Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1854-05-06
The Young Student.
A SCENE IN A DIssECTING ROOM.

| ~ pINlNN Shl5IOil L Sldll IIIdhS, Sdli
my fellow student, as we took our places
for the first time around the dissecling Ia
bic. CA brave surgeon indeed am
ready to faint at the sight of this empty
lable--how shall feel. directly, when il
receives It's burthen of mortality ?"
But even while lie spoke, the demon
stralor aad an assistant threw the expected
subject OH the table with a careIessness
that to NE seemed i'll becoming the char
mel house. My companion shudder,d.
He breathed quick and almost convulsive-
| ly, and lis countcnance betrayed the work
ing of a sympathy of suffering; he really
seemed 10 think for amoment that the life
less clay could suffer, and that its fall
was really painful. | whispered a word
of courage in his ear; but he turned to
me with face like ashes. and with a vain
effort al speaking. swallowed conyuIsivcIy
rs if suflocaGng. Some one observed lis
condition, and gave hlm glass Of water,
which for while restored him to greater
cOmpoSure.
"Geuhemen," SAID the demonstration,
'this subject, you are aware, died Of con-
lsumpton; and Is he has therefore lost all
those collections OF cellular and fatty mat.
ter which obstruct the more important or
gans in other subjects, we are peculiarly
fortunate in having secured this as our
first subject"
The business,like remark, and the III
ter absenccd Of any other than business
tone about it, had the effect of calling my
companion to sense Of his condition.
He rallied, came forward, and surveyed
with something like profcsSiona! inter
est the collapsed chest and Iattice-ribs OF
The unconscious subject. But when the
! Idemonstrator opened his case, and select
ing scaipeI prepared to make demon
slration OF his dissecting skill, saw the
dallOr again on the face OF friend HORNED.
/ | approached and took him by the arm
| but when the knife pierced the bosom OF
the empty tenement Of clay, his muscles
relaxed, bis eyes closed, and he sunk like
dead man into nv arms.
When he revived in an adjoining room
to which we had carried him, the re-ac-
ton was accompanied with profuse and
very proracted vomiting, and he retired
TO his room--too weak to venture out
again for some days.
At length called on him again, and
found him asleep al his study, with his
head resting in the hollow of scull
The dream of years had returned--and a
surgeon he would be, even if death him
self must be his companion. The crisis
was past, and long ere the session was
over he was chosen principal operator Of
a class of seven students.
The weeks wore away; he laughed at
the recollection of his first night in the
dissecting room and looked bouyanly for
ward to the day when he should exchange
It's gloom for the bridal chamber. had
known the lady of his choice for years,
and few fairer, worther ladies ever bore
the name of Mary. And | had promised
10 accompany him to her home, some fl
ity miles off, and to be at his marriage.
During the last two weeks of the ses-
sion the demonstration had failed in procu-
ring the necessary material for the class :;
and for few days my companion was al
most sad at the thought oGIeavng the class
without giving them some marked evl-
dence of his progress in anatomy. How
ever, subject was Gound-it had been
"obtaned by the river" was all the light
the demonslrator thought necessary to
throw upon It's history.
| never saw HORNED so cheerful before.
He was to dissect the tongue and as he
approached 10 remove the cloth with
which it is usual to hide the faces of the
subject Of dissection, he moved with a
visible consciousness OF his skill. He
lifted the cloth--slood one moment--the
hot blood gushed from his mouth, and he
fell dead
recognized the councnancc Of lis own
beloved Mary.