But before the second doctor could be brought, the first returned with
the apothecary attending him as before. He again surveyed and handled
the sick; and when Amelia begged him to tell her if there was any
hopes, he shook his head, and said, "To be sure, madam, miss is in a
very dangerous condition, and there is no time to lose. If the
blisters which I shall now order her, should not relieve her, I fear
we can do no more."--"Would not you please, sir," says the apothecary,
"to have the powders and the draught repeated?" "How often were they
ordered?" cries the doctor. "Only _tertia_ quaq. hora," says the
apothecary. "Let them be taken every hour by all means," cries the
doctor; "and--let me see, pray get me a pen and ink."--"If you think
the child in such imminent danger," said Booth, "would you give us
leave to call in another physician to your assistance--indeed my
wife"--"Oh, by all means," said the doctor, "it is what I very much
wish. Let me see, Mr. Arsenic, whom shall we call?" "What do you think
of Dr Dosewell?" said the apothecary.--"Nobody better," cries the
physician.--"I should have no objection to the gentleman," answered
Booth, "but another hath been recommended to my wife." He then
mentioned the physician for whom they had just before sent. "Who,
sir?" cries the doctor, dropping his pen; and when Booth repeated the
name of Thompson, "Excuse me, sir," cries the doctor hastily, "I shall
not meet him."--"Why so, sir?" answered Booth. "I will not meet him,"
replied the doctor. "Shall I meet a man who pretends to know more than
the whole College, and would overturn the whole method of practice,
which is so well established, and from which no one person hath
pretended to deviate?" "Indeed, sir," cries the apothecary, "you do
not know what you are about, asking your pardon; why, he kills
everybody he comes near." "That is not true," said Mrs. Ellison. "I
have been his patient twice, and I am alive yet." "You have had good
luck, then, madam," answered the apothecary, "for he kills everybody
he comes near." "Nay, I know above a dozen others of my own
acquaintance," replied Mrs. Ellison, "who have all been cured by him."
"That may be, madam," cries Arsenic; "but he kills everybody for all
that--why, madam, did you never hear of Mr. ----? I can't think of the
gentleman's name, though he was a man of great fashion; but everybody
knows whom I mean." "Everybody, indeed, must know whom you mean,"
answered Mrs. Ellison; "for I never heard but of one, and that many
years ago."
Before the dispute was ended, the doctor himself entered the room. As
he was a very well-bred and very good-natured man, he addressed
himself with much civility to his brother physician, who was not quite
so courteous on his side. However, he suffered the new comer to be
conducted to the sick-bed, and at Booth's earnest request to deliver
his opinion.
The dispute which ensued between the two physicians would, perhaps, be
unintelligible to any but those of the faculty, and not very
entertaining to them. The character which the officer and Mrs. Ellison
had given of the second doctor had greatly prepossessed Booth in his
favour, and indeed his reasoning seemed to be the juster. Booth
therefore declared that he would abide by his advice, upon which the
former operator, with his zany, the apothecary, quitted the field, and
left the other in full possession of the sick.
The first thing the new doctor did was (to use his own phrase) to blow
up the physical magazine. All the powders and potions instantly
disappeared at his command; for he said there was a much readier and