Medical Rewards.

Te Aroha News, Volume II, Issue 86, 24 January 1885, Page 5

Medical Rewards.

The following letter from "Truth "dealing with medical rewards, is amufdng and instructive : — Deah " Trl'th,"— Apropos of your recent Barrel Organ, let me give you a scrap of autobiography in support of the opinion expressed regarding the risk run by medical men in the practice of their profession, and how, compared with military men, their services aro wholly ignored, except when, for sheer decency's sake, they are recognised as military appendages. About a quarter of a century ago I entered the foremost service in the world aa a medical officer. During the first year's service, while in the execution of my duty, I received my baptism — not of fire — but an ejection of vomiio niyro, a very dangerous weapon met with in medical warfare in the West Indies. During the following year, while struggling with an epidemic of " Yellow Jack," I fell a victim to that disease, and all but lost my life, solely owing to exposure to infection rashly inflicted upon a whole ship's company, but officially due to the go-called " exigencies of the service." A short time after, I was imprisoned on a desert island in the Gulf of Mexico, known as the Island of Sacrifices, with no society save a faithful marine servant and a few small-pox patients. All these little things I bore well, for I thought they would lead to some professional advancement. Later on, I was ordered to proceed forthwith to a large hospital to take charge of the zymotic wards, and receive a number of patients from an ironclad daily expected to arriv« ; in fact, to clear out a fever-stricken ship. No use ; I was not even " mentioned " In course of yours I gave up my little ambition to become a candidate for honours, and, although never volunteering, plodded away mechanically through small-pox in China, cholera in Japan, and typhoid in one of our own seaports ; but promotion still came not. Tho sunny south had to be tried; so onelo\ely morning I found myself in proximity to the northern coast of Africa, near a large city which existed at that time. I had nothing to do. The crew wer j abnormally healthy, and they, as well as tho fighiing ollicen?, wore kept pretty busy, as it appeared they were arranging the best methods of destroying some fortificatiors by firing guns at them. I heard that there was some dispute between our admiral and a gentleman named Arabi, but I could not undet3tand it, nor was I at all concerned in their quarrel. Altogether, we were rather jolly, except for the row one morning some of our messmates made letting the guns off. I heard afterwards that they had killed a whole lot of poor niggere on shore. Well, 1 had nearly forgotten all about this pleasant morning— the only one, by the way, on which I did not see a single patient— when, months afterwards, I got a message from the paymaster to call upor him for a sum of money which I found wat a rewanl granted me by the Governmeni for my .services' (!) on the above morning and I now cruise about with some medal! and a clasp on my left breast, the embodiec reward of doing — nothing at all.— Youn faithfully, Roderick Random.

" Do you know," said an extremely vivacious young lady to her excessively bashful suitor, "do you know, George, that young ladiee like to be told they are pretty and attractive, whether they are or not?" "I should not think of telling you any such thing," said George, gallantly, "for your looking glass tell? you better than I could that you are as handsome as a picture." '• Ch, George !" " You have the prettiest face and the smallest waist I ever saw." " The smallest waist ! If my waist is small it is certainly not because of having been squeezed, Gjorg*," Geoiga fainttd.