Middletown transcript., 1884-03-07
Rehea 81 ]. SD


with a fever and bad cough and some
rheumatism, and,surrounded with tea and
toast and steamed and similar
infant food. And whenit comes to trying
to edit paper in this conditions it is too
much. There is no fun in it. 1t is all
hard, sober work. There may be men
who can evolve great thoughts and put
them on paper between doses of quinine
and syrup of squills and similar stuffs
that we cannot recall the names of just
now, but we are not one of them. When
we have a fever that heats our interior
department like the furnace of locomo-
tive, and a headache big enough for a
family Of thirteen, and pills by the bed
side to take every four hours, and fever
medicine and cough mixture to take be-
tween times, we don't feel like saying
anything to the public. We do not feel
that we can say anything to make the
public better, happier or wiser. But we
want to say few words about this fever
matter. You know how it used to be
long, long ago. If you had fever the
doctors had cold water administered to
you out of a teaspoon. Just think OF
that, dear reader, the next time you get
fever and feel as if one pump couldn't
keep you cool inside. The idea Of drink
ing water out of teaspoon when there is
not cool spot about you. Why, cold
water is Natures great fever medicine.
The doctors will all tell you so now but
some years ago doctors didn't know as
much as they know now. You have
heard old people tell, no doubt, how they
have lain upon a sick bed burning up
with fever, and with only little water
given them now and then out of tea
spoon, and how in the nighttime when
everybody was asleep and they could
endure the burning thirst no longer they
got up and staggered down to the pump
and drank their fill of cold water. And
what drink that must have been to
them No wonder they could remember
it for years and years, and tell their chill
dren and grandchildren about it, and re-
late how they began to get better from the
very minute they swallowed that drink.
It is hard for person of ordinary mind
to understand why doctors Of the olden
time denied fever patient cold water in
reasonable quantities, but it is just as
hard to understand why the same doctors
punched a lancet into patients arm and
bled him for everything from an attack OF
cholera morbus to an ingrowing toe nail.
a want a quart OF
cold water in easy reach all the time.
we keep the boiler full. The only salts
faction you can get out Of fever IS IN
pouring down cold water and in thinking
about the strawberry ice cream and iced
watermelon and ice-cold temperance
drinks you will take in when you get
we'll. But, alas, the longing for the
strawberry ice cream and iced water
melon and similar cool things goes away
in measure with the fever and longing
for something more solid takes possession
of the premises.
Another thing we want to say a lew
words about, is "tonics." The doctors
have a new way Of putting up tonics,
They put them in little gelatine overcoat
that looks like glass phial. When you
get this contrivance pointed straight down
your throat, and take sup Of water and
kick hard with one foot, it goes righi
along as if it were accustomed to travelling
by water, but if the bottle of tonic hap
pens to get cross ways of your glottis
then there is trouble. 1t sticks and the
lid comes off and the "tonic" comes out
and then you feel as if you wanted to Kill
somebody.
A "tonic'' is probably good thing fol
a sick man, but sometimes it makes hin
see strange visions. While we were ful
Of "tonic" in the nighttime strange ant
weird circus professions would pass by
There would be a $4,000 prize beaut,
mounted on a sacred whitewashed ele
phant, and gally caparisonedd hnisf Knights It's, ait
f brass band, and a great assortment Q
lions, tigers, hyenas, and other beasts
prey. Then big spiders with bad lookin
ewes would come and sit on the side c
the bed and tickle us under the nose wit
their "feelers," and want to be in othe
wavs unduly sociable with total stranger
We are glad to say, however, that we sa7
no snakes. We are willing to see circu
professions, and spiders if they belon
in the performance of getting cured of
7 fever, but whenever a doctor gives l
;; "tonicn that shall cause US to see snake
we shall complain.
One night while we lay scorching wit
fever, and wondering how many hours
would be till we had to take another pil
N a dog came and sat at our easement ar
j howled for one hour as if he were beiI
= paid for it. 1t was the most distressil
| quality Of howl we most ever hear
: Now there is no superstition about I
No matter how sick we may be a d
cannot make us believe we are going
m die right away by bowling at our windo
"a 1t is a matter of much regret that t
\ bowling of dog is not an omen OF dea
u that is, death of the dog-much often
n than it is. If there had been any bond
:, sympathy between us and that dog Il
n howled under our window in the mig
D time we would not have cared, but
" dog was total stranger and did not kn
n that we were sick. We regret that we
i not have shot gun and the strength to
to the window and teach the dog that il
better to hear our sorrows in secret Il
to pour them out to cold and unsym
ro- thetic world.
ur- Under the care of good doctor
S. careful nurse we are getting along nice
ca but at present we are forbidden to 81
MIA down the baluster, or to stand on
lat head, or to practice with nine POI
of Indian clubs, or to go out and thl
mt, snow balls.
en-
"a NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
vos In the NJ. E. Church at Dover on T,
Ha dav afternoon, March 4th, R. Q. Thack'
,7n+ ESQ, of the EIkton bar, and Miss LII
her B. Stevenson, daughter Of E. M. Ste7
erv son, of Dover, were Joined in marri
On the Rev. DR.. Caldwell officiating.