River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1884-11-06
A STRANGE STORY.

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walked away toward his rooms in the
Rue Rossini. . At 80. rich, brilliant, an
ambitious graduate of l'Ecole de Medi-
cine, an enthusiastic pupil of Claude
6ernard's, a devoted lover of science,
and above all OF physiology, yesterday
he was without a care save to make his
name great among the names of science
to win for himself place in the fore
most rank of the followers Of that mis-
tress whom only he loved and
worshiped To-day a word had swept
away all his fondest hopes Trousseau,
the keenest observer in all Paris, for
N erly his fathers friend. now no less
his own, had kindly but firmly called
his attention to himself, and to the mall
ady that so imperceptibly and insidi-
ously fastened itself upon him that I'M
til the moment he never dreamed of its
approach He had been too full of his
work to think of himself In any other
case he would scarcely have dared to
dispute the opinion of the highest
medical authority in Europe; neverthe-
less in his own he began to argue the
matter: "But, my dear doctor, am
well"
''No, my friend, you are not. You
are thin and pale, and, noticed the
other night, when you came late to the
meeting of the institute, that your
~broathing was quick and labored, and
that the reading of your excellent paper
was frequently interrupted by short
cough"
THAT was nothing. / was hurried
and excited, and have been keeping
myself too closely to my work. a week
of rest and sea ar will make all right
again.
But Che great man shook his head
graYely: Not weeks but years OF a
different life are needed. You must
give up the laboratory altogether if you
want to live Remember your mothers
fate and your fathers early death
think of the deadly blight that fell so
soon upon the rare beauty of your sis
ter. Some day you will realize your
danger; realize it now in time. Close
your laboratory, lock mp your library,
say adieu TO Paris. and lead the lie of
traveller, an Arab. Tartar For the
present cease to dream of the future
strength is better than a professor
ship in the College of France, and health
more than the cross of the Legion of
Honor
Fournier was at first surprised and
incredulous he became convinced, then
alarmed. After some thought he was
horribly detected At such time an
Englishman becomes stoid, q German
gives up utterly, an American begins to
live fast, since ne my not live long; but
he, being a Frenchman and Partisan, had
alternations-first the idea of suicide,
which means sleep; second, reaction,
which is hopefulness.
He chose to react, and did it prompt
ly. A little time, and the rooms in the
Place de l'Ecole lie Medicine, opposite
the booksellers, displayeda card stuck
ON the entrance door with red waters,
a louer" the hammer of the auctiOner
knocked down the comfortable fUrnl-
ture of the apartments in the Rue Ros-
SIM, while that of the carpenter nailed
up the well beloved books in stout
boxes, and the places that had known
NJ. lie docteur knew him no more,
Nevertheless, he said as he turned
his back on Paris, even idle wander
ings are better than dying Of consump-
ton"
p.l,.f1 t-F,,,I,,,f ,,F d
derer on the face of the earth, every
where avoiding civilization and counting
nature and the company of men who
either by birth or adoption were the
children of nature.
Certainly the treatment benefited
Fournier. BY and by it did more-it
cured him. The cough was forgotten,
the cheeks filled ont, the muscles be-
came hard rs bundles of steel wire, his
strength was prodigious, he ate his food
with a relish unknown IN Paris, and
slept like a child.
Nevertheless his mind, trained to
habits of thought and observation, was
not idle. When a city was his home he
had been a Psychologist and had studied
man: he made the world his dwelling
place, and wandering among the nations
he became an etnnologist and began to
study men.
Fourier. physiol 1gist, as l have sail
not by the education of the schools, but
by the broader education of his travels
sociologist and ethnologist, devoted
himself again to science, and framed his
hypothesis; Climatic influences, act
ing upon man, bring about physical
II I r1nv-Ixr laOor1cn
they are resisted by an inyeterate habit
of assimilation. This habit pertains
either to the hood or the tissues, possi-
bly, to both, probably to the blood
alone.
To establish an hypothesis experiment
is necessary. To the ingenious mind
OF Fourier an elaborate one occurred.
If he could perform it. not only would
his hypothesis be established and con-
firmed beyond all cayil, but field
of scientific research also be opened
such as was vet undreamed of How
ever, for this experiment subjects were
needed.
Five years passed, and with restored
health came back the old desires in re-
doubled force Fcurnier longed to re-
turn To civilization and to work. The
life that had been so delightful while it
did HIM good became utterly Ilnbear-
able when he had reaped it's full bene
fit. He burned to renew the labors he
had abandoned, to take up again the
work he had laid down to DO battle with
disease. now that disease was yauquish-
ed. Thus the year 1868 found him in
the city of Charleston. homeward
bound in his journey around the world.
When still in the wilds west of the
Mississippi he could have shaped
his course northward and readily pro-
ceedetj directly by steamer from New
York to Europe. But determined
purpose led bin to choose an entirely
different course. though he was well
aware that it would involve indefinite
delay in reaching Paris, and great per
sonal risk. The life he had been lead
ing made him think lightly of the dan
ger, and wears would be well spent If
he could accomplish the plans that in
duced hmm to go into the disorganized
country OF the south.
He straightway connected himself
with the Confederate army as a surgeon
and solicited place at the front. He
wanted active service. In this he was
disappointed. Cbarlston, blockaded
and bcs;eged. wa, IN state of military
inaction. Save an occasional exchange
of shot and she'll at long range between