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A DAY
IN DOCTOR GET WELL’S CLINIC
Doctor Get Well was proud to
proclaim that he had graduated from one of the finest medical
schools in the country. In addition to the high honors he
achieved in medicine, he took a post graduate course in
treatment of people suffering from allergies that are most
frequently found among church going people. Doctor Get Well
was happy in his profession and was glad to hang out his
advertisement on the Dr. Get Well Clinic. His slogan was:
CAREFUL DIAGNOSES --- HONEST PRESCRIPTIONS. It was not long
until he discovered some very strange maladies among his
patients.
Dr. Get Well’s first patient was a girl named
Lotta Hearsay whose ears were protected with huge wads of
cotton. In answer to the Doctor’s sympathetic enquiry, she
related, “I just don’t know what is wrong with me. I am
bothered with a lot of noises in my head. I keep hearing
strange things like reports that are either true or imaginary
and I just repeat everything to the very best of my ability.
Then when I meet the people concerned I feel stiff and it
hurts to move too close to them. I felt so distressed I
thought of going to see Doctor Killor Kure, but some friends
said if he makes any mistakes he just buries them, and they
thought Get Well could help me. I hope you can give me a
prescription to cure me,” said Lotta dejectedly. “I know just
what your trouble is,” said the doctor kindly. “Unfortunately
it is much too common among people today. You have a bad case
of ‘rumortism.’ The things you hear are rumors and you have a
tendency to get a pain in the neck every time you meet the
ones connected with the rumors. Some rumors are full of deadly
poison, and of course, this afflicts the carrier with painful
rumortism. I prescribe that you get a bottle of absolutely
pure True Facts and always test each rumor by comparing it
with the contents of this bottle. If you are careful not to
swallow anything but this prescription, I am sure your
rumortism will disappear.”
The receptionist had to lead
the next patient in. “Mr. I. Strain,” she said as she
introduced him and left. The doctor didn’t even get a chance
to ask him about his problem. He began stammering, “I, I, I, I
think I, I am alright. I, I, I think other people are sick
though. I told them I am better and I know I am better because
I am.” The doctor asked him if he had ever had his eyes
tested. “Why should I?” said I. Strain. My eyes are good
enough to see anything I want ME to see.” “Let me give you a
simple test,” said the Doctor, “I am holding up a map of
Japan. Can you see any of the mission stations clearly marked
on it.” “Mission stations?” exploded I. Strain, “No, of course
I can’t see any mission stations, but then, who cares about
missions?” “Alright, let me try something closer to home. Can
you see any of these four appeals for help around you?” said
Dr. Get Well holding up the series. “Only the one where I am
trying to get help for my class---but then the others aren’t
very important anyway,” Said I. Strain naively. “Young man,”
said the doctor firmly, “you are almost blind. I have seldom
seen any one so near sighted as you are. I will prescribe
glasses with the correcting faith and love lenses and you
ought to be able to see human needs any where in the world.”
The next patient hobbled into the office on crutches. A
man followed him with a wheel chair and behind him came two
men bearing a stretcher. The patient whose name was Benny Fitz
said his ambulance was waiting outside the clinic. “Broken
leg?” enquired Dr. Get Well. “Oh, no, nothing that serious,”
said Benn nonchalantly. “Must be a slipped disc or cartilage,”
suggested the doctor. “I better take a few X-rays.” “No need
to bother,” said Fitz, I havent’ been in any accident. I just
came for a check over to make sure I have enough protection.”
“But…” began Dr. Get Well. “Oh, the wheel chair and the
stretcher? Well, you see, if anything happened to the
crutches, I would have them to fall back on. I believe in
playing it safe,” said Benny without embarrassment. “I spend
most of my money to support myself and the balance to protect
myself against any eventuality.” The doctor was thoroughly
disgusted and he didn’t try to conceal it as he said, “Look,
you give those crutches to some unfortunate person who needs
them. With two good legs and a healthy body you ought to quit
worrying about yourself and help others in need. When you keep
more than you need for yourself you are denying it to others
more worthy.” With this caustic chastisement, Benny Fitz left
the office walking out like a man.
Dr. Get Well was a bit
dubious about how to approach his next patient. He noticed
that the man was carrying a chip on each shoulder and it
wouldn’t take much to knock them off. Burnt Scars said, “Look
Doc, I haven’t much time. I think I have a bad case of
heartburn. You see, I have a low boiling point and a continual
slow burning rate. I get hot under the collar and then, I just
have to explode and usually somebody gets hurt. I’ve got to
get help before I burn up entirely,” moaned Burnie. The doctor
jokingly said, “Burnie, let me suggest you take those chips
off your shoulders before you start another conflagration.
Your problem is very common only yours is more acute. You're
suffering from loss of temper. Temper is like fire in that it
can be very destructive unless rigidly controlled. You have to
channel the force of temper into things worthwhile. Otherwise
you are like a car just spinning its wheels. Revving your
motor when you are stuck is no demonstration of power, it just
uses energy and produces futility. Turn your temper over to
Christ and get in gear, so to speak, and you will go places.
O. K. Burnt?” said the doctor hopefully.
The doctor lost
no time diagnosing the next patient, who was slouched down in
a comfortable chair. Will Shruggitoff was obviously a case of
overweight and his 250 pounds were burdensome. The doctor
began by asking, “How did you get so much weight?” “I didn’t
do anything,” said Shruggitoff. “How many hours do you work
each day?” was the next question. “Me? I don’t work. I get
enough exercise going back and forth to the table,” said
Shuggitoff irritably. “Have you ever been offered employment,
and if so, what has been your reaction?” persisted the doctor.
“Huh, work! Why I just love work. I just sit down and watch
it. As long as I can sit down or lie down, I don’t mind
letting the work be done by others,” drawled Shruggitoff. “You
have a malignant case of dropsy,” the doctor replied slowly
shaking his head. “You just drop down and drop out of every
job. You have such an allergy toward hard work that it has
developed into “easyitis” and then complications set in, which
brought on the dropsy. Your cure demands a diet that
completely eliminates all pamperings. Your exercise must
include some action each day beyond your duty---something
voluntary for the sake of others. It won’t be easy, but
remember that pampering this type of dropsy could be fatal.
Follow my advise and you'll recover.” Said the doctor
confidently.
Doctor Get Well was getting weary. A girl
with an extremely sore tongue had to be treated and advised
against using sharp bitter words and making cutting remarks
about people. A man who claimed he could always ‘smell a rat’
at the church business meetings had to be advised to get rid
of the vermin "under his own doorstep". One man came to ask
the doctor if he could release his hands from two heavy
suitcases he had carried for several years and the burden had
become intolerable. The doctor asked him to open the suitcases
to see what was so important. He found one filled with worry
and the other crammed with fears. The doctor told him to “Cast
his burden on the Lord,” and go out and try to lighten the
load for someone else. He was astonished to find so many
people just lugging useless baggage around the same as he had
been.
The last patient to request help was a massive well
built man who claimed he had no feeling for anything. The
doctor soon discovered the man was suffering from a dangerous
heart condition that affected his sympathies and
responsibility. The doctor recommended that he go at once and
make an appointment with the greatest heart specialist, the
Lord Jesus Christ. He can even repair broken hearts and
perform operations to remove stony hearts and replace them
with hearts of flesh. Luke 4:18, Ezek, 11:19. “This deadness
and lack of feeling,” said the doctor is directly related to
heart trouble and the only one who can help you is the one Who
can give you a heart transplant, in other words, a new heart.
It had been a long trying day, but Doctor Get Well felt it
had been most rewarding. Somehow he felt there was a great
need for clinics like the one he was
operating.
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