CHAPTER XVII 



DOCTOR NATURE 



"The wise for cure on exercise depend; 

 God never made His work for man to mend." 



"He that takes no holiday hastens a long rest." 



GAME is not the only thing sought for by many men 

 and women who go angling and shooting. Wise Lord 

 Russell used to ride to the hounds until he bagged an 

 appetite, then turn suddenly and ride as hard as 

 possible to the nearest farmhouse and eat a hearty 

 meal. Audubon and Wilson went afield to study 

 ornithology; Gray and Thoreau for the study of 

 general natural history, and thousands upon thousands 

 of men and women less famous have gone afield with 

 rod and gun for still another quarry health. 



Lord Russell's appetite hunting reminds me of the 

 case of a young invalid whom I once took on a trout 

 fishing trip. The young man had been ill all his life. 

 Nobody seemed to know what his complaint was, but 

 everybody he came in contact with agreed that he was 

 ill. He looked it, and often said he was born that way. 

 I defined his case the first day I met him the city 

 complaint, a complication of general under-the- 

 weather-ness that is brought about by foul air, im- 

 proper exercise, steady indoor work, irregularity, 

 cigarettes, and incorrect food incorrectly eaten. He's 

 .well now. He went out in the woods for two weeks 



104 



