The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1890-05-24
HE SMELLED THE SNAKE.
How a hospital Assistant Was
Affected by the Presence Of
New York Sun.

GA few years ago." said hospital
steward. 81 was employed in one Of the
two hospitals supported by well known
mining company in Arizona for the care
of its sick and injured employees. 1t
had over thousand employees, and the
casualties, great and small, sometimes
averaged one every day, SO that the sur
geon's office was no sinecure. The COM
pany was not, however, entitled to cred
1t for benevolence, for it levied tax of
81 month on each of its employees,
stopping it out of their pay, to support
the hospital, surgeons and nurses. The
head of the service, DR.. Eckerson, con-
tracted to bear all its expenses, SO that it
was a good thing for the men, the COM
pany and the physicians, although the
men paid it all.
CDR. Eckerson was a young man for
such responsible position. He was a
Swede who had been thoroughly edu-
Gated in his own country and in Ger
many, and possessed the mechanical skill
and manual tact that made good sur
geon and the diagnostic intuition with
out which no man can be a successful
physician. He was an enthusiast in his
profession and in the cognate sciences
botany, chemistry, physiology and espe-
cially comparative anatomy.
FELL IN DEAD FAINT.
"The assistant in the other of the two
hospitals was young French Canadian
named Perot. He was a reticent young
fellow, very pallid, but vigorous. He
possessed remarkable eyes. The iris had
singular way of changing color under
the influence of his physical, mental or
nervous conditions, and these changes
perceptibly altered the entire expression
OF the mans face. We got SO after
little that we could fairly read his moods
by the color and expression Of his eyes,
In spite of his reticence.
Zone day the doctor had an uncom-
monty difficult operation to perform, and
both Perot and myself were summoned
to assist. When Perot entered the opera
ting room noticed that his eyes changed
color repeatedly and rapidly as if he were
under some great excitement. In few
seconds he complained of being dizzy,
and before we realized the urgency Of
action in his behalf he had dropped to
the Hoor in a dead faint. The ordinary
means of restoration were Immediately
applied, but without avail, and DR.. Ecker
son ordered him removed to one Of the
hospital wards and laid upon a bed. Here,
10 our surprise, Perot at once came to
himself without further aid and declared
himself ready for duty.
upon our return to the operating
room, however, Perot's disturbed symp-
TOMS at once returned. His eyeballs be-
came fixed and glazing, his breathing
stertorous, and he would again have
swooned had we not caught him and re-
moved him from the room. The expert
ment was tried the third time, with the
same phenomenal result. Perot himself
was at loss to account for his condition.
he said he felt perfectly well and had no
repugnance for the scenes of the operat-
ing table, but directly he entered the
room the terrible symptoms were at once
apparent.
The doctor now set seriously to work
10 investigate this strange case. He soon
came to the conclusion that the influence
that disturbed Perot was external to him.
self, and, as he had these attacks only in
the operating room, began to examine its
contents, condition and surroundings for
the cause of the extraordinary affection.
what seemed further to complicate the
case was the fact that Perot had for
months frequented the room without ex-
perlencing any unusual sensation. At
last l said to the doctor: Has any change