Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 8, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 January 1913 — A FIGHTING DOCTOR [ARTICLE]

A FIGHTING DOCTOR

How One Young Physician Literally Fought His Way Into Fame and Practice. BY JOHN PHILIP ORTH. When a medical student has received his diploma and is turned adrift to succeed or fail it is the crisis of his life. Not one in ten can figure out how he is going to support himself sntil he can get a foothold. When he has selected his town and his office and his home he must wait for patients, and weeks and months may go by before his prescriptions begin to be handed in to the drug store. ;; When Dr. Charles Chisholm made his advent at Lansing he found seven M. D.’s for a population of 3,500. That was 500 each. In the course ofa year, as doctors figure, ten people eut~ of every 500 will need the service of a physician. That is the average, outside of epidemics, Taking the doctors* ngures again, the charge to the ten patients will not average over sls each. That means an income of $l5O per year, and an outgo of S6OO. Out of seven doctors in a town with the population given, two will make a fair income. The other five will simply hang on apd wish they had learned the carpenter’s trade. Doctor Chisholm had this all figured . out, and yet he., -decided to take chances and hope for luck. Another man might have been kept waiting for months. He was taking his first drive into the country to get the lay of the land, when luck came galloping up. Miss Nellie Mayfield, daughter of the owner of the big shoe factory, was taking a walk in the suburbs with her little dog at her heels when she suddenly found herself face to face with an evil-faced vagabond. It was her screams as he laid hands on her purse that reached the youngs doctor’s ear from around a bend in the road and caused him to apply the whip to his somewhat lethargic horse. The shindy did not last more than two minutes. The doctor leaped from his buggy and knocked the fellow down, but that wasn’t the When the vagabond scrambled up he drew • a knife and made a slash that scratched the doctors’ shoulder. Down he went again, and this time he got the full dose. His knife was left behind, and he had seven different limps as he disappeared into the bushes. When the victor turned to the girl she was a quarter of a mile down the road and still running. Young Chisholm drove home without a word to anyone of the affair, but within a day he was being congratulated. " Among those who called was Mr. Mayfield. He jvas a man of few words. “They say he had a knife and used IL” lie said as he held out his hand. “It was only a scratch,” was the reply. “Have you set up here as a doctor?" "Yes." : “Think you can make a go of it?” “I shall try hard.” “Good!” There were three bullies in Lansing. Jake Wolf, the driver of a brewery wagon, was a bully because he loved to fight. A week after the doctor’s adventure, and right in front of his office, Jake’s wagon collided with the vehicle of Mr. Davis, the banker, and tore off a wheel. It was Jake’s bad driving that caused the accident, but he jumped down for a scrap. “Quit that!” commanded the doctor as he stood in his door. “If you want to mix in come along! ” Doctor Chisholm threw off his coat and stepped out. His was a strong prescription. In five minutes ho had the bully licked for the first time in his life. “You are the new doctor?” queried the banker as they shook hands. "Yes.” “How are you making out?” “I’ve licked two men so far!” “Then you’ll get along. Any time you want a hundred dollars on your note come and see me.” It went all over town that the new doctor had given Jake Wolf his dose, and there were more compliments. Mr. Mayfield stepped within the door of the office to nod and say: “Keep right on! You are doing wenr w ~'—--- — —— “Thanks.” Jack Brown, the stone mason, had the habit of going on a spree every two weeks. When about half-drunk he would start in to make Rome howl. It came his day, and as he passed the doctor’s office he entered to wreck things. The only thing wrecked was the stone mason. He got such a thumping that the Temperance union had to let him sign' the pledge in three places before he was satisfied. A score of men dropped in to shake hands wjXlj Doctor Chisholm, and Mr Mayfield met him at the post office and linked arms with him and said: “Come along to dinner with me. I like a fighter.” “But 1 am no man to pick a quarrel," was the reply. “No? You just happen to be on the spot when t'ue row starts. Well, come along and hear what Miss Nellie-has to say about It I think most girls like a strong-armed man.” There were introductions and a pleasant evening, and while Doctor Chisholm was enjoying himself he was being discussed by two doctors seated in the office of one of them. “He must surety starve out.” remarked one. “He can make no headway here,” was the reply. f 1 “But la be h prise fighter or a doc tor?”

“I don’t know." “This community won’t stand for his tactics.” i “Bound to go under.” “I have cut him dead thus far.” “We can’t recognize hipr.” There was one more bully, -and he was a bad tempered man—Jiffi Eccles." He was bad-tempered drunk or sober. When he heard how Doctor Chisholm had served the others he growled: “Come to run the town has he? Well, you wait a bit!” "What are you going to do?” was asked. ’ “Bounce him out of Lansing!” Again the doctor sat in his office reading a medical work when he had a caller. It was Jim Eccles. He was sober and he had a job before him. “Skate!” he said as he pointed to the street. ; “Why?” was quietly asked. “Because *l, tell you to!” , “You are Jim Eccles, the bad man?” “Bad all the way through, and I don’t generally hold my temper as long as this.” » “Your blood is out of order Mr. Eccles, and I’ll give you a prescription for it!” The scrap took place out of doors, and the audience sa>d it was just the neatest little affair the town of Lansing had ever been treated to. When it was over the doctor had a black eye and Mr. Jim Eccles said he was going to California to take on an earthquake or some other easy mark. Three of the doctors in the town witnessed the affair, and as they walked away they were agreed that it was the finish of the new comer. Doctor Chisholm was bathing his eye when Mr. Mayfield entered the office to say: “So you got around to Eccles, eh? Come to dinner with me.” “Can’t. See this black eye?” “All the better. Miss Nellie has always wanted to see one close at hand. ■No cause for embarrassment —not in the least?’ And the doctor went, and things were made very nice for him. As he left the house it was Miss Nellie who said: “Father thinks you will succeed.” “Oh, I’ve got to,” he laughed. At the door of his office a woman waited to ask: “Are you the fighting doctor?” “Well, I’ve had a few scraps.” ’"Then come and see my sick child,” The next morning it was a woman with an ailing husband, and there were six calls before night. In each and every case the qaller made sure that he or she was addressing the fighting doctor. - And next day what happened but that the banker’s wife got a chicken bone in her throat, and Miss Nellie Mayfield had a sudden pain in her side and wanted medical attendance. “Go ahead and treat us all for anything you wish!” laughed Mr. Mayfield; and the fighting doctor knew that his practice was an assured thing. “Did you ever!” exclaimed the doctors to each other. They never did. When they woke up they found a new doctor at the head of the procession and the town predicting a son-in-law for Mr. Mayfield. For once the gossips hit it right. It was the fighting doctor that left his many patients long enough one day to get married and it was Mrs. Nellie Chisholm who said: “Never mind the bridal torn- until we are worth a million dollars and can hire special trains.” (Copyright, 1912, by. the McClure Newspaper Syndicate.)