TEN MONTHS' SUFFERING IN A HOSPITAL.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 8756, 18 April 1890, Page 4

TEN MONTHS' SUFFERING IN A HOSPITAL.

Tiieub is an old saying that physicians are a class of men who poar drugs, of which thoy know little, into bodies of which they know less. Thi3 is both true and untrue at the same time. There are good and poor lawyers, and good and pool doctors. Tho trouble with these medical gentlemen as a profession is that they are clannish, and apt to bo conceited. Thoy don't liko to bo beaten at their own trade by outsiders who have never etudiod medicine. Thoy thoroforo pay, by their frequent failures, tho penalty of refusing instruction unless the teacher boara theii own " Hall Mark."

An eminent physician — Dr. BrownSpquari], of Paris — states tho fact accurately when he says : "The medical profession are so bound up in their selfconfidence and conceit that they allow tho diamond truths of science to be picked up by persons entirely outside their ranks." We give a most interesting incident, which illustrates this important truth.

The steamship "Concordia," of the Donaldson Line, sailed from Glasgow for Baltimore in 1887, hiinnt> on board as a fireman a man named Riohard Wade, of Glapgow. He had been fireman for fourteen years on various ships sailing to America, Cbinn, and India. He had borne hard and exhausting labor, and had been healthy and strong. On the trip wo now name he began for the first time to feel weak and ill. His appetite failed and he suffered from drowsiness, heartburn, a bad taste in the mouth, and costiveness and irreguliarity of the bowels. Sometimes when at work he had attacks of giddiness, but supposed it to be caused by the heat of the fire-room. Quite often he wae Bick and felt like vomiting, and had some pain in the head. Later during the passage he grew worße, and when the ship reached Halifax he was placed iv the Victoria General Hospital, and the ship sailed away without him. The house surgeon cave him some powders to stop the vomiting, and the next day the visit ing physician gave him a inixtuie to take every four hours. Within two days Wade waH so much worse that the doctors stopped both the powders and the mixture. A month passed, and the poor fireman getting worse and worse*

Then came another doctor, who was to be visiting physician for the next five months. Ue gave other medicines but not much relief. Nearly all that time Wade suffered great torture ; he digested nothing, throwing up all he ate. There was terrible puin in tho bowelc, burning heat in the throat, heartburn, and raking headache. The patient was now taking a mixture every four hours, powders one after each meal 10 digest the food, operating pills one every night, and temperature pills two each night to stop the cold sweats. If drugs could cure him at all, Richard had an idea that he took enough to do it. But on tho other band pleurisy set in i»nd the doctors took ninety ounces of matter out of his right side, and then told him lie waß suro tv die. Five months more rolled by, and there was another chango of visiting physicians. The new one gave Wade a mixture which he said made him tremble like a leaf on a tree.

At this crisis Wade's Scotch blood asserted itself, fie refused to Btand any more dosing, ond told the doctors that if he must die he could die as well without them as with them- By this tiu»e a cup of milk would turn sour ou his Btomach, and lie there for dayb. Our friend trom Glasgow was like a wreck on a shoul, fust going to pieces. We will tell tho rest of his experience in the words in which he communicated it to thipress.

He says : " Whon I was in this state a lady whom I had never ser.n cuti,e to tho hospital aud talked with mo. She proved to be an angel of moioy, for without her I should not now be ulive. She told me of a medicine culled 'Mother Beimel'* Curative S^rup,' und brought me v bottlr next day. I startod with it, without oonfluUin^ the doctorp, and »n only a few days 1 time I was out of bed calling for ham und eggs for brealsfaat. .From that lime keeping on with Mother Sbigel's great remeriy / I got well fast, and was soon able to leave the hospital and come home to Glusgow. I now feel as if 1 wub in uDothor world, and have no illneßß ot any kind."

Tho above facte are calmly recorded and impartially stated, and tho render may draw his own conclusion. We deem it beat to use no names, although Mr Wodo cave them in bis original iMnpooitiou. His nddreßß is Is'o. 244, Stobcrona Strrc;, Glasgow, uhvre luUura will rouoh *»«» KWWM.