The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1875-03-05
irtL lparnal.
rRreHT AND CONTRACTION.

a III Il Va y w a hO A1NhhAAAS'1
ing of the foolishness of small pox
scare, illustrates the effect of the i'm
agination BY the following: You
have heard of persons having their
imaginations so wrought upon as TO
cause their death from some supposed
diseased or illuess. Now, no one
has, so far as heard from, been
frightened to that extent on account
of the small pox scare of yesterday,
but case in point happened here
twenty-five years ago, that will
serve to point moral, if not adorn
a tale. The cholera was then raging
pretty generally, and numbers of
people had left Forte Wayne, fear
ing to be attacked by the seourge.
Three doctors were conversing
about the plague-the effect fear
and imagination had upon people,
etc. One of them (now dead for the
last ten years or more) proposed a
test of this. He named a strong. ro-
bust man, butcher by occupation,
named Dolman, who then kept his
shop on the canal. directly back OF
Columbia street. Ofthe many strong
and healthy men, probably not one
could be found who was SO nearly a
perfect man physically. He was al
so at that time 10 superb health, OF
full habit and good weight So the
trio agreed to subject Dolman TO the
above mentioned test. Each OF the
three disciples of Esculapius was to
go into the shop on pretence OF pur-
chasing meat, and then lead the
butcher to talk on the subject OF
cholera, or in some way to impress
him with the belief that he was about
to become its victim.
The first doctor entered the shop,
and after passing the compliments
of the day with the proprietor, or
dered pound of steak. 1t was cut
and the unSuspecting man of meat
began to weigh it.
"Why" SAID the doctor, chow bad
ly you look ! What IS the matter
with you, Dolman 2"
Nothing at ALL said Dolman /;
"never felt heartier or better in my
life"
"But surely something ails you !;
you are looking ILL.,"
"Well," said the victim, "l'm
very well; nothing at all is the mat
ter with me-"
After looking at Dolman minute,
the doctor passed out.
Entered then the second of the
trio, who also ordered some meat
He likewise looked scarchingly at
the butcher, and then said:
"Wby, Dolmon, what is the mat
ter with you? You are looking ill.
You're going to be sick, I'm afraid"
The poor man replied that he was
not i'll. and felt as well as ever he did
in his life.
The doctor looked obviously at
him and went out.
The last of the three who had "put
up the job on Dolman came in af-
ter awhile. He requested the butch
G? to cut him off a nice piece Of steak.
As this request was about to be com
piled with, the doctor examined the
meat and remarked in an earnest
way. "No, won't take it, that meat
has cholera in it."
This was the last straw. The poor
wretch began to think he was in a
bad way. The doctor, as soon as he
had uttered the rash words, walked
of and left Dolman to bis own re-
Elections, which were none Of the
pleasantest.
Dolman immediate Shut up
and went home. lie fell sick and
had, it is said, as genuine a case of
cholera as was ever seen. The ar
tifce ofthe medical trio had succeed
ed too well. Fortunately the mans
SPLENDID constitution carried him
through, and he recovered. Had
he been man of little strength,
highly susceptible to disease, and all
that, the result very likely would
have been death.
But that was not all. The doctor
who had proposed the trial attended
Dolman while he was sick, and pre-
scented bill for his services. The
butcher, having no money, couldn't
pay it. To satisfy his claim the
doctor took Doman's horse aud cart
and sold them to pay the bill, though
he himself was the principal cause
of the poor fellows illness.
The circumstances are doubtless
remembered by many in this city,
though they will also be new to num-
bers Of people now here.
TIE SHARP MAN,
The sharp man IL mistaken for the