Democratic Sentinel, Volume 16, Number 28, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 July 1892 — Too Hasty. [ARTICLE]

Too Hasty.

Doctor Brunton, in an address lately reported in the London Lancet, was cautioning his hearers—the members of a medical society—against hastily expressed opinions as to the nature of patients’ diseases, and emphasized his warning by two professional anecdotes. Jie was once present at a clinic, the subject of which was a man evidently suffering from some disease of the heart. An unnatural murmuring sound could be heard from that organ, and the pupil of one of his eyes was very much dilated. The peculiar appearance of the eye seemed to have some connection with the cardiac affection, but various opinions were expressed by the different students as to what the precise nature this relation could be. The discussion was just becoming Interesting when the patient remarked that his strange-looking eye was made of glass! At another clinic the professor in charge was discussing learnedly about the importance of attending to minor symptoms. “Now gentlemen,” be said, “in the case of this woman here, certain things should be confidently affirmed from the condition of her teeth.” He was proceeding to particularize, but just then the patient broke in i upon him. “Please, sir,” she said, as she took out her teeth, “I will hand them round; the young gentlemen might like to look at them closer.”