Most of that piece is contemptuous rhetoric, like "the simple sentimentality of a somewhat sclerotic fat woman" from the OP but without the more interesting ana

Most of that piece is contemptuous rhetoric, like "the simple sentimentality of a somewhat sclerotic fat woman" from the OP but without the more interesting analysis. It takes the worth of doctors of his time for granted, mentioning tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy: at least the former was much overprescribed then, I don't know about the latter. A chiropractor won't offer to remove any organs you're not sure of the use of. (I've never seen one myself.) I do like older manipulative writing for being more obvious to us, because we're not quite the target anymore. A kind of vaccine.