Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1878-12-18
DOWN WITH THE FEVER.
The Delights Of COnvaIescence---HOw
He Got Well and the Other Died.

The Burlington Hawkeye in a re-
cent issue says:
Do you know, a man likes to be i'll
Likes to have a wasting fever, a terri
BILE headache, or a thoroughbred ague
chill, with patent vibrator attachment.
I don't think he likes it pretty much
at the time the circus isn't so inter
esting while the play is on, but he
does enjoy it after it's all over and he
can torture his friends with the dole
full narrative of his sufferings. How
some men do love to talk about their
physical ailments.
The young man sitting Just in front
of me has been i'll. He lay, as | learn
from the narrative he is pouring into
the ears of his weary-looking friend,
like Peters wife's mother, sick of a
fever. 1t was no ordinary fever,
either. 1t came upon him, he tells his
friends, as a low type of typhoid, but
soon developed into a malignant
typhus, and then the struggle for life
began. For TWENTY-FIVE days and
nights his friends and watchers never
left his bed side. The point of the
most intense pain was located right
above the left eye. The young man
points it out with his finger, and his
friend looks at the place curiously as
though he expected to find a label on
it. The young man is growing rapidly
worse. He has got into the medicines.
He is taking a drop Of digitalis now
he is taking three drops now he has
just taken six. He will never get
well, | know. His pulse is 103, and
the temperature of his body is 1882.
Now he is talking medical latin. How
a man does love to dabble in the lore
mote Cor intelligent compositor here
%tofOre, in all my letters and articles, il
has been customary to print hat word
Lowe, as though it had something to
do with the human affections. Inthis
instance let me implore the intelli-
gent to print it lore, lore,
l-o-a-r, l%-o-o-r, spell it any way
you please, so you don't spell il
with a ~" make it a "ar.") of the
physician. His pulse is coming up
and has reached lis. | know he vii
die. The pain over his left eye is in.
~creasing in severity, and shooting
pains are tearing up and down hi.
back. Now a new pain has set in, il
both knees. Now his feet are cold
and his dose Of digitalis is INCREASED tt
ten drops, and he is taking two dose
every three minutes. The tempera
ture of his body suddenly falls to 1O7
His physician, standing at the bedside
with an American hunting case, cylin
der escapement, full-jeweled, Low
pressure silver watch in his hand, tell
him that if the temperature of tn,
body goes down to 105, and stays there
he will die. Now his pulse reache
40. The temperature of his bod,
has gone down to 1851. The pain owe
his left eye has received reinforce
ments, and is sounding away like
trip-hammer. He is suffocating witt
a dull, heavy heat, but cannot " pres
piah." More watches are sent for
He counts up his insurance. |
amounts to $1,000. Two more drop
are added to his dose of digitalis
which he now takes every time tn
clock ticks. His hair is beginning +
fall off; his eyes are heavy the en-.
Of his nose turns cold; his pulse falls
he gasps for breath; he d.
No, by st. George, he doesn't. Sud
denly, right in the pain over the lei
eyebrow he p~respiahs." He is saved
The perspiration spreads all over hin
He lives.
Merciful heavensl Can it be2 YeI
thetruth must be told. 1t is hisfrienC
his weary, accomplishing, l~istenin
friend who dies.