Daily Iowa State Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1856-1859, 1857-01-30
Pru0 "Skstches Of Medical SsUdent 10 Paris
A BAD FRACTURE:
run0URe o. A DaUNKEN DOC

Nicholss Lsbrun breakfsstsd % veil
in the morning that b. wss intoxicated
in the evening. DO not, however, judge
him wi,h TOO much severity, for thas same
morning no had passed bic fourth exam
inssion With oil white balls. There osly
remained for him another steP to give
him his diploma - physiciso, end un-
der these circumstances il wss sxcussb.e
for him TO invite three or four OF bis
friends, and eel ,hrste The occasion. Be-
eide, he very rarely INDUCED 10 any dis
sipstion, but usually led the mcst sober
life in tho world. Three words will suf.
Zee to make the reader understand Why
this vac tho case. lie VAS resident pu-
pill in the Hotel Dieu! On! you who
have paced through lhis trying ordeal
can sympathixe with Lebrun-you Who
remember the hard fare, hard work, and
hard lectures attached to that venerable
hospital, can veil excuse Lebrun for be-
ing intoxicated On the DAY Of his fourth
examination.
However, to our story. On that day
Lebrun was in An exceedingly improper
state. This vas more remarkable when
he returned to tho hospital in the even
ing.
Where had Lebrun passed the day?
No one, not even himself could tell.
Wherever it might have been, when he
returned to tho hospital ct four O'Clock
in the afternoon, tho porter, when he
saw him, smiled in singular manner.
The good man was right Lebrun. who
had loft the hospital 10 the morning With
. firm and steady step, returned insoxi-
GATED 10 the evening. He sscended the
stairs with tottsring gait. With bic
shoulders thrown back, with his head
high in tho air, he walked With oil the
majesty Of intemperaoce. His marvell-
Gus dignity was slightly interfersd with
when he fell over the top step Of the
stairs. but he soon recovered himself, and
brusquely entered the ward, and without
even wiping HE shoes, made directly Tor
the closet in which his intimate friend
Annibsl was accustomed to hang his
apron. This apron he ted around him.
II is true, it took him ten minutes to fss-
ten the .trings behind him, and he tried
in vain to make bow, but was obliged
to compromise the matter by tying them
in knot.
Tho Sister attached to the ward look
cd ut him earnestly, and seeing his face
flushed, partly by impotence and partly
by the fumes Of wine, che asked him it
he we're not sick.
Lebrun imperfec,ly understood her
question and as he was conscious Of his
condition, no did not dare TO mako an
answer, but contentsd himself by staring
At her with fixed eyes. Tho Sister could
not help blushing Ut his earnest gaze.
and turned away her head. After which
Lehrun gravely commenced his evening
visit.
hal almost forgotten to saw that Lee
bruins frie0j, Annibal, had that day beg
the ward, he (Annibal) having come 9th
Or business to attend to. | must add tast
the ward was a surgical one, and, conso
quently, contained only surgical csses.
At the first bed, Lebrun took the To-
vslii's hand, and, with doctorisl eyes
half closed, gently felt tho patieats
pulse.
The poor fellow lsoke! a, him anx,-
| ously.
"You are fcverish this evening"" said
Lebrun, resoiu,eiy. Sister, n basin il
you lease"
And be bled him profu.ely.
There. that viii DO YOU good" sAil
be, passing to the see md bel.
Here, sgain, he i"nnd the patient in a
high fever another copiou- bleeding.
At the third bed, he had scs'cv felt
| the patients pulse, when he shook his
bead knowingly, and called the overseer
OF the ward and Sister TO his side.
"These patients have been eating high
y seasoned food" said he--'they are
All Of them in . high fever"
Tie Sister affirmed that she had not
gone beyond the ususl ordinance.
"Taen It is you," said Lsbrup, to the
oversssr.
John earnestly assured the student
that he had given the patients nothing.
"liold your tongue" said Lsbrun. sc.
verely. "lt you have given nothing to
eat, you have certainly given them some
thing to drink"
And he Kronounc' these las, words
in such an angry tone that the unfortu-
nate overseer (innocent though he was)
The fact is, it Was no fault OF John
that Lebrun bad too freely brsskfssted
that morning, and that be was conse.
quently deceived in tho evening, taking
the pulsation Of bis own arteries for the
patienps pulses. and in finding in others
the fever that was only 10 his own sys-
TEN.
He lectured every body 10 the ward.
'.lt is shameful" ssid be, 10 spite Of
the denisl Of the Sister, the invslios, and
the over.eer--"lt is shameful to use the
patients in this manner, when shsy wsic
oil so we'll this morning."
And ho went on bleeding and re- bleed
ing finding the fever Of the patients in
creasing in The same proportion - his
own anger and disp leasu'e increased the
activity Of his own circulation.
After the ten,h patient had beea bled,
the Sister, not knowing what to mako Of
1t, and fearing that, with the lancet once
between his fingers, he would never ssop
using il, run away and sought another
student, to whom she communicated her
fesrs.
At thsr moment Annibsl returned, aod
on being informed Of th. evests Of the
day. repsnted having requested Lsbrun
to gil bis place. He ran to relieve hin.
Happily no evil consequences we're
likely TO arise to the patients who he'd
been bled, but it was time Lebrun stop.
ped. The latter received unmoved the
thanks Of his confrere when he offered
to finish the visit.
"Fsith! ] ssk noshisg better" rsplisi
Lsborn, between two hiceups, "for
have mose fsrocious desire to slesp."
CONCLUDED to.morsop.)
DESTRUCTIVE FIRE.-45O, 900
OF PROPERTY 0
o'clock last evening, n fire broke out