River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1882-03-23
THAT RICH EXPERIENCE.
A Free Press Interview Sustained
and Its source Revealed
Detroit Frae praoS

A Free Press Interview Sustained
and Its source Revealed.
Detroit Free Press.
A few months ago an interview with
prominent and well known physician, for
merly a resident of Detroit. but now liv-
ing In New York, appeared in the col
umns of this paper. Tie statements
made by the doctor and the facts he d.
vulged were of so unusual nature as to
cause no little commotion among those
who read them, and many inquiries were
raised as TO the genuiness of the inter-
view and the validity of the statements il
contained. The name of the physician
was at that time suppressed at his own re-
quest. The seal of secrecy, however, can
now be removed, as the important and in
teresting letter which appears below will
abundantly show. In order, however,
that the reader may better understand
this letter, few extracts are herewith
given from the interview in question.
After an exchange of courtesies and
few "reminiscences about the war, in which
the doctor was prominent surgeon, the
reporter remarked upon the doctors i'm
proved appearance, upon which he said;
Yes, nave improved in health since
you last saw me, and hope also in many
OtuCA ways. Onc ehAhk, hOHSFCif HdfS
succeeded in doing, and it is one of the
hardest things for any one, and especially
a doctor, to do, and that is have over
come my prejudices. You know there
are some people who prefer TO remain in
the wrong rather than acknowledge the
manifest right. Such prejudice leads to
bigotry of the worst order. Now, | am
physician, and of the "old school" order,
too; but l have. after years of experience
and observation, come to the conclusion
that truth is the highest of all things, and
that if prejudice or bigotry stand in the
way of truth, so much the worse for them
they are certain to be crushed sooner or
later. Why, when l knew you in Detroit,
/ would no sooner have thought of violat-
ing the code of ethics laid down by the
profession, or of prescribing anything out
of the regular order, than | would of
amputating my hand. Now, however, |
prescribe and advise those things which
/ believe to be adapted to cure, and
which my experience has proven to be
SUCH"
''How did you come to get such heret1c-
'al ideas as these, doctor?"
"Oh, they are the result of my expert
ence and observation. obtained my first
ideas upon the subject. though, from hav-
ing been cured after all Lay care and the
skill of my professional brethren had fail
ed to relieve me- Why. was as badly off
as many of my patients, with a complica-
ton of troubles, including dyspepsia, and
consequently imperfect kidneys and liver.
and feared I should have to give up my
practice. For months / suffered untold
agonies. Dull. indefinite pains in various
parts of the body; lack of interest in
everything around me; a loss of appetite;
headaches; all these disagreeable symp-
toms were added to pains which were both
acute and constant. Sick as / was, how
ever, became restored to health in a
most surprising manner and in an incred.
IDLY short space of time, and it was this
that proved revelation to me. That was
the starting point, and nay preiudices
faded rapidly after that | can assure you.
l went to reading extensively, and ana
Lying more extensively, and since that
time / have discovered many things of
real value to humanity. Why, only a few
days ago advised lady who was suffer
ing from serious female difficulty and
displacement to use the same remedy
which cured me. l saw her this morning
and she is nearly well: the pain and in
hammation are all gone and she is around
az usual. We have no right in the med
ical fraternity to sit back and declare
there is no such thing as improvement or
advancement, or that we have monopoly
of the remedies which nature has given to
mankind. There are great changes going
on in every department of life, and there
are great developments in medicine as
well. Thousands of people die every year
from supposed typhoid fever, rheumatism,
or other complaints, when in reality it Is
trichina, caused by eating poorly cooked
and diseased pork. Thousands of chill
dren are dying every year from dropsy as
the apparent sequel to scarlatina, when IN
reality it is from diseased kidneys which
have become weakened by the fever they
have lust lad
well, doctor. you have got some new
truths here, certainly: but they sound
very reasonable to me"
well, whether they are reasonable or
not i have demonstrated to my own satis-
faction that they are true, and l propose
to stand by them. no matter how much
opposition | may raise by doing so. Any
man. be he politician. preacher or physi-
clan, who is so considerate of his pocket
book or of his own personal ends as to
stultify himself by suppressing the mani
fest truth, is unworthy the name of man,
and unworthy the confidence of the pub
lie whom he serves"
The above are some of the pr hclpal
points in the interview referred to, Now
for the sequel. The following outspoke
letter from the doctor himself which has
Just been received is published in full:
Editor Detroit Free Press:
Some time ago a reporter of your paper
had an interview with me which he SAID
he would like 10 publish. / consented on
condition that you would not mention my
name until 1 gave you permission.
have now accomplished the purpose had
in mind, and wish TO say to you (which
you can publish or not as you see tit) that
l had debated for long time whether |
would shake off some of the professional
letters which bound me with others for
years, and tell the truth, or not. When l
looked back, and thought of the tortures
like those described by Dante in his trip
to the internal regions, which endured
from dyspepsia. and recalled how much
would have given at that time for the re-
lief which l have since obtained, | de-
termined that | would take the step SO
long meditated, and thereby discharge
duty to my fellow men. If | could there
by save one poor mortal one night of the
terrible suffering l endured. would be
fully satisfied. be the other consequences
what they might.
My dyspeptic condition was produced
by torpid liver, which did not, as a con-
sequence, remove the bile from the blood.
This produced arrangement of the stom-
ach, Inflammation of its coats, dyspepsia
constipation. headache, depression of spir-
its, yellow complexion, Uncovered eyes
chills and fever ia short was miserable
to the last degree. l APPEALED in vain to
my books. to my skill and to my fellow
physicians. The mystery of my ill-health
grew deeper. | travelled everywhere-ex-
hausted all authorized expedients-but to
no purpose!
When in this frame of mind, desperate
iy in need of help, but expecting none,o
of my unprofessional friends called my at
tention TO some unusual cures wrought by
prominent remedy and urged me TO try it.
l emphatically declined. But secretly,
and with the firm determination that |
vof1Id nevar lot anvhodv know what L had