desperate, and had prevailed on the mother to call in the assistance of a doctor.
Booth had been a very little time in the room before this doctor arrived, with the apothecary close at his heels, and both approached the bed, where the former felt the pulse of the sick, and performed several other physical ceremonies.
He then began to enquire of the apothecary what he had already done for the patient; all which, as soon as informed, he greatly approved. The doctor then sat down, called for a pen and ink, filled a whole side of a sheet of paper with physic, then took a guinea, and took his leave; the apothecary waiting upon him downstairs, as he had attended him up.
All that night both Amelia and Booth sat up with their child, who rather grew worse than better. In the morning Mrs. Ellison found the infant in a raging fever, burning hot, and very light-headed, and the mother under the highest dejection; for the distemper had not given the least ground to all the efforts of the apothecary and doctor, but seemed to defy their utmost power, with all that tremendous apparatus of phials and gallypots, which were arranged in battle-array all over the room.
Mrs. Ellison, seeing the distrest, and indeed distracted, condition of Amelia's mind, attempted to comfort her by giving her hopes of the child's recovery. 'Upon my word, madam,' says she, 'I saw a child of much the same age with miss, who, in my opinion, was much worse, restored to health in a few days by a physician of my acquaintance. Nay, I have known him cure several others of very bad fevers; and, if miss was under his care, I dare swear she would do very well.' 'Good heavens! madam,' answered Amelia, 'why should you not mention him to me? For my part I have no acquaintance with any London physicians, nor do I know whom the apothecary hath brought me.' 'Nay, madam,' cries Mrs. Ellison, 'it is a tender thing, you know, to recommend a physician; and as for my doctor, there are abundance of people who give him an ill name. Indeed, it is true, he hath cured me twice of fevers, and so he hath several others to my knowledge; nay, I never heard of any more than one of his patients that died; and yet, as the doctors and apothecaries all give him an ill character, one is fearful, you know, dear madam.' Booth enquired the doctor's name, which he no sooner heard than he begged his wife to send for him immediately, declaring he had heard the highest character imaginable of him at the Tavern from an officer of very good understanding. Amelia presently complied, and a messenger was despatched accordingly.
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.
