The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1911-10-19
Vol. XXV.-No. IL.

A great many people have the
idea that it is necessary to occasion
ally swallow some drug or the other
in order to keep a sort of bodily
equilibrium. Just how often they
think they ought to do this depends
on the amount of reverence they
have for that very old medical bogy
that bodily ailment is an extra
neous something that should be, and
can be, counteracted by something
else equally extraneous, and in that
way rendered harmless, and possibly
removed from the system. Natur-
ally, with that ide a in peoples
minds, purgatives take the first rank
as being very efficient drugs and
they are in large demand. In fact,
it is almost necessity in order to
properly impress patient with the
dignity and importance of the medi-
cal profession in general. and the
doctors own ability in particular,
that his first question, after he has
taken hold of the patients wrist
with one hand aud his own watch
with the other, should be: Umph!
How are your bowels? This an
swers double purpose. 1t assures
the patient that the doctor is strictly
on the job, while at the same time
it prevents any inconvenient or en-
barassing questions such as, What
do you think is the matter with
me?" etc. The patient, being started
to talk about himself in that way.
very soon lets his advisor know
what he thinks is the matter viii
himself and the doctor has time to
make a mental diagnosis OF his prob
able physical condition, and also OF
the probable condition OF his pocket
book.
This is not intended as a retiec-
tion on the profession, but the aver
AGE doctor is only human being
like the rest Of mankind, and II peo-
nle will insist that there is some
thing the matter with them when
there isn't, why. of course it's up to
him to supply the needed sickness
as well as it's accompanying box OF
tablets. In that way he earns your
gratitude as well as your dollar.
1t stands to reason that nobody
likes to be told that there is nothing
the matter with them after they
have come to the conclusion tha
there is. especially after they have
gone to a doctors office to get !
fixed Gas they call it). It make
them feel like fool and while the:
NAV saw. much obliged and 80 on,
notice that they generally forge
to pay and that they go to diner
ent Office the next time.
Next to the demand for purga
tiyes comes the call for drug stlmu
lants. Men and women too, fo
that matter; when they are ru
down, mentally or physically oyel
worked, or depressed from an
cause are apt to think they nee
something to brace them up, an
not being addicted to the liqu'
habit they call on their physician
supply their imagined need. Do
tor. l need tonic of some kind,
the way they usually put it. WI
they really need in most cases is
little rest, little more air, and n
infrequently bath. A sensible ii
minutes talk on hygiene would p
most of them on the right road
they would listen to it. But 7
they want, or rather think tn
want bottle of some nasty stuff
.abox of pills.
Patients Of this class are the mi
insidious tempters that physici
has to wrestle with. He knows p
fectly well, or if he doesn't ne SO
learns, that if he tells them to pa
little more attention to their bod
cleanliness, to be little more p
,ticular about what they eat 9
drink, or in other words to refr'
from their favorite weaknesses
vices, that they will leave him
disgust. If he is an old and "
practitioner and at the same tt
AN honest man .(a by no means