Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1885-09-25
COFFEE AND CABBAGE
A Lady Dying From Rysterfa
Makes a Very Singular Req nest.

There is a man who, for the time
being, feels perfectly happy" remark
ed o leading physician OF this city to
a reporter yesterday. The person re-
ferred to was young. but his face
though now wreathed in smiles, pos
sessed a standing haggard expression.
He had just emerged from the
doctors private room, and was evil
IDENTIFY delighted at the result Of his
talk with the man of medicine.
That man thought he had a can>
Ger, continued the physician, in re-
Spouse to an implied Interrogation on
the part of the newspaper man.
have convinced him of his error. and
he is happy. He will remain so until
the troubles that flesh is heir to, for
he is of that nervous disposition that
is always imagining that something is
the matter with him. That nervous
ness and abnormal power of the i'm
agination render his face haggard,
and will tend to drive him to an early
grave through worry, if he is not care
full to mend"
HAS he no diseases"
"No; he is as healthy as you or ],
OuL u6 Is H6ENOuS duo willy
about himself. Perhaps that should
be called disease; / class it as simply
nervousness, which large class of
Americans possess in greater or less
degree, generally of course, the latter.
Few may become nervous about
their health, but many are so about
their business and other matters.
had another peculiar case of cancer
nervousness short ago; in fact, there
have been a number of these cases
since the newspapers published such
concise accounts of the nature OF Gen.
Grants disease. One young man dis
covered a pimple on the side of his
face and made sure it was cancer In
its incipiency. l negatived the idea
at once, but he insisted on 1t. and he
felt of his little pimple SO often that
he nourished it until 1t grew to a con-
siderable, pinply size. Finally met
him on the street one day, when he
said" Doctor know this must be a
cancer. My friends all tell me it must
be so AID want you to cut it out.
Well, my patience became exhaust
ed, and saw that extreme measures
were necessary. Putting my hand in
my pocket whipped out my jack
knife, and, opening it. slashed off his
pimple in a twinkllng. He hurriedly
put up his haads to his face, which
was bleeding a trifie, and l said:
There is your cancer; now try and
be a man. He'll never come near me
for advice, but theu.thats the only way
to treat such cases"
Isuppose imagination has great
deal to do With patients recovery in
some casesS"
Yes, the mind exc, cises great in
fuence over the body. While we do
not often prescribe bread pills, still
patients are often given doses just as
harmless, because we wish more to
reach the mind than the body. If a
physician can insure perfect conf
dence in the mind Of his patient his
battle is nearly won. Women atfiict.
cd with nervous difficulties or hysteric
| al troubles can often be cured by promt
and emphatic, even rude. treatment.
| rememember one case where the
attending physicians had given lady
up, saying that she positively could
not recovar. | was as kind OF last
resort. The woman seemed to be in
stupor, the friends were weeping,
the physicians in charge were still in
consultation in an adjoining room,
but said they had decided there was
no hope, the family was already
thinking of notifying an undertaken.
had seen so many similar cases, al
though not SO far advanced, that l
knew or strongly believed, I could
cure the case mainly by sheer force
of character, or in fiuence. So took
the hand of the fair patient-she was
very beautiful her face appearing like
marble-and called her ny name.
There was no response. | called
again, Mary Again no answer.
1 applied light restorative, and
once more spoke her name rather
softly, but emphatically and com
mandingly. She began to show signs
of animation, and in short time was
sitting up i'll bed talking. What do
you think she said first?'
"Sne asked for her relatives, sup
pose,"
No, she didn't; she wanted to
know if she could have a plate of cab
bage and a cup OF strong coffee.
Think OF that, cabbage and cotfeei
Why, she was hungary, and the poor
had an abnormal appetite, and didn't
realize the incongruity OF it. l had
these little delicacies prepared for her
too, although the other physicians
my school, arose up and said
it would surely kill her. But, in a
few days, she was around as well
as ever.
GI, o.otho. =, 49,, =. ~, j, / -, ;lo, o,sa
on St Clair street, a clergyman was
obliged to keep his hands on woman
constantly, as otherwise she became
hysterica1 and would fly away off,
so they said. The minister had been
called to comfort the poor woman,
who was believed to be at the point of
death, and only his hands apparently
could keep her quiet. He finally took
his coat off for the work, and sat there
the picture of misery, having been des
tanned about ten hours when I arrived.
Take your hands off from her, said
l. He mustn't do it, Doctor; she'll
fly away up to the ceiling Well,
let her fly then l said, somewhat If
revRrently, for knew that only plain
promt measures would answer. Did
the lady try any OF her hysterical
tantrums with met Not exactly; she
l meant what / said, and she obeyed.
OF course she got well. The clergy
man went home offended, but no
doubt happy at his release. He would
not speak to me for long time after
ward, however"
suppose that Imagination will
have great deal OF effect when the
Asiatic cholera comes kere?'
Eyes; people that are nervous and
prone to give way TO the least
little excitement will simply brighten
themselves into it. Others that are
fearless and careless will escape, al
though they may be exposed many
times while the nervous people are
pearly free from seriou. exposure.
We physicians very rarely have
any Of the diseases that are likely to
result from nervousness or abnormal
imagination.