THE QUEEN'S HEALTH.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 10871, 22 January 1901, Page 5

THE QUEEN'S HEALTH.

HOW IT HAS BEEN CARED FOR. The Queen has always had the advantage of the best and cleverest medical advice. Sir James Reid, who has been the resident physician since 1881, and is one of the doctors now in attendance at the Queen's illness, is very clever, and is withal a man of man-ellous tact. Jenner almost trained him, as one might say, to be the Queen's doctor, and when he treated her Majesty so skilful., vr'nen she injured her knee at Windsor, a long time ago now (says a writer in the "Daily Mail"), his Tjtiick promotion was certain. John Brown, it is said, was in a manner responsible for his introduction to the household, yet, strange to say, John Brown had no great opinion himself, it would seem, of the physician who was good enough for his Royal mistress, and for his part, when be was ailing, he called for Jenner. You see. Sir James was too honest. John, a prophet in hi-j own country, being an Aberdeenshire man, whose family Mr Brown knew very well. Sir James Reid became Physician Extraordinary to the Queen in 1887, and Physician-in-Ordinary in 1889. In 1899 he was appointed Physician-in-Ordinary to the Prince of Wales. Sir Richard Douglas Powell, who is also now in attendance on the QueeD, became one of the Physicians-in-Ordinary in 1899. He is physician to the Middlesex Hospital and conctt'Jing physician to Brampton and Veiitnor Ho.?, itals". He graduated at the t_ diversity of London in 1866, and is a member of all tho chief medical societies in London. Sir Edward H. Sieveking, the other Phy-sician-in-Ordinary, has had a notable career in his profession. He has been E: saminer, Croonian Lecturer, Harveian Orator, Senior Censor, and Vice-President at the Roya! College of Physicians, and was editor of the "British and Foreign Medical Chirurgical Review" from 1855 till 1860. He is an M.D. and Hon. L.L.D. of Edinburgh. The; doctors of the Queen, as the "Daily Mail" writer says, form a splendid array of all thru been be_t and cleverest and in every s&nss worthiest in medical and surgical science for nearly a century. Worthiness is not the least necessary qualification for t*uc_ wi office, for If a doctor *»v__

ever so brilliant and dis_ngnished in his know*— dge and practice he conki never aspire to attendance upon her Majesty if any tongue could cast upon bh_ tbo lessrt reproach. In this matter she is characteristically punctilious. Perhaps (be contanues) you think you would like to live aevx-rd—g to the Royal rules of life—the rule_ that bring you "to ergbty-one, hearty and w—. You may. The Queen's doctors will tell you that t, Queen is but flesh and blood, and that they can do no more for her Majesty than for any other. I asked Sir Francis I—Jang, one of the most erni_e__ of those who have attended up—i her Majesty, to tell mc some such rules of life, the conditions being just normal. "Do anything you Hke, hut do nothing to excess," he replied. "It is rather a—well, brief rale," I said, with a hint at inadequacy. "Yes," he replied, vritli decision, '-but is it not a good rule. And it is complete. People nowadays will put tlte.uselves* to c-x_remes. and they become iff by e_—saea and not by deficiencies. Moderation sim inv be. the rule of life." A distinguished colleague of Sir Francis. Sir Samuel vvilks. Physician Extraordinary to the Queen, to whom I put tbe same question, gave an answer which was prnct k si ly the same one expanded. "It is a difficult question," he said. "Habit is a great deal; it is second nature. man accustomed to walk twelve miles, *-J day c__lot do without it. In different miorgans seem to take the place of each other. Everyone has a natural temper—nenfc. Follow that and avoid excesses. That's all. A quack may tell you you must eat an ounce of albumen, so much starch, so much water, and so on, and what should you do? Go and' have a nice chup. The instincts ol people are right. Jenner would have said to you, "I never walk at all. except from my house into my carriage. I liate walking, and if I could. I would get my sorv:uvt_ to carry mc to bed.' That was Sir William Jenner, the Queen's emitwint physician; and what about exercise then? In tl»e last thra or four centuries we have intellectual work than ever before, and these have been tlie times of tea, coffee, tobacco, and alcohol. What can you make of that? It is surprising. Again, 1 say, follow your instincts." Like all. Englishmen, her Majesty's doc- . tors love tho Queen, and they glory "in their;; appointments. They like the Queen, too, ', '*»teca.uso she in her turn' is so loyal to the profess ion. And if they would they might tell you adds the "Daily Mlaii" writer) that her Majesty's beautiful liealtri —beautiful is the • precise word that the , medical mind would suggest—is dependent - not so much upon any skill which'h—* doc-tors-may possess as uixm her own indomitMJofe power of will, wliich iv itself conquers , "illness, upon her very regular hubits, and upon her abstemious "mode of living. A, weaker spirit would find octogeuaria—ism i less hap-py. |