The Vermont transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1864-1870, 1867-10-11
The Surgeon Blacksmith.

The Surgeon Blacksmith.
Some years since n great French
surgeon-v whether it was Larrey or
Nelpeau doeJ not matter-went down
TO the provinces. He had taken n holt
day from his profession, and was tray
cling in his own coach, with n suffici-
ency of lackeys One of his horses, rs
it so happened, had cast a shoe, and
he stopped at snithy to have the de-
feet made good While the shoe was
being replaced the surgeon took a stroll
in The neighborhood The very first
man he met had only one arm, the
missing member having been amputa-
ted at the shoulder The surgeon
asked the cripple who lad relieved
him of the limb, and was told it was
the blacksmith then at work on the
horseshoe. The surgeon was curious,
and obtained permission to examine
the shoulder. He looked at it critical
ly. Certainly it had been well done
A little farther on he met woman
with scar on her forehead. On in
quiring he learned that it marked the
had been relieved by the blacksmith.
Back went the surgeon to see the ru-
raj operator.
He found him intelligent-a fellow
with large head, a keen eye, and the
lines around his lip denoting firmness
L 10 l,o hn
smith had performed over fifty such
operations. Here, thought the sur
geon, is q man of genius and ability,
who only requires education to become
at once wonderful operator must
take him and put him in his proper
sphere.
SO he urged him to go to Paris, Of
fered him a sum of money sufficient to
defray his expenses, and letter COM
mending him to the attention of his
colleagues Of the faculty. The black
smith consented, and the surgeon, his
horse being now shod, entered his
coach and went on his way.
The surgeon got back to Paris in
due time, but forgot about his student
in the press of his professional duties
/ AT length, however, he was called in
to couch cataract for high dignita-
ry of the church who was too infrm
to leave his diocese. On his way he
passed by the village where he had be-
fore found the surgical maker of horse
shoes. and stopped at the smithy to
see who had succeeded his friend at
the anvil and forge. To his great sur
prise there stood, making the sparks
fly in showers around him, the identi-
cal blacksmith whom he had sent to
the university.
"Why, what do you do here, my
friend p he asked; you promised me
to go to Paris
II went"
"And to study surgery p
II studied
But what brings you back p
II learned as much as l cared to
know. | was there for two years"
That was Il rather short time"
Long enough to learn what | ought
to have known before
Il do not understand you. nave
you performed any major operations
since you returned p
mo, and shall not again, l promise
you"
Explain"
"Why you see, said the blacksmith,
II wsnt to Paris, and / studied. got
acquainted with the skeleton-with
the bones and ligaments It was very
well / mastered most of the muscles.
1t was better. They said picked up
everything matvellously quick. Then
/ began at the arteries. My faith, it
was terrible!"
Here the blacksmith passed his hor-
ny hand over his forehead, and wiped
off perspiration rising from horror,
and not from labor.
81 began to see that | had narrowly
escaped committing murder fifty times.
/ remembered my uncle, whose crush
ed thigh | amputated within two inch
es of the hip joint. ! used the actual
cautery to the femoral artery Ii il
had failed he would have bled to death
like an OK.
Let who will operate, l will not !
have learned enough to know that ]
know nothing"