The Kenna record. (Kenna, Roosevelt County, N.M.) 190?-1924, 1913-01-10
A FIGHTING DOCTOR
How One Young Physician Lit
orally Fought His Way Into
Fame and Practice.
BY JOHN PHILIP ORTIZ.

When a medical student has re-
ceived his diploma and is turned
adrift to succeed or fail it is the crisis
OF his life. Not one In ten can figure
out how he is going to support himself
until he can get foothold. When he
has selected his town and his Office
and his home he must wait for pa
uents, and weeks and months may go
by before his prescriptions begin to be
handed in to the drug store.
When DR.. Charles Chisholm made
his advent at Lansing he found seven
M. DIS for population of $500. That
was 800 each. In the course ia year.
as doctors figure, ten people out of
every 500 will need the service Of
physician. That is the average, out
side of epidemics. Taking the doctors
figures again, the charge to the ten pa
tients will not average over SIS each.
That means an income of $3.50 per
year, and an outgo of $500. Out OF
seven doctors In town with the popu-
lation given, two will make a fair in
come. The other FIVE will simply hang
on and wish they had learned the car
penter's trade.
Doctor Chisholm had this all figured
out, and yet ~he decided to take
chances and hope for luck. Another
man might have been kept waiting for
months. He was taking his first drive
into the country to get the lay IF the
land, when luck came galloping up
Miss Nellie Mayfield, daughter of the
owner of the big shoe factory, was ta-
king walk In the suburbs with her
little dog at her heels when she sud
denly found herself face to face With
an evil-faced vagabond. 1t was her
screams as he laid hands on her purse
that reached the young doctors ear
from around bend in the road and
caused him to apply the whip to his
somewhat lethargic horse.
The shindy did not last more than
two minutes. The doctor leaped from
his buggy and knocked the fellow
down, but that wasn't the finish. When
the vagabond scrambled up he drew
knife and made a slash that
scratched the doctors shoulder Down
he went again, and this time he got
the full dose. His knife was left be-
hind, and he had seven different limps
as he disappeared into the bushes
When the victor turned to the girl
she was a quarter OF a mile down the
road and still running. Young CHS
holm drove home without a word to
anyone Of the affair, but within a day
he was being congratulated.
Among those who called was Mr..
Mayfleld. He was a man of few words
They say he had a knife and used
It," he said as he held out his hand.
"It was only a scratch" was the
reply.
Have you set up mere as a doc.
tori"
Yes"
Think you can make a 60 OF 1T"
II shall try hard"
Good"
There were three bullies in Lansing.
Jake Wolf, the driver of a brewery
wagon, was bully because he loved
to fight. A week after the doctors ad-
venture, and right In front of his Of
fee. Jake's wagon collided with the We
hicle of Mr.. Davis, the banker, and
tore of a wheel. 1t was Jake's bad
driving that caused the accident, but
he jumped down for a scrap.
"Quit that!" commanded the doctor
as he stood in his door.
IF you want to mix in come alongl"
Doctor Chisholm threw of his coat
and stepped out. His was a strong
prescription. In FIVE minutes he had
the bully licked for the first time in
his life.
"You are the new doctor?" queried
the banker as they shook hands.
Eyes"
"How are you making outf"
''Ive licked two men so fart"
Rn.&Iaa plaeaa Ean at.A.