The Punta Gorda herald. [volume] (Punta Gorda, Fla.) 1893-1958, 1914-01-15
A Doctors
Story
BY H. sANBoRN BROWN


had been detected in number Of
errors | found what reputation | had
gained as lone of those frank. out
spoken doctors. with no pretense about
him." gone That / had diagnosed
whooping cough as bad cold and
measles as eczema. with a number Of
other blunders, got abroad, my prac-
tice dropped away, and was obliged
to pull up stakes and begin over again
in another locality.
In my new field I looked wise and
said nothing, or If did say anything
it was that the case had not slfi-
GENTLY developed to admit of dag
nosis. This would have done very
we'll had l stuck to it stoically. IN
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 a little child
who showed plainly the symptoms of
diphtheria. when looked into the
mothers eager, questioning eyes had
not the heart to tell her of her dar-
ling's danger. so l told her it was a
case of sore throat.
All went well with the child. and
the diphtheritic membrane in the throat
was breaking down when the child's
grandmothercam me to the house. The old
woman had seen case Of diphtheria
and on looking into the throat saw
that which she recognized.
Heavens she exclaimed to the
mother-"the child has diphtheriar'
The mother tainted. The grandmoth-
er ran to the telephone and. ignoring
me. called on one of my fellow prac-
titioners to come in hot haste. He at
once pronounced the case one Of diph-
iberia. but, learning that was treating
it, returned to his Office and called me
up by telephone. explained the mat
ter; but, realizing that had lost the
of the family in question.
begged him to take up the case where
/ 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 ]
didn't know a case Of diphtheria from
one of sore throat
Considering that my crime had really
been nothing more than tenderness
of heart. this was hard to bear. Wo-
men are apt to accept statements with
out question. and was tabooed with
out an opportunity for defense The
husband of the lady in question asked
me about the matter and when l ex-
planned 1t tried to paclfy his wife.
But no such excuse would be accepted
by her. ANY doctor not fit to treat a
cat could get off with such an excuse
as that" she said.
This time made up my mind to
stand my ground. If fed from the
tongues Of the laity would not be
worthy Of place in the profession.
After all. whatever success physi-
clan attains, his real intrinsic standing
Is fixed by his fellow workers They
may not agree with him. but they VIII
not deny his ability. For long while
was dropped out of practice almost
entirely. But gradually other doctors
got into the habit of calling me In for
consultation and recommending pa
tients to me In cases coming within
my especial province. and at the end
of about FIVE years | found myself
again making living. In ten years
l stood at the head Of my profession
In the city in which practiced.
But by this time my work as q general
practitioner had given way to surgery.
There were but few recognized sur
geons in the place, and this was Of
great advantage to me.
One would suppose that a woman
who had been indignant at my calling
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.
But the child upon whom was sup
posed to have made such blunder.
when twelve or thirteen years of age.
contracted 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 surgeon for the case he
recommended me-
Meanwhile the tongues she had set
wagging to my discredit had gradually
got to swinging in my favor. The esti-
mate Of my coworkers in the profess
sion. together with the testimony of
patients | had helped, had reached the
lady's ears. and, although she still be-
lieved that at the time treated her
child I didn't know case Of diphthe-
ria from sore throat affected by the
praise of me she heard, she greatly
desired that / should perform an oper-
alton involving life or death upon her
cnw