Drowning men clutch at straws. Mr. Smith knows that he is afflicted with an ailment which other physicians have been unable to relieve. Here appears to be something effective. Hope dawns, and he enquires: “What will it cost, doctor?” “That, my dear sir, is a question I was in hopes you would not ask. Worry over the expense of treatment always tends to retard or delay complete recovery. What is money compared with health. Why should you set one against another? Can you measure the monetary 88value of health as you would that of a ton of coal, or a ton of hay?” Mr. Smith begins to feel ashamed of himself, and all the more so when his family physician chimes in and endorses what the visiting specialist has said: “I guess that’s all right, doctor,” responds Smith. “You can’t measure health against money, but I must have some idea as to the expenses. It may be beyond my means.” “We’ll fix that all right,” says Dr. Wilkinson. “The usual fee for complete treatment is $150 a month.” “How long will it take?” “That’s something no man can tell. I’ve had cases in which the desired results were obtained in so short a time as four months, and others in which they were deferred for fifteen months. If there is such a thing as striking an average I should name it at ten months.” “That would be $1,500. That’s an awful lot of money.” “It’s nothing in comparison with good health. I have had many patients who preferred to pay a lump fee in advance in order to get the worry about money details off their minds. Under this arrangement the treatment is continued as long as may be necessary whether it is four months or fourteen. In such cases I accept $1,000. This not only pays for the entire course of treatment but it saves the patient $500 should the course be continued for ten months, which is not at all unlikely.” The saving of $500 appeals to Mr. Smith, and he accepts the proposition. While he is signing the check Dr. Jennings has to pinch himself to see if he is really awake. 89The idea of getting $500 for his share of an hour’s talk is overpowering. The check delivered, Mr. Smith is assured that the remedies will be in Dr. Jennings’ possession within the week and that treatment will start at once. Once outside Dr. Jennings is impelled to ask: “How did you come to fix the fee at $1,000, doctor? I thought you said it would be $500?” “I said not less than $500. But I found Mr. Smith more responsive in this connection than most men, and it was just as easy to get $1,000 as it would have been $500. By the way, how are we going to divide this check?”