New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1885-05-06
THE HuMAH IlfAGmAr1oN.
The Fart It Plays In Matters involving
Idfa and Death.

"Don't great many people procure
medical treatment who are not sick?"
asked reporter of the Detroit Post of
a prominent physician.
"Of course they do. There's nothing
the matter with half the so-called inva-
lids. I always kept big batch of
bread pills made up for that class of
patients. Many one I've got out of
bed with that sham medicine, and they
thought me man of profound learn
ing and skill"
"They just imagine they are sick ?"
Certainly! A woman is the contra
REST of Gods creatures. If she makes
up her mind she is sick, you can't talk
her out of it. You must ad-
minister something. I had one call
me years ago that lay in bed for nine
months, and she was as we'll 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 pro-
duce. I hired the manager to let a
tame bear out of the cage and we all set
up q hue and cry, and the children
went for the woods, and that woman
took after them without even stopping
to make her 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 case of magma.
tion?"
"Lots of them. A big hulking fellow
about ten miles from the town was
practicing in got the idea that he was
going to die just at II o'clock in
the forenoon of a certain day About
9 o'clock messenger came for me. I
hurried out. When Igot 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 labored. The family were
gathered around and weeping as they
took final leave. Something had to
be done quick. There was smart look
ing woman there, and called her aside.
Pointing to the clock on the mantle
piece, which the patient was watching,
I said: When 1 have his attention,
turn that ahead Then I crowded into
the family group, hustled them into the
next room, sat down on the edge of the
bed, and began telling that fellow one
of the most horrible murder stories you
ever heard. 1 located 1t right in the
town where he know everybody, named
the woman killed, went into blood
curdling details, and so completely inter-
ested the man thathe forgot about his II
o'clock appointment. When I gave him q
chance to look again it was twenty min
utes to IL and he was actually mad for q
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 miscarried."
Wasn't there anything the matter
with him?"
"Not thing except what he imagined
He was sound as bullet but if I had
not adopted that ruse he would have
gone over to the majority at IL o'clock. +"
"Does imagination sometimes cure
people who are really ill?"
"To be sure it does. Imagination
has strange and unaccountable power.
1 had a funny incident that answers
your inquiry. There was a giddy
young widow called at my Office one
day. She was a hity-tity creature.
Talked all the time she was
awake, you know, and had as
much laugh as she had talk. She
wasn't very clipper when she came,
however She was on crutches and ac-
companied by solicitous companion
who was brim full of sympathy. The
invalid had knee badly swollen from
rheumatism and wanted to know if I
could administer electricity which al
ways helped her. soon had battery
in shape. The sympathetic friend
placed one connection at the invalid's
knee, which appeared angrily infamed.
l held the other connection in my left
hand SO as to complete the circuit by
touching the patient with the right. I
drew my finger across the back of her
neck and of course she INDUCED in a
few little screams and some hysterical
conversation. doctor, that's strange
sensation. Ouch! haven't I got enough
My knee feels a great deal better. Don't
fill me up with that electricity. There,
now, you must just quit, I've. got a
whole streak O lightning in me now and
knew it was all I needed" The pretty
widow walked QUITO her carriage without
a limp, and had no trouble in being the
belle of the balls for the remainder of
the season. I had noticed waggish
student of mine in the next room stuff
ing handkerchiefs in his mouth, writh-
ing with suppressed laughter, looking
at me on the sly, and lndulging in a
can-can whenever visible to me alone.
What in thunder are you making
such fool of yourself about inquir-
ed when the ladies had departed. he
roared away, and, pointing to the, bat
terry, said: You might have killed that
handsome creature by an overcharge OF
electricity looked and joined in. the
hilarity. Ihad neglected to hitch on tc
the battery, and the widow'svivid mag