The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-02-18
THE IMAGINATION.
The Part 1t Plays in Matters Involving
Life and Death.


Life and Death.
Don't good many people procure medi.
cal treatment who are not sickYn asked a re-
porter of the Detroit Post of prominent
physician.
'Of course they do. There's nothing the
matter with half the so-oalled invalids
always kepts big batch Of bread pills made
up for that class of patients. Many one
I've got out of bed with that sham IN edt-
cine, and they thought me q man OF pro-
found learning and skill"
They Just imagine they are sick?"
Certainly A woman is the contrariest
of Gods creatures. If she makes up her
mind she's sick, you can't talk her out of it.
You must administer something. / had
one call me years ago that lay in bed nine
months, and she was as vel as | am. On a
certain day there was one of these circus
and animal show combinations passing. I
had an inspiration that beat any compound
my skill could produce. / hired the mau-
sger to let a tame bear out Of the csgs and
We al set up q hue and cry, the children
went for the woods and that woman took
after them without even stopping to make a
toilet. There was nothing under ths heavens
the matter with her. and when her husband
came to settle. I thought for while he'd
boot her all over the tarra."
Ever have any other case OF the imagina-
tion?"
Lots of them. A big hulking fellow
about ten miles from the town ! wa prac.
ticing in got the idea that he was going to
die at Just IL o'clock in the forenoon OF
certain day. About 9 O'CLOCK a messenger
came for Ee. hurried out. When I got
there the crank had fifteen minutes 70 live
according to his calculations. He did lO7k
like a man on the verge of eternity. His
eyes were dim and sunKeD, his face hal that
peculiar pallOr which heralds the near ap.
roroapb cf death and hfa hroc fhfr,r, uras -a-r
labOred. The family were gathered around
and weeping as they took q final leave
Something had TO be dons quicZ.
There was smartlCoking woman
there, and l called her aside. Point
ing to the clock on the mantelpiece
which the patient was watching. 1 said
When ] have bis attention, turn that ahead.
Then l crowded into the family group, hus-
tied them into the next room, sat down on
the edge of the bed and began telling that
fellow one of the most horrible murder sto-
ries You ever heard. l located il right in
The town where he knew everybody, named
the woman killed, went into lood-curdling
detsils. and so completely interested the
man that he forgot about his II O'clock ap.
pointment. When L gave him a chance TO
look II was twenty minutes TO II, and ne was
actually mad for q time, claiming that he
bad been tricked. He finally got 10 laugh
iRg, and We ell took dinner together. rhe
next Gay ne whipped Two men a. Darn-
raising for twitting him about the pro.
sTamme Of death that miscarried."
Wasn't there anything the matter with
him?"
Not thing except what he imagined.
he was sound as a bullet but if l had not
adopted that rlse he would have gone over
10 the majority at IL o'clock
Doesn't Imagination sometimes cure peo-
pie who are really ill?'
ITO be sure il does. Imagination has q
strange and unaccountable power. / had a
funny incident that answers your inquiry.
There was a giddy young widow called at nay
Office one day. She was hity-tity creature.
Talked ali the time she was awake, you
know, and had es much laugh as che had talk.
She wasn't very clipper when she came,
however. She was on crutches and scoonpa1-
led By p solieitous companion who was bcim
full Of sympathy. The invalid had knse
badly swollen from rheumatism and wanted
to know il / could administer electricity,
which always helped her. 1 soon had bat
terry in shape. The sympathetic friend
placed one connection at the invslid's knee,
which appeared sngrily infiamed. / held
the other connection in my left hand 50 as
to complete the circuit by touching the
ratient with my right hand. drew my
fingers across the back of her neck, and