The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1941-11-22

these bright young men studying
human ills in the scientific spirit,
which Is q good deal different from
my young days. But we can't get
away from the art of the PR lice
Of medicine as distinguished from
science.
Handling patients is just like
handling animals the way used
to on the farm. You have to OUT
guess the cows and the sheep, and
you have to outguess the patient.
There was my old preceptor,
Simon Knuckler. He was the lead
ing physician in q little town in
Missouri when l was q boy grow
ing up, and ! really think / got the
idea Of going into medicine from
him. After ! was graduated from
the medical school, I came back
home for a visit and he took me in
to his Office and gave me some
advice.
colder Doctors Advice
"The secret Of the practice Of
medicine, according to Simon, lay
in three things. The first Is adver-
Using. When you start out in
practice, you have to appear to be
busy. The old dodge Of being
called out Of church in the middle
of the sermon was pretty good, but
Simon improved on that. He had
his Office in his house, and there
was q bay window on the street
fixed so that passing on the side
walk you couldn't see into the
room, but could see just . little
way into the window. So Simon
had . hat rack there and he al
ways had IL or Is hats and coats
and shawls hanging on the rack 30
that people passing would think
the office was full Of patients.
"Then the second fundamental
Of Simon's procedure was that he
said he always asked the patients
what they liked to do most, and
what they hated to do most; what
they liked to eat most and what
they hated to eat. Then when he
got all through, he made list Of
what they should do and put on II
all the things they hated and made
them eat all the things they hated
10 eat. He said that was the most
important part Of the history be-
cause II you were stuck after you
got through examining . patient,
you could always take away the
things they likei and tell them to
do the things they hated. OF course
they never stuck TO the list, but it
did make them remember him.
vile-Testing Remedy
"Then the third thing was To get
. vile-tasting remedy. II 1t gets
around town that you have q pre-
scriptiop for something, . head
ache or . cold or no matter what
people are bound to come to you
His was called "Dr. Knuckler'i
Black Medicine" He said the onl,
virtues it had were that it was
dark brown in color, was as bite.
as gall, and moved the bowels
You know Lydia Pinkham goi
started because she had a brew OF
herbs so that quality folks drove
for miles in their carriages to her
humble home to get a bottle. She
gave away thousands of dollars
worth Of it until she discovered
accidentally that she could sell it,
and then she got rich.
"Of course there are other ele-
ments in the practice Of medicine,
but everybody has got to make out
his own way Of doing things"
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
N. Sis sinus arrhythmia a
bad heart condition."
Answer: No. It is a slight IT.
regularity Of the heart varying
with breathing. 1t is found so
often in young people as to have
no significance.
A. s. D.: as there any connec-
ton between the thyroid gland
and the teeth? / have been taking
thyroid extract and my teeth have
decayed rapidly. | wonder if this
Is coincidental or a result of TAX
ing the extract.
Answer: Coincidental. Thyroid
should build up the teeth if any
thing.