The San Francisco call., 1897-04-08
encs of oualters is very remarka BILE,

ence of Qualters is very remarkable
though not uncommon.
At an early hour this morning man
named Hans Olsen was brought to the
hospital suffering from a crushed arm.
he had been struck by a freight train
somewhere near Berkeley, and when
brought to the hospital was suffering
acutely. An examination of his injury
convinced the doctors that it would be
necessary to amputate the arm near the
shoulder. The operation was performed
and Olsen was put to bed in the ward.
few minutes later the doctor was fold
ing the arm at the elbow to wrap up and
take away with him. At the same ii me
Steward Tobin heard Olsen screaming in
his cot He went at once to the sufferer,
who SAID that he could feel his missing
arm being doubled up, and he requested
that 1t be at once straig ghtened out into a
com iorta bic position. Both the steward
and the doctor convinced Olsen that his
limb would be buried in a position of
comfort and the sufferer at once said that
the pain that he had felt had left him.
few months ago Mrs Caters, wife of
a well-knOwu barber, experienced the
same annoyance from a dismem bered
limb. Mrs. Caters was out hunting and
in drawing her gun after her through a
and the charge shattered her leg. 1t was
necessary 20 perform amputation and the
member was duly buried.
Mrs. Caters soon after complained of
suffering great discomfort and pain from
Ter missing limb, and she was not re-
ieved until the leg was disinterred and
placed IN another position, since which
time it has eased to troublce her.
DR.. Z. o. Hamlin, one OF the leading
surgeons OF this city, said to-day that such
instances are not uncommon in surgical
practice.
1T is not at all unreasonable" said he,
''for any one to have such an experience
when we apply little common-sense to
the existing conditions. A patient who
suffers amputation has been accustomed
TO the use Of the limb all his life. His
mind is accustomed TO think of his body
as whole, and when one mem Der is
taken away 1t Is very easy to conceive th lat
it will be long while before a mans mind
can fully realize that it has lost control
absolutely OF one portion of his body. at
such times there is always, OF course,
acute pain on account of the amputaiion,
and the mind will naturally revert to that
portion of the body.
mot being accustomed to attribute pain
TO condition of affairs with which his
mind is entirely unfamiliar, he naturally
attributes II to the condition of affairs
to which 1t is accustomed. In the case of
Qualters, his limb would naturally feel
peculiar to him. 1t would be painful,
and it would be but natural for him to
imagine that the limb was causing it.
When convinced that the limb is in po-
sition Of comfort then his mind Is at rest
do not see how any other intelligent
explanation can be made'
DR.. o. l.. Jones, who has given consider
able attention to such matters and WIN
has travelled extensively among the un-
civilized tribes Of Africa, says that such
conditions ould cause no surprise .In
South and Central Africa" he SAYS, "such
ideas are frequently found, because the
medicine man realizes TO a great extent
the effect OF mind over matter.
ITO great degree they play upon this
knowledge and claim to effect cures with
lizard skins. seeds bark and all kinds of