The daily Alaskan., 1914-02-06
A Doctor s
 Story By Fl. SANBORN BROWN
By H. SANBORN BROWN

a
 had been detected in q number of errors I found what reputation l had gained as "one of those frank, out spoken doctors, with no pretense about him." gone. That had diagnosed whooplng cough as a bad cold and measles as eczema, with a number or other Dlunders. got abroad, my prac- tIce dropped away, and l was obliged to pull up stakes and begin over agaln in another locality
 In my new field looked wise and said nothing, or if I did shy anything ft was that the case had not sutii- ciently developed to admit of diag nosis. This would have done very well hud l stuck 10 it stoically. Un- fortunately, patients or those interest ed in them need at times to be buoy ed. This fact got me into trouble again. Called in to see little child who showed plainly the symptoms Of dlphtherfl. when looked into the mothers eager. questioning eyes l had not the heart 10 tell her of her dar- ling's danger so l told her it was case of sore throat.
 All went well with the child, and the diphtheritic membrane in the throat was breaking down when the child's graudmothcrcame to the house. The old woman had seen a case of diphtheria and on looking into the throat saw that which she recognized.
 Heavens" she exclaimed to the motner-"the child has diphtheriaT'
 The mother tainted The grandmOth- or ran to the telephone and. ignoring me. called on one of my fellow prac- titioncrS 10 come in hot haste. He at once pronounced the case one of diph- thcria. but. learning that was treating if. returned to his office and called me up by telephone. | explained the mat ter: but. realizing that had lost the confidence of the family in question, l begged him to take up the case where 1 had left off and finish it. He did so. and the child. who was already nearly well, recovered.
 That young mother soon knocked my practice Into smithereens by telling every one of her acquaintances that l didn't know a case of diPhtheria from one of sore throat.
 Considering that my crime had really been nothing more than a tenderness of heart, this was hard to bear. Wo- men are apt to accept statements with out question. and I was tabOOed with out an opportunity for defense. The husband of the lady in question asked me about the matter and when l ez- nlained 1t tried 10 pacify his wife. But no such excuse would be accepted by her Any doctor not fit to treat a eat could get off with such an excuse as that" she said.
 This time l made up my mind to stand my ground. If l fled from the ] tongues of the laity I would not be worthy of place in the profession. After all. whatever success a physi- ! elan attains. his real intrinsic standing ! is fixed by his fellow workers. They may not agree with him, but they will not deny hi, ability. For a long while I was dropped out of practice almost 1 entirely. But gradually other doctors got into the habit of calling me in for 1 consultation and recommending pa- ] tieuts to me in cases coming within my especial province, and at the end ! of about five years found myself again making a living. In ten years i I stood at the head of my profession ] in the city in which I practiced. l But by this time my work as a general practitioner had given way to surgery. l There were but few recognized sur l geons In the place. and this was of ! great advantage to me,
 One would suppose that q woman l who had been indignant at my calling q case of diphtheria one of sore throat and in consequence had ruined my practice for several years would never again have any use for my services. l But the child upon whom l was sup posed to have made such a bunder, when twelve or thirteen years of age, contracted a bad case of appendicitis. An operation was considered necessary ] by the family physician. He was not ! a surgeon and would not operate him. ! self. When the mother asked him to nominate a surgeon for the case he recommended me.
 Meanwhile the tongues she had set waggiug to my discredIt had gradually got to swinging in my favor The esi- mate of my coworkers in the profes- ] sion. together with the testimony of ] patients had helped, had reached the l Iady's ears. and although she still be- lleved that at the time I treated her child didn't know a case of diphthe- ria from sore throat, affected by the praise of me she heard. she greatly desired that l should perform an oper- alton involving life or death upon her 1 son.
 A physician as such should have no accounts to settle with those who have injured him. l undertook the service required of me with no more feeling than if I had never known her or her child. But her former error forced her ] on the second occasion to hear the ] truth. When the operation had been performed-and while performing 1t l forgot whose case 1t was-and the mother asked me if her boy would live l 1 replied: