Quack's Disciple

Quack's Disciple June 13, 2008

In an obscure village of India, a ‘Quack’ was having a roaring practice, doling out medicines to the unsuspecting villagers. He had a compounder, who used to honour his prescriptions. After few years the compounder, thought he is grossly underpaid by his master and one night he vanishes with a bagful of medicines and the experience imbibed from his master.

He goes and sets up his own practice, in another remote village and as is the pre-requiste, he appoints a compounder for his practice. He picked up a fairly good practice.

One night, a group of villagers came and knocked the door of his House cum clinic. They were complanining about an old person, uncontrollably purging in the house hold. The disciple quack, instructed his compounder to give four big yellow tablets and four small green tablets and the villagers went back happily.

Early in the morning the same persons came back and complained that the patient is dead. But they said ‘that’s not our problem, but still the purging has not stopped. We don’t know how to carry the body. You better come and move the body to the crematorium.’

The quack without any other options, went to their place. He told the compounder, ‘I will hold him by the head, you hold him by the leg, and let’s carry the body.’

After a lapse of six months, a new group of people have knocked the door with a similar complaint. The quack thought for a while and said this time let me change the prescription. He told the compounder, ‘give four small yellow pills and four big green pills.’ The compounder refused to move. Quack asked ‘what’s your problem?, give medicines as per my instructions to them.’

The compounder said, ‘Sir I don’t care whether its small or big, green or yellow, but this time head is mine.


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