apable, as well as the principal reasons on which it was founded. She
seemed entirely submissive, and perhaps, in theory, was so. But in my
zeal to make them understand that I was acting on common-sense
principles, I committed one error, a very common one, indeed, but yet an
error. It was that of reasoning with them with a view to make every
thing particularly intelligible. One has authority, in these matters, as
long as he takes the _attitude_ of authority, but the moment he descends
to the general level of his patients, and in true republican style puts
himself on a par with them, he begins to lose their confidence as a
physician. You may not be sensible of a loss of this sort, nor even the
physician. You may even think the reverse were more true. But you
deceive yourself. Though your patients may love you better as a friend
or even as a father, yet they have lost confidence in you medically, in
nearly the same proportion. Strange indeed that it should be so; but so,
according to my own observation, it ever has been. That a prophet is
"without honor"--and most so in his own country and among his own
personal friends--is as true now as it was eighteen hundred years ago.

Had I told Mrs. D.'s attendants to do so or so, and left them without
saying a word more, they would probably have done it. But I had
condescended to reason with them about the matter; their belief that
medical men dealt with the stars, and spoke with a species of
supernatural authority, had been shaken; and they were emboldened to
reason on the subject, and to hearken to the reasonings as well as to
what had but the slightest resemblance thereto in others, during my
absence.

Having occasion to use all possible precaution against the supervention
of milk fever in my patient, I left particular directions that nothing
stimulating should be administered, and assigned several good,
substantial reasons. No food was to be given, except a little bread and
some plain chicken broth, with no condiment or dressing but a little
salt; and this at intervals of about four hours. No drink--not a
particle--was to be given, except frequent very small draughts of cold
water.

While I was absent Mrs. D.'s mother came into their family, not only to
rejoice with them in an accession to their number, but to render them a
little aid. She was one of those mothers whose kindness so often defeats
their best and purest intentions. She was all eyes, ears, and attention,
and _n