Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1885-06-10
What Saved General Grant.

Sarah Doudney
What Saved General Grant.
The following incident of the night
on which Gen. Grant was believed to
be dying is now for the first time to be
related: The family were gathered
around Gen. Grant, every member cry
ing. The General reclined in one chair.
with his pillow behind him, and rested
his feet on another chair. DR.. Shrady
was sleeping in another room. In
rushed DR.. Douglas and reused him
with the words:
Its all overt
"What!' said Shrady. "Do You
mean to say that the man is dead?''
''No not dead, but he will be in
few minutes. Nothing can save him.
DIR. Shrady jumped up ran into the
open room where the General was.
Mrs. Grant, weeping, reached out her
hand and said;
"Ulysses, do you know mc?''
The Generals chin was resting upon
his breast. He slowly raised his head
and said:
'Ycs.''
DR.. Newman cXclamcd: ut is all
over; will baptisc him.
He went quickly into another room,
got silver bowl, filled it with water,
came back, dropped his hand into it,
and said
II baptizc thee, Ulysses Simpson
Grant, in the name of the Father, Son,
and Holy Ghost
The General slowly raised his head,
and remarked: II thank you.' Then:
turning to his family, he raised one
hand, and uttered the words: al bless
you all.' TO DIR. Newman, he observed:
"Doctor, intended to attend to this
mysclf'
Meanwhile Drs. Shrady and Douglas
we're consulting with each other in the
corner. The strain was intense DR..
Douglas said:
"He will die, sure. He has gone:
the pulse has left the wrist
DR.. Shrady, as if struck by inspira-
ton, replied: IL will give him
brandy
''You cannot do it; he cannot swal-
low,' said DR.. Douglas.
II will give it to him hypodcrmic-
ally.' answered DIR. Shrady.
''How much?' asked DR.. Douglas.
"a barrclful, if necessary" rctortcd
DR.. Shrady.
DIR. Shrady rushed into another
room. Harrison, said he to the man,
servant, ''havc you brandy?' Harri-
son answered, ''Ycs,' and handed him
some. DR.. Shrady rushed back, and
gave the General a syringcful in each
arm. He revived, the pulse returned
to his wrist. and his life was saved
DIR. Newman walked into an adjoin-
ing room with DR.. Shrady and asked,
doctor, how is hep II don't think
he will die," said the doctor, Our
prayers have been answered. said DR.
Newman. II think it was the brandy"
responded DIR. Shrady.
---> --
Fever And Drink.
When John Howard, the philan-
thropist, was dying of fever he said to
his friend, Admiral Pricstman: my
mode of life has rendered it impossible
that ! should get rid of this fever. III
had lived as you do, eating heartily Of
animal food and drinking wine, might,
perhaps, by altering my diet, be able to
subduc it. But how can such a man as
l am lower his diet, who has been accus-
toned for years to live upon vegetables
and water, little bread and little
tea? ! have no method of lowering
my nourishment, and therefore must
die. 1t is such jolly fellows as you,
Priestman, who get over these fevcrs.'
An English magazine asks: "What
do temperance people and vegctarians
think of these words?' and adds that
they mean ''that vegetarianism and
total abstinence kept him too weak to
resist illness
AS matter of fact this may have
been so, but Howard's words prove just
the contrary. They prove only that he
was governed by the radical notions of
his day; believed that a;fcver required
depletion by meager diet and blood-let-
ting, whereas the modern notion is just
the reverse. Fever patients need highly
concentrated food and stimulants of all
kinds. Hence it is that patients accus-
toned to plain living and the moderate
use of alcohol or to total abstinence are
more susceptible than others to the
effects of stimulants when they are
required. 1t is your ''high-livers" and
"old soakers'' that are when i'll not
easily rescued by stimulants. For the
stimulants have lost their effects.