The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1859-08-24
McGREGOR IOWA. WEDNESDAY,. AUGUST "a, 1859. WHOLE N

in destroying its victims. As it has been
noticed in almost every community, when
an epidemic first breaks out and all IS alarm,
before the people learn that its course can
be stayed by the physician, the bills of NOR
tality will appear frightfully large; but as
soon as confidence is restored, the same ply.
sician, with the same medicines used at the
outbreak, will hardly lose case. It has
often been noticed among physicians that a
man with great reputation may use the
same medicine in the same case with a
brother practitioner, but Of less notoriety,
with decidedly better effects. A medicine
is always taken with better grace if some-
body else has taken similar dose, and it
seldom fails to do good if the first recipient
is reported cured
Now the medical quack is perfectly post
ed on all these points, and his first business
on being introduced to a family is to impress
it with an idea of his Importance. He has
been man of adventure, suffered many
hair breadth escapes, has been specially fa-
vored with situation where there were
wonderful facilities for learning to cure the
very disease some member of the family
may be afflicted with; and if allowed to
proceed, with the aid of a powerful imagi-
nation on the part of the patient, Mr.. Quack
may succeed-and the more superstitious
his patient the more his chances of success
are increased. The power of the imagina-
ton in relieving disease is shown by an an
ecdote related to DR.. Parish (Pharmacologia,
p. 25) by the late Mr.. Coleridsa: "As soon
as the powers of Nitrous Oxide Laughing
Cas- were discovered, DR.. Beddors at once
concluded that it must necessarily be spe-
cific for paralysis-a patient was selected
for the t.'ial and the management was in
trusted to Sir Humphrey Davy. Previous
to the administration Of the gas, he inserted
a small pocket Thermometer under the
tongue of the patient, as he was accustomed
to do upon such occasions, to ascertain the
degree of animal temperature with view
of future comparison. The paralytic man,
wholly ignorant of the nature of the process
to which he was to submit, but deeply i'm
pressed from ~he representations of DR..
Beddors with the certainty Of success, no
sooner felt the thermometer under his tongue
than he concluded his talisman was in full
operation, and in burst of enthusiasm de-
clared that he already experienced the cf.
fects Of it's benign influence throughout his
| whole body. Davy cast an intelligent
glance at Colcridge and desired his patient
to renew his visit on the following day, wher
the same ceremony was performed and re
peated every succeeding day fer a fortnight
tae patient gradually improving during tina
period, when he was discharged as crret
no other application having been used y
At the time that Nitrous Oxide excited
almost universal attention, when the publ,
mind was fully prepared for the production
| ,,c 1ronlnr, D,pr,r-nr NY 80. 4.
DR.. Mitchell of New York, that to person
very anxious to breathe the gas he was abl
to produce quickness Of the pulse, dizziness
vertigo, difficulty of breathing, anxiety abou
the breast, a sensation similar to swinging
faintness, weakness of the knees, and nau
sea, which lasted six or eight hours, simpl
by the administration Of common atmosphei
ic air in doses of four to six quarts, the pa
tents laboring under the influences of an es
oitva Imagination REALLY suppoSing then
selves under the influence of the Laughin
J Gas.
Fear has wonderful effect over the bod
and its members Did you ever have ma
jumping toothacAs suddenly cease to troubl
you at the sight of the Dentist with his TEL
rible instruments ready to relieve you {
your pet molar?
DIR. Scott relates a case of boy who ha
suffered from epilepsy for more than yea
who was cured by a threat to apply re
! hot iron to his feet on the recurrence of tn
fit. Grief and anger often produce incur;
BILE disorders, and even death Childre
have died from the effects Of anger -poisone
milk from their mothers breast. Many
consumptiye person rests their whole di
eased structure upon grief, whose victim
form lines Of fearful length in their marc
toward the grave. Instances might be mu
: hplied to show how willingly the body cor
forms to the caprices of the mind, and ho
necessary it is for the physician to study I'll
natural habits of his patients as we'll as the
bodily ills. They show also how the ign'
rant and superstitious may be easily misle
by the empiric. In our next we propose
show how the great and learned were foole
: by little instrument called a tractor, tn;
fairly coined money for its enterprising pr,
prietor. NJ. c. II.