The Westerly echo, & Pawcatuck advertiser. [volume] (Westerly, R.I.) 1854-1858, 1855-07-26

! tor, she urSeu, seeing Inat the Dleeuln9
had accomplished nothing. 'Ifmy hus
band is not quickly relieved, he mus
die.
BY This time, several friends and re-
lativcs, who had been sent for, arrived
and urged upon me the adoption Of some
more active. means for restoring the sick
man to consciousness. One proposed
mustard plasters all over his body; an
other his immersion in hot water.
suggested that it might be well to use a
stomach pump.
why, Doctor:' asked one of the
friends.
Perhaps he has taken some drug l
replied.
Impossible, Doctor said the wife.
: He has not been from home to-day
and there is no drug Of any kind in the
house,
No brandy 1 ventured this sug-
gestion again:
No, Doctor No spirits of any
kind, nor even wine in the house. re-
turned Mrs. Ii =, in an offended
tone.
was not the regular family physician
and had been called in to meet tht
alarming emergency, because my Office
happened to be the nearest to the dwell
ing of Mr. Ii -. Feeling my DO.
sition to be a difficult one, l suggested
that the family physician had better be
called.
But the delay, Doctor urged the
friends.
NO harm will result from it, be as
sured,' l replied.
But my words did not seem to assure
them. However, as l was firm in my
resolution not to do anything more for
the patient until Doctor $ came,
they had to submit. | wished to make
a call of Importance in the ncighbor-
hood, and proposed going, to be back
by the time Doctor S. arrived /;
but the friends of the sick man would
not suffer me to leave the room.
When DR.. s. came, we con-
vcrsed aside for few minutes, and I
gave him my views Of the case, and
stated what l had done, and why | had
done it. We then proceeded to the
bedside of our patient There we're
still no signs of approaching conscious
ness.
Don't you think his head ought to
be shaved and blistercd = asked the
wife, anxiously.
Doctor S--thought moment,
and then said
Yes, by all means. Send for bar
ber; and also a fresh fly blister, four
inches by ninc.'
looked into tho face of DR.. S.
with surprise. 1t was perfectly grave
and earnest. I limited to him my doubt
of the good that mode of treatment
would do. But he spoke confidently of
the result, and said that it would not
only cure the disease, but, he believed
take away the predisposition thereto,
with which Mr. Il was affected
in high degree.
The barber came. The head of Mr..
Il was shaved and DR.. S.
applied the blister with his own hands,
which completely covered the scalp,
from forehead to occiput.
Let it remain on for two hours, and
then make use Of the ordinary dressing ,
said Doctor s.. IF he should
not recover during the action of the bls-
ter, don't feel uneasy. Sensibilty will
be restored soon AFTER
/ did not call again, but l heard from
DIR. s. the result.
After we left, the friends stood anx-
iousl y around the bed upon which the
sick man lay but though the blister
began to draw, no sigus of returning
showed themselves, fur
ther than an occasional low moan, or an
uneasy tossing Of tho arms. For full
two hours the burning plaster parched
the tender skin Of H--'s shorn
head, and was then removed. II had
done good service. Dressings were then
applied repeated and repeated again /;