Country Doctors

[tg1911]

A young doctor had moved out to a small rural community to replace the retiring country

doctor. The older doctor suggested the young one accompany him on his house calls so

the community could become used to a new doctor.

At the first house a woman complained, "I've been a little sick to my stomach."

The older doctor said, "Well, you've probably been overdoing the fresh fruit. Why not cut

back on the amount you've been eating and see if that doesn't do the trick?"

As they left, the younger doctor said, "You didn't even examine that woman. How did

you arrive at your diagnosis so quickly?"

"I didn't have to. You noticed I dropped my stethoscope on the floor in there? When I

bent over to pick it up, I noticed a half-dozen banana peels in the trash. That was what

was probably making her sick."

"Huh!," the younger doctor exclaimed, "pretty clever. I think I'll try that at the next house."

Arriving at the next house, they spent several minutes talking with a younger woman. She

complained that she just didn't have the energy she once did. "I'm feeling terribly run down

lately."

"You've probably been doing too much work for the church," the younger doctor told her.

"Perhaps you should cut back a bit and see if that helps.

As they left, the elder doc said, "Your diagnosis is almost certainly correct, but how did

you arrive at it so fast?"

"Well, just as you did at the last house, I dropped my stethoscope and when I bent down to

retrieve it, I noticed the preacher under the bed."