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Doctor Jones' Picnic

Page 17

by S. E. Chapman


  CHAPTER XV.

  A Model Teacher and Ideal Student.

  The days and weeks flew swiftly by. The fame of the great air-shipspread far and wide, and thousands of visitors came to inspect it andthe wonderful voyagers. But what especially drew the people, and wastalked of more than all else, was the marvelous skill of Dr. Jones as ahealer. The beautiful Feodora improved from day to day, so that shedaily drove with her devoted and constant companions, Mrs. Jones andMattie. She began to eat heartily, gained flesh rapidly, and her coughhad nearly left her. Roses of health assumed the place of hectic flush,and she was the talk and wonder of everyone who knew of her formerhopeless condition.

  Many were the consultations held by Dr. Jones, with the grateful andgoodnatured Count for interpreter. Money and honors poured in upon him,though he never made any sort of charge for advice or medicine. Thebetter class of patients invariably left upon the table one or morepieces of gold.

  "Maggie, do you know that I have no idea of what to do with all thismoney? If it keeps on this way, I shall be obliged to found a collegeand hospital when we get back to Washington. Wouldn't it be grand if Icould break down the prejudices and legal barriers in this greatcountry, and establish our school upon an even footing with the oldschool?"

  "The Count must have influence at court. I should think that he might beof great help to you," suggested Mrs. Jones.

  "That is a good thought, and I will have a talk with him upon thesubject at the first opportunity."

  The Count, meantime, was closely watching the Doctor's methods and theresults. He was delighted to note that many chronic cases recoveredunder the treatment; and acute diseases yielded as if by magic to hisall-powerful infinitesimal doses.

  "This is something utterly incomprehensible," he said to the Doctor oneevening, as the friends sat with him in his office, smoking and talking."Your medicines are working wonders, and yet I cannot understand how itis possible for so minute a particle as is contained in one of yourdoses to act so potently and profoundly upon a great mass of blood,flesh, and bones, like the human body. That it does so is beyondquestion. I have watched you carefully, and am thoroughly converted toyour system."

  "Wouldn't it be a glorious thing for Russia if this system of medicinecould have at least an opportunity of being heard, and of exemplifyingthe fact that it is founded upon science, and that beside it there is noother?" cried Dr. Jones.

  "Suppose you had an opportunity, by what method would you prove thissystem to be what you claim for it?" asked Professor Gray.

  "By the only method that can satisfy the human mind--practicalexperience and demonstration. Nothing else will do. Theory is all wellenough, but if it cannot stand the test of experiment it is of no sortof use. There is not a crowned head nor potentate in Europe before whomI would not gladly and fearlessly put my system to such test. Give mebut a clear cut case--one that has not been spoiled by massive dosage orsurgery, and I am willing that the system shall stand or fall by theresult."

  "That is perfectly fair, and I know, Doctor, that you would succeed,"said the Count. "And I will say, further, that I am at your service topromulgate your system in Russia. I have influence at court, and I canput it to no better use than to help you present the system of medicinewhich you represent to those in a position to open our door to yourschool."

  "If you will do that, sir, I shall never regret our having been blownout of our course into Russia. If I can thus be instrumental in thesalvation of countless thousands of God's suffering children, I shallfeel that I have not lived in vain, whether I ever reach the North Poleor not. Do not think, Professor, that I have in any degree lostinterest in our original enterprise. But, meantime, I must do what Ican for humanity when opportunity occurs."

  "You are doing that, Doctor, and I heartily sympathize with you in yourlabors," answered the Professor. "I only insist that, when permitted bythe fair Feodora, we sail immediately for our destination."

  "That we will, Professor, and I promise not to enter into anyarrangements that shall prevent our going as soon as possible," repliedDr. Jones.

  "Excuse me, gentlemen," interrupted the Count, "but I wish to ask theDoctor for information. As you know, I have had a considerable amount ofexperience with the regular school of medicine, and you also know that Iwas thoroughly disgusted with it when you came so opportunely. I havecarefully observed your methods, Dr. Jones, and I notice this essentialdifference between the two schools: The old school physicians areexceedingly particular in their examinations and explorations. They seemextremely worried about naming the disease and knowing the exactcondition of the diseased tissues, but they do not appear to be able tomanage the practical part of the business--cure. You, as arepresentative of the other system, do not lay so much stress upon thesethings, but do take cognizance of the symptoms in each case withsurprising particularity. And I notice that you appear to base yourprescription solely upon what you term the 'totality of symptoms.' Hownearly am I right?"

  "Count, you have apprehended the exact condition of things. It is wellenough to know all we can of the state of the organ or organs that weare treating; but suppose I spend hours examining a patient with all theappliances known to medicine, and have determined to a certainty thename of the disease with which my patient is afflicted, I am now nonearer knowing the remedy indicated in this case than I was before Imade the examination. I must go back and take all the symptoms intoaccount, both subjective and objective before I can intelligentlyprescribe."

  "I do not see, then, that it makes any difference whether you know allabout the condition of the organs, or can name the disease or not," saidWill.

  "Good boy, Will," smiled the Doctor. "You're learning fast. It is anabsolute fact that some of the best shots I ever made were whereneither I, nor any living man, could make what we term thediagnosis--that is, name the disease. I will give you a case in point: Agood many years ago, when I was quite a young physician, there came intomy office a man who desired me to go with him and see a sick babe. Ifound the most miserable looking three months' old child I had everseen. Nothing could exceed the emaciation and puniness of the littlecreature, and the mother was carrying it about upon a pillow. For sixweeks it had cried night and day, almost incessantly, except when underthe influence of opiates. Five old school doctors had done what theycould, and at last had declared that it could not live. They had notbeen able to establish the diagnosis, and so were at sea as totreatment. I sat beside it and studied the case as closely as possiblefor more than an hour. There was but one peculiarity or symptom uponwhich to base a prescription. It was this: It would lie a few momentsapparently asleep, then it would give a start and begin to scream withall its puny power. This would last one or two minutes, when it would assuddenly fall asleep again. This, they assured me, was the way it hadperformed all through its illness, except when opiated. 'Pains come andgo suddenly.' That was all I had to go on. I could not locate the pains,nor by any possible means know what the cause of them was; but I didknow, thank God, what was of infinitely greater importance: I knew thedrug that had that particular symptom, and that was Belladonna. Intohalf a tumblerful of water I dropped five or six drops of the twohundredth dilution of that drug, and put a few drops of this medicatedwater into the poor little thing's mouth."

  Here the Doctor stopped, knocked the ashes from his pipe, arose andstarted as if to leave the room.

  "Hold on, Doctor," cried Fred; "I am very much interested in that baby.How did it come out on your Belladonna solution?"

  "O yes! I should have said that it immediately went to sleep, and didnot awaken for several hours. It never cried again, received no moremedicine, and in a few weeks would have made a model picture for apatent baby food company. It only received the one little dose that Igave it."

  "I declare," said the Count, laughing heartily, "that it sounds absurdbeyond anything I ever heard in my life. Yet who has greater reason toknow it to be absolutely true than myself. Go on, Doctor; I am preparedto believe anything you are pleased to tell us of
your miraculoussystem."

  "Before I go I think I will spin you one more story," said the Doctor,reseating himself. "This is what might be termed the reductio adabsurdum of prescribing merely for the disease by name, irrespective ofsymptomatology. I was called to see a poor Dutchman who was in the laststage of pulmonary consumption. He had just been brought home from acertain city, where he had been in a hospital for two or three months.

  "Well, Hans," I said, "how did they use you at the hospital; they arevery scientific there, you know, and must have done great things foryou.'"

  "O Doctor!" he groaned, "dondt speak aboudt dem fellers. Dey vos depiggest lot of shackasses I efer saw."

  "Why, Hans, I am surprised at you! What did they do that did not pleaseyou?"

  "Vell, I tells you. Ven I goes into dot hoshpital, dey oxamines minelungs. Den dey puts me into a pedt mit a pig card hanging ofer minehedt, und dere vos on dot card in pig letters, de vird, CONSUMPTION. Itink dey puts dot card dere to encourage me ven I looks at him. Und in aleedle pox py mine hedt, dey puts a pottle of medticine und say to me,'You dakes a teaspoonful of dot efery dree hours.' So I do dot. It vosawful stuff but I sticks to him aboudt dree veeks. Den I can no moredake it. It makes me so seek to mine stummick dot I gan no more eatanyting. So I say to de steward von morning, 'I gan no more dake dotmedticine. I must haf some oder kind.' Vell, sir, you should haf seendot feller look at me. He lifts up his hands und says, 'I shoost adtmireyou, Hans.' 'What for you adtmire me?' 'Pecause you vos de piggestkicker dot efer comes into dis hoshpital. Now look at yourself. You vosoxamined und put into de ped to which you pelong. Dere ish de cardhanging ofer your hedt vot tells vot vos der matter mit you. Und dendere ish der medticine for consumption in de pottle py your hedt. Dotmedticine is Doctor Smith's favorite prescription for dot disease. Undmit all dot you kicks. Vot more do you want?' 'Vell,' I say, 'I gan nomore dake dot medticine. It makes me awful seek.' 'Now, Hans, dondt beso unreasonable. You pelongs to dot ped, und whoefer goes into dot peddakes dot medticine. Dondt you see?' 'But I dells you dot I gan no moredake dot medticine. It vill kill me. If no oder medticine goes mit thisped, put me in some oder ped dot has a tifferent pottle, I cares notwhat it is.' But no, sir! dey keeps me in dot ped. So I spidts DoctorSmith's tam stuff into de slop bowl, und comes home so quick as I gan."

  "I could hardly credit Hans' story, and told it as a joke to an oldschool physician who was familiar with the hospital where Hans had been.To my surprise he did not seem to see any joke in it. 'Can it bepossible,' said I, 'that Hans told the truth?' 'Well,' said he, 'in allbut one particular I think that he did.' 'And what was that particular?'I asked. 'The card above his head did not have on it, 'Consumption,' but'Phthisis Pulmonalis.'"

 

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