Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1885-10-09
A QUAck's MISTAKE.
A Novel Method for Curing Consumption
That Did Not Work.
TPi,flaIagnhf,


A party of men sat in the wine-room of
the Continental H )tel last night, telling
stories One of the number was a Young
octor, who is a resident physician at tae
pennsylvania Hospital and had just re-
turIed from a vacation trip to the caves
of L1ray. When it came his turn to tell
story, VIII ch was supposed to be found
ed on Incidents il his own experience, he
said:
Il am too young in the profession
to give you any startling expert
ence OF my own, Tut 1 can re-
late curious incident thas occurred in
Virginia during my visit there It hap
pened in Rockbridgs County, not many
miles from Lexington, and was toll to me
by thoroughly reputable aad veracious
citizen. "A few weeks ago. he said, "a
long-haired individual drove into town
and engaged two rooms in the Ieaf-
ing hotel. That night he Wis t d the
! local printing Office and the next morn
ing the town was flooded with dod =eEs-
announcing the arrival of Dr.. Surecure,
who guaranteed to cure ell cases of con-
sumption by his great and improved COM
pressed air treatment. l was curious to
know what the treatment consisted of
and called on the doctor the next day. In
the meantime he had constructed a small
alr-tight comrartmenu in the corner of
his office. When l arrived he was al
Justing pump like arrangement to
trass -tound hole in one of the partitions
of he compartment When he had fia-
ished his work he turned to me and aid:
Now, sir, am ready for work.
L explained to him that l was not a
consumptive, but had IMPLY called to in
vessigate his method of treatment out of
curiosity. he was very urbane and &C
commodauug. He explained to me in
scientific language that consumption was
simply collapse and drying up of the
air cells of the lungs, and that thu only
thing nee led to restore the breathing ap-
paratus to its normal state was the open-
ing of these cells.
18th sou aded reasonable enough to me
and asked him how he was going } bring
{. about this.result by Impressed air. he
said, slapping his palm against his chest.
! Compressed air is the only soverei On
remedy for consum otion.' He then showed
me the air-tight com aartment, which was
lined with plates of tin, and explained
that tho apparatus on the outside was an
air-pump. His treatment was simple and
consisted OF placing the patient in the
com2f rtment, into which would be inject
ed a certain number of cubic feet of pure
air. The air would force its way into the
cells of the lungs and inf ate them as a
baad ,r is iufiatsl by quill. This treat
ment, lie argued, If continued long enough,
would restore the diseased lungs to their
normal cond tion.
Tta1 I, L n.
position before a young man, with the
seal OF the fell dissa stamped in his
sunken checks and hollo ow eyes, entered.
He told the doctor that he wanted dose
of compressed air. The doctor conducted
him to tbs adjoining room and told him
TO divest himself of everything with
the exception of his-undershirt. In the
interval the doctor threw up every w in
dow in the room to admit the fresh air,
and asked me to wait to see the thing
work. Tie young man was ushered into
tho compartment and the doctor and my
self manne1 the pump We work ,l with
a will for aboui five minu5es, AMI could
hear the wiad rush in with a shrilI
whistle. Then we waited for two min
utes, ana the doctor said: You can bet
that the air is initiating his lungs Tx, a
b goon.'
's'Thsn he tried to open the door, bu:
couldn't bulge it. Then he looked
alarmed and got me to help him, but our
confined strength didn't phaze it. Then
wecalled in a colored porter, and our
unitel eff Jrss opened the door with a rush
and landed US in a heap in the corner.
Looking into the C impairment, ws saw a
balloon-l ks fesh-colored object lying on
the floor, 1 looked at the doctor for an ex-
pianation. Ho was as white as a sheet,
and looked like one stricken with the palsy.
My God," he gasped, L have adjust sted
the pump to exhaust the air. an I, SIAM
ming the door shut, he hastily mads some
alteration in the mechanis N of the pu MP,
and together we worked the handle uatil
we were compelled to stop from sheer ex-
haustion. When he open ID the door (this
time with ease) the patients body hadre-
turned to about its normal size and he had
recovered consciousness. He was sent
home in a carri ige and die1 a few days
later The affair became nossl about,
however, and the doctor left town be-
txvo dauS