Evening journal., 1910-03-22
Candied Fruits
By ARTHUR BINGHAM
Copyright. 1870 by American Press
Association.

final address TO our class Wnen we |
were graduated that had greatly i'm.
pressed me. 1t was this:
Remember that mind has a great /
effect over matter. Therefore try to
detract so far as possible from the |
terror your patients naturally have
for you as practitioners. Above all
things, preserve a cheerful exterior.
The more hopeless a case appears to
you the more hopeful appear to be.
for by giving way to your anticipa-
tions you lessen the patients chances |
for recovery, and you may be wrong |
in your prognosis. Do force pa
tients to take your rem,~s if it can
possibly be avoided. Rather persuade
them or banter them. Remedies taken |
against a patients win are apt not to
act as remedies. Better a prescription
Of something 10 divert the attention
from the disease than fix it on that
disease by unwelcome doses"
II seemed to me that there was a
lot of common sense in this advice,
and / cut it out of the printed ad
dress and pasted it within my writing
Qthh ludL WntnCNOl 4 OHNnNA
the desk saw the injunction staring
me in the face, so that it vAps impos-
sible for me to forget 1t. / truly be
lieve would have built up a large
practice by observing it had not that
very observation Of 1t on one occasion
led to my leaving the profession.
1 had been practicing but short
aotrflsrtfnor ~ r.. offiHn
day, found a note from a stranger
stating that a member of his family
needed treatment but was much
averse to receiving a visit from a ply.
sician OF taking remedies. He suggest
ed that ] call without the patients
knowing that was a physician and
studying the case without asking for
symptoms after the stereotyped med
ical fashion.
This, owing to the rule 1 had laid
down, was very easy for me. l went
to the house, rang the bell and was
admitted to the drawing room. where
was received by a very thin woman
who did not appear to know my er-
rand, so / told her Of the note that
had been left at my Office. She seemed
to be slow in understanding meat
any rate, for some reason, did not re-
spond very freely. making vague re-
marks such IS Just So" "A doctors"
"Pn see," indicating that she had not
been admit d to the confidence Of the
person who had asked me to call.
The lady went out of the room and,
presently returning. asked me to walk
upstairs. / did so and was ushered
into a boudoir where sat a girl who
but for a slight paleness did not ap-
pear in bad health. She was not even
in dishabille; but, the older woman
having left me with her, it was evil
dent that she was the patient. / went
in armed with my cheeriest smile, took
the girls hand as a matter Of civility.
| thereby getting her pulse-it beat a
tride quicker than normal-sat down
! by her, said something to make her
laugh and saw that her tongue was
slightly coated. In this fashion I rat
tied on, telling her stories and interest
ing her until / mad secured her conh-
dence and a predisposition in my favor,
Then 1 said abruptly;
"But you're not looking very well
today"
Then she told me that her back was
troubling her and she slept badly and
mentioned symptoms that indicated to
me a condition very common and for
which there were n number Of simple
remedies. When I went away l told
her that would send her a box ol
candied fruit, few Of which
thought she would like every day
Then left her to have some medicine
intended for her divided between
half a dozen real candied fruits ant
q sent them to her with my compliments
: called again soon and asked thu
lady who had received me how sh'
had managed to impose upon the
3 young lady that I was not a doctor
that it was important that I shoulC
know what story she had told in orde
that what l should say would tall.
with It. She told me not TO worr,
about that; she had given a good rea
son for my calls. ] asked her If I wa
to see the person who had left wore
ut my Office for me TO treat the younl
lady. and she said he was away anI
would be away several weeks.
BY the time he returned l had mad
love to my patient, and she had re
sponded favorably. Indeed, she sen
me TO him-a mere form, she said-h
being her uncle, to ask for her hand
did so, announcing myself as tn
physician he had asked 10 treat
member Of his family.
"Well." he asked, did you pull tn
wool over the old girls eyesT
n 1 didn't understand what he mean
by the "old" girl. but l replied that
had succeeded admirably. l went OF
but when l said something about tn
young lady he interrupted me.
young lady be hanged She's fifty
FIVE"
1t came out that the elderly woma
was my intended patient. / had give
myself away to her at my entrance
and she had taken me TO see tn
young lady. asking her to act in he
stead. The girl from pure mischie
consented to do so, but there wer
two Of us hoist by our own petart
The two older ones were brother an
sister; the girl was their niece, a
orphan and possessing a fortune.
married her. and she preferre
chat devote rnvself fo talxine. care Z