The herald., 1893-11-29
BEEF EXTRACT FOR A PATIENT.
just Because 1t Was Not Made Correctly
There Was Trouble.

My most remarkable professional
experience?" repeated the physician
thoughtfully, knocking the ashes of
the end of his cigar. That Is hard
question to answer offhand, but can
tell you of an extremely odd occur
renee in connection with my practice
recently.
1T was a case of pneumonia. A
young lad was sick with the COM
plant, out in Tenallytown. The father,
poor man and carpenter by trade,
was an old acquaintance of mine, hav-
ing done odd jobs for me occasionally.
He insisted ON employing my services,
though l recommended practitioner
nearer at hand, because l could not
possibly get out there to visit the pa
tient more than once day.
The disease had already reached a
critical stage when / was first sum-
moned. After writing couple of pre-
scriptions and giving directions as to
other matters, called the father and
requested his attention to certain in
structions respecting food. Said l to
him:
6 Take this quart whisky bottle and
put into it one pound of finely chopped
lean beef, cork it tightly, place it in a
pot of water and let it boil four hours.
That will make the strongest kind Of
extract-a highly concentrated form of
nourishment Give to the boy one table,
spoonful of it every hour
want .xuorr coticGaI fhof ouarv.
thing was provided for. The next day
l returned to find my patient in state
of collapse. In haste called for bran
dy and milk and managed to revive
him. For the life of me, could not
account for the situation of affairs.
summoned the father, who was nearly
distracted with anxiety, and question
ed him.
"'Have you given him the beef ex-
tract l ordered?' l asked.
Oh, yes, sir. he replied.
Every hour?'
eyes. sir
"'You put pound of chopped raw
beef into the bottle and boiled it?'
"'Yes, sir. Corked it up and boil
ed it four hours in pot of water. He's
had tablespoonful of the stuff every
hour since you were here last.
1t beats me, l said. Why,
could have supposed that the boy was
exanimate from sheer inanition. Bring
me some of the beef extract and let me
see it..
Presently half tumblerful of the
preparation was brought and submitted
to me for examination. could hardly
believe my senses. 1t looked like
water; it tasted like water; it was
water and nothing else.
What does this mean?' demand
ed angrily.
That's the stuff you ordered, sir, ;
replied the father confidently. l made
it myself, according to your own direc-
tions-hoiled the bottle Of beef just as
you said. But 1 must confess that l
thought it was pretty weak kind of
broth for a sick boy.
Il stared at him for minute or two
in wonder. Then light began to
dawn on me. gasped and said
Bring me the bottlep
HE did so. Its contents evidently
had not been disturbed. I poured from
it tablespoonful of thick and nourish-
ing fluid and administered it TO the pa
tient.
1.-The father looked on as if awe
struck.
Why said he, you never told
me thatl You said to cork up the bot
tie, but you did not tell inc to uncork
it. So l thought that you meant ]
should give him the water it was boiled
in'
80 that was what my patient had
been fed on for "a hours-boiled water
and nothing more. No wonder that
found him in a state of collapse. He
recovered, but it was anarrow squeeze
l assure you. Washington Star.