The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1878-08-01
A Woman Doctor.

B. writing to the Charlotte DeAaocrud
from Venice says:
My Doctor has advised us to ride
occasionally. We have spent yester-
day and part of to day In sailing all
around the city and the neighboring
islands going as far as s or 10 miles
I've the Laguna. | saw the curious
process by which they extend an old
island, OF reclaim Il new one from the
Laguna. as they may have need.
They drive huge wooden piles around
the intended space. The piles are
driven close together with their tops
even with the surface of the water.
This enclosure of piles is then boarded
on the inside, almost as close as Il cell
ing. They now ill i'll with earth,
dredgingS OF the Canals and all sorts
Of rubbish till q solid bed is made even
with or higher tnan the top of the
piles. They now lay the foundations
of the walls OF the houses on these
piles with huge, hewn stones. The
piles never rot while under water.
Some Of the Palaces ) OF G hundred
years old stand on such apparently
irall bases. This manner OF buiiuing
IS OF course expensive and tedious,
though | saw an island of 6 or ) Il -fts.
covered with buildings, wiere i was
assured t years ago there was nothing
but 5 or 10 feet deep. | saw another
island about half filled up, which,
would be ready for occupation in 8 or
4ycarS more.
There Is a curiosity in Venice in the
shape of Il medical oma / men
ton this matter IN The hope tia, some
sufferer may get the benefit OF hor al
most miraculous skill. Her SPECIALITY
consists in setting disjointe,.. .,.,lo-
Gated OF fractured bones. Ii. m
stinct Is marvellous and ms me
u She can tell in five l. .utes
whether She can do you any good.
Ii does not profess to cure every
thing, or anything else but What
have stated above in relation to bones.
But her touch in the diagnosis is mag
zeal. If she can do you no good she
diSmiSseS you at once If she can
cure, she depends not on prayers, or
compensation. or any sort Of supersti.
ton, but goes scientifically to work by
poultices, &c, to soften the parts and
by gentle manipulations, till She
brings the ~dislocated or disiointed
bones together in place. The opera
ton Is said to be painless. At anv
rate there Is no secrecy about it. She
lets everybody see 1t and know it.
But there is one s~ingularity she can
not lmpart her secret power of touch
to others. She has tried it again and
again without being able to instruct
even the ablest men III her wonderful
diagnosis. The Faculty az Vienna. at
n time, sent for her and had her q
year III their largest hospital where
all hands did their best to learn the
secret, and she eXerted herself To
teach it to them. but without result in
any case. The same thing has been
attempted here and in Trieste, with
like failure. All medical men have
~undOubted confidence in her in the
particular class of cases to which she
makes pretensions. She cannot read
or write. vet she is now at the head of
a large hospital here. full of patients
IN her line from all parts of Europe
and the United States. One case
from the United States is remarkable.
\ young lady, lame from childhood.
If not from birth, having one leg
shorter than the other, saw the faculty
IN London and Paris. These gentle
men naturally differed in diagnosis
and in remedies They did her no
good. She happened to hear of this
old woman in Venice, for she is ODD
and came on here. The old woman