The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-10-16

Somebody has called medicine the
z art conjeCtural.' and 1T must be, for
its graduates differ about 1t tremen-
dously and leave the poor patient and
his relatives in terrible state OF
doubt and fear. He will die unless he
is operated on at once" says, Dr.
Jones. IAN operation would be fatal
to the PATIENT says DR. Smith. I'VE
must have a consultation" says a
frightened wife or child. and they send
for rthe, great Or. Robinson" Ho
comes. stays half an hour, pokes,
punches. investigates. discovers
brand-new disease sometimes, pre-
scrihes something that makes the dear
patient thousand times worse. and
sends in a bill that gives the fam
lily commissions almost II he is a
foreign specialist it is about $4,000;
deeply into the, salaried pocket unless
he is one of those men who are like
Dickens's Mrs. Lllyvick, "a hangel
and not man." 1t is noble pro-
in 1T, too. The habit OF relieving suf-
fering. the power to do 1t, tempts many
a physician into doing thousand
times more than he ought to do, in
famly--very often for mean base and
thoroughly ungrateful people, too. con-
temptible people! The modern habit
OF employing specialists for everything.
from chiropody to cancer. is doubtless
& very good thing along certain lines
and up to a certain point, but 1t has
one weals suit. The old country doc.
this advantage over his modern sue
cessors-that of knowing the consti-
tuition. heredity, antecedents, lives,
dence and affection supported him IN
his turn in all tentative efforts to help
them and cure them and comfort
them. And his position among them
of their pastor, IN reverence and honor
and love. It was beautiful and help
ful relation on both sides. Whereas
in these days. when physicians. like
tachments in some of the hustling,
communities, at least. to the women
who dance in the sun and suck some
workers life blood" and the caprici-
patient" who likes nothing so much as
to change her doctor, criticize her doc
tor, abuse her doctor, except to talk
him deaf. dumb and blind about her
case" (servants, children, dressmaker,
husband, tradespeople, friends, enemies.
peculiar foRdness for oysters and views
on politics and the latest novel thrown t1r
him in the ante-room and an engage
ment at a hospital confronting him or
some critically III patients to be seen
nowadays, and not half SO pleasant to
be a patient II somebody could in
vent an apparatus warranted to cut
short without giving offense the pro-
1uSe fe!ndle patient, WHO, line dil etuS. |
tioneer is always going. going, til,
the busy doctor is sometimes Obliged
to say and thankful to say gone" what
blessing it would be; for we nave
shutting out everything you don't
want to hear" and it took doctor to
write 'till silence, like a poultice, comes
10 heal the blows OF sound"-We ndell
Holmes In no other profession or
positions save that of husband, IS
man SO entirely at the mercy OF
Niagara Of feminine eloquence, burst
ing all bonds. united with o Ienn my fars
ever" thousand horse power, merci-
less, never-ending and seldom stop
ping even to take breath, talkatiVe
woman. Every doctor knows them,
and would rather prescribe for the
whole American army often than hear
about her case" even once. But ne IS
Obliged often to sit In mis- once charl
and listen, listen, listen with stead!ly
decreasing patience and interest TN, as
he can neither run away nor shut or
the awful. devastating current ne does
beefsteako .duckly" and scientifically
gets rid of her by looking at his watciI
With guilty theatrical start, as OF a
person Who has been too enchanted to
mark the flight OF time, and then bolt,
or edging the lady '.regretfully" to
his office door, and parting from her
with profound bovine e pow &c, o.
men give point to Rip Van Wrinkles
speech to the Hudson River kobolds,
when in asking after their sisters ne
ID inquired .if they were all DUMB? and
getting an affirmative answer, eN-
Claimed from the depths of her.
{ pecKed heart, "oI vot wives dey would
make"
Difficulties.
Yes, doctors have much TO bear.
There can be no doubt Whatever or
that. Like all persons who serve the
world. they are public targets. and
don't enjoy the shooting at al. The
shafts OF il-will, Ignorance, lngrattt
tude pierce generous and noble
heart and cripple the best men most
The mental and moral cuticle or the
hippopotamus is a valuable asset IN
practicing medicine. Every physlcian,
e even the rare one: "Capax, etticax, sa-
eax," has hard time of IT and very
severe trials. say he is summoned to
patient whom he has never t seen ns,
tore and finds him or her, wifh head
ache and baekache. Well, there are
about GOO diseases. l am professionally
informed that begin with headache
and backache, and how on earth IS ne
"a know what ails the patientg
II he says SO honestly, what be
comes OF his practice? II he pre-
scribes at random. what may not be
some OF his patient? or course ne
has to wait till he finds out something
afout the case. and as patients always
y, init pv, .It