Again I say there are many noble and brainy physicians, and these have made practically all the great discoveries, invented all the useful appliances, written all the great books for other schools to study, and they should have credit from the people for all this, and not be misrepresented by little pretenders. Their teachings should be applied as they gave them. The best of them to-day would have the people taught that a physician's greatest work may be done in preventing rather than in curing disease. Physicians of the Osler type would like to have the people understand how little potency drugs have to cure many dangerous diseases when they have a firm hold on the system. They would have some of the responsibility removed from the shoulders of the physician by having the people understand how much they may do by hygienic living and common-sense use of natural remedies. But the conscientious doctor too often has to compete with the pretender who wants the people to believe that _he_ is their hope and their salvation, and in him they must trust. He wants them to believe that he has a specific remedy for every disease that will go "right to the spot" and have the desired effect. People who believe this, and believe that without doctoring the patient could never get well, will sometimes try, or see their neighbors try, a doctor of a "new school." When they see about the same proportion of sick recover, they conclude, of course, that the doctor of the "new school" cured them, and is worthy to be forever after intrusted with every case of disease that may arise in their families. This is often brought about by the shyster M.D. overreaching himself by diagnosing some simple affection as something very dangerous, in order to have the greater credit in curing it. But he at times overestimates the confidence of the family in his ability. They are ready to believe that the patient's condition is critical, and in terror, wanting the help of everything that promises help, call in a doctor of some "new school" because neighbors told how he performed wonderful cures in their families. When the patient recovers speedily, as he would have done with no treatment of any kind, and just as the shyster M.D. thought he would, the glory and credit of curing a "bad case" of a "dangerous disease" go to the new system instead of redounding to the glory of Dr. Shyster, as he planned it would.