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ighed aloud; and deprecated the subject with earnest furtive signs; Mrs。 Dodd would not see them。 Now; Dr。 Sampson was himself afflicted with what I shall venture to call a mental ailment; to wit; a furious intolerance of other men's opinions; he had not even patience to hear them。 〃Maidearmad'm;〃 said he hastily; 〃when you've told me their names; that's enough。 Short treats her for liver; Sir William goes in for lung disease or heart; Chalmers sis it's the nairves; and Kinyon the mookis membrin; and _I_ say they are fools and lyres all four。〃
〃Julia!〃 ejaculated Mrs。 Dodd; 〃this is very extraordinary。〃
〃No; it is not extraordinary;〃 cried Dr。 Sampson defiantly; 〃nothing is extraordinary。 D'ye think I've known these shallow men thirty years; and not plumbed 'um?〃
〃Shallow; my good friend? Excuse me! they are the ablest men in your own branch of your own learned profession。〃
〃Th' ablest! Oh; you mean the money…makingest: now listen me! our lairned Profession is a rascally one。 It is like a barrel of beer。 What rises to the top?〃 Here he paused for a moment; then answered himself furiously; 〃THE SCUM。〃
This blast blown; he moderated a little。 〃Look see!〃 said he; 〃up to three or four thousand a year; a Docker is often an honest man; and sometimes knows something of midicine; not much; because it is not taught anywhere。 But if he is making over five thousand; he must be a rogue or else a fool: either he has booed an' booed; an' cript an' crawled; int' wholesale collusion with th' apothecary an' the accoucheurthe two jockeys that drive John Bull's faemily coachand they are sucking the pashint togither; like a leash o' leeches: or else he has turned spicialist; has tacked his name to some poplar disorder; real or imaginary; it needn't exist to be poplar。 Now; those four you have been to are spicialists; and that means monomaniuestheir buddies exspatiate in West…ind squares; but their souls dwell in a n'alley; ivery man jack of 'em: Aberford's in Stomich Alley; Chalmers's in Nairve Court; Short's niver stirs out o' Liver Lane; Paul's is stuck fast in Kidney Close; Kinyon's in Mookis Membrin Mews; and Hibbard's in Lung Passage。 Look see! nixt time y' are out of sorts; stid o' consultin' three bats an' a n'owl at a guinea the piece; send direct to me; and I'll give y' all their opinions; and all their prescriptions; _gratis。_ And deevilich dear ye'll find 'em at the price; if ye swallow 'm。〃
Mrs。 Dodd thanked him coldly for the offer; but said she would be more grateful if he would show his superiority to persons of known ability by just curing her daughter on the spot。
〃Well; I will;〃 said he carelessly: and all his fire died out of him。 〃Put out your tongue!Now your pulse!〃
Mrs。 Dodd knew her man (ladies are very apt to fathom their male acquaintancetoo apt; _I_ think); and; to pin him to the only medical theme which interested her; seized the opportunity while he was in actual contact with Julia's wrist; and rapidly enumerated her symptoms; and also told him what Mr。 Osmond had said about Hyperaesthesia。
〃GOOSE GREECE!〃 barked Sampson; loud; clear; and sharp as an irritated watch…dog; but this one bow…wow vented; he was silent as abruptly。
Mrs。 Dodd smiled; and proceeded to Hyperaemia; and thence to the Antiphlogistic Regimen;
At that unhappy adjective; Sampson jumped up; cast away his patient's hand; forgot her existenceshe was but a charming individualand galloped into his native region; Generalities。
〃Antiphlogistic! Maidearmad'm; that one long fragmint of ass's jaw has slain a million。 Adapted to the weakness of human nature; which receives with rivirince ideas however childish; that come draped in long…tailed and exotic words; that aasimine polysyllable has riconciled the modern mind to the chimeras of th' ancients; and outbutchered the guillotine; the musket; and the sword: ay; and but for me
Had barred the door For cinturies more
on the great coming sceince; the sceince of healing diseases; instead of defining and dividing 'em and lengthening their names and their durashin; and shortening nothing but the pashint。 Th' Antiphlogistic Therey is this: That disease is fiery; and that any artificial exhaustion of vital force must cool the system; and reduce the morbid fire; called; in their donkey Latin 'flamma;' and in their compound donkey Latin 'inflammation;' and in their Goose Greece; 'phlogosis;' 'phlegmon;' &c。 And accordingly th' Antiphlogistic Practice is; to cool the sick man by bleeding him; and; when blid; either to rebleed him with a change of instrument; bites and stabs instid of gashes; or else to rake the blid; and then blister the blid and raked; and then push mercury till the teeth of the blid; raked; and blistered shake in their sockets; and to starve the blid; purged; salivated; blistered wretch from first to last。 This is the Antiphlogistic system。 It is seldom carried out entire; because the pashint; at the first or second link in their rimedial chain; expires; or else gives such plain signs of sinking; that even these ass…ass…ins take fright; and try t' undo their own work; not disease's; by tonics an' turtle; and stimulants: which things given at the right time instead of the wrong; given when the pashint was merely weakened by his disorder; and not enfeebled by their didly rinmedies; would have cut th' ailment down in a few hours。〃
〃Dear me;〃 said Mrs。 Dodd; 〃and now; my good friend; with respect to _my daughter_
〃N' list _me!_〃 clashed Sampson; 〃ye're goen to fathom th' antiphlogistics; since they still survive an' slay in holes and corners like Barkton and d'Itly; I've driven the vamperes out o' the cintres o' civilisation。 Begin with their coolers! Exhaustion is not a cooler; it is a feverer; and they know it; the way parrots know sentences。 Why are we all more or less feverish at night? Because we are weaker。 Starvation is no cooler; it is an inflamer; and they know itas parrots know truths; but can't apply them: for they know that burning fever rages in ivery town; street; camp; where Famine is。 As for blood…letting; their prime cooler; it is inflammatory; and they know it (parrot…wise); for the thumping heart and bounding pulse of pashints blid by butchers in black; and bullocks blid by butchers in blue; prove it; and they have recorded this in all their books: yet stabbed; and bit; and starved; and mercuried; and murdered on。 But mind ye; all their sham coolers are real weakeners (I wonder they didn't inventory Satin and his brimstin lake among their refrijrators); and this is the point whence t' appreciate their imbecility; and the sairvice I have rendered mankind in been the first t' attack their banded school; at a time it seemed imprignable。〃
〃Ah! this promises to be very interesting;〃 sighed Mrs。 Dodd; 〃and before you enter on so large a field; perhaps it would be as well to dispose of a little matter which lies at my heart。 Here is _my poor daughter_〃
〃NLISSMEE! A human Bean is in a constant state of flux and reflux; his component particles move; change; disappear; and are renewed; his life is a round of exhaustion and repair。 Of this repair the brain is the sovereign ajint by night and day; and the blood the great living material;