Arrowsmith - Sinclair Lewis [91]
“That’s so. . . . Say, Doctor, say, what sort of fellow is McMinturn, down your way?”
“Well, I don’t like to knock any fellow practitioner, and I suppose he’s well intentioned, but just between you and me he does too confounded much guesswork. Now you take you and me, we apply SCIENCE to a case, instead of taking a chance and just relying on experience and going off half-cocked. But McMinturn, he doesn’t know enough. And SAY, that wife of his, she’s a caution — she’s got the meanest tongue in four counties, and the way she chases around drumming up business for Mac — Well, I suppose that’s their way of doing business.”
“Is old Winter keeping going?”
“Oh, yes, in a sort of way. You know how he is. Of course he’s about twenty years behind the times, but he’s a great hand-holder — keep some fool woman in bed six weeks longer than he needs to, and call around twice a day and chin with her — absolutely unnecessary.”
“I suppose you get your biggest competition from Silzer, Doctor?”
“Don’t you believe it, Doctor! He isn’t beginning to do the practice he lets on to. Trouble with Silzer is, he’s too brash — shoots off his mouth too much — likes to hear himself talk. Oh, say, by the way, have you run into this new fellow — will been located here about two years now — at Wheatsylvania — Arrowsmith?”
“No, but they say he’s a good bright young fellow.”
“Yes, they claim he’s a brainy man — very well-informed — and I hear his wife is a nice brainy little woman.”
“I hear Arrowsmith hits it up too much though — likes his booze awful’ well.”
“Yes, so they say. Shame, for a nice hustling young fellow. I like a nip myself, now and then, but a Drinking Man —! Suppose he’s drunk and gets called out on a case! And a fellow from down there was telling me Arrowsmith is great on books and study, but he’s a freethinker — never goes to church.”
“Is that a fact! Hm. Great mistake for any doctor to not identify himself with some good solid religious denomination, whether he believes the stuff or not. I tell you a priest or a preacher can send you an awful lot of business.”
“You bet he can! Well, this fellow said Arrowsmith was always arguing with the preachers — he told some Reverend that everybody ought to read this immunologist Max Gottlieb, and this Jacques Loeb — you know — the fellow that, well, I don’t recall just exactly what it was, but he claimed he could create living fishes out of chemicals.”
“Sure! There you got it! That’s the kind of delusions these laboratory fellows get unless they have some practical practice to keep ’em well balanced. Well, if Arrowsmith falls for that kind of fellow, no wonder people don’t trust him.”
“That’s so. Hm. Well, it’s too bad Arrowsmith goes drinking and helling around and neglecting his family and his patients. I can see his finish. Shame. Well — wonder what time o’ night it’s getting to be?”
II
Bert Tozer wailed, “Mart, what you been doing to Dr. Coughlin of Leopolis? Fellow told me he was going around saying you were a booze-hoister and so on.”
“Did he? People do sort of keep an eye on one another around here, don’t they?”
“You bet your life they do, and that’s why I tell you you ought to cut out the poker and the booze. You don’t see ME needing any liquor, do you?”
Martin more desperately than ever felt the whole county watching him. He was not a praise-eater; he was not proud that he should feel misplaced; but however sturdily he struggled he saw himself outside the picture of Wheatsylvania and trudging years of country practice.
Suddenly, without planning it, forgetting in his admiration for Sondelius and the health war his pride of the laboratory, he was