Part 53 (2/2)
Dr. MORGAN.--”Rhus Toxicodendron.”
The length of the last word excited Dr. Dosewell's respect. A word of five syllables,--that was something like! He bowed deferentially, but still looked puzzled. At last he said, smiling frankly, ”You great London pract.i.tioners have so many new medicines: may I ask what Rhus toxico--toxico--”
”Dendron.”
”Is?”
”The juice of the upas,--vulgarly called the poison-tree.” Dr. Dosewell started.
”Upas--poison-tree--little birds that come under the shade fall down dead! You give upas juice in these desperate cases: what's the dose?”
Dr. Morgan grinned maliciously, and produced a globule the size of a small pin's head.
Dr. Dosewell recoiled in disgust.
”Oh!” said he, very coldly, and a.s.suming at once an air of superb superiority, ”I see, a h.o.m.oeopathist, sir!”
”A h.o.m.oeopathist.”
”Um!”
”Um!”
”A strange system, Dr. Morgan,” said Dr. Dosewell, recovering his cheerful smile, but with a curl of contempt in it, ”and would soon do for the druggists.”
”Serve 'em right. The druggists soon do for the patients.”
”Sir!”
”Sir!”
DR. DOSEWELL (with dignity).--”You don't know, perhaps, Dr. Morgan, that I am an apothecary as well as a surgeon. In fact,” he added, with a certain grand humility, ”I have not yet taken a diploma, and am but doctor by courtesy.”
DR. MORGAN.--”All one, sir! Doctor signs the death-warrant, 'pothecary does the deed!”
DR. DOSEWELL (with a withering sneer).--”Certainly we don't profess to keep a dying man alive upon the juice of the deadly upas-tree.”
DR. MORGAN (complacently).--”Of course you don't. There are no poisons with us. That's just the difference between you and me, Dr. Dosewell.”
DR. DOSEWELL (pointing to the homeopathist's travelling pharmacopoeia, and with affected candour).--”Indeed, I have always said that if you can do no good, you can do no harm, with your infinitesimals.”
DR. MORGAN, who had been obtuse to the insinuation of poisoning, fires up violently at the charge of doing no harm. ”You know nothing about it! I could kill quite as many people as you, if I chose it; but I don't choose.”
DR. DOSEWELL (shrugging his shoulders).--”Sir Sir! It is no use arguing; the thing's against common-sense. In short, it is my firm belief that it is--is a complete--”
DR. MORGAN.--”A complete what?”
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