Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1873-05-23
" Our Man"

daughter OF AssistantSufBeOb IL,
Hospital, Washington.
We responded. by joining at once the
group of surgeons in the entrance hall.
The sufferers were brought in upon
stretchers, and as they were carried by,
the chief surgeon ordered them to such
wards as seemed most suitable for the
particular case.
Some of the poor fellows were in
fearful condition toes, fingers and limbs
often mass of corruption. We uttered
kind words to the conscious, and tried to
soften the sternness OF DIR. g., the head
surgeon, by little soothing applications
of our own.
The hopeless cases were always assign
ed to a room in the rear of the building,
quite near the dreaded" dead house"
This morning it seemed to us the" hope
less ward" would receive nearly all OF
them; and just as we were thinking how
hard we must labor in order to save
some little token for the absent friends,
G.'s voice reached us from the upper end
of the hall Take him to the rear, hope
less" and in moment more we leaned
over a strecther whereon tall, broad
shouldered man lay, whose expression OF
countenance as he heard the surgeons
words, / shall never forget.
DIR. c., who stood next to us--the
youngest surgeon in the building
ed down the slight covering and exposed
a CHASTITY sight; a once powerful leg one
mass of decaying matter. The patient
looked toward US as he saw our pitying
glances, and exclaimed in low tone
which rang through the hall:
"Save me have wife and five chill
dren / must not die y
ave will do all we can," / hastened
to say as the stewards moved on.
Doctor, would it be possible to save
him?"
"One chance in ten thousand" he
answered. "Let us try"
"You forget that | am only an assist
ant here and must obey orders"
flew to DIR. G. "Can we try TO
save the man? ?" asked
Useless, why spend time over such
cases when we are SO crowded? he must
| die"
Let him 60 to my pet ward, l
urged anywhere but among the hope
less. Please, doctor, as special favor"
"Ah, you women hamper us with
your pleadings," he answered half cross
| ly. "Put him where you please; only
don't ask me to sympathise if he is soon
buried"
We went back to the kind hearted as
sistant, who stood with his young wife
leaning on his arm.
|
:" Yes if / can get permission to do
So"
Then came discussion, opposition, a
vote of the staff, and after much trial the
poor fellow was carried into the amputa-
ting room.
"Dr. d., must take entire charge of
the case" said G., with a shrug of the
shoulders. +" 1t is nonsensical, and /
will have nothing to do with it,"
The operation was performed in the
most skillful manner, we were told, and
Dr. ID. said to us:
"IfI ever prayed in my life did then.
Not one encouraged me- They voted to
please you, in my favor, and | gave my
self up entirely to the work in hand and
went on now ifhe will only live"
sour man" gained wonderfully. Never
did we feed a patient ON brandy and
water with more eagerness. G.. stood by
US saying:
"The end is not yet"
DIR. ID. came to request our presence
in the dead house" he would like to
show us the remains Of the limb. We
went out in company with two or three
| p,ha &c L.
kind ever occurred before, and DIR. ID.
was famous. We looked calmly as he
took it . from the pile in one corner,
and listened in dreamy way to an ac-
count of the difficulty, science. tran,
verse something but all the time we
were hearing:
Save me; / have wife and five
children l must not die"
Doctor" said /, "if he lives, you
: saved him : and that is worth living for. y
"You saved him." replied the Doctor
,, "No one else could have gained permis.
sion for such an operation" and then
and there we called him "our man."
" He gained slowly but steadily, and We
left him to take our place as patient, on
! ly to hear on our recovery that "oul
! man had gone home to his family. L
his eye should rest on this paper, h,
: will doubtless remember who held NJ
! ! the Doctors little daughter for him t.
! kiss, because she was so like his own.
AS for DR.. d., we are quite sure he il
doing good somewhere, and should h,
read this be will learn how much b,
: was honored for his bravery. For
young practitioner to face the opposition
J of all his associates, is no trife, but {,
perform difficult and peculiar operation
J with critical eyes upon one with only on,
chance in ten thousand of saving life, il
! ! evidence of a noble heart as we'll as
! clear head.
e KEEP IT TO YoURsELF.-You hav,
: trouble; your feelings are injured, you
I husband is unkind, your wife frets, you
J home is not pleasant, your brethren d,
l. not treat YOU inst ripht and fhinps /,