The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-03-07
HE DIED. OF CURSE.
a Juehing Story of How a Cheerful Hero
Was Finally Disposed Of

I was E1naliy OiSpoSeu III
st. ,His Post Dispatch.
Aery pathetic story was told yesterday by a
| youg physician whose first year OF professional
| hfegas spent among the sufferers in the wards
of te city hospital; and as it was offered as a
strtg argument in favor of General Stevensons
bllo secure to the city hospital patients the
berit of two physicians who nave had at least
on6earS experience, it has q specially strong
clan to reproduction here.
kmong the patients assigned to my care
WIN went into the hospital, said he, was a
poo fellow who was suffering from phthlsls
/ punonalis, as we afterwards found by autopsy"
then it was an excellent subject to work
wit, was suggested by his auditor.
splendid. You see l wasn't quite sure what
wa the matter with him, aud had a good deal
of i6iculty in finding out. The disease. as you
kpw, is somewhat misleading in its earlier
symptoms, and / tackled him on his symptoms.
Eery new symptom he developed l gave him a
n~ medicine suitable to the altered condition
witch the symptom indicated, so that it seemed
tome that i was doing all for him that industry,
else attention and science could do"
Pull him throughaq
No, not exactly. The more | did for him
he more medicine / gave him-the thinner ne
go. Day after day his cheek-bones seemed TO
grow larger and sharper, and his skin seemed TO
grew tighter and tighter, and his fingers seemed
tooe changing into talons.
Maybe it was mental troubles"
No, / think not. He was very tractable and
unomplaining, and he took all his mea1-
l Fit real sorry for the poor fellow and
I watched his symptoms closer, probably, than
thoe of any other patient in my charge. lie al
was spoke very respectfully and did not trouble
mewith suggestions as to how | should treat
hin, as some patients have the annoying habit
of ioing."
He was certainly worthy of a better fate"
sHe was a hero, / tell you, and my interest in
hin grew from that of a professional man to
that of a friend. Time passed rapidly, and |
could see that he was slipping way from nae,
despite all I could do. l became satisfied, at
last, that phthisis pulmonalis had fastened its
grip on him, and that he vas past saving. One
morning, when | approached his bed, he turned
toward me with a faint smile on his thin, wasted
lips, and with q strange CLEAN in his ~deep.sunken
but unnaturally bright eyes. When came
within reach. he held out his thin hand, which
was little other than skin, nails and bones. aud
grasped mine.
Mister" said he, II know, and I think you
know, that it is all up, and that I've got to die
II told him not to be Respondent, because
while there was life there was hope, or some
thing of that kind. But, | felt so deeply sorry
for the poor friendless fellow, as he lay there
facing death SO bravely, that | imagine my face
robbed my words of whatever Encouragement
they might otherwise have conveyed. He
smiled in q CHASTITY sort Of way as he said:
The time is past for talking about my recovery.
You have been very kline to me, mister, and now
| would like to ask you one more fayor-lt will
be the last one.'
"My poor fellow said I, as l bent over him,
I will be glad to do anything in my power to
serve you, i haven't a friend in the world, said
he, and consequently have no messages to
leave. But, mister, / would like to see a real
doctor before I die, and | thought maybe you
would call one to see me, just once
"He looked right straight in my eye, and
never cracked a smile, SO you can imagine how
delightful l felt. l told him why, certainly
and lost no time in dropping his hand and hurry
ing into the hall where / had a good laugh at my
own expense, despite the solemnity of the situa-
ton. / sent for the Governor 1.-THE gentleman
making the recital always refers to DR.. Dean as
the Governor) and he came quickly. l took
him in to the bedside of the patient, who seemed
delighted to sec him. He made a careful exam
nation of the case, and agreed with me that it
was one of phthisis pulmonalis. He Endorsed my
general line of treatment, but remarked. a little
dryly, that possibly the patient has had a little
too much medicine"
Well, what was the resultf'
.'Oh, the poor fellow died, of course