The islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1891-1899, 1894-12-06
EVERYBODY SERIOUSLY ILL.
A Whole Neiehborhood Whose Temper

A Whole Neiehborhood Whose Temporal
ture Reached an Alarming Figure.
The following story is told by one who
vouches for its truth:
DR.. Blank is popular physician in one
of our suburban towns. He is adOred by
the ladies, and his charges to his fair con-
stituency are not heavy, and when he says
person is sick there is no use in denying
it. Not long ago prominent business man
went home suffering from severe cold.
The next morning he was worse, and his
wife would not let him come to his office in
Boston.
''You must have Dr. Blank" she said; "a
stitch in time saves nine"
The business man sat by the fire toasting
his shins when the physician arrived.
Let's see your tongue. Any fever? Yes,
little. You must go to bed" DR.. Blank
made a rapid diagnosis of his patient.
"How's your temperature? What, 1875?
Why, you are great deal sicker man than
you are aware Of Temperture 1875 degrees
indeed! Mrs. A. you must get this man to
bed or he will die"
Thoroughly frightened, the business man
allowed himself to be put to bed. For 10
days he fingered there, feeling, to be sure,
not so very Ill, but with his temperature at
that most dangerous point. The wife mean
while grew more and more nervous. Her
husband did not seem very sick. He ate
we'll and slept well-but that temperaturel
And the doctor said no one had ever been
known to get well with temperature like
that.
Finally, without consulting any one, she
sent in town for the old family physician.
He is bluff, hearty old fellow, never vast
ing words or mincing matters. He drove
out to the A IS and went into the sickroom.
whats the matter? What are you shut
up here for?" was his greeting.
81 don't know, DOCTOR" feebly responded
the business man. II am going to die"
The old physician examined his pulse and
inspected his tongue.
mo trouble. There-you're all right" he
said.
But my temperature" persisted the sick
man. You havet taken my temperature.
1t is 1876"
IA hundred and nothing" bluf1y replied
the doctor, whipping out his thermometer
and applying it to his patient
Your TEN perature is normal" he said
at last. Get up and dress yourself and to-
morrow go to your office. There's been
nothing the matter with you but the cold
every one is having
Mr.. A. obeyed. That afternoon they
heard of several other cases in that suburb,
all under the care of the popular DIR. Blank,
who were dangerously ill and all having a
temperature of 1875 degrees.
At night Mrs. A went round to Dr.
Blank and told him what she had done;
that her husband was up and dressed, and
that he would return to business in the
morning. But she did not feel well her
self. Perhaps she was tired out. She didn't
know. Dr. Blank looked at her. She did
look tired. He felt her pulse. 1t beat
rather fast. He took her temperature. 1t
was 1875 degrees.
why, you are very i'll" he said. "You
should be at home and in bed. Your tenn
perature is 125 degrees"
DIR. Blank looked anxious
'"There isn't anything the matter with
that thermometer, is there?" Mrs. A.
asked
Dr. Blank placed it under his own tongue.
''And / declared So is mine," he cried.
doctor, let ME look at it." said Mrs. A.,
taking the little instrument that had sent
20 or 80 people to bed that week to await
near and certain death. And in half a
minute the little woman had solved the
mystery of the sudden epidemic of high
temperatures. The thermometer was
broken.-Boston Journal