The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1884-05-17

'slhe lying pains you talk Of have no
existence excel in your own iinaqina~
ton. hat SO, assure You, .
Wen, 1 dare sAy shouldn't have
taken the night cap.
Mo- am gufe you shouldn't have.
Far better Rad You gone to bed after
the slight but solid supper / ordered
you, simply taking q bottle Of self er
water, with ten OF fifteen grains of the
bicarbonate OF soda in it. You would
have slept then without tossing about. =
! My patient had not, to outward ap-
| pearance, tie dinthes's of a nervous
man, being somewhat pale, but be SCI
dom looked anxious. and he was II
tairly good condition: height about five
1881 2 ght, age near for y
nat IS the worst OF II, he had
more than once told me contidentiallv /;
none OF my friends will give me credit
for being if. .
He had enjoyed the pleasures OF the
world to some considerable extent when
q younger man, and had travelled a
good deal abroad, but had never been
really incorporate, either in eating or
drinking, | know he would have told
me Of il had it been so, for he kept no
secrets from his medi al adviser. But
illness was his besetting sin. / do not
know that for the six months previous
10 & 9 day on wh.ci we had the serious
talk which forms the sub ect of this
paper, he had done anything else but
read. He reads the papers all the fore
noon, and books, books, hooks all the
mainder of the day, and often, / b.
iieVe, late into the night.
Well, doctor, my patient said to-
day, "I've 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 taxi
ing physic-- but had you taken my ad-
vice as we'll in other and hygienic mat
tiers, 1 would not have been sorry Won
threw the medicine to the dogs. -
s'Do you say SOP heexcla' med. s4Now
III tell you exactly how feel
certainly do not intend to plague
my readers with detail Of my patients
symptoms, real and imaginary. had
10 stem to them, and did SO most pa
tiently, although probably a great deal
OF what he said went in at one ear and
out at the other. ! sat lent for some
time after he had finished.
lie looked at me somewhat anxious-
", 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 anv-
thing cerg serious the matter with me
to-day?r
RI think the very worst, z I said SOL
EMMY, and probably some might say
mischievously, but had only the good
intention of rousing him; even II it
caused him to call in another medical
man, felt should not be sorry
Your heart is .affectedi''
Tbs was no exaggerated statement,
for 1t is always the case in nervousness
or in general debility that the hearts
tone Is lowered. We physicians cali it
functional disorder, to distinguish it
from actual organ disease. Il should
be remembered that theh art is a mus
cular organ, and as liable to be be-
low or above 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 La
Bile. to become prematurely affected.
and life necessarily mu h shortened
This only shows that strenuous ef-
fort towards restoration Of health
should be at once made by any one
suffering from the omplaint we are
now considering 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 tom
ics and alternatives are Of great use, but
from strict adherence 10 the rules of NV
giene, physical AMI nc stai
You an not mean it,
sit Is my duty to tell You SO, and do
mean it. y
oh, doctorl'' he gasped, Selling me
by the arm above the wrist, with a
grip, thatspoke volumes for the strength
of his voluntary muscles, at all events |
'sOh, doctor. you'd don't mean to saw
am going Toto diepp
I'VE must all die. 7
'sOh. this is awful This is tesriblen'
he cried.
He azed around him in q semi-dazed.
bewildered way, as if beseeching the
very sofas and chairs, and the pictures
on the wal $, to step in and save him
from the inevitable.g
Il have oftsn, he said, slowly. at
last and there were sweatdrops on his
BROW have often said that / wished
ID die and be done with it all, to die
and be at peace; but did not think II
would come so soon, and come thus.
Say, say you are but Joking, Doctor. y