Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1875-03-04
Alcohol as q Medicine.

q 4 = i
Il is now about ten years since /
to treat disease without the |
exhibition of alcohol in any form, but
more,e specially not to prescribe it in the
guise Of rum, brandy, gin, vine or beer.
Soon after my determination to pcrsuc
the non alcoholic treatment of disease,
was my faith in the treatment put to a
severe test. Nothaving gtheexperience Of
years now possess, during which period
have attended thousands Of cases Of al
most every disease, you may easily imag-
inc my anxiety as to the result of such
treatment.
. Well do remember case of disease,
occurring in a healthy man, who for the
last sixteen years had been strict teeto-
taller, but prior to lis taking the pledge.
had been great drunkard. When called
upon to see this person, deemed it my
duty to inform him that in this particular
disease, it was the universal practice OF
the profession to administer largely a
daily supply of wine and malt liquor to
nourish and strengthen, and that even
with these advantages recovery from a
severe attack was exceedingly rare. l,
had seldom seen recovery, save in a
strong, young, healthy person. This he
ing the case, and not wishing to lose my
patient for the sake of my teetotal hobby,
l said to him, II suppose you wish to get
we'll aga.n, and you are not too scrupu-
lous as to the means used" In fact l
cid not like 10 come to the point at once
and say, Il want you to take some wine
and Stout" felt as If did not want
my patient to believe he was breaking his
pledge, but rather that he was taking the
very liquors which once had ruined him,
as a medicine, scientifically prescribed,
to combat disease. He replied, well,
doctor, my children know nothing about
drink I don't wish TO die if there is any
thing in the world to save me, for have
have wife and nine children dependent
upon me. You must do whatever you
think proper" I felt now in worse fix
tl:aa before. If my patient had said he
would not take any Intoxicating drink,
and died without taking any, the burden
would be off my shoulders. If lie had
said he would take it to save his life, and
recovered, should have treated him ac-
cording to professional rule. But when
he said l might do that which thought
proper, and he would leave his case in
my hands, l thought if did not order
s,lmulants in the shape Of wine and beer,
and the patient died, should be culpablc
in the eyes Of my professional brethren
and also exposed to the calumnies of
friends. Again, thought if l ordered
him Intoxicating drink and he recovered,
he might fall again into drunken habits,
and, saved from one kind of death, die a:
last the death Of the drunkard Tie hor-
rid shought pursued me-. Better he should
die in his sober senses than die muddlcd
with drink. - ."
Itook special interest in his case, as i,
was, to me, then, one more Of experiment
than practice. Day by day, nignt by night,
week by week, I watched the man, slowly
but surely sinking. When. with quivcr.
ing lip and feeble voice and anxious
countcnance, he asked, doctor, do you
think / shall pull through?" my heart
achcd to respond, and almost against my
convictions l Ireplied, had hope that lie
would. His wife, broken hearted, his
children crying around his bedside; his
friends deemed it now the proper time to
interfere, and sent him wine, which lie
obstinately declined to take without the
doctors order. There on table near the
bed stood the bottle of "eld port and be-
side it glass filled with wine, which
anxious friends were begging of him tc
take to save his precious life, DO take i,
or you will certainly die" said they; "for
tile S ke of your friends, your dear wife
your children, take it, tor why will yor
dic!"
Looking at them all earnestly, stretch
ing out his bony arm and pointing his
skeleton fingers to the bottle, with feeble
but decisive tone of voice, he replied
..Take that bottle away. If this be dying
am unspeakably happy! When / was
dying through drink I was wretched and
lawfully afraid. Take itaway. 1t lost me
heaven once!" The crisis came at last
was obliged to tell him that now he was
lat the worst; that lie was about to die
but still he struggled on. Faith in Iii.
doctor, hope in lis Saviour, buoyed him
Iup The struggle was great, the battle q
life was nearly lost, the lamp was: nearl,
burnt out, but still he did not die! BY
careful nursing md by the use Of a simple
and unstimulating diet, tue lamp Of life
began to burn a little brighter, the pulse
to beat a little stronger, the eye to shine 4
little clearer, and the voice so lately hear<
but in a whisper. to speak, 4 little louder
in cheerful tones to his. nurse. On III.
very Sunday afternoon on which it wa!
thought his remains would have beer
4 borne to the cemetery, his wife and child
ren were silently sitting over the fire il
the adjoining room, moaning their hart
fate and bllghted hopes, when, hark they
] heard q tremulous voice trying to sing
! Praise God from whom all blessing
/ flow. That afternoon there was CT!
4 bead in that house, a cry re.echoed il
heaven, that cry was . He's saved {! III
fathers voice! He's saved He's saved
THE lost issf found. He who had died i
.IIalive again. The patient kept his pledge
land have now reason. to i,e lieve That b,
Ithat means his life was saved. Before hi
ILLNESS he WAS q consistent tee.oi Ter. an,
] la popular advocate &c the total abstinanc'
cause. Sincr Ills recovery. he still preach
Ies tie doctrine ot tenn france Will, great
i ers zeal and srrestncss than ever.
words ixrs,uId hnt ieeb convoy any Thin,
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