Niigoi Chirurgica, 8^c\ 343 



to Mr. Wliitehurst. Mr. W. was very civil to him, but before he 

 had been a fortnight in the town, Butter came and complained, 

 that he had not had a single patient. Mr. W. told him, that he 

 could hardly expect any so soon, that he must he known a little, 

 and so on, which so offended Butter, that ever afterwards he con- 

 sidered Mr. "W. as his enemy. He was very rude and coarse in 

 his manner, always averse to consultations, and used to say, that 

 nobody but himself and Sir John Pringle knew any thing of physic. 

 Among his patients at Derby were two brothers, opulent men, 

 who lived together; one of them being dangerously ill, and at- 

 tended by Butter, the other brother sent a messenger to Birming- 

 ham for two physicians, and then told Butter what he had done, 

 and that he intended to have a consultation. Butter immediately 

 went to the apothecary, and got some laudanum, of which he gave 

 large doses to the patient, so that when the Birmingham physi- 

 cians came, the patient was in a state of lethargy. They asked 

 if he had been taking opium, but Butter denied that any had 

 been given ; it was accidentally discovered, however, by means 

 of the apothecary, and from that time Butter, who was before in 

 excellent practice, lost considerably in public estimation. 



*' A tailor at Derby, whom Butter had offended, once played 

 him a trick. A curer of smoky chimnies came to Derby, and one 

 day, when the tailor knew the Doctor was out of town, he called 

 on the chimney-man, and told him that Butter, had desired to have 

 a smoky chimney cured, belonging to his best parlour ; and had 

 left positive orders that he should go to his house and set about 

 it immediately. The operator accordingly went, delivered his 

 message to Butter's servant, pulled out his utensils, and fell to 

 work ; and in a short time the marble slab, and other ornaments 

 of the chimney, were down. Butter came in while he was en- 

 gaged in this business; finding his parlour full of bricks and dirt 

 and mortar, his fury was excessive, and his hatred to the tailor 

 was ever after implacable. The story got wind in the town, and 

 the boys in the street would sometimes talk about chimney-doctors 

 as he passed. 



" Butter lived close to a churchyard, and one day, seeing a 

 grave-digger at work, he asked him for whom he was digging the 

 grave — * For so and so,* said the grave-digger, naming the tailor 

 who had so highly offended him, which so pleased the Doctor, that 

 he gave the fellow a shilling. This occasioned a fresh laugh at 

 his expense, as the tailor was in good health, and it was merely a 

 piece of pleasantry of the grave-digger's. Butter and his wife 

 lived in the most frugal manner, and never visited anybody. After 

 he came to London, a lady of fortune, who had been his patient in 

 Derbyshire, and wished to countenance him, invited him often to 

 her table, till at length Butter brought in an account of fees for 

 each visit." 



