Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-07-16
MEDICAL ERROR.
al a Patient who Sleeps Beneath
the Sod for 1t.
Philadelphia Times.


Philadelphia Times.
A marty of men sat in the wine
room of the Continental Hotel the
other night telling stories. One of
the number was young doctor, who
Is resident physician at the Penn
sylvania hospital and had just return
ed from a vacation trip to the caves
of Luray. When it came his turn to
tell story, which was supposed to DC
founded on an incident ia bis own ex-
perience, he said:
st am too young IN the profession
to give you any startling experience
OF nv own, but [ can relate a curious
incident that occurred IN Virginia
during my visit there. It happened
in Rockbridge cousaty, not many
miles from Lexington, and was told to
me by a thoroughly reputable and
7eracious citizen. A few weeks ago,
ne said. "a long -aaired Individual
drove into town and engaged two
rooms in the leading hotel. That
night he visited the local printing
Office and the next morning the town
was flooded with dodgers announcing
the arrival of DR.. Surecure, who guar
anteed to cure all cases Of consump-
ton by his great and improved com
pressed air treatment. | was curious
to know what the treatment consisted
of and called or the doctor the next
day. Ia the meantime he had con-
structed a small, air tight comparts
nent IN a corner Of his office. When
Z arrived he was adjusting pump
like arrangement to brass~bound
hole in one Of the petitions Of the com
partnent. When he had finished his
work he turned to me and said: Nov,
sir, I am ready for work"
"I explained to him that ] was
not a consumptive. but had simply
called to investigate his method OF
treatment out of curiosity. He was
very urbane and accommodating. He
explained to me ia scientific language
that consumption was simply a col
lapse and drying up Of the air cells OF
the lungs and that the only thing
needed to restord the breathing APP
paratus to It's normal state was the
opening of these cells.
g This sounded reasonable enough
to me and / asked him how he was
going to bring about this result. ''By
compressed air." he said, Shaping his
palm against his chest. "Compressed
air is the sovereign remedy for con-
SUMPTION" He then showed me the
alright compartment, which was
lined with plates Of tin, ard explained
that the apparatus on the outside was
an air-pump. His treatment was sim
pie and consisted of placing the pa
tent in the compartment, into which
would be injected a certain number of
cubic feet of pure air. The air would
force It's way into the cells of the
lungs and initiate them as bladder is
inflated with quill. This treatment
he argued, if continued long enough,
would restore the diseased lungs to
their normal condition.
g The doctor had hardly finished
his exposition before young
man with the seal of that fell disease
stamped IN his sUnken cheeks and
hollow eyes, entered. He told the
doctor that he wanted dose of COM
pressed air. The doctor conducted
him to the adjoining room and told
him to divest himself of everything
with the exception Of his undersnirt
In the interval the doctor threw up
every window in the room to admit
the fresh air and asked me to wait
to see the thing work. The young
man was ushered into the compart-
ment and the doctor and myself
manned the pump. We worked with
a will for about five minutes and
could hear the wind rush In with a
shrilI whistle. Then we waited for
two minutes and the doctor said ::
''You can bet that air is initiating his
lungs like a balloon"
"'Then he tried to open the door,
but he couldn't bulge it. Then he
looked alarmed and got nae help him,
but our combined strength didn't
phase it. Then we called in colored
porter and our united efforts opened
with rush and landed us in a heap
IN the corner. Looking into the com
partment we saw balloon-like, flesh
colored object lying on the floor. I
looked at the doctor for an explaMa-
ton, He was as white as sheet and
looked like one stricken with the
palsy. "My Godw hegasped. II have
adjusted the pump to exhaust the
air." and slamming the door shut, he
hastily made some alteration in the
mechanism of the pump and together
we worked the handle until we were
compelled to stop from sheer exhaus-
ton. When he opened the door Lthis
time with ease) the patients body had
returned to about its normal size and
he mad recovered consciousness. He
was seat home in a carriage and died
q few days later. The affair became
noised about, however, and the doctor
left town between two days.
Gvn~Y ouA S4a,,I,apS