Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1885-03-19
THE IMAGINATION.
The Part 1t Plays In Matters Involving
Life and Death.

The Part 1t Plays In Matters Involving
Life and Death.
Don't great many people procure
medical treatment who are not sickpn
asked reporter Of The Detroit Post of
prominent physician.
"Of course they do. There nothing
the matter with half the so-cafIed in
valids. | always kept a 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 sickpn
Certainly! A woman is the contra
riest of Gods creatures. If she makes
up her mind she's sick, you can't talk
her out of it. You must administer
something. had one call me years
ago that lay in bed for nine months.
and she was as well as am. On a
certain day there was one of these cir
Gus and animal show combinations
passing. / had an inspiration that
beat any compound my skill could pro-
duce. hired the manager to let q
tame bear out of the cage and we all
set up q hue and cry, the children went
for the woods, and that woman took
after them without even stopping to
make toilet. There was nothing un-
der the heavens the matter with her,
and when her husband came to settle
thought for while he'd boot her all
over the FARM
Ever have any other case of the
Imagination"
about ten miles from the town / was
practicing in got the idea that he was
going to die just at IL o'clock in the
forenoon of certain day. About 8
o'clock a messenger came for me,
hurried out When ! got there the
crank had fifteen minutes to live ac-
cording to his calculations. He did
look like man on the verge of leterni-
ty. 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 leayef
Something had to be done quick.
there was a smart-looking woman
there, and | called her aside. Pointing
to the clock on the mantelpiece, which
the patient was watching, | said:
When / have his attention, turn that
ahead Then / 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. | located it right in the
town where he knew everybody,
named the woman killed. went into
blood-curdling details, and so complete
ly interested the man that he forgot
about his ii o'clock appointment
When / gave him chance to look
again it was twenty minutes to II, and
he was actually mad for time, claim
ing that he had been tricked. He fl
nally got to laughing, and we all took
dinner together. The next day he
whipped two men at barn-raising for
twitting him about the programme of
death that miscarried.
Wasn't there anything the matter
with him?"
mot thing except what he mag
ined. He was sound as bullet, but if
have gone over to the majority at IL
O'Clock"
Doesn't imagination sometimes cure
people who are really ill?"
ITO be sure it does. Imagination
has strange and unaccountable
power. | had 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 accompanied by solic-
itious companion who was brim full of
sympathy. The invalid had knee
badly swollen from rheumatism and
wanted to know if / could administer
electricity, which always helped her. l
soon had a battery in shape. The
sympathetic friend placed one con-
nection at the invalid's knee. which
appeared angrily inflamed. / held the
other connection in my left hand so as
to complete the circuit By touching the
patient with the right. drew my fin
ger across the back of her neck and of
course she INDUCED in a few little
screams and some historical converse
ton. doctor, that's strange sensa-
ton. Ouch! haven't got enough?
My knee feels great deal better.
Don't fill me up with that electricity.
There, now you must just quit, I've
got whole streak o. lightning in me
now and l knew it was all needed.
The pretty widow walked out to her
carriage without limp, and had no
trouble in being the belle of the balls
for the remainder of the-season. had
noticed waggish student of mine in
the next room stuffing handkerchiefs in
his mouth, writing with suppressed
laughter, winking at me on the sly,
and indulging in can-can whenever
visible to me alone.
" What in thunder are you making
such fool of yourself about in
quired when the ladies had departed.
He roared away, and, pointing to
the battery, said, You might have
killed that handsome creature by an
overcharge of electricity | looked
and joined in the hilarity. l had neg
lected to hitch on to the battery, and
the widows vivid Imagination had sup
piled the currents which wrought so
sudden a cure"