Huntsville gazette., 1886-09-25
AT THE HOSPITAL.
How Men Act When They Are
Under the Knife.
Some, Who Look Brave, Whimper, While
Others, Who Seem Weak, Prove to
Be Heroes-An Old Soldiers
Tardy Wound.
: : :


eff you are desirouss of studying
manned humanity" said the senior
surgeon the other day to Tribune re-
porter in the operating room of the
Alexian Brothers Hospital, '.just be
seated for! a. little while and you will
have good opportunity. The re-
porter accepted the proffered chair,
and as they were waiting for the first
patient to be brought in the doctor re-
marked: Nothing will strike you
more than the way in which some pa
tients behave.. Men who, to Judge from
their looks, you would Judge to be the
most capable of bearing pain, are of
the worst, and on the other hand. men
who look as if they would shrink at
the very sight of the surgeons knife
are Just the opposite. .
The first two patients brought in
fully corroberated the doctors re-
marks. The first one was big Ger
man saloonkeeper, weighing fully two
hundred and fifty, pounds. He had to
be assisted to the table, although the
doctor remarked that he could get
along quite well without assistance.
''Now, then, said the surgeon, ''up
you get on the table,
30, doctor, doctor, vast ist you
going to doGto mep You will not hurt
me?'' and the big, strong man, who
looked so fierce began to whimper.
mo, no" replied the doctor, "you
won't be hurt. Tut, tut. Be man.
Don't cry ....
The German numbered onto the table,
and it was found that very slight in
cision would be necessary; it would be
over in second, and would not hurt
more than cutting ones finger. The
moment the victim saw the knife he
began to below: 30, doctor, give me
the ether. @, nein, snein!'' AS he saw
the knife getting ready, and when the
point touched him, he gave veil loud
enough to waken the dead.
The next in order was boy not
more than sixteen years of age. He
was so weak that he had to be carried
to the table by the Brothers. He was
suffering from disease of the hip joint,
and tubes had to be inserted in order
to drain off the pus The operation
was painful one, and no ether was
administered, but never a moan cry
or groan escaped the boys lips from
start to finish, and only a slight tremu-
lous. shudder when the incision was
made.
ss.There's brave lad," said the doc
tor when he had finished, and the boy
smiled, seeming to appreciate the COM
pliment =
The next brought in was a funny one.
1t was that of Sam Jones, colored
roustabout, who had been hit on the
head with a brick by white man in a
'Ievee'' row Sam had the top of his
skull stove in, and the blow would
have killed any one but negro. The
brain could be seen through an aper-
ture about one and half inches in
diameter. The blow had quite taken
away his power of speech, all he could
say being simply Eyes or mo-" and
he sat on chair and grinned idiotic-
ally, The present operation was to
dress the wound and fit on plaster Of
paris skull cap. 1t would have made
Sans fortune as ''nigger''' minstrel
man if he could have been seen with
his black face grinning under the
white cap.
The next case was an extraordinary
one The Brothers led in. a short,
stumpy German, who had just been
admitted. The doctor had not yet
examined him, SO he asked him what
was the matter. The reply he received
was a shake of the head, and then he
put up his hands and said, ''Too! too!'
..Too, too what?' said the doctor.
care you an esthetic?"
The German again shook his head
and made motion with his hands as if
playing trumpet, again saying:
too"
Now catch on, !" said the doctor.
1t appeared that the man was a musi-
clan in an itinerant German band. and
while playing the trumpet on the street
suddenly lost the power of speech. 1t
was a case of aphasia, but it was re-
markable from the fact that on exam
ination no. apparent injury could be
discovered. The man had also lost his
memory. He tried to write his wife s
name, but could neither do that nor
could he remember his. own.
The next patient was also somewhat
remarkable. A tall, good lookingman,
dressed in the uniform of the G. A. T.,
was led in with bandage over his eye.
His name was George Werner, and his
present occupation is that OF farmer
down in Indiana. Werner's life has
been an adventurous ,one-~s He began
in the Russian navy and went through
the Crimean war. He then came to
America and enlisted in the United