The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1889-04-27
WAR EXPERIENCES.
FEIGNED DISEASES.

In many OF the most necessary anu lu
portant of hfes pursuits, their direct per
Torrance is far less difficult than to over
come inevitable clogs, delays and embarrass
ments Raising the grain, fruit and vege
tables requires far less labor, skill and cal
culation, than to get rid of the "ohess,' tn
weeds and tares, and infesting yermin.
Feigned diseases were, in the first Of ser
vice, formidable difficulty; so unlocked fo
by most of us, and so unprepared to encoun-
ter them, the embarrassment was greatly in
creased, in that, having final decision, abso
lutely correct diagnosis must be o. adc, undeI
severe penalties; must not decide a man
able for duty, when, actually, he is not; tC
excuse him or to permit him to ride in tn,
ambulance when there ls no real disability
An equally heineous ohen,e.
The surgeon is much handicapped in this
position A beast, when sick or hurt, wi.I
not deceive one. 4 man, TO rye his ends
will sometimes do it, and very sruully. A
physician, except in most mauif st, best de-
fined cases, must depend largely on the dec,
larations Of his patient as to his sensations,
and the determining symptoms Of his case. II
he persists that he has collie, lumbago,
stitch in the side" painful knee render
ing him unable to walk, sciatica, diarrhoea,
whatever, it is not easy to traverse his
statements
While the majority Of the volunteers were
patriotic, and joined our armies from pure
and heroic impulses, botn rank and file hay,
ing large proportion of representation from
among the best citizenship, it is an unden-
liable fact that there was intermixed large
element Of irresponsible advcuturers, with
no distinct objects in life, taking up with
whatever chance threw in their way leaving
it when firing Of it, as opportunity afforded
and prepared by any method to accomplish
that.
We had few such in the SD. Some Of
these fellows would deceive "tho very elect "
Adopts, such as had "seen service" in the
British army, aud sold regulars" of our
own, trained IN the accomplishment of "play,
ing off, could carry it to degree of fine
art. Being, yuglarly speaking, "onto thor
racket" it was curious ald interesting
diversion to observe the progress of tueir
game, while also resisting it. Many of these
remember could have advanced themselves
good way III the legitimate study of medi,
cine, if they had devoted TO it the same
time, endeagOr and practice they did to that
Of Stimulating diseases and teaching others.
Many Of their methods were simple, but cal.
culated to be effective, if deceit were not
suspected. They had way of dirtying and
bandaging up knees and ankles, on the eve of
= march to ride in ambulances. Irritating the
eyes with onions, or even pepper, when these
could not be had, if not too often practiced,
scarcely produces lasting injury, and the
trick Of wearing dirty bandage over them
and properly blinking when exposing them,
proves first class device for getting excus
ed from duty to ride in ambulances. or for
"throwing themselves on the hospital Just
on the eve OF march fresh application of
the irritant puts them in "such dreadful
bad way with mize surgeon, the ambulance
is the only resort.
No intricate art in successfully initiating
the motions of eplepsy-"fts,' Anyone so
disposed, who has watched the progress of a
poroxysm from the failing" to the fitrore,
in which it terminates, can go through the
performance very creditably in two or three
"easy Lessons" and any extent of "frot hing
at the mouth" can be produced with such a
trite Of soap az can be easily concealed.
Further details Of these temporary methods
to get advantages along the way, would
weary without making it clearer. 1t follows
that men proving permanently disabled
were. by general order. discharged from the
service as soon as 80 proven; while the per,
sistent and incorrigible "feigners' were
likewise discharged on their own specific
pleas Of disability by surgeons certificate,
'for the good Of the service" And this was
probably oftenest in accordance with their
precnceived designs. think mention WAS
made last week of the "bounty jumpers" Of
whom this was class and Of their devices.
ALSO OF the considerable number had thus
'arly got discharged, for disabilities latent
IN entering the service, and rapidly devel,
ped by its exigences.
But there was another class who "played it |