Jerome K. Jerome
Q. How did Jerome K Jerome come to suspect that his liver was out of order? What were the diseases he thought he was suffering from on reading a book on the treatment of diseases?
A. On reading various symptoms from a liver pill circular, he found that his liver was out of order. He fancied suffering from hay fever. While reading its premonitory symptoms, he learned that he had fairly got it. He started reading the book indolently and found that he had also been suffering from typhoid fever, St. Vitus’s dance, Bright’s disease, cholera, diphtheria, gout and zymosis. On reading alphabetically, he concluded that he had all the diseases except the housemaid’s knee.
Q. What was the disease discovered he did not have? Was he pleased to find it? What was his first reaction?
A. He discovered that he was suffering from all diseases except the housemaid’s knee. He felt rather hurt about this at first; it seemed somehow to be a sort of slight, an invidious reservation. After a while, however, a less grasping feeling prevailed, he grew less selfish and determined to do without it.
Q. Why should he be an acquisition to the medical class?
A. He thought himself to be an acquisition for a medical class as the students would not need to walk the hospital. He was a hospital in himself. They would study all the diseases in him and get their diploma.
Q. Describe his visit to the medical man.
A. The writer went to his medical man and told him about his discovery. He thought he had all the diseases, except the housemaid’s knee. The doctor opened him, looked down at him, clutched his wrist and hit him over the chest. Immediately afterwards, he butted him with the side of his head. After that, he sat down and wrote out a prescription, folded it up and gave it to the writer, who put it in his pocket and went out.
Q. He thought that he was doing the doctor a good turn by going to him. Why?
A. He thought that he was doing the doctor a good turn by going to him as the doctor would get more practice out of him than out of seventeen hundred ordinary commonplace patients with one or two diseases each.
Q. What was the prescription given to him by the doctor?
A. The prescription ran:
“1 lb. beefsteak, every 6 hours.
Ten-mile walk every morning.
Bed at 11 sharp every night.
And don’t stuff your head with things
You don’t understand.”
Q. Describe his visit to the chemist.
A. The writer went to the chemist and handed him the prescription. He read it and then handed it back. He further told him that he might be able to oblige him if he had a cooperative store and family hotel combined.
Q. What is the significance of the doctor’s advice: don’t stuff your head with things you don’t understand?
A. This point is of utmost importance as it is the only way to cure the writer’s ailment. It is wise for a layman to focus only on topics they understand. They should avoid getting involved in matters they are not an expert in.
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