Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1885-03-06
THE IMAGINATION.
The Part ft Plays I'm Matters InyoIy
ing Life and Death.

The Part Ii Plays I'm Matters Inyoiv-
ing Life and Death.
Don't a good many people procure
medical treatment who are not sicSi"
asked a reporter of the Detroit Post of
prominent physician
''Of course they do. There's meth
ing the matter with half of the So
called invalids. / always kept big
batch of bread pills made up for that
class of patients. Many a one I've got
out of bed with that sham medicine,
and they thought me man of pro-
found learning and skill
They just imagine they are sick?"
Certainly A woman is the con-
trariest of Gods creatures. If she
makes up her mind she's sick, you
can't talk her out Of it. You must ad-
minister something. l had one call
me years ago that lay in bed for nine
months, and she was as well as [ am.
On certain day there
was one of these circuses and
animal show combinations pass
ing. | aad an inspiration that beat
any compound my skill could pro
duce. hired the manager to let a
tame bear out of the cage and we all
set up a hue and cry, the children
went for the woods, and that woman
took after them without eveA stopping
to make a toilet. There was nothing
under the heavens the matter with
her. and when her husband came to
settle l thought for while he'd boot
her all over the farm.
Ever have any other cases of the
imagination"
Lots of them. A big hulking fell.
low about ten miles from the town L
was practiclng in got the idea that he
was going to die at just IL o'clock in
the forenoon of certain day. About
s o'clock messenger came for me.
! hurried out. When | got there the
crank had fifteen minutes to live
according to his calculations. He did
look like a man on the verge of
eternity. His eyes were dim
and sunken, his face had that
peculiar pallor which heralds
the near approach of death, and his
breathing was very labercd. The
family were gathered around and
weeping as they took a final leave.
Something had to be done quick.
There was smart-looking woman
there, and | called her aside. Point
ing to the clock on the mantelpiece,
which the patient was watching, l
said: When | have his attention
turn that ahead Then 1 crowded
into the family group, hustled them
into the next room, sat down on the
edge of the bed, and began tell
ing that fellow one of the most
horrible murder stories you ever
heard. located it right in the town
where he knew rybody, named
the woman killed, went into blood
curdling details, and so completely
interested the man that he forgot
about his II o'clock appointment.
When I gave him chance to look
again it was twenty minutes to
twelve, and he was actually mad
for time, claiming that he had been
tricked. He finally got to laughing
and we all took dinner together. The
next day he whipped two men at a
barn raising for twitting him about
the programme of death that miscar-
ried."
Wasn't there any thing the matter
with him'"
mot a thing except what he i'm.
agined. He was sound as bullet,
but if | had not adopted that ruse he
would nave gone over to the MAORI
ty at II o'clock
Doesn't imagination sometimes
cure people who are really ill?"
''To be sure it does. Imagination
has a strange and unaccountable
power [ had funny incident that
answers your inquiry. There was 8
giddy young widow called at my of
foe one day. She was a hit;y
tity creature. Talked all the
time she was awake, you know
and had as much laugh a'
she had talk. She wasn't very CHIP
per when she came, however. She
was on clutches and accompanied By
solicitious companion who wa!
brim fun of sympathy. The invalic
had knee badly swollen from rheum
atism and wanted to know if coulC
administer electricity, which Away!
helped her. | soon had a battery il
shape. The Sympathetic FREUD PLACED
one connection at the invalid's knee
which appeared angriiy intlamed.
held the other connection in my LEI
hand SO as to complete the circuit by
touching the patient with my right
| drew my fingers across the back o
her neck and of course she indulgcC
in few little screams and some hys
terical onversatioa. doctor. that!
strange sensation. Ouch! haven
[ got about enough? MY knee feel!
a great deal better. Don't fill me w
with that electricity. There, nov
you must quit, I've got whole streal
o'lightning in me now and l knew i
was all 1 needed" The pretty
widow walked out to hel
carriage without limp, anc
had no troEble of being the belle
of all balls for the remainder of The
season. had noticed a waggish stu
dent of miGe in the next room stuff
ing handkerchiefs in his mouth
writhing with suppressed laug liter
winking at ME on the sly, and in
dulging in can-can whenever visible
to me alone.
What in thunder are you max
ing such a fool of yourself about,
inquired about when the ladies had
departed. He roared away, anc
poi ntipg to the battery, said, You
might have killed that handsome
creature by an overcharge of cleo
tricIty.' l looked and joined in the
hilarity. 1 had neglected to hitch on
to the battery, and the widows vivic
imagination had supplied the current:
which wrought so sudden a cure.
Indian Courtship.