“Your eyes certainly need attention, Mrs. ——, and it would be a good plan to have it done while you are here in Chicago. The longer you put it off, the more serious the complication will become. But, whatever you do, don’t go to one of these cheap occulist fakirs. They are liable to ruin your eyesight.”
“Who is a good man, Doctor?” is the natural inquiry.
“There are a number of able, competent oculists here. Dr. Seestraight stands at the head of his profession, and is probably the most satisfactory of the lot. I’ll give you a card to him, if you wish. He has always attended to my eyes, and has given satisfaction.”
This proffer is gladly accepted and when the patient leaves the doctor’s office she carries a note of introduction to Dr. Seestraight. It is an innocent looking note, but it contains a hidden cipher which gives the oculist a tip as to the fee which he may safely name. This cipher is generally made in flourishes, under the doctor’s signature, unintelligible to the patient, mere flourishes as it were, but perfectly plain to Dr. Seestraight. When the latter collects his fee he sends half of it to the physician who recommended the patient, and the incident is closed.
The same arrangements are made with certain pharmacists, dentists, and surgical instrument makers. There was one physician in Chicago who made it a practice to say to certain of his patients:
“You are getting along very nicely, but recovery would be much more rapid if you could take a little extra special treatment. But I hesitate to suggest it on account of the expense and the difficulty of procuring the proper ingredients.”
“Darn the expense, Doctor, if the stuff will do me good. What is it, and where can I get it.”
“There are several ingredients, and the only place in Chicago where there is any prospect of finding them is at Doem & Doem’s. But they don’t always have a supply. They are foreign preparations, very expensive, and there is such little demand for them that pharmacists dislike to carry them in stock. I’ll write the prescription, but I can’t vouch for your getting it compounded. At any rate if you can’t get it filled at Doem & Doem’s, there’s no use trying any other drug store.”
“You dwell so on the expense, Doctor, that I’m curious. What will it cost?”