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hard cash-第11章

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the room inaudibly; and after the usual civilities; glanced a! the patient's tongue; and touched her wrist delicately。 〃Pulse is rapid;〃 said he。

Mrs。 Dodd detailed the symptoms。 Dr。 Short listened within the patient politeness of a gentleman; to whom all this was superfluous。 He asked for a sheet of note…paper; and divided it so gently; he seemed to be persuading one thing to be two。 He wrote a pair of prescriptions; and whilst thus employed looked up every now and then and conversed with the ladies。

〃You have a slight subscapular affection; Miss Dodd: I mean; a little pain under the shoulder…blade。〃

〃No; sir;〃 said Julia quietly。

Dr。 Short looked a little surprised; his female patients rarely contradicted him。 Was it for them to disown things he was so a good as to assign them?

〃Ah!〃 said he; 〃you are not conscious of it: all the better; it must be slight; a mere uneasiness: no more。〃 He then numbered the prescriptions; 1; 2; and advised Mrs。 Dodd to (1r01) No。 I after the eighth day; and substitute No。 2; to be continued until convalescence。 He put on his gloves to leave。 Mrs。 Dodd then; with some hesitation; asked him humbly whether she might ask him what the disorder was。 〃Certainly; madam;〃 said he graciously; 〃your daughter is labouring under a slight torpidity of the liver。 The first prescription is active; and is to clear the gland itself; and the biliary ducts; of the excretory accumulation; and the second is exhibited to promote a healthy normal habit in that important part of the vascular system。〃

〃What; then; it is not Hyperaemia?〃

〃Hyperaemia? There is no such disorder in the books。〃

〃You surprise me;〃 said Mrs。 Dodd。 〃Dr。 Osmond certainly thought it was Hyperaemia。〃 And she consulted her little ivory tablets; whereon she had written the word。

But meantime; Dr。 Short's mind; to judge by his countenance; was away roaming distant space in search of Osmond。

〃Osmond? Osmond? I do not know that name in medicine。〃

〃Oh; oh; oh!〃 cried Julia; 〃and they both live in the same street!〃 Mrs。 Dodd held up her finger to this outspoken patient。

But a light seemed to break in on Dr。 Short。 〃Ah! you mean Mr。 Osmond: a surgeon。 A very respectable man; a most respectable man。 I do not know a more estimable personin his grade of the professionthan my good friend Mr。 Osmond。 And so he gives opinions in medical cases; does he?〃 Dr。 Short paused; apparently to realise this phenomenon in the world of Mind。 He resumed in a different tone: 〃You may have misunderstood him。 Hyperaemia exists; of course; since he says so。 But Hyperaemia is not a complaint; it is a symptom。 Of biliary derangement。 My worthy friend looks at disorders from a mental point; very natural: his interest lies that way; perhaps you are aware: but profounder experience proves that mental sanity is merely one of the results of bodily health: and I am happy to assure you that; the biliary canal once cleared; and the secretions restored to the healthy habit by these prescriptions; the Hyperaemia; and other concomitants of hepatic derangement; will disperse; and leave our interesting patient in the enjoyment of her natural intelligence; her friends' affectionate admiration; and above all; of a sound constitution。 Ladies; I have the honour〃 and the Doctor eked out this sentence by rising。

〃Oh; thank you; Dr。 Short;〃 said Mrs。 Dodd; rising within him; 〃you inspire me with confidence and gratitude。 As if under the influence of these feelings only; she took Dr。 Short's palm and pressed it。 Of the two hands; which met for a moment then; one was soft and melting; the other a bunch of bones; but both were very white; and so equally adroit; that a double fee passed without the possibility of a bystander suspecting it。

For the benefit of all young virgins afflicted like Julia Dodd; here are the Doctor's prescriptions:

FOR MISS DODD。

Rx Pil: Hydrarg: Chlor: Co: singuml: nocte sumend: Decoc: Aloes Co: 3j omni mane viii。 Sept。 J。 S。



FOR MISS DODD。

Rx Conf: Sennae。 Potass: Bitartrat。 Extr: Tarax: a a 3ss Misft: Elect: Cujus sum: 3j omni mane。 xviii。 Sept。 J。 S。



Id: Anglie reddit: per me Carol: Arundin:

The same done into English by me。 C。 R。


FOR MISS DODD。

1。 O Jupiter aid us!! Plummer's pill to be taken every night; 1 oz。 compound decoction of Aloes every morning。

8th Sept。 J。 S。

FOR MISS DODD。

2。 O Jupiter aid us!! with Confection of Senna; Bitartrate of Potash; extract of Dandelion; of each half an ounce; let an electuary be mixed; of which let her take 1 drachm every morning。

18th Sept。 J。 S。



〃Quite the courtier;〃 said Mrs。 Dodd; delighted。 Julia assented: she even added; with a listless yawn; 〃I had no idea that a skeleton was such a gentlemanlike thing; I never saw one before。〃

 Mrs。 Dodd admitted he was very thin。

〃Oh no; mamma; 'thin' implies some little flesh。 When he felt my pulse; a chill struck to my heart。 Death in a black suit seemed to steal up to me; and lay a finger on my wrist: and mark me for his own。〃

Mrs。 Dodd forbade her to give way to such gloomy ideas; and expostulated firmly with her for judging learned men by their bodies。 〃However;〃 said she; 〃if the good; kind doctor's remedies do not answer his expectations and mine; I shall take you to London directly。 I do hope papa will soon be at home。〃

Poor Mrs。 Dodd was herself slipping into a morbid state。 A mother collecting Doctors! It is a most fascinating kind of connoisseurship; grows on one like Drink; like Polemics; like Melodrama; like the Millennium; like any Thing。

Sure enough; the very next week she and Julia sat patiently at the morning levee of an eminent and titled London surgeon。 Full forty patients were before them: so they had to wait and wait。 At last they were ushered into the presence…chamber; and Mrs。 Dodd entered on the beaten ground of her daughter's symptoms。 The noble surgeon stopped her civilly but promptly。 〃Auscultation will give us the clue;〃 said he; and drew his stethoscope。 Julia shrank and cast an appealing look at her mother; but the impassive chevalier reported on each organ in turn without moving his ear from the key…hole: 〃Lungs pretty sound;〃 said he; a little plaintively: 〃so is the liver。 Now for theHum? There is no kardiae insufficiency; I think; neither mitral nor tricuspid。 If we find no tendency to hypertrophy we shall do very well。 Ah! I have succeeded in diagnosing a slight diastolic murmur; very slight。〃 He deposited the instrument; and said; not without a certain shade of satisfaction that his research had not been fruitless; 〃The heart is the peccant organ。〃

〃Oh; sir! is it serious?〃 said poor Mrs。 Dodd。

〃By no means。 Try this〃 (he scratched a prescription which would not have misbecome the tomb of Cheops); 〃and come again in a month。〃 Ting! He struck a bell。 That 〃ting〃 said; 〃Go; live; Guinea; and let another come。〃

〃Heart…disease now! 〃 Said Mrs。 Dodd; sinking back in her hired carriage; and the tears were in her patient eyes。

〃My own; own mamma;〃 said Julia earnestly; 〃do not distress yourself。 I have no disease in the world; but my old; old; old one; of being a naughty; wayward girl。 As for you; mamma; you have resigned your own judgment to your inferiors; and that is both our misfortunes。 Dear; dear mamma; do take me to a doctress next time; if you have not had enough。〃

〃To a what; love?〃

〃A she…doctor; then。〃

〃A female physician; child? There is no such thing。 No; assurance is becoming a characteristic of our sex; but we have not yet intruded ourselves into the learned professions; thank Heaven。〃

〃Excuse me; mamma; there are one or two; for the newspapers say so。〃

〃'Well; dear; there are none in this country; happily。〃

〃'What; not in London?〃

〃No。〃

〃Then what _is_ the use of such a great overgrown place; all smoke; if there is nothing in it you cannot find in the country? Let us go back to Barkington this very day; this minute; this instant; oh; pray; pray。〃

〃And so you shallto…morrow。 But you must pity your poor mother's anxiety; and see Dr。 Chalmers first。〃

〃Oh; mamma; not another surgeon! He frightened me; he hurt me。 I never heard of such a thing; oh; please not another surgeon。〃

〃It is not a surgeon; dear; it is the Court Physician。〃

The Court Physician detected 〃a somewhat morbid condition of the great nervous centres。〃 To an inquiry whether there was heart…disease; he replied; 〃Pooh!〃 On being told Sir William had announced heart…disease; he said; 〃Ah! _that alters the case entirely。_〃 He maintained; however; that it must be trifling; and would go no further; the nervous system once restored to its healthy tone。 〃O Jupiter; aid us! Blue pill and Seidhitz powder。〃

Dr。 Kenyon found the mucous membrane was irritated and required soothing。 〃O Jupiter; &c。〃

Mrs。 Dodd returned home consoled and confused; Julia listless and apathetic。 Tea was ordered; with two or three kinds of bread; thinnest slices of meat; and a little blane mange; &c。; their favourite repast after a journey; and whilst the tea was drawing; Mrs。 Dodd looked over the card…tray and enumerated the visitors that had called during their absence。 〃Dr。 Short Mr。 OsmondMrs。 HetheringtonMr。 Alfred HardieLady DewryMrs。 and Miss Bosanquet。 What a pity
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