The Brookhaven leader., 1884-04-10

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none of my friends will give me credit
for being ILL. "
He had enjoyed the pleasures of the
world to some considerable extent when
a younger man, and had travelled a
good deal abroad, but had never been
really incorporate, either in eating or
drinking, | know he would hive told
me o: it had it been so, for he kept no
secrets from his medi al adviser. But
illness was his besetting sin. | d. not
know that for the six months previous
to tie day on wh.cl we had the serious
talk which forms the sub ,ect of this
paper, he had done anything e'sc but
read. He reads the papers all the fore
noon, and books, books, books all the
I, mainder of the day, and often, | b =
lieve, late into tie night.
well, Doctor my patient said to-
day, "Pve taken all your medicine, and
| don't feel one whit the better
"Yes." replied, you've taken all
my medicine you are very good at TAX
ing physic-but had you taken my adj
vice as well in other and hygienic mat
ters, would not have been sorry you
threw the medicine to the dogs"
"Do you say sop cexcla med. "Now
I'll tell you exactly how feel
| certainly do not intend to plague
my readers with detail of my patient $
symptoms, real and imaginary. l had
to Listen to them, and did 30 most pa
tiently, although probably great deal
of what he said went in at one car and
out at the other. sat lent for some
time after he had finished.
He looked at me somewhat anxious
ly, then got up and walked about the
room for few minutes, and finally re-
seated himself.
"You are unusually quiet, DOCTOR"
| he said at last. in an earnest tone of
voice "You don't think there is any
thing rerg serious the matter with me
today
Il think the very worst" said sol
emnly, and probably some might say
mischievously, but had only the good
intention of rousing him; even if it
caused him to call in another medical
man. felt should not be sorry.
"Your heart is Affected
This was no exaggerated statement,
for it is always the case in nervousness
or in general debil ty that the heart s
tone IS lowered We physicians cali it
functional disorder, to distinguish it
from actual organ disease. II shou d
be remembered that the b art is mus
cular organ, and as liable to lie be-
low or a,ove par as the other
muscles OF the body; nor on the
other hand should it be forgotten
that if nervousness becomes chronic
in any patient, the heart itself is liza
BILE to become prematurely affected,
and life necessarily mu shortened.
This only shows that a strenuous eff
fort towards restoration of health
should be at once made by any one
suffering from the complaint we are
now consid ring-a complaint which,
owing to the struggle for existence
going ON in our midst, is every day
becoming more common. A cure as
may be cleaned from the converse
ton that fol ows, is not to be looked
for from medicine alone, although ton
| i and alternatives are of great use, but
from strict adherence 20 the rules of hy-
giene, 1hySicoi a'sd me 7tal.
"You an not mean it,"
at is my duty to tell you so, and do
mean it.
"Oh, doctor!" he gasped seizing me
by the arm above the wrist, with a
grip that spoke volumes for the strength
of his voluntary muscles, at all events
"Oh, doctor!-you-do don mean to say
| am-going-to-tod die?'
''We must all die"
"0h. this is awful! This is terribler'
he cred.
He gazed around him in semi-da ed,
/ a Il =
very SOFAS and chairs, and the pictures
on the wal S, to step in and save him
from the in evitable.
II have often" he said, slowly, at
last-and there were sweatdrops ON his
brow-''I have often said that | wished
t. die and be done with it all, to die
and be at peace; Bat did not think it
would come so soon, and come thus.
Say, say you are but joking, Doctor. -
II never Joke" replied, "on so SER
ious a matter as disease. But have
not said you were soon to e. That
you are in daneer-in real danger
cannot conceal from You. Hope | can.
or could, give you, if yol would but
follow my advice. If you do not do o,
| would infinitely prefer Your calling in
another physician, for can do no more
to save you,
'.Do not yOu give me up, Doctor.
Your advice has always seemel to me
so different from any one else. You
make things so plain to ne"
"Do L? Thanks. But what OF it if
that advice is not taken9 Might l not
as we'll talk to the cat there on the
hearthrug? You have every ad anita e
in life; your existence might be very
happy one ii you had-excuse me-any
method in yor madness, if yol were
not entirely save to your own feel
ings. whether real or ina ginary-and
they are more ten the latter than the
former. There are tens of thousands
in these islands suffering from nervous
ness, with functional disease of the
hea. t, that have not half the chance of
getting well that you have, although h
there is really no case t. at l ever met
with that cannot be either cured or allie
waited by attention to diet, avo dance OF
st mulants. the da ly use Of bath and
friction with rough towels and flesh
brush, unlimited exercise in tie open
air, whether the weather be wet or dry,
cold or hot, and pleasant 80 i.ty. Mix
ing with pleasant soc ETY. is one OF the
We v best m ans for the cure of nervous
ness. II t1kes one, for the time be 'ng,
quite out of ones self, quite away from
tuN