The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1891-04-23
Don't Oct rs Badly Frightened rs Poor
Peter McCabe Did.

Did you ever swallow pin? Probably
not, for the doctors say that the accident
to which half of us are often careless
enough to..e1pose ourselves rarely OCCURS.
But if you haven't, you can have no idea
| of the dreadful time of it poor Peter has
had since Sunday morning. He got up
late, and began dressing in hurry, when
| there occurred one of those little domes-
tic annoyances which, with the perversity
of ofinanimate things, always come at the
most inopportune moments. A button
flew of. Peter is good man, and he
didn't lose his temper. Ifhe said any
thing nobody heard it. There Vas no
time for repairs. Peter hunted around
for a pin, and be found one. He put it
in his mouth for moment. Where else
can man carry a pin, anyhow?
Just then the four little McOsbes burst
in upon him. He hadn't got over the
annoyance of losing the button, and he
opened his mouth to say something sharp
to the noisy youngsters. What it was
the little McCabes didn't hear, and Peter
has probably forgotten. Instead Of
| shouting at them the children suddenly
saw their father began to choke and act
very strangely. They didn't know what
to make of it. The trouble was that at
the moment their father opened his
mouth to call to them he filled his lungs
by sudden inhalation, and quick as a
wink the pin had been drawn back into
hia throat.
The biggest child, aged 6. became con.
vinced presently that his father wasn't
indulgingin wild pantomime simply for
their amusement, and he called his
mother. Peter explained to his spouse
by violent gestures what had happened.
She is woman of sense and energy, and
she promptly Topped Peter over on the
bed, turned him on his stomach, while
his head hung over the side, and began
pounding his back with vigor which
made the little McCabes fly in terror to
the street. There they howled in chorus
until there was danger of their alarming
the neighborhood. In the meantj1le
their mothers heroic treatment was prov
ing unavailing. Peter bore it until his
bones ached and he was almost black in
the face. The pin was stuck right across
his throat, half down; he signalled to his
wife. She dragged him to window, got
his mouth open SO wide that hisjaws felt
dislocated, and looked for the pin. She
couldn't see it. She explored q little
with her finger. Peter gagged, and his
teeth came together before she could get
her finger out of the way.
Then she got string I'd began cut
ting good sized chunk from piece OF
salt pork. Peter saw the preparations
and mutely protested. Hewas becoming
half crazy with pain aud terror. He
seized his hat and coat and ran out doors,
his wife after MIN. He meant to find a
doctor. There is none in the neighbor-
hood, and, finally, Peter ran most OF the
way to drug store at the corner of Bed
ford avenue and North Sixth street.
They tried there to find the pin with no
better SUCCESS than Mrs. Peter had had.
They eased his pain by putting a few
drops of cocaine down his throat. 1t
was plain, however, that only the best
instruments and greatest skill could deal
successfully with Peters trouble, so an
ambulance wes called and be was taken
to st. Cathsrine's hospital.
The surgeons went to work on him, but
for long time without result. They
put q laryngoscope into his mouth, but
discovered nothing. This instrument
consists mainly of two mirrors, one held
over the pharynx and the other in the
mouth, by means of which light from the
outside is reflected into the throat, which
thus becomes visible to the operator
Then they introduced an exploring in
strument, which is pretty sure to locate
any foreign substance which becomes
lodged in the esophagus, but nothing
could be found. Peter declared all the
time that he could feel the pin laceratine
his throat just back Of the Adams apple
The doctors kept at it for several hours
and about reached the conclusion tha1
the pin had been swallowed, and that the
pain Peter complained of was scratch
which it had made in going down
Finally one of the surgeons introduced
his finger when Peters mouth had beer
plugged open very wide with bits Of wood
between his teeth. The exploring finger
at last felt the pin concealed in fold o.
the throat just at the base of the tongue
Peters location of the-psin further down
had deceived the doctors. As soon as il
was discovered the surgeon reached for il
with a pair Of forceps. But, alas, it had
been dislodged in discovering it, and
before it could be seized the unhappy
man had involurtarily swallowed it. II
had undoubtedly gone to the stomach
this time, aud there was nothing more
that the doctors could do.
Peter didn't know whether to feel re-
lieved or to become more scared than
ever. The doctors told him to 60 home
and Keep quiet for two or three days, and
that probably the pin would give him nc
further trouble. The pin had gone, so al
8 o'clock Peter reappeared at his own
domicile outwardly calm, but inwardly
apprehensive. The comments Of his wife
and neighbors again aroused his fears
He broke his long fast, and no sooner did
he swallow the food than he again felt
pain in his throat He thought he felt
the pin in his breast also, and ho became
\ r e.