Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1891-10-02
STAGE HEART DISEASE,
How Leading Actress Learned the
Symptoms of the Dread MaIady.

Symptoms of the Dread MaIady.
1t is not always easy to make ones OBJ
servations. / rememberthat on one occa-
sion Experienced considerable difficulty in
obtaining the subject | wished to study.
1t was at the time that Messrs. Shook &
Palmer were about to produce sMiss Nut
tom at the Union Square theatre. Miss
Mutton dies, but there is in the whole play
no word which indicates the nature of the
disease which causes her death.
After due consultation, the powers
decided that the lady should die OF
heart disease; very simple matter so far
as the powers were concerned, but a very
difficult matter to me, who had the part tic
play. | knew absolutely nothing of heart
disease, nor could find single friend OF
acquaintance who could assist me.
turned to the DOCTOR under whose care
| then was, and asked his help. After
some conversation he decided that angina
pectoris was what was looking for, as it
seemed to adapt itself perfectly to the re-
quirements of the character described to
him. He began by telling me something
OF the structure of the heart. He showed
me some ugly pictures, too, that looked, to
my eyes, like sections of ripe tomatoes with
blue radishes growing through them. He
taught me where my heart was located,
and informed me that, in the ordinary
stage gesture, when the hand seeks the
heart, the aforesaid hand is something like
q foot away from the sought-for organ
He minutely and repeatedly described tc
me the attitude and expression of one en-
during, in speeches., almost breathless,
agony, that awful torture called by doc
tors angina pectoris This was to be used
for the climax of the play. So far we had
gone smoothly enough, but suddenly, to
use a theatrical expression the doctor
stuck"
He declared his utter inability to convey
to me an idea of the manner in which a
patient breathes when suffering from ex-
element or fatigue. That was unfortu-
nate, for it was on that symptom l most
relied to indicate to the audience what was
Miss Multon's physical condition, her elo
quent language making plain her domestic
woes. begged the doctor to show me how
should breathe, but he shook his head
and said, "No, no! you must see sub
ject." At his next visit | saw he was
vexed, and pretty soon he Informed me
that the only heart subject he had found
was man bearded to the eyes; but, said
he, while he savagely buttoned his coat.
"Pll find you subject, or that mans
beard shall come off, for you must see that
movement of nostril and mouth"
Not more than two hours after there
was violent ring at the bell, and, glanc-
ing from the window and seeing the doc
tors carriage, / hurried to the hall, and,
looking down, saw a very cruel thing
The doctor and woman were standing at
the foot of the long, long staircase. Then
he caught her by the arm, and, starting
by her side, ran her up the whole long
flight of stairs. Shall ever forget that
woman's face as she stood swaying, cling
ing to the door frame! Her CHASTITY, waxen
pallor; the strained, scared look in her
eyes; the dilating nostrils; above all, the
movement Of the muscles about the mouth,
which contracted the upper lip at every
hurtling, gasping breath!
The doctor pushed by her and hastily
whispered, You are student and not
well enough to attend"-I don't know
whether he said class or lecture l was
only sure of the word student So, burn
ing with shame, took my cue, and going
forward l felt her pulse and asked her
few appropriate questions Wewere alone
then for few moments, and she told me
her pitifully commonplace little story.
questioned her closely as to how anger or
surprise affected her, and finding she was
very poor and had a child to care for,
slipped bill into her hand as she rose to
go.
She was thanking me quietly when her
eyes fell upon the figure on the bill. In
stantly over her neck, her face, her ears
there famed color SO fercly, hotly red
it seemed to scorch the skin Her very
wrists, where they were barred above her
gloves, were red. Her hand flew to her
side in the very gesture the doctor had been
teaching me- She gave little laugh, and
nervously remarked: Ell feel so-hot
and-prickly. suppose-Pm all redl You
sect was-the surprise-that did It'll
Don't look so-frightened, miss. haven't
no pain. amt red, neither, am I. now?''
Heaven knows she was not. Her vera
lips were white. So, with thanks and
pallid smiles, the poor soul removed her
self and her fell disease from my presence
and had received my second painful OBJ
ject lesson.
The night before the production of the
play, in g spirit of mischief, l drew up
document for the doctor to sign, in which
he acknowledged that in my study of heart
disease he had been my teacher. For, said
|, should the critics attack that part of my
work, you will then have to share the
blame. Laughingly l brought forth my
document. Laughingly he signed it.
The critics did not attack, but l still
keep the acknowledgements Morris
in North American Review.