Year: 1878

Shirley Dare writes from New YORK


t. the Toledo Blade concerning doc


iOrs


With all her eminent faculty and
access to the latest reaults of science,
New York harbOrs large class Of the
most approved calomel and jslap sort,
who have just three remedies for
everything, and would feel as II they
were flying in the face of nature TO at
tempt anything beyond. They cure,
If everything goes right, but such an
, idea as relief Is out OF their concsp-
ton. A cooling draught for q patient
in raging fever, or something to break
lup the deadly rigOr OF q chill, never
seems necessary to their intellects,
and II you have to employ one Of
them you are given to realize the
saying Of the Talmud, that whOsOever
falls out OF the hands OF God shall fall
into tha hands of the physiOIAas. In
one OF the Oldest and finest villages
near New York, last summer, I had
to send for aid in q severe case OF fe-
YER that baffie1 1 all the simple measures
OF household treatment. The nearest
and only doctor In the place lived
next house but one, and used to the
prompt ministrAtlons OF intelligent
Western and city doctors, ! was SIM
pie enough to expect that he would
return with the messenger. de was
sitting at ease at dinner, and sent word
he would call in the course Of the
evening. After an hour and half of
agOniZing suspense to US, he came in,
surveyed things indifferentlY, then
severely, as ii the pattern of wall pa
per and carpet in the parlOr didn't
suit him, cOnvsrsed slowly with long
pauses, looked at his patient, asked
three or four questions at intervals,
went off in brown study, and finally
coming to himself, suggested it would
be we'll to apply mustard plasters.
The old goose was going away with
out prescribing the slightest other
treatment for low typhoid fever, till
l suggested something might be done
to relieve the system Of the impurities
that caused the fever, 20 which he
agreed and sent over q dose of pills.
Not q word about diet, baths, cooling
applications, nothing to relieve ths
fetor Of the breath, or the parched
skin, not q word whether the case was
dangerous or otherwise, to assure our
faintIng hearts, or of caution to Ehe
young inexperienced nurses, who
found themselves for the first time
with life and death in their hands.
What wouldn't have given for my
mothers big volume OF Gums Do
mestic Medicine, or DIR. Chase's re-
ceipt book, or the homeopathic home
physician, for when sickness comes, /
am most unfeignedly eclectic, and am
not particular what school one ia
saved by, provided 1t Is speedy, last
ing cure. We worried that fever
through, alone, the old doctor coming
In twice more, and prescribing mus
tard plasters each time, for which he
sent In q bill Of $l2, four for msdi-
cInes, which were two doses of com.
pound pills. Yet this man was the
physician of q large circle Of well-tO-
do and cultivated people. Moral -
II you have q good, intelligent doctor,
make mueh OF him. have found as
quick, sympathetic doctors, as well
Informed In the latest mode OF prAc-
tIce and promptest methods, on the
middle of q Western prairie, driving
about fifty miles day In practice, as
/ ever want to see me through my
last illness. A good doctor Is some
thing to thank God for, for the right
sort OF q man brings healing for mind
and body, courage and hope for the
we'll and the sick, and In such Ordeals
as the lRst three weeks, the virtues OF
such have shOne conspicuous.