Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-10-22
= ITHIN my recollection ] al

| practically unknown to the medicaI pro
fession of the country. 1t is now com
monty known by members of the medica
profession and by laymen that appendi
citis is a disease that often recurs severa
| times before it assumes dangerous
form.
| i suffered from my hrst attack or ap
pendicitis, thought / wa, not then aware
of the nature of the disease, nearly seven
years ago. At that time l was visiting
| friends in Salina, Kan. and il l remem
Der distinctly, we had spent the afternoon
| af the day before in consuming large
| Quantities of forbidden fruit in the form
| Of cherries belonging to man VINO hveo
on the edge Of the town.
These cherries were the apple OF his eye
| II you will allow me as great license IN
my horticultural terms rs will probably
/, take in the medical. and the only way we
could secure them was by Shining the
back fence while he and his watch dog
were off duty. This naturally gave the
fruit finer flavor than II would have pos
sessed otherwise, and tn. result was that
we all ate more than was good for us.
On the day after while everyone in the
party was regretting the action OF the day
before-some that they had eaten so much
of the fruit, and others that they had not
saved Some for the second day. was
struggling with one of the most peculiar
sensations ever experienced.
had sharp, shooting pain in region
which l can best describe in general
way by stating that IL was in the lower
right hand corner Of my abdomen. The
pain grew worse as the hours passed, and
the people with whom was stopping said
they had best send for the family physi-
clan. did not object, AMI in short time
the physician, gray-haired and eminent
ly respectable old gentleman. arrived.
He looked at me; felt my pulse, which
Is always rather strong and took my
temperature Then he hooked at nae
again, this time over the top of pair of
bow spectacles, and asked me what had
been eating.
was not enjoying the situation little
bit. but managed to gasp that had been
eating cherries, and the wise man said:
"Aha. thought so"
never knew exactly hew he guessed II.
but he said that I had eramp in my
stomach, and advised the application OF
hot cloths to the inflamed section. His
advice was followed, ard all that night
my 'tummie" was we'll poulticed to drive
AWAY the DAHL HOFtuHt was Win Ahcs
and the scheme worked successfully.
l did not have a return OF the trouble
for nearly six months, and at this time it
was slight. The same remedy was used,
and l recovered.
When next 1 had an attack Of the dis
case 1 was in Baltimore, and on this oc-
casion the matter was as serious as it
well could be without causing ne issuance
Of a burial permit. The pain started as
before, in the same place and of the same
nature. 1 knew the symptoms by this
time, and was aware OF what i was in
for.
The hot-cioth remedy was tried without
avail, and the pain spread steadily until it
covered the entire regior of my abdomen.
The pain grew more intense as the days
passed, shooting up and down in my abdo-
men, and finally l was lying in bed with
my right leg drawn up ID my body, unable
to move.
The physician who attended me was
unable to solve the problem, and l was
growing worse every minute. Finally he
concluded that the best thing to do was to
have n consultation, and he called in sew
eral physicians of more or less renown.
They looked me over critically, and de-
cided that I was suffering from perityph-
Tits. ] said that l supposed 1 was, al
though did not know what they meant,
though have since discovered that this
was the former name for appendicitis,
which was then but vaguely limited of at
times.
l was told that was as near deaths
door as one could possibly get and still
live, and the physicians said that an ope-
ration was all that couid save me, and
then stood only one chance in fifty. That
settled it. / resolved to take that chance,
and, in accordance with this determina-
ton, was removed to a hospital on the
following day.
On the day that the operation was to
take place a number of the most prom
inent surgeons of the city were at the
hospital to witness it, as they understood
that the physicians who had me in charge
were going to make an experiment ex-
traordinary. Everything was arranged to
a nicely, and when / was wheeled into
the operating-room all was ready for my
reception.
was in an exhausted state at that
time, but the physicians. after they placed
me on the operating-tabic explained how
serious the situation was. They stated
that il was n case of life or death, with
tut CndnCto III AafOt VI tht iattth.
am not weak hearted but the manner
In which this was said was enough to i'm
press most anyone, and just as the little
nurse was approaching with the ether l
concluded that / would take just one
more look around before took a chance
on passing into the great beyond.
communicated this wish to the as
scmbled surgeons, AMI they granted II
most graciously. One elderly man with
side whiskers raised me up on the table
so that could see out Of the window. and
supported me while gazed out into the
blue sky. M a
Thescene Is one that i will never for
get. 7 did not look at anything in par
ticular, but ! can remember hearing the
distinct hum of voices on the street be-
low. the rattle of the cable In its conduit,
and the chipping Of the birds in the trees
outside the building. The sun was shin
ing brightly through the window, and the
little nurse was busting about the room,
getting all things ready.
was awakened from my reverie by
the metallic clash Of one knife against
another. and turned my head sufficiently
to see sallow young student preparing
the instruments, and at the same time
putting on cigarette with all the nom
shslance Of veteran operator.