Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1890-01-04

HERAID.
thhn e so.ads He was riding thronoh
h;s . at.y on certain occasion when
ca 80, sas.ehtion was attracted hv az
r nIeIss; VI one OF number of child r rno
tho nc IN the road. He rode mn -
e onS mouse where they belonuedu " "
SIalllng the mother to the doer anu
uhiui.ly told her that her nh;la Wy s,
.ne Group and would die. unlasa a :,
once relieved. The woman was az; at
poseu 10 ridicule the suggestion ~, o aas,
70 treat II as impertinent' becau'.o "'u
az appearances the child was rarsoa ~
same 1 ho,r me ne next day, about the
T nIaoe n 0 the doctor passed the same
pa as, Inere were no children at NAV
,-aii We're silent. The sobs of e pay
PAD taken the place of merry cbi1 Ella.
hood's iaugh-the child wac deadi
MOST OF my hearers well knaw a
gentleman formerly ofthis town u,bo
was supposed to be in the last stag mo
OF consumption, and was so traatsd
he mad been at Baltimore to consnit
eminent physicians, but had returned
without hope. DR.. Dorsey saw him
at last. His opinion was gritty ax
pressed In these brief words-u Ahont
pound of calomel will cnre Won
your liver, and not your lungs, Is dis.
eased." And calomel did cure him
ana ne is still living to confirm what
have here stated.
| Happening to be in Philadelnhia
ne was sent for to see his friend. the
late Mr.. Savage, who was suffering
with severe fit CT the govt. He in.
CURED, and was told the treatment
MIR, 5. was undergoing by his Phila-
delphia physician, the eminent Prof.
--. now no more. Looking over
his spectacles with mingled eX
sion of surprise and contempt, and re.
peating in slow and measured terms
the prescription" 8 grains of SUP.
carb. soda every two hours,n he add.
ed, here, take this tonight, 20 grains
of calomel, and tomorrow morning
40 grains of jalap," which were to be
followed by other medicines no less
potent. Before the week had passed
Mr.. Savage was on the street, and be.
ing asked by friend the cause of his
rapid Improvement, replied: "Old
Dorsey, of Hagerstown, took me
through threshing machine, and if
that don't take the govt out of a mans
bones, God knows what will"
An hypocondriac was laboring I'm.
der the insane delusion that he had
swallowed spider. which he imagin.
ed was destroying his vitals and he
was accordingly suffering tortures.
All efforts, by means of reasoning and
ridicule, and the like, had failed to re.
move the terrible delusion. He sent
for physician. Comprehending the
whole case at glance, DR.. Dorsey at
once fell in with the diseased humor
of his PATIENTS mind, pronounced the
case bad one, thought it quite posi-
bic he might extract the spider, and
promptly made an arrangement 70
eypel the ungracious tenant from the
sick mans stomach. The great effort
was to be made the following day.
and accordingly at the appointed hour
he was present. After great prepar-
alton and some pomp and parade,
which were unusual for him, (but in
all this he had an object, the work
commenced. The patients eyes were
bandaged. all spectators excluded, the
room darkened, and strict silence Sc
cured. The party was then directed
to open his mouth as wide as his
jaws would permit. and to remain
immoveably in that position. A string
was then tied TO blue bottled fly,
which had been brought for the pur-
pose, and it was made to pass repeat
ed over the open mouth, all the time
industriously buzzing. Occasionally
the Doctor would break the silence,
by half suppressed but apparently in
voluntary expressions, loud enough to
be heard, such as" see him ~" he
is cOming!" and the like. After con-
siderable waiting, a sudden shout re.
sounded through the house" I've
got him ~" I've got him !" The sick
man sprang to his feet, the bandage
torn from his eyes, and to his joy he
saw his imaginary enemy a prisoner
in the Doctors ha /. The delusion
was perfect, and the invalid soon re-
covered, and for years this miraculous
performance made the more ignorant
neighbors wonder that there should
be such wisdom and skill given to
mortals on earth. The Doctor kept
up the delusion as long as the man
lived, lest an exposure, as he thought, |
of this pious fraud might carry the |
imaginary spider back to his original
hiding place. Afterwards, he used 10
tell the story with graphic effect and
wonderful minuteness and detail.
The extent ofcouutry over which he |
rode almost daily, would now appear
incredible. In the early history of
this county we were subject to most
malignant bilious epidemics. At this |
period, he had almost the exclusive
practice of this town and the adjacent
country, for twenty miles around. He
would often make a Circuit from 60 to
80 miles in twenty-four nvars. On a
single day, in his country practice, he
visited and prescribed for as high as
one hundred and eiQhtg-Sir patients. On
his last birth day he rode on horseback
upward of twenty-five miles. For
upwards of forty days Immediately
preceding his mothers death. he saw
her every day, notwithstanding she
lived miles below Frederick, a dis
lance of 80 miles from Hagerstown.
and attended to his other practice he.
sides. During this very period, too.
he had a patient in Chambersburg. 90 |
miles distant, whom he occasionally
saw. 1t is not to be understood that
he went to his mothers nd ret,rne6
every day. He remained with her
every alternate night, bywhich means |
he saw her every day.
DIR. Dorsey was especially familiar
with the two periods oflife, in which |
all mankind are reduced to one com
mon level, where the rich and moor
meet together"-I mean, the periods
of our entrance into this world. and
of our exit out of it. We all come
into the world in the same condition
of restitution, helplessness and mis-
cry. The first note of thehuman voice |
is the cry of distress, as if conscious of
the perils and sufferings hat await
us. But even here the etusl ty ceases
and thus early in the JOUR- of life
the rich and the poor ia ie ir tenn
porary leave of each Other. ha ono
pursues the ways of east an, plenty
the other the dark pat Is toiI ana
distress. Honor and ap llau await
some, while others are q ION. Tn in
suit and wrong. But tn wa of life
lead but to death, and W late NAV |
be the station which me M FIJI ~
this world, and whatever NAV ,ptbeir
lot in life, whether they haS gracod
it by virtue, or degraded it vice