The Topeka state journal., 1914-02-20
Euening Chat
DoctorltIA.
By RUTH CAMERON.

the Other day looking unusually WeA
and animated. commented ON this
fact and asked her what she had been
doing to herself I've just come
from the doctors" ]" she said a'I'm try
Ing a new doctor. I'm surprised that
look SO well, for I'm really quite
tired out with the long examination
he gave me-"
She drew down the corners of her
mouth and tried to look properly de-
pressed, but her eyes shone and /
knew why. Let me whisper q secret
to you. This poor lady is a victim Of
new disease which is quite prevalent
among women, and especially among
women OF the leisure class-the dig
ease Of doctoritis.
ed with this dread disease? It's chief
symptoms. in case you do not recog-
nize 1T by that name, il q terrible ap-
petite on the part of the victims, for
doctors. That sounds cannibalistic,
but don't mean that she eats them,
merely consults them. A patient in
the advanced stage Is never satisfied
with one doctor. but goes from one to
another; as the drug eater requires q
stronger and stronger dose, 90 the
victim OF doctoritis continually re-
Quires the stimulus of q new doctor to
listen to her. symptoms and prescribe
new pottons and new courses of treat
ment.
Once upon q time there was q wo-
man who began by having nervous
indigestion and ended by having doc
toritis. although she didn't recognize
the latter disease until too late. This
women went from doctor to doctor
Tor several years: she had q homeo-
path. two allopaths, an osteopath and
q mental healer. She was q nervous
invalid and the life OF the family soon
came to center about her and her dir;
gestton. Finally she tried d z great
stomach specialist and he actually
fectly well physically: there was no
longer any occasion for her to con-
suit doctors, and the family life
ceased to revolve about her. Now
what do you think happened? Six
months later she up and died Of doc,
like taking his drug from an opium,
patient too suddenly.
The psychology Of doctoritis is
easy to understand. The victims are
usually people who have little to
think about and who find it difficult
to get their share Of that precious
commodity which we all crave-the4
limelight. When the Victim goes to
q physician he asks her about herself,
her family history. her previous dis
eases. her symptoms, etc. etc, and
she has the exquisite pleasure OF be-
AAAS tuo center OK aItenI1On ana OF
talking about herself as e-eely as she
likes. and being listened %.
The experience delights her, and
she repeats 1t as often as possible: so
doctoritis gradually develops
The woman I met on the trolley
car was always perfectly well, very
busy and reasonably happy until she
was about hfty-five. Then her hus-
band inherited some money and her
daughter married and went away
from home. and she was left alone
with too little to think about Where
upon she developed doc oritis.
A few doctors think doctoritis Is a
splendid institution because 1t fills
their pocketbooks, but more of them
dread it and avoid the patients who
have it. A doctors secretary once
told me that when a patient devel-
oped that disease her employer would
have her tell the patient. whenever
she called, that he was. out.
And now q warning. Unsympa-
thetic people arc not to seize upon
this to account for all the illness in
the more delicately constituted mein-
bers of their family. 1t is tar moro
likely that some real ailmenf Of the
body, the mind or the soul IL the
trouble. and unsympathetic folks will
do we'll to be sure that none Of, these
Is present before they make the dag
nosfs Of doctoritis.