
years. Many large stores. other great
buildings. a fine court house. costing
500, 600, 1 think. a very handsome.
large postoffice. a jail. several
churches. temples. etc, have been
erected since 1880 or later. The
streets as YOU walk them are not the
same. owing to the numerous build
ines that nave been built. Many OF the
streets need looking afte- badly al
there is large space for improvements
and progress Proper. thorough SAN
itation is greatly de-7a-9ed. The death
rate for thirty years has been excee-
sive. I suppose W~ilnlington's trade
Is FIVE times greater than it was in
1880. There is inspiring SCR In
its comm ercial work g~enerallE. !
cannot doubt that within the built up
PARTS of the city there are some az
900 OF more actual b;tants. Build
ing is being pushed in all directions,
and soon u massive six story depart
nent building with eco rooms will
ave been com pleted at Market and
Firth streets, directly opposite to the