prosperity of the community. It is more than keeping pace with the rapid growth of the borough of Ashley.

Ashley Observer, by J. A. Schwab and D. H. Cruser, commenced publication March 15, 1888; a seven-column folio, independent politically, and therefore breezy and full of interesting news. When it was started some of its best friends feared for its future as there was little in outside appearances about Ashley to warrant the venture. But the borough has sprung up like a mushroom, and the most flattering prosperity has come to the Observer.

The Evolutionist.-Such a name for a little obscure village, patent inside and out paper was, to say the least, novel, and some of the good pious dames of the household, if they understood the common current import of the word must have shuddered when they looked at the headline.

It was a venture at New Columbus, by I. J. Jamison in 1891. It lived about a year and joined the "silent multitude." In a note the ex-editor says: "As the name implies it was conceived in the hope of proving an auxilliary to moral and political evolution at a time in our history when we deemed the effort most worthy." Whether this venture and name was a century more or less in advance of the age or behind it, is left to each reader's own solution. It should have been mentioned that Mr. Jamison is postmaster at New Columbus.

Luzerne County Express (German) is published on the public square in WilkesBarre. It was started in September, 1882, by August Stutzbach, and successfully run by him until his death in 1891; became well established and received a liberal patronage. After his death the work was taken up by his widow, Helena Stutzbach, and has continued to the present on its highway of prosperity. In October, 1892, Peter Ræder took charge of the Express. He is recognized as one of the able writers of Wilkes-Barre.

Avoca Argus was started December 12, 1890, by Harry W. Dony. It was the sudden filling of a long-felt want and bloomed into an immediate success. It is independent in politics and started with a well-equipped office. Mr. Dony soon found that the demands of the people must be met, and he therefore started The Plains Argus and The Dunmore Pioneer and the publishers of the three papers are Dony & Bailey.

In

Telephone (Wilkes-Barre), first number was printed October 23, 1880-a monthly seven-column folio, by Charles D. Linskill. It started with 4,000 subscribers and this soon rose to 6,000, printing however 10,000 and giving away the extras. March, 1884, J. S. Sanders became a partner in the paper, and April 5, 1884, the first Weekly Telephone was printed-eight-column folio; the weekly taking the place of the monthly, retaining about half of its subscribers and to the present has grown and prospered remarkably well.

Charles D. Linskill was born in Lehman township, April 10, 1840; reared on the farm until aged sixteen, and then clerked in a store till 1873, when he began reporting for the Record where he remained until September, 1880.

Mr. Sanders was born near Danville, August 10, 1834; learned the printer's art in Danville and published the Danville Intelligencer. Before taking hold of the Telephone, he had published the Berwick Gazette, Houghton Sentinel and Plymouth Record.

CHAPTER XV.

MEDICAL.

SALIVATION ARMY-HOT WATER AND BLEEDING A LEARNED PROFESSION-MEDICAL SOCIETIES-FIRST PHYSICIANS LIST OF REGISTERED PHYSICIANS-COUNTY MEDICAL SOCIETIES -ETC.

EDICINE is considered one of the learned professions, in its purposes, certainly, where broadly understood and pursued, it approaches something higher. Just now as it branches into specialties, as is everything in life, it is probably on the road to the accomplishment of the high purpose for which it came into existence. Surgery and medicine are rapidly becoming as distinct as if entirely different professions. Then here, as in religion, new "faiths" arise and doubters can now begin to gain a hearing. A dissenter may himself always be a bad man, but generally the results from the life of one that is strong and bold, are for the good of mankind. What do we care now whether, personally, Luther was a good or bad man, what we are chiefly concerned in are the results following his life and work. It is pitiful to hear of the brutalities, or at least mistaken cruelties, of the practice of medicine a short half century ago. There was one barbarism that was so definite in its wanton cruelty that it deserves a place in history. It was the physician's art of "salivating" the patient. This torture was caused by broken doses of calomel and then giving acids. All "to see if the secretions were still going on." Sometimes a patient would have a great blister applied, if it acted, then that would indicate to the man of science that the patient was not "too dead to skin." These things would indicate that if the ancient men of pills knew little they had great curiosity as to how the patient was getting along. Another ancient diabolism was the thumb lancet that every doctor, among many others, had always on hand to bleed every patient; no matter what the symptoms-bleed. These little points in the history of medicine should be duly impressed upon professional fledgelings, who know so much at the start as they come fresh from the books. Precedent in medicine, as in all professions, should be cautiously received. In lawmaking it only hits the purse, or makes slaves of the people, but in medicine a mistake of that kind brings death. The highest type of good to one's fellow-man is one of the possibilities in the practice of medicine. It may never go beyond its present stage of being largely experimenting in each given case. It is possible it can not in the nature of things, become an exact science. But the day will come when the physician will surely be the man of all men, when his presence at the bedside will be like angels' visits in its good cheer and real help toward a cure. Nature must always be the real doctor, the physician the friend and helpful nurse. As it is, now the physician is looked to to cure; much of this is his own fault; then again, sometimes ignorance can only be doctored by a little sleight-of-hand or humbug. The one fact that confronts the man of medicine is that it is a law of nature that no two things can be exactly alike. We can simply take them as approaching a likeness and proceed accordingly.

It is a remarkable story now to tell there was a physician who made a professional visit here in 1755. In that year Christian Fredrick Post, the Indian missionary while here had his leg so severely hurt by accident that an Indian runner was dispatched to Bethlehem and brought Dr. J. M. Otto. The medical man remained a week with his patient. There is probably little doubt but that this was the first medical visit ever paid in this part of the State.

Dr. William Hooker Smith, Dr. Joseph Sprague and Dr. Gustin were the earliest physicians in the valley. They were all in the battle of 1778, and the last-named gentleman received a bullet through his hat.

Dr. Nathaniel Giddings located in Pittston township in 1783, and pursued his profession for more than half a century. Dr. Matthew Covell, previous to the present century, located permanently in Wilkes-Barre. Dr. Samuel Baldwin resided part of the time in Wilkes-Barre, and afterward in Kingston. Dr. Oliver Bigelow was located at Forty Fort, and left Wyoming eighty years ago. Dr. Crissey, one of the early physicians, was located at Plymouth. Dr. Samuel Hayden lived in Huntington township, and afterward in Braintrim. He was a very successful practitioner, and a very eccentric man. Between 1800 and 1810 Drs. Covell and George W. Trott were practicing in Wilkes-Barre, Drs. Baldwin and Eleazar Parker in Kingston, and Drs. Gaylord and Crissey in Plymouth.

From 1810 to 1820 Drs. Covell, Baldwin, W. B. Giddings, Gaylord, Parker, Asa C. Whitney, and Dr. John Smith, were practicing in Wyoming valley.

Dr. Silas Robinson, who died in Providence, was the oldest physician in the Lackawanna valley. He commenced practice in 1811.

Dr. Crystell came to Huntington about 1800. He married Miss Stookey, of Salem. Dr. Griswold located near where is Town Hill and practiced twenty years. Dr. John Weston succeeded Dr. Gaylord, but eventually went to New York. The other early physicians in Huntington were Drs. Pickering, Jones, Davenport, Crawford and Hayden. Dr. Sideney H. Warner located in Huntington in 1833, and for nearly fifty years was in the practice. One of his daughters became the wife of Dr. Clinton H. Bacon, of Huntington.

Dr. William Barrett practiced seven years at Cambra. He came from Gettysburg and was one of the first to go there in 1863 after the battle to attend the wounded.

Dr. Mason Carey was one of the first physicians in Salem township.

In 1846 Dr. L. C. White located in Shickshinny. The next year he was joined by his brother-in law, Dr. Charles Parker. The latter practiced until his death-aged eighty. Dr. White removed to Mississippi. One of the old practitioners in Shickshinny is Dr. William D. Hamilton. Later arrivals are Drs. Kammerly, Dodson, Chapin, Rogers, Harrison, Kingsbury, Betterly, Sutliff, Sautere, Harvey, Bonham, Bacon, Hice, Boston, Lockhart and Davidson.

Dr. Charles E. Gaylord, whose brother, Lieut. Asher Gaylord, fell in the Wyoming battle, settled in Huntington soon after the cessation of Indian hostilities. His only child and son, Henderson Gaylord, became one of the county's prominent and wealthy men.

Dr. Anna Moore, formerly Mrs. Heath, was an early settler in Plymouth. Col. Wright in his history says he remembers her as a "fat, waddling old lady." She successfully practiced until 1814, when Dr. Moreland came and established himself, and then Dr. Ebenezer Chamberlain settled in Plymouth in 1816 and was in the practice until his death, 1866.

Luzerne County Medical Society.-On March 4, 1861, pursuant to call, a convention of physicians was held at the courthouse in Wilkes-Barre for the purpose of forming a medical society. At this convention there were present Drs. P. C. H. Rooney, of Hazleton; N. P. Moody, Lehman; H. Ladd, C. Marr, William Green, B. H. Throop, Scranton; G. Urquhart, W. F. Dennis, E. R. Mayer, C. Wagner, E. B. Miner, Wilkes-Barre; R. H. Tubbs, Kingston; S. Lawton, Pittston; A. L. Cressler and J. R. Casselbery, Conyngham.

The following were chosen officers: B. H. Throop, president; E. R. Mayer and A. L. Cressler, vice-presidents; G. Urquhart, secretary, and R. H. Tubbs, treasurer. The following gentlemen have served the society as president in the order named: Drs. N. F. Dennis, S. Lawton, Jr., R. H. Tubbs, John Smith, A. L. Cressler, J. B.