DR. RYLEY, M.R.C.S.E.

West Coast Times, Issue 61, 24 October 1865, Page 1 (Supplement)

DR. RYLEY, M.R.C.S.E.

A clever man once observed—" Never eit dewn to write when angered, lest passion run away with thy pen," and another has also said, tl O, that mine enemy would write a book!" Both these quotations are invaluable to those who are wise enough to use them, and might save any amount of discomfort and an- j noyance, besides (which is an excellent and patriotic object) ' tending towards destroying tho trade of the harpies of the law, whose subsistence is derived from the lowest passions of humanity, and who are always ready to pounce vul-ture-like, upon any decayed heap of moral corruption, if it only offer a fair chance of their obtaining a rich harvest of fees. Dr Rutherfoiid Ryley, " M.11.C.5.E., and surgeon protempore to the Hokitika hospital" we are sorry observe, has either never heard of the above quotations, or he has a very poor opinion of them, for he has addressed a letter to us which we can scarcely characterise as temperate, but which we here insert, influenced by our usual desire to hear both sides : — 10 THS EDITOR 0! THE "WEST COAST TIMES." Sin, — I regret to have again to defend myself against an assault marie upon me in your columns by a person siginning himself William Davis. I beg to deny that this individual was over a patient of the hospital either interne or txUrne, and to atsure you that his letter is a tissue of lies from beginning to end. I am strongly of opinion, and I hope for the credit of human nature that I am right, that Davis has been .induced in a moment of weakness to give his name. to this epistle by soino person liaviug an animus against myself, or at all even is a desire to damage Iho present system of hospitul management, by the most cowardly and unprinoipled of all weapons — slanderous abuse of individuals Tho facts of tho case are as follow; — Davis, some time ago, applied to get into the hospital, but I had no vacancy, nor did I consider his case viz., — venereal disease, situated as I am at present, a fit one for hospital treatment. He then told roe he had a little money, and pUt himself under my treatment as a private patient. I charged him only one fee, although on three occasions I performed n small operation. The complaint, although liable to become serious was not urgent, or at least, such as to seriously impair his general health. Ho was much relieved attar a fo«Y days' troitmenfc, and resumed his work, but promised to return when he could afford to remain in town sufficiently long to get completely cured. Ho accordingly did so, but as he wns unablo to pay me for visiting him I told him to pitch his tent near to tho hospital (not on the hospital grounds because thero was not room even thero) whore I paid him soino half dozen visits and used an instrument four ' ira.es, he paying me only for tho medicines. It waa not necessary for mo to visit him every day, and I ceased to visit him because he disobeyed orders' to keep quiet for a day or two after each operation ; because I had found him absent from his <ent ou two occasions when I called ; and, also, because he appeared dissatisfied, and thankless for what was done for him, I may mention that while visiting him a vacancy occurred in a tent on tho hospital grounds, and I offered it to him, but ho did not accept it at the lime, and tin vacancy was filled up the following day by a patient with fracture of both bones of the leg. Any attention ho received from the hospital wns by my orders — the wardsraan having acoompaincd me to his tout on two or three occasions when I operated, and supplied him with warm water, &0., once or twice ; but he did not get his food or attendance from tho hospital as all those in the ten's on tho . hospital grounds do. I hope thero are few miners as ungrateful a3 William Davis ; for a few instances of ungratitudo liko this would disgust me and, I think, is calculated to harden the heart of any medical man. Ido not, however, blame such men as Davis for ingratitude so much as I do Die conductors of tho press, and others who assume that all who are sick should get medicine and attendance gratis, whether able to pay or not. Now, I think this a most absurd doctrine, and one calculated to demoralize tho community. I know for a fact several instances where patients labouring under this belief, and who could not get admission to the hospital, havo refused to pay for medical attendance asserting that they had noo tho means, and yet largo sams hive been lound on their persons affor their death. In my opinion, » man has as much right 'o pay his doctor as he has his butoher or his btiker. There is no study bo expensive as medioine, and thero is no profession whoso practice is more arduous, self-denying and onerous ; and although it claims to bethc most ' hilanthropio of tho professions, its members are composed of flesh and blood like other raortula, and connot live en air aDy mote than

editors of newspapers or lawyers whom nobody expects to work without remunera' ion. There is, iv my opinion, far too much humanitymongeiing ard spurious philanthropy abroad! ; and it will generally be found that thoso vlio talk most do least. If tho press, instead of fostering the idea that all who are sick aro entitled to be supported by tho government or the public free of- expense, would inculcate providence, foresight and a spirit of manly independence and self-reliance amongst the minors, who often spem! as much money in a single debauch as would pay their cxpences while ill for a month, we would not only have a higher tone of morality amongst the mining population; but less illness and mortality amongst us. It appears to me, that before such letters aro inserted in respectable, newspapers, the editor should tako some means of ascertaining whether thero is any truth in the charges made against persons holding the most responsible situations, and I know that such is tho custom everywhere except hero. I havo something else to do besides answering the calumnies which irresponsible individuals, if tho press is at their sorvice, may fulminate against me if they liappcn to bo offended by me in tho disolmrgo of my duties, and for the future I will take notice of such only through my solicitor. I am, &0,, J, RUTHERFORD RYLKy, M.R.O.SE.. Surgeon to tho Hospital pro temporo. The "Hospital has been a vexed question here for some time, and its inadequacy to meet the requirements of the West Coast Goldfields was fully exemplified by the circumstances which led to a leading article in the Times of the 14th inst. This article did not contain one single observation on the housesurgeon at all, his name only being once mentioned in connection with a quotation from the sworn testimony of a witness. Whether the Doctor chose to consider thw forbearance a negativo kindness — like tho gentleman who would only give the rescuer of his wife a shilj ling — as depriving him of tho advantages of a gratis advertisement, we cannot say; but he immediately put lance (or, perhaps, we should say lancet) in rest, and like a second Don Quixote charging a windmill, came down upon us full tilt, answering questions that had novev been asked, defending what had never been attacked, opposing opinions that had never been advanced, and generally conducting himself liko one suffering from the most acute form of " encoethes scribendi " or scribbleophobia. So far, so good ; the infliction was harmless both to ourselves and tho public, and let off a little of the Dr.'s superfluous steam, so wo bore with it, and hoped he was satisfied. But as illluck would havo it, a person — a Mr William Davis — wanted to say something on tho other sido, and in so doing ruffled tho Dr.'s sensitive bristles to too great an extent, inducing him to reply in tho latter we this day publish, and which wo feel sure he will regret for the future. Instead of answering with tho dignity of a gentleman, the calmness of a man conscious of tho recitiudo of his motive and the justice of his cause, and tho charity of a Christian, he forgets all three ; and displays not only a woful want of good temper and good breeding, but even his usual sound common sense. | After the mere explanation of Davis's letter, and a fair defence of himself from the charges levelled against him, with which part of the letter we do not quarrel, though it might certainly bo written more temperately, tho Dr. accuses Davis of ingratitude. To follow the Dr.'s own logic, if he had been paid for his medical services (which is admitted) Davis is no more bound to him from feelings of gratitude than to his butcher or baker : he was paid like any other tradesman, and there is an end of the matter. If therefore Dr. Hyley expects each of his patients to fall down and worship him when ho has cured them and received his pay, as tho alternative of his heart hardening and his growing disgusted, we frankly state our opinion that in all probabilitythe Dr. will carry a lump of marble in

his breast at no very distant date, if indeed his disgust does not poison him in tho meantime. His next charge is against us, whom ho accuses of assuming " that all who are sick should get medicine and attendance giatis, whether able to pay or not," but which is, as Dr. Ilyley must be aware, on a par with his other statements. We have never advocated so "absurd a doctrine," but do most unhesitatingly assert that the sick and destitute should not be allowed to suffer unrelieved, as if the possession of the gold for which so much is risked wero the only claim our humanity will permit us to acknowledge. That mauy men do impose in a shameless manner on such institutions as our Hospital we do not for a moment deny, or that miners do occasionally " spend as tmioh money in a single debauch as would pay their expenses while ill fora month," but we protest against such exceptional cases being taken as a criterion of the honesty of a class on the one charge ; while tho few cases of drunkenness or immorality brought before the Police Court here is a sufficient answer to the accusation of debauohery. ' Dr. liyloy's strictures on " such men" as the conductors of newspapers here are both absurd and uncalled for. He considers that before letters are inserted, " editors should take some means of ascertaining the truth of tho chatg-e," &o Pray what means would Dr. Ilyley recommend ? Davis made a statement, which after some pruning wo permitted to appear, as the subject was a pxiblic one. Dr Ilyley answers it and makes another statement. What means shall we take to verify this, which we have as much reason to believe is as untiuthful as that of Davis? It is the difficulty of arriving at the truth that makes publicity desirable; and it is always expressly understood in journalism that the editor does not commit himself to the opinions of his correspondents Really, if Dv. Ryley's rare talents could be spared from the medical profession, we should be glad to hail his appearanco in the ranks of the fourth estate ; for we feel assured that ho would adorn the one no leas than the other, and we might, from his vigorous and original mind, date from his accession to our ranks a new era in journalism. We can excuse tho small petulance which prompted the remarks concerning " spurious philanthropy," and " hu-manity-mongering " more easily than we can overlook the fact that here again tho doctor's temper has so far overcome his judgment as to induce him to lose sight of that regard for truth which should be the first aim of every gentleman. Possibly tho habit that a medical man acquires of looking coolly on human suffering, through its being constantly before his eyes, may have influenced Dr. Ryley in penning the above words ; but thoso who still possess the fine feelings of sympathy with the distressed, and pity for suffering implanted in mankind by nature, untainted by the familiarity of woe, will feel inclined to think as wo do ; and because Dr. Ryley regards a sick man merely as a " subject," surely that is no reason why, wo should not regard him as a fellow creature. If pity for the suffering and distressed — an anxious desire to help thoso who are themselves helpless — and a determination to benefit as far as lies in our power those who have a claim upon all of vs — who' are the mainspring of our prosperity, and the pioneers of our success : if this is " humanitymongering" and " spurious philanthropy," we as willingly plead guilty to the chargo as we admit tho impossibility of Dr. llyley's name being identified with either the one or tho other.

As for the threat implied against us at the close of Dr. Ryley'u epistle, we

can easily afford to pa.ss that over with the contempt it deserves, — evincing as it does a desire to fetter the free action of the press, the power and influence of which the Doctor himself is not by any means above invoking to attain his own ends, but which he finds desirable to fetter when the other side claim also their right to make a plain statement to the public which might tend to his •'disadvantage. If he is so confident of tho purity of his motives, the disinterestedness of his actions, and his general official immaculatoness, why ia lie so jealous of public scrutiny ? An " outsider," as we may say, — a person not enjoying tho intimate knowledge that we nro ' proud to admit that we possess of tho skill, the talent, the high social, official, and moral standirg, the excellent name for philanthropy, adroitness, humanity; self-devotion, cleverness, charity, attention, of the worthy M.Ii.C.S E. and Surgeon pro tompore of the Hokitika Hospital, and which qualities as far outshine tho humble abilities of his local medical contemporaries as the magnesium light does the flickering, feeble, halfpenny "glim;" — such " outsider," we say, might be inclined to believe on reading the above implied threat thiit the Doctor is afraid of the public gaze and tho public judgment, bu\t we know — are confident, satisfied, positive, convinced — that such an idea would bo incorrect, and Dr. lly ley's actions will bear the strictest scrutiny. Wo feel inclined to end as we have begun, and quote one homely proverb for his benefit, which gentlemen who lose their temper on reading what they consider to be " slanderous abuse,", may lay to heart with profit ; An honest man's character is like his boot — it never suffers from a little blacking, for it i always comes forth with a clearer polish | and brighter surface than ever.