Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-04-14
COMFORT WITH A BROKEN LEG.
DIR. Parker Suggests How the Pa
tfent's Suffering May he Blessed.


Thirty years ago a broken leg meant
forty days in bed on your back. Now 1t
is generally supposed to mean ten or
twelve days I have reduced II to three
days. The man who goes by sea all his
life must expect shipwrecks; the man who
rides or drives for forty years must ex-
pect accidents. have had eight of them.
three nearly fatal, but the last one. a
broken leg, was the most disabling. When
/ lay on my back on Main street twelve
days ago l could not see how any good
could come Of II to me, but this has been
my prayer In ali my accidents.
The great distress OF a man with a
broken leg. after IL is set. is the pain In
the back, and the impossibillty of turning
either TO the right or left, which prevents
sleep. The trouble gets worse and worse.
the back up to the shoulders gets hot and
burning, and an anodyne is necessary
TO sleep. / took fifteen grains Of sui
phurnal for three nights in succession.
and 1t only Quieted me two or three hours
The last night l woke up not knowing
who / was or where / was at This con-
fusion Of ideas is very distressing, and I
concluded to abandon the medicine.
had In every case to supplement the
medicine by calling in my old friend.
King Alcohol. A glass OF milk toddy n fter
the sulphurnal's influence had been ex-
hausted brought me near 10 day dawn
which l nailed with delight. The horrors
OF insomnia have rarely been adequately
described. David tried to do so. My plan
for shortening the period Of suffering M
three days Is by peculiar gearing, con-
sisting of broad saddle-girth with n
rope "a clothes line would answer the pur
pose very weld. The girth Is put high
up under my shoulders, and the rome
carried around the two lower bed-posts
with the ends brought around TO me
With these pull myself into a sitting M.
sition, making fast the end of the rome IN
one end OF the girth. In this way i re-
leve the heat OF my back, which can be
rubbed by the hands OF the nurse. make
my toilet. read the newspapers "a blessing
from Heaven TO the sick mani, read INV
Bible and hymn-books. and rest myself
generally.
Many years ago attended lady with
this fracture. She weighed 200 pounds
The weather was hot. and her suffering
was terrible. Sleep was almost impossible
I secured an iron ring-bolt TO the ceiling
5oists. and by means of block and tackle
and strong piece of canvas raised her
body two or three times a day from the
bed to sitting position, 10 her Infinite
relief. This lady's fracture was a very
bad one. and kept her In bed sixty DAYS
The modern plan OF putting the leg in
plaster casts Is q great Improvement over
the old plan OF wooden splints or boxes
and especially for children; who are rest
less and unmanageable. II is applied AL
most without pain, and keeps the broken
ends OF bone in perfect contact and i'm
movable. 1t IL doubtful whether there win
ever be any Improvement In this plan.
II enables the patient 20 move about on
Trt pptfh faf
bed. don't suppose this gearing is origi-
nal with me; II has doubtless been adopt
ed in various forms by other doctors and
patients. mention II for what It Is worth.
II was certainly worth a great deal 10
me. The old familiar saying that fel-
low feeling makes US wondrors kind has
many illustrations. and for some time 70
come I expect to feel a great interest In
all broken-leg people, and this is my
apology for this letter
Very respectfully w. w. PARKER.