The Washington herald., 1908-06-21


telling about some Of his examines TO
the New York Sun reporter.
wonderfully healthy lot, from child
:.ood's hour. most of these fellows, to
hear them tell IT," he said. Hardly one
OF them ever had so much as a toe ache
n ell his born days.
The deadly earnestness with which
t!.ey tell me these things doesn't become
less diverting because I see and hear so
much Of It. I firmly believe that most
o: these good fellows believe what they
cay. az least for the moment
g. never let on that I think these eI-
aminees are arduously endeavoring 10 de-
celve themselve-and me What would
be the use? II they've got themselves
70 thinking that they are right physical
ly and are not they'll know It when / tell
them. II they know that they're not
right physically and expect to bluft 1t
through they're in again for a dlsillU-
s'onment
80 my only way when they're telling
100 ell about however blessed IN the mat
"a Of health they've been all their lives,
is to look guIltless Of wise. or a little o.
both, and then go ahead and find out for
myself how they measure up physically.
only yesterday weazened but merry
faced little man Of 45 or so treated me to
an exhibition Of what I may call agree
able brass that made II hard for me not
20 laugh in his face. He told me at the
ootse; that despite his rather poor color
which OF course I noticed at once. he was
a. trig as a new red sled and always had
been.
'TouU find thac exam ming me will
Prove a mere matter of form. Doc
he said 20 me breezly. The kind Of
health pack around with me always has
been a scource Of scandal IN my neigh
borhood. Never even had growing pains
when was a boy, nor the earache. Why,
say, I've been across the Atlantic half
dozen times. and I never could even get
seasick. Guess I was born tough
We'll, / hadn't had my ear on the left
side Of him for more than five seconds be-
fore discovered that he had heart that
did its work like a creaky windmill and
that stood quite still and skipped couple
OF beats just about whenever II felt like
IT,
Hearts n little eccentric I told him.
Whose? Nine? said he. looking
greatly mystihed. Ny heart is eccen-
trio, you say?'
Yes. I told him. Decidedly eccen-
trio. 1t lays Off every little while and
forgets nbout its job Been that way
longT
Doc you amaze me- exclaimed the
merry faced weazened little man. You
certainly do. I am shocked. sure am.
My heart wrong2 Most astonishing thing
ever heard IN my lfer
Really. he was so tremendously IN
earnest about it that 1 couldn't deter
mine whether he was giving me an exhi-
bition OF skillful acting or whether he
really believed that his heart was nor
NAL. He appeared to be a keenly dsap-
pointed and perturbed little man while
he was resumlng his apparel, FOR OF
course there was no possibility Of his be-
ing recommended for a policy with his
kind Of heart. For all his disappoint-
ment he handed me a keen little shot
when he started out.
" Yes. Stree. said he. certainly am
surprised az what you tell me. I'm going
20 see a medical man about IT, and ne
accentuated medical man with such
obviously intended malice that l couldn't
help but laugh.
Others when l am forced TO tell them
that they have things the matter with
them that must cause their rejection for
policies get mad. Several months ago
examined a man who 1 could see at a
glance was in a bad way from habitual
heavy drinking.
You take quite some liquor. I Judge
l said TO this man.
Oh. little he replied quite ofrhand.
Take a nip when I feel Ike I want IT.
How often might that be?' I asked
him.
Oh. don't keep count Of my drinks.
he came back, haring bit. I can touch
t or leave It. Rum Is nothing 10 me-
Well. I felt In duty bound TO tell him
then. you are TO understand that I
speak purely in a professional sense, and
not. OF course. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS out
side my province. 1 am forced TO tell
you. though. that you nre IN an extreme
ly bad way from liquor. Your kidneys.
Judge, are wording under extreme pro.
test. and imagine thai your liver is IN
pretty leathcry condition. AS you
stanc row you 5eem TO me to have an
excellent chance 20 depelop cir-hosis OF
the liver, solely. Of course, because o.
your excessive Indulgence in alcohol.
He was one OF the hngrlest men eyer
examined. He clawed around and shooS
his fist ane declared that no man could
declare him to be n drunkaro without
having 10 answer for It, and when he
walked out OF the examination room ard
let him have Il 90 himself.
Il did only tho fair thing by .hu. man
In telling him where he stood physically.
Did he need It? Well. OF course no.
Some men who look as Il they ought 70
know better arc more hnicaI even than
women with respect TO trivial defects in
their ply sical makeup. Last month I ex-
anined man or forty or so who at ono.
approved himself 20 me as o good risk
He wac quite unusually sound in every
particular. ard. the main examination
over l was winding up what we cal!
the trlmm!ngs-ths minor points % the
examination.
Kindly open your mouth as wide as
possible L requested him. desiring TO see
his tons!ls and sucn like.
I could see him stiffen under the re-
quest. and knew tho reason why. had
seen as soon os he entered tho examina-
ton room that he had a whole mouthful.
upper and low rows. of false teeth on
plates. That was his sensitive point.
What's my mouth got to do with this
examination ha asked me BIT crisply
Il told him that the mouth screened
certain physiological devices and cen
traptions that had 10 be passed UPON by
tho medical examiner.
Well. my mouths all right he said
quite curtly. I guess you can take my |
word that far If I'm right in every other |
essential respect 1 guess my mouths not
going 70 make me poor risk
I had. in order TO conform to the com
pany's rules. 10 insist upon his giving |
me view Of the interior OF his facial |
orifce. 1 made wretche6 blunder. how !
ever, IN my effort to mollify him by /
adverting 70 his teeth