The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1869-11-29

place where the speechless soldier was
at work, took the opportunity of relat-
ing some circumstances worthy of re-
capitulation here. 1t appeared that in
the very regiment in which DR.. Curzon
held his appointment there Had lately
occurred case indicating such power,
of sustaining o deception possessed by
one of the ordinary rank and file as
might well serve TO make any regiments
al surgeon suspicious of the men under
his charge. In this instance the assumed
disease had been a combination of
rheumatism and paralysis, affecting The
head and one Of the arms. The head
was completely forced out of its natural
position, and bowed over to one side;
the shoulder on the same side being
raised to the ear, and the arm fixed in o
bent position against the body. or
course such an affection was. fatal to
everything in the shape of drill, and TO
the performance, of any military duty;
accordingly all-sorts of remedies were
applied with q view of curing thls~un,
fortunate recruit of his distortion, and
getting his head and arm back into
their natural condition. Some OF these
remedies were sufficiently painful.
DEPARTMENTS were made with red-hot
irons, and were resorted to. The I'M
fortunate cripple endured all without
fIipching, but not one of them seemed to
make the slightest impression on his
malady. Theobstinacy and popularity
of the case had awakened some suspic-
ion in the medical authorities, and he
had been watched by night as we'll as
by day. Not to the slightest purpose,
the man retaining in his sleep, as in his
waking hours, that same distorted posi-
ton, with the head forced over one
side and the arm fixed tightly against
the body. .,.....
There is no doubt that this fact
which if to be accounted for at all can
only be explained by supposing some
power of exercising the will to be re-
tainable by some men even in their
sleep-had its influence in disarming
the suspicion of those with whom the
power of granting discharges rested.
At all events, medical board meeting
was held, evidence was adduced to show
that night and day this unfortunate
cripple was never seen in any other posi-
lion tudu III tdio aloGOlSO OnC, thaV OIL
remedial applications were inefficacious,
and that the recruit being utterly use.
less and unfit for service, there was
nothing for it but to discharge him.
Discharged he was accordingly. A
fortnight afterwards, DR.. Curzon met
him in the street walking along with
head erect and his arms swinging at his
sides like other people. Indeed. the man
actually had the audacity to address the
doctor, and to congratulate him on the
success of his medical treatment of the
case, remarking that he was perfectly
cured row and very much obliged to
the authorities for his discharge, rs it
had enabled him to take a very good
situation in the town.
The doctor added, in reference to the
present case, that he had resolved to
utilise the man as he best could, and
had accordingly sent him to the tailors'
shop, where his dumbness would not
stand in his way, and where his previous
habits, for he had been bred a tailor,
would be favorable to bis making him
self useful. By means of this arrange
ment, the necessity of taking immediate
action in the difficult matter was obvi-
ated, and time gained in which to test
him further. as the doctor concluded, we
arrived at the door or the building APP
propriated to the regimental tailoring
department and went in.
To be Concluded Tomorrow