Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1909-10-12

We turn to the date OF 1926, and run
over a month or two Of his charges to
get the average rates of his tariff In
those days. We run across many Of
those tooth-pulling items. The charge
is always the same, seventeen cents.
Visits to patients, where no charge
was made for drugs, are entered at
thirty-three cents. But the country
doctor was then also travelling
apothecary. In a dingy, small black
trunk 1--WE have the trunk, and 1t still
smells Of drugs, and vividly recalls the
old doctor) he carried the tooth-puller,
lancet or two, and small stock OF
the druggiest kind of drugs-tough old
favorites Of the heroic practitioners Of
the old school-a small list of which
were made to do service in all sorts Of
diseases, and which were administered
in heavy doses, as the old book Of
charges shows. But though the medi-
cines were heavy, the charges were
light. Fifty cents often covered q Wis
it and the cost Of several medicines
furnished. And these visits generally
involved the harnessinS up Of the doc
tors faithful, fast little horse-he al
ways kept two good horses, which, for
effect or of necessity, he always drove
at the rate Of ten miles an hour. The
sight Of the doctor in his light, open
gig, flying over our country roads, was
such a common one that we would
hardly turn from our hoeing to give 1t
a second glance, unless We had an
idea that he had some new and sud-
den call of some case Of sickness we
had not heard of.
The great majority Of the doctors
visits were made to chronic patients,
whose cases were familiar to all
which had been talked about year In
and year out. There was the Widow
Jones, who had been dying from the
dropsy for many a year, and who
had to be regularly tapped by the doc
tor. We always looked upon this
operation as something wonderful, and
the doctor himself spoke Of his doings
in this line with proud satisfaction.
There was the case Of Sally Smith,
who had been bedridden for ten years.
The doctor had to pay her regular Wis
its. though he never gave her much
medicine. Many years after the doc
tor had gone to his long home, Sally
took a notion to get we'll" under the
skilful care Of some quack who had
Yankee shrewdness to discover that
there was nothing the matter with her.
and so in some unexplained way got
her on her legs once more. Sally af-
terward got married and raised fam
lily. Then there was the case Of Peter
ed the thirty-years' consumption; and
Mrs. Davis, with chronic rheumatism
so bad that her distorted joints were
sight to behold; and old Captain Rob-
erts, who had had what he termed
liver complaint ever since we could re-
member; and Miss Cynthia Tasker,
who was always in feeble health, yet
somehow lived to be eighty years old;
and the Towle boy, whose bones were
made Of so poor material that he al
ways had on hand for the doctors at
tention a broken limb. And speaking
Of broken limbs reminds Us of our
own painful experience. One day the
doctor came flying over the road to
us, for We had been slung upon the
hard December ground from the bare
back Of our runaway horse, getting
from the fall broken arm. The men,
ory of the hard pulling upon that brok-
en- arm comes vividly to mind as we
write. The doctor tugged and sweat
to get 1t into place, and we writhed
and roared under the operation.
The heaviest charges upon the doc
tors books are for certain visits re-
quiring often all-night detentions. One
of these, which may be taken to illus
trate old-fashioned medical rates,
stands thus: John Rollins, to an all
night visit to his wife, $3.50" There
Is no larger single charge in the book
than this. John lived seven miles
charge covered the ride in that old gig,
and the whole night away from home.
Our old doctor was a very busy man.
He always endeavored to go to church
at least half a day on Sunday. But
when in church it was no uncommon
thing for him to be called out Of
meeting to attend some sick bed. And
what sensation Of sympathy would
run through the quiet congregation as
the good doctor would quietly glide
down the broad aisle to meet the ser-
Gus messenger. And how quickly, af-
ter the service was ended, would every
one in that kind-hearted assembly
know just where the doctor had been
called, and just how much the caller
needed his services.
AS we today run over the old doc
tors daybook, we call to mind the fact
that all the patients and the old doc
tor himself sleep the sleep that knows
no waking. All his skill and all his
powerful drugs could only ease their
passage to the rural graveyard now
so populous, and where so many gen.
eraticns Of the towns people rest un-
der the sod. Follow through the old
book of charges the doctors connec-
tion with one and another of these de-
parted patients, and you will be struck
by the fact that they all must have
swallowed a vast quantity Of the doc
tors pOtions before the day came when
even the confident doctor would come
to the conclusion that he might as we'll
not open the old black medicine trunk.
The doctors death was a sudden
one, and he had no opportunity to ex-
pertinent upon himself In his last
hours One pleasant Sabbath morn
ing, while sitting quietly in his pew
at church, one ear listening to the
good preacher, the other alert for the
oft coming summons from the porch,
messenger he little dreamed Of see
ing that morning came all unobserved
and touched him lightly on the shoul-
der, and called him away from his old
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