Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-10-25

Just Because 1t Was Not Made Cor
rectly There Was Trouble.

my most remarkable professional ex-
perience?" repeated the physician Thought
fully knocking the ashes Off the end OF his
cigar THAT Is a hard question to an
swer off-hand but I can tell you of an ex-
tremely odd occurrence in connection with
my practice recently.
1T was a case of pneumonia. A young
lad was sick with the complaint. out In
Tenleytown. The father. a poor man and
a carpenter by trade, was an old acquaint-
ance of mine. having done odd jobs for me
occasionally. He insisted on employing my
services, though 1 recommended prac-
titioner nearer at hand. because ] could not
possibly get out there to visit the patient
more than once day.
THE disease had already reached a criti-
cal stage when / was first summoned. At
ter writing a couple Of prescriptions and
giving directions as to other matters,
called the father and requested his atten-
ton 70 certain instructions respecting food.
Said to him:
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 1t boil four hours. That will
make the strongest kind Of extract-a high
ly concentrated form of nourishnent Give
TO the boy one tablespoonful of 1t every
hour
Il went away satisfied that everything
was PROVIDED Tor. Inc next Gay returned
to find my patient In a state Of collapse
In haste l called for brandy and milk. and
managed to revive him. Fop the life Of
me. j could not account for the situation
of affairs. 1 summoned the father. who
was nearly distracted with anxiety, and
questioned him.
Have you given him the beef extract
| I ordered?' asked.
| "'Oh, yes, SIR he replied.
| Every hour?'
| Yves. sir
"'You put a pound Of chopped raw beef
into the bottle and boiled it?'
Ives. sir Corked it up. and boiled II
four hours in pot of water. He's had a
! tablespoonful of the stuff every hour since
ct beats me- 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 a tumblerful OF the prep
aration was brought and submitted to ms
for examination. I could hardly believe m,
senses. 1t looked like water: 1t tasted lik,
water; it Was water. and nothing else.
what does this mean? I demanded
angrily.
"'That's the stuff you ordered. SIR re
piled the father. confidently. I made i
, boiled the bottle of beef just as YOU said
; But I must confess that I thought 1t wa
a pretty weak kind Of broth for a sick boy.
: Il stared at him for minute two il
wonder. Then light begun to dawn OIL
me. / gasped and said:
Bring me the bother
He did so. Its contents evidently ha
not been disturbed. / poured from it
tablespoonful of thick and aourishing fui
and administered it to the patient.
The father looked on as If awe-struck.
why said he, you never told me tina,
You said to cork up the bottle. but you di
} not tell me to uncork II. So thought the
. you meant should give him the water
, was boiled inv
80 that was what my patient had bee
fed on for twenty-four hours-boiled waite
and nothing more. No wonder that foun
: him IN a state of collapse He recovered
but il was a narrow squeak. assure you.