The physician having a good business, and a large
number of his patients being slaves,--the most of whom had to call
on the doctor when ill,--he put Sam to bleeding, pulling teeth,
and administering medicine to the slaves. Sam soon acquired the
name among the slaves of the "Black Doctor." With this appellation
he was delighted; and no regular physician could have put on more
airs than did the black doctor when his services were required. In
bleeding, he must have more bandages, and would rub and smack the
arm more than the doctor would have thought of.
Sam was once seen taking out a tooth for one of his patients, and
nothing appeared more amusing. He got the poor fellow down on his
back, and then getting astride of his chest, he applied the
turnkeys and pulled away for dear life. Unfortunately, he had got
hold of the wrong tooth, and the poor man screamed as loud as he
could; but it was to no purpose, for Sam had him fast, and after a
pretty severe tussle out came the sound grinder. The young doctor
now saw his mistake, but consoled himself with the thought that as
the wrong tooth was out of the way, there was more room to get at
the right one.
Bleeding and a dose of calomel were always considered indispensable
by the "old boss," and as a matter of course, Sam followed in his
footsteps.
On one occasion the old doctor was ill himself, so as to be unable
to attend to his patients. A slave, with pass in hand, called to
receive medical advice, and the master told Sam to examine him and
see what he wanted.
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