The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1881-08-04
Transl ated from the Hungarian of Muaru
Jokal for the Parisianl

TransI sted from the Hungarian of Muaru
Jokal for the Parisian.l
One of the most celebrated practition-
ers o. Pesth, DR.. K, was called upon
one morning to receive at an early hour
a visitor in great haste, who, while
sitting in an ante-chamber, sent in word
by the footman that delay for him was
danger. He must be received immedi-
ately.
The doctor threw on his dressing
gown hastily and had his patient shown
in.
He found himself in the presence of
man utterly unknown to him, but
who to Judge by his dress and manners,
evidently belonged to the best society.
His pale face bore traces of great
| physical and moral suffering He car
ried his right hand in a sling, and in
spite of his efforts to restrain himself
from time to time a stifed sigh escaped
him. Seeing the poor man stagger the
doctor invited him to sit down
II am tired; | have not slept for a
week. There is something the matter
with my right hand | do not know
what. Is it a curbuncle Is it
cancer? At first the suffering was
| slight, but now it is burning, continual
pain, increasing in intensity day by
day. | can bear it no longer. | jumped
into my carriage and here / am have
come to beg you to cauterize it, or to
cut out the painful part, for one more
hour of this dreadful torture would
drive me to perdition.
The doctor asked to see the hand,
which the patient put into his, crashing
his teeth meanwhile from the intensity
of pain, while the physician proceeded
to undo the bandages with every posi-
bic precaution.
above all, doctor, | beg Of you not
to attach any Importance to what you
will see. Ny complaint is so strange
that you will be surprised, but | be
seech you to take no notice of that"
Where is the painful spot? 1t is
surprising. see nothing"
Nor | either; and yet the pain is
there so dreadful that | feel tempted to
knock my head against the wall.
The doctor took a magnifying glass,
examined, and shook his head
The skin is full of life. The blood
circulates very regularly Underneath
there is neither inflammation nor cancer
1t is as healthy as any other part of
your body"
and yet it seems to nue. that it is
rather more red there than elsewhere"
where 2"
The stranger took pencil from his |
pocket-book and traced on his hand
circle as large as a ten-cent bit with the |
remark, just here"
The doctor looked He began to |
think chat mis- patient was crazy. ''Ec-
main here" he said, ''In few days |
will cure you" The doctor saw to his /
astonishment that his strange visitor
spoke seriously. He took Off his coat, I
turned up his shirt-sleeves and took
bistoury in his left hand. A second /
more and the steel would have made
deep incision in the flesh.
''Stop!" cried the doctor, who was
afraid that his patient through I'M
skillfulness might open some important
vein. "Since you judge the operation
Indispensable, so be il.
He took the bistoury, and holding in |
the left hand the right hand of his |
patient, he begged him to turn away
his head, some people not being able to |
bear the sight of their own blood.
ut is unnecessary! On the contra
ry, it is | who will indicate how deep |
down you must cut.
In fact, he watched the operation to |
the end with the greatest possible COM I
posture, indicating how far it was to go.
The open hand did not even tremble in |
the doctors hand, and when the little
piece of round flesh was cut out he |
heaved a deep sigh, like one who ex-
perieqces feeling OF immense reliet.
''Ihe burning has ceased y
cit has quite gone" said the stranger,
with a smile. 1.-The pain has entirely |
ceased, as if it had been taken away /
with the part cut off The slight pain
occasioned by the bleeding Is, as com
pared with the other, like refreshing
breeze after an Internal heat. 1t does !
me really good to see my blood flow. |
Only let it flow, it does me so much |
good"
The stranger looked with delight at
the streaming blood. The doctor was
obliged 10 insist upon dressing the
wound.
While he was binding it up the pa
tents face changed completely. the |
expression of pain passed away; he
smiled on the doctor with look full of |
good humor, and there was no longer /
any contraction o. tbs features or any |
look of despair. He seemed to have |
taken a new lease of life. FITS brow |
cleared the color returned to his face
his whole person underwent visible |
transformation.
u her his hand was replaced in the |
sling he made use of the one that re-
manned free TO shake the doctors hand /
warmly, saying to him with cordially
Accept my most sincere thanks. You I
have positively cured me. The small |
remunarat0i4 that ! at4er you is ia no /
wise proportioned TO the service YOU
have rendered me. During the rest Of
my life viii try by what means I can
to discharge nv obligation,
The doctor, however, would nos con
sent to accept the thousand forms placed
on the table. The stranger On his side
refused TO take them hack :. but seeing
that the doctor was beginning to grow
angry, he begged that he bestow them
on some hospital. and so took his leave.
The doctor informed several of his
colleagues of this singular case and each
formed different opinion on the sub
ject, without, however, any of them
being able to give a plausible explana-
ton, Toward the end Ct u month Dr.
X. received q letter dated from the pa
TENTS residence He opened IT. 1t
was closely written, and he saw by the
signature that the patient had written
It with his own hand, ffom which he
concluded that the pain had not re-
turned, for If 1t had he could hardly
have held PEN
The letter ran as follows:
ssMy DEAR DocToR: | do not wish
that either you or medical science should Il
be left IN doubt as 10 the mystery of
the strange disease which viii soon