News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1913-04-23
THE DOCTOR
IN CAMP
By M. QUAD
Copyright. 1918, by Associated Lit
erary Press.
BY M. QUAD

were in demand. That winter we put
| in at Calico Flats there was somebody
on the sick list all the time, and there
were days when we had three or four
patients in the hospital at once.
AS to medicines, our mainstay was
hot sweat. When a man began to
dump around we didn't lose time by
feeling his pulse or looking at his
tongue. Three or four stones were put
| into the fire to heat, blankets borrowed
| for the occasion, and when we got
steam on the knots aud twists and
| kinks in that chaps case had to UNI
ravel. He'd come out as long and fiat
and thin and white as you please, and
| if any one pointed finger at him for
the next week he'd cry like II baby.
Next to the sweat we had decoctions
| of herbs, banks and roots.
| But, as | said at the start, sickness
became so prevalent and our plain
remedies had so little effect that it
! was finally decided to send up to Sac
ramento for a doctor The idea was
to have him come down and brace US
all I'D and leave medicines and rene
dies. and the expense was to be borne
by shake purse.
You see," said Judge Perdue as we
talked the matter over, 1--WE don't want
doctor that we may brag over the
other camps. We want one because
we are sick in the old fashioned way"
That's it," chorused half a dozen
voices.
I'VE want the old fashioned sickness
that we used to enjoy so much at
home. We want a doctor that will
come in and say we are goin' to die
for sure and then turn to and cure us.
We are jest fairly cryin' for doses of
them drugs that used to lift a Teller
outer bed and make him think he'd
bit into mody pumpkin. Lord. how
| would like to come down with a case
Of old fashioned bilious fever!
A letter was sent to dealer in the
town asking him to forward a doctor,
and in about five days along be came.
He was young man of twenty-four.
Just out of college in the east and just
landed on the slope without dollar in
his pocket, and all he brought to camp
with him was a lancet, some prescrip-
ton blanks and a stick of salve for
making sticking plasters.
There were four men in hospital that
day, and after a bit the doctor entered
to take a look at them. 1t happened
that he came to big Jim Smith first.
Smith was threatened with inhamma-
to take nonsense.
run out your tongue" said the doc
tor as he bent over the man.
Big Jim displayed it. but in such
begrudging way that it was plain to
see that he thought it all bosh.
"Your pulse" said the doctor, as he
reached over for Jim's great paw.
Pulse? | amt got any! growled
Jim.
"Oh, yes, you have. Here it is in
your wrist Keep still for moment"
Stranger" said Jim. after the doc
tor had dropped his hand. dye mean
to tell me that We kin feel mans
wrist and tell what ails his insides"
Yes. in a measure"
Excuse my not calm you a liar.
but some of the boys will do 1t for
me afore you are an hour older!'
What are your symptoms| asked
the doctor
Never had any"
But how do you feelT
"Sick."
How were you taken|
Stranger. what are you drivin' at?'
demanded Jim as he sat up In bed
Have you got pains?"
I'm course | have. Dye s'pose I'd
be lynn fat on my back here if any
thing less'n ton was holdin' me
down?"
do you ache?"
"Rayther."
ANY fever"
WAL, git away with quart of
cold water at gulp."
The doctor sat and studied the case
for few minutes, and then he came
over to the shanty where the commit
tee had assembled and said:
Gentlemen, the case of Big Jimiis |
a serious one. He needs a change Of |
diet, scenery and air. My advice is
that you brace him up as well as you |
can on chicken soup and beef tea and |
then send him off for trip to Cuba"
When he was going out he said he
would drop in next morning and have |
a look at the other cases. but he never |
had the chance.
When the boys found that he had
come without even a dose of quinine
and they heard him talk about chicken
soup and trips to Cuba for a man who
hadn't So to his name they waited
upon him in a sort of hilarious body,
and at midnight he went up the trail
at the rate of twelve miles an hour.
with crowd behind him aching for
his ears as relics. Next day we heated
half ton of rocks, took six or eight
blankets and gave Big Jim such a
sweat that all his toe nails shed off,
and rather than be cured the same