The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1871-04-01
About Lost Legs.

man must abswei this to suit hB casc
For one was shot through the ankle; The
joint was smashed TO pieces, and the foot
had to come off halfway UP to the knee
shortly after. Hurts? Not when the
bullet went through. That felt like an
electric shock. But rs soon as the
afterials blood began to spout out in
jets, there was intense pain, almost insup.
portable, which never ceased for many
weeks. Frequent faintncss, with every.
thing becoming indistinct, us frequently
followed by suddGnrevival, preyailedun-
Ill safely lodged in hospital, hours latter.
The doses Of brandy enthusiastically The
surgeon were tastcless, but brought new
life and consciousness ut flash. Morally
there was an intense desire 10 have the
enemy beaten and driven of, and an I'M
appeasable curiosity 10 know every lew
minutes, which seemed hours, how the
battle was going. Such cases are numer.
Gus and very like Alter lying In agony
for long days and longer nights, comes Il
consultation Of surgeons; but you know
before it Is pronounced what the verdict
Is TO he, and when the doctor with solemn
face approaches, you soy impatiently,
"Out with II; II has got to go Of course"
The weeks that follow arc, q, tedious
epo6h. The kind anqsthetic has deaden
ed the shocko The operation, And blessed
opium often gives sleep and oblivion dur.
Ing the night. But this Is the trying peri
cd when arteries break loose and life may
run out in ten minutes. 1t Is especially
trying when you know enough Of surgery
to realize the danger. You feel o decrease
Of pain. A delicious languorsteals over
thesenses, and when theWatc sudden.
ly starts up and summons aid, you leaI
the last moment has come. In short
when the surgeon says quietly, awe must
give you ether again" and Immediately
produces the sponge, you give up life and
say "Good bye" family. You yield I'm
willinglYtO the insidiOus vapOr, never ex,
pecting to see this world more, and wish
ing to die withlR clear head. iYpu learn
thoroughly what philosophers preach and
few believe 8 true. Dcalhl yery&ear has
no terrors.
In from three to six months all well
treated eases not Otherwise complicated
arc able to visit the makers Of artificial
limbs and DO fitted 10 IL leg. There Is one
claim they nearly all make, fully allowed
by o rthoughtless public, that we musI
protest against. It's to the title of phil.
anthropists and disinterested beneiactorS
Of mankind. Nothing is palmer lhantli
these contrivances haIe,done wonders ibl
cFippleS, but they have also most cert0iniy
put money into the pockets of the origina,
tors. Artificial appliances of oil kinds
are very costly, andfar the greater pOr.
ton Of that cost goes to pay royalty on
patents, As far as price Of labor and ma.
terial goes there Is no reason why b first.
class leg for amputation below the knee
should not be sold for thirty or forty dol,
lars; yet the. manufacturer charges as
much as one hundred and fifty, and even
government pays seventy1fve dollars fol
an inferior article. Until they sell theil
wares at such q profit as'grasping trades,
men and mercenary manufactures arc
content with, these pretenders 10 unset
fishness will deserve rebuke. aH.a
In contrast with this Is the practice oil
the honorable imedical faculty. When.
ever one Of its members makes n discoy,
cry that will be Of use to his fellow man
In the line Of his profession, he immediate
ly proClaims it without reserve. Instead
Of reaping golden harvest, he is often put
TO great expense I'd bring his invention Il
notice. Even this magnanimity is moi
half the measure Of benefits conferred by
this undetermined body. Accustomed ii
the early years Of practice to devote time
and labor and to incur manifold danger
without adequate reward, its members be,
come habituAlly generous. To all wound
ed In the war their services were always
given without claim for pay, and in thou,
sands.o cases persistently made gratuit.
Gus. When we reflect that. merchants
seldom, and corporations never, fail to ex
act the full value Of services rendered Ii
the way Of their business; when we fully
realize that physicians or surgeons
time, given away, means 50 much food
and rent, and future comfort taken from
his family, we shall begin to appreciate
the selEsaCri6ce Of this truly Christian
profession. All mankind owes 1t praise
and gratitude. Let our voices swell the
chorus. Suppose the discoverer of eithel
had taken out patent and we had 10 pay
royalty for vaccination
I have compared notes with men whose
amputahOn dated back as far us ,thlrty
years, and all agreed IN their experience
of the continued sensitivenesS OF the OK
Cised part. As sit here writing repeal
an old experiment with all due search
and attention. Carefully examining the
sensations aroused in my brain by the re
tlex action Of the nerves, l note the fol
lowing facts: So long as l remain in d
passive state, merely, observpnt, avoiding
any exercise of my wll'upon the muscles
I am utterly ignorant Of tile losss Of my
foot, except SO far as sight and touch as
sure me Of 1t. Even with these aids,
find It impossible to impress upon my in
ner consciousness a belief that my body
ends just below the knee. Not only L
there no sense Of loss, but at the very place
where my eyes and hands tell me thai
bone and flesh end and empty airlbegins
my brain tells me necessarily, positively
obstinately, that there Is no break of con,
tmulty. That this should happen wher
the amputaton, fl8t takes place does MOI
seem very snrpriSipg,s and miGht,be ex
planned BY fhe torce 'uf habit y I,et 4 IA,
dent who has met with a seri6us aec iilent
and taken ether, find on waking a cover
ing extending downward from his necl;
and 80 far elevated as TO give no guide d
the shape beneath. ' SO long rs he lies h
q purely receptive, inactive state, he can
| mi ha snnn TINT any amnlikntinn ~ al IL.