The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1888-01-28
sNATcHED FROM DEATH.
How q Mans Heart Got Displaced
an licked on the Wrong Side.

an Tickle on the Wrong Side.
'.Do look like man who has beer
SO near death that the funeral arrange
ments were made?'' The questioned
was Ticket Agent Warford, of Broad
way. He is q man of spare frame, bu
his cheeks are ruddy and his voict
strong and ringing. While not ar
athlete he looks as though he could
hold his own in three or four rounds
marquis of Queensberry with fairly
matched competitor.
II am not getting off a patent
medicine fake" he continued. The
fact remains; however that l was
given up 10 die, and half dozen
doctors predicted that a day or two
was as much as I could hope to live.
Some said my disease was consumption.
and some thought otherwise. but said
it couldn't make any difference. as
was bound to die anyhow.
"You want to know how it wase
Well, / hardly know about it myself.
About fifteen J ears ago had singular
sensations in my chest, and a sudden
palpitation of my heart one day almost
scared me to death with the knowledge
that that organ was beating in my
right side instead of the left, where
well-ordered hearts invariably hang.
Physicians came and examined me, first
to ascertain the fact, and then question
ed me for historical points that might
aid them in explaining the anomaly.
So far as feeling went | never knew
that had a heart before, the fit of
mentioned, and never had
been sick but once in my life when l
had an attack of pleurisy so mild that
I regarded it as nothing but a severe
cold. In kneading and punching
around my chest in search of symptoms
the doctors found such dizziness of
sound from the left lung that they
hardly knew what to make of it. [
was then suffering from what seemed
q bad cold. accompanied by shortness
of breath. terrible fits Of coughing, and
much expectoration. They surmised
that the left lung had filled up.
hepatized they called it, and guessed
further that I was doomed to speedy
death by galloping consumption. They
told me to make my arrangements for
early departure.
Between fright and illness l thought
was going TO cross the dark river for
sure. I was cashier in a downtown
hotel at the time. but l gave up my
Job. gathered my few effects together,
and went to the home of my parents
near Albany. l babe good-by to all
ny friends before starting. The ply
'icians gave me only mild palliatives
% ease my passage to the grave. so
when I got home didn't think it
worth while to take other medical adj
rice. Day by day grew weaker and
lad frequent paroxysms of coughing
10 violent that / thought l should never
ret my breath again. While crawling
,ut for the air of sunny day I tainted
n one of these paroxysms, and on re-
covering consciousness 1 saw the
strange face of young man bending
,ver me. He was freshly-graduated
Iawbones, and | saw his zeal with ago.
lies of apprehension. All thatI want
ID was liberty to die as easily as posi-
lie. He, however. would mot be shak-
N off Insisting on learning all that l
ould tell him of the history of the case.
le punched and thumped and pounded
round my chest until l was too ex-
iausted to protest. Then he told me
10 was going to cure meat least he
bought so.
1.-The displacement of your heart is
most hopeful symptom if my theory
J correct he said Your left lung
as been crowded into collapse by sac
f Serious water effused into your chest
rom a pleurisy sore.' 1 didn't take
ouch stock in his guesses or in his
opefulness, but told HIM to go ahead.
The first thing he did was to call in an
Id and experienced physician, whom
o with difficulty conviced of the cor
ectness of his diagnosis. They intro
uced an aspirator, and at the first
peration relieved my chest of nearly
wo gallons of dropsical fluid. My
was oased at once. In a few
avs it became apparent that the drop
ical fluid was flowing in again. Sew
raj tappings were resorted to merely
o give my health chance to recuper-
te before the operation that was TO be
nal for life or death. I gathered
trength even more rapidly than they
anticipated, and within a month was
eady for the ordeal. The physicians
Meanwhile had located the pleuritic
,re which caused the dropsy. Then
hey gave me ether, and when I woke
p knew l had been under the knife.
here was wound i'm the left side, and
lside of my chest / felt conscious of
aiding sensation. They had touched
lie pleuritic spot with irritants to make
n open and healable sore. MY recov-
y went on from that day. In two
Ionths' time l was at work again with
" heart in its right location. Al
Tough l have only one lung it serves
y turn and I have lived ten years
nee the operation and know no reason
apprehend death for many years to
me. "-NeD York Graphic.
Utilizing Dynamite.