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While Matt and Chester ride the range, they spot Doc making a house call in his buggy. His patient has died, despite heroic efforts, and though the widow is handling her grief bravely Doc has had enough. The frustrated and grumpy Doc announces that he’s quitting.
The claim carries weight when Matt returns from his trip to find a different doctor in town.
In the Long Branch, Matt gets updated by Kitty on Doc’s downfall into a bottle. The new man, Doc Betchel, is friendly enough and is aware there’s more than enough business in town for both doctors. The usually crusty Doc Adams has his cantankerous level cranked up to high, but is it jealousy, a fear of the new competition, or just feelings of inadequacy? Maybe a little of all three.
What can snap Doc Adams out of his blue funk? His grumpiness is driving his patients away.
Are Doc’s fears that Doc Betchel’s cures are of the old tech type, based on home remedies and old wives tales? Will the townsfolk come to their senses before anyone dies from the cures of Doc Betchel?
