The Baptist headlight. (Topeka, Kan.) 1893-1894, 1894-02-22
CUNNING OF SICK PEOPLE.
Omeer Dodges That Are Trie1 by Patients
to Deceive the Doctor.


earth than a sick woman.
1t was Washington physician VINO
said it, and he added:
81 have to be continually on bne
lookout for tricks that my women
natients play on me. Not only 90
they try to get ahead OF me In all
sorts of ways. as diet and other mat-
tiers. but they will invent every con-
ceivable dodge just for the sake OIL
enter tainment For example, yester-
day was taking the temperature OF
young lady with continuous FEVER
She held the Thermometer IN ner
mouth five minutes as usual Ana
by the way, women always oDJecb 10
that performance, because it prevents
them from talking. One of my pa
tients says that she Invariably THINKS
of something important to say the
moment after the glass tube has been
placed between her lips, an she IN
variably forgets what it was by the
time the instrument is removed.
'tBut, as was going to remark,
this patient underwent the ordeal,
at the conclusion of which she with
drew the thermometer and handed 1T
to me. | noticed a covert grin as she
did So and wondered what she was
smiling at. But I declare that l was
positively startled when / found that
the instrument only registered 81 de-
grees Fahrenheit II that had been
her actual temperature she would
have been dead; but, on the con-
trary, she exhibited every other
symptom of rapid convalescence.
THE fact was that, just before l.
gave her the thermometer, she had
taken sip of water from glass ana
incidentally secreted chunk Of ice
in her mouth. Naturally that af-
fected the record of the tube. The
patient explained that she had be-
come so disguised with waiting for
her temperature to come down TO
normal that she had thought a lit
tie artifice would be both appropriate
and excusable.
"But that is nothing compared to
another recent experience of mine.
A girl of about II was recovering
nicely Of an attack of jaundice. In
TACT, she was getting so much better
that her sister insisted on reSuming
her ordinary habit of sleeping with
her. I would have preferred not, but
there was really no serious objection.
"One night, having been detained,
I got around rather late. 1t was
after 10 p. m. [ walked up stairs
TO the sick room and found the sis
tiers both in bed, the well enc appar-
emily. sound asleep The light burned
rather dimly. / felt hepulse, which
had been quite high in the morning
of The same day TO my surprise it
was full, regular, and quite normal
as to beats tried it second time
with the same result.
''Now, what do you suppose the
trick was in that case? You would
never guess The two girls had SO
arranged themselves in bed that the
arm of the we'll sister was under the
sick one and projected in such man
ner as to make it appear as If it be-
longed to the latter. had been feel
ing the pulse of the wrong lady No
wonder it was healthy.
1.-The matter of diet is most diff
cult for the physician to control. His
instructions are always apt to be dis
regarded, and he must contend not
only against the reluctant patient
but also with injudicious relatives
and ends, who give her things she
should not eat ON the sly. One
woman whom l attended in a serious
illness got hold of a bag of pears,
brought to her by sympathetic &C
| quaintance, and secreted them I'M
d. her bed. She ate them ALL and
| the fact that she did not die was
simply due to her remarkable consti-
tuition.
"But | will tell you of little ex-
perience of that sort which / met
with quite recently. There was a
little girl in GEORGETOWN, about IL
years of age, who was on the point of
couvalescence after typhoid fever.
She had been on liquid diet for two
weeks, and her appeals for more sat
isfactory food were pitiful She said
the slop>' that prescribed for her
made her sick.
"Well. one morning, when / came
to. the house and was walking up
stairs to the sick room, happened to
meet the patients grandmother. She
stood aside to let me pass, and I no.
ticed that she appeared to conceal
something behind her back. / stopped
short
""Madame. said, let me see
what you are hiding
after brief demur she produced
1t. 1t was piece of bread.
"'You were going to give that
bread TO Nellie?' l said sternly.
/ ..,Yes' she confessed The moor