The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1879-12-05

| some surprise.
"And who is Deacon Borgicr?''
ga most excellent man, one of the
pillars of my husbands congregation.
The young people laugh at what they
call his torpidity, and say that he has
been walking about town in his sleep
for twenty years; but l assure you that
there is not 4 sincerer, more fcrvent
Chris"
l turned abruptly around, leaving
Mrs. Tinker more astOnished than ever,
for knew that the subject of my in
quiries was looking at me again. She
sat in one corner of the room, apart
from the rest of the company. straight
way went and seated myself at her side.
"That is right" she said. 81 wished
You to come. Did you enjoy your jour-
ney to Jerusalem?"
"Ycs, thanks TO YOU"
"Perhaps. But you can repay the
obligation. am told that you are DIR.
Mack's assistant in surgery at the col
lege. There is clinic tomorrow. l
want to attend it."
GAS a patient?" inquired.
She laughed. "No, as a spectator.
You must find a way to crafty my curl
osity."
expressed, as politely as possible,
my aStOnishment at SO extraordinary 4
fancy on the part of young lady, and
limited at the scandal which her appear
ance in the amphitheater would create.
She Immediately offered to disguise her.
self in male attire. explained that the
nature of the relations between the
medical college and the patients who
consented to submit to surgical treat
ment before the class were such that it
would be dishonorable thing for me to
cOnnive ut the admission of any outsider,
male or female. That argument made
no impression upon her mind. was
forced to decline peremptorily to serve
her in the affair. "Very WE'LL" she said.
81 must find some other way"
At the clinic the next day took pains
to satisfy myself that Miss Borgier had
not surreptitiously intruded. The STU
dents of the class came in at the hour,
noisy and careless as usual, and seated
themselves in the lower tiers of chairs
around the operating table. They pro-
duced their notebooks and began to
sharpen lead-pencils. Miss BOrgier
was certainly not among them. Every
face in the lecture-room was familiar
to me. l locked the door that
opened into the hallway, and then
searched the ante-room on the other
side of the amphitheater. There were
dozen or more patients, nervous and de-
jected, waiting for treatment and at
tended by friends hardly less frightened
than themselves. But neither Miss Bor-
gier nor any body resembling Miss Bor-
gier was of the number.
DIR. Mack now briskly entered by his
private door. He glanced sharply at
the table on which his instruments were
arranged, ready for use, and, having
assured himself that every thing was in
its place, began the clinical lecture,
There were the usual minor operations
two or three for strabismus, one
for cataract, the excelsior of several cists
and tumOrs, large and small, the am
putation of railway brakeman's crush
ed thumb. As the eases were disposed
of, attended the patients back to the
ante-room and placed them in the care
of their friends.
Last came poor old lady, named
Wilson, whose leg had been drawn up
for years by a rheumatic affection, so
that the joint of the knee had ossifed
1t was one of those cases where the ne
cessary treatment is almost brutal i'm its
simplicity. The limb had to be straight
ened by the application of main force.
Mrs. Wilson Obstinately refused to take
advantage of anHsthesia. She was
placed on her back upon the operating
table, with pillow beneath her head.
The geniculated limb showed deflec-
ton of 20 or % degrees from right
line. As already remarked, this de-
Election had to be corrected by direct,
forcible pressure downward upon the
knee.
With the assistance of young sur
geon of great physical strength, DIR.
Mack proceeded to apply this pressure. |
The operation is one of the most excru- |
ciating that can be imagined. was
stationed at the head of the patient, in
order to hold her shoulders, should she
struggle. But observed that marked
change had come over her since we es-
tablished her upon the table. Very
much agitated at first, she had become
perfectly calm. As she paSsively lay
there, her eyes directed upward with a
fixed gaze, the eyelids heavy as if with
approaching slumber, the face tranquil,
it was hard to realize that this woman
had already crossed the threshold of an
experience of cruel pain.
had no time, however, to give more
than thought to her wonderful cour-
age. The harsh operation had begun.
The surgeon and his assistant were
steadily and with increasing force bear
ing down upon the rigid knee. Per-
haps the Spanish Inquisition never de-
vised method of inficting physical
torture more intense than that which
this woman was now undergoing, vet
not a muscle of her face quivered. She
breathed easily and regularly, her :
features retained their placid expression, 1
and, at the moment when her sufferings
must have been the most agonizing, l
saw her eyes close, as if in peaceful {
sleep.
At the same instant the tremendous
orce eXerted upon the knee produced
is natural effect. The ossified Joint !
'ielded, and, with a sickening noise