Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1898-03-31
PATIENTS EYES NOT MATES.
The Doctor Innocently Became the Victim
of Practical Joke.

The Doctor Innocently Became the Victim
of q Practical Joke.
DR.. H. c. Wood, besides being one
OF the most popular professors in
the University of Pennsylvania, is
neurologist of worldwide reputa-
ton. His numerous textbooks on
therapeutics, materia medica, nerv-
Gus diseases and practice are stand
ards not only in the colleges of the
United States, but in those of for
eign countries as we'll.
'Dr. Wood is just now waiting for
favorable opportunity to get even
with brother professor, DR..
Potts, said a gentleman from Phil
adelphia at the Normandie. "The
reason for this desire for revenge
had its inception during clinic for
nervous diseases, when DIR. Wood
innocently became the victim of a
practical joke instigated by his as
sistant.
Among the cases brought before
the clinic was that of a man suffer
ing apparently from general rheu-
matism. Several of the patients
joints were stiffened; so was his
back particularly. DR.. Wood, as is
customary, made casual examina-
tion of the body to ascertain if the
disease was not due to some central
lesion of the nervous system.
''He tried what is called the knee
jerks, which is the striking of ones
patella tendon with rubber mallet
Or with the fist partially clinched.
If PERSONS condition is normal,
the foot will fly out at the touch Of
the tendon. In the case of this pa
tent, in one knee the jerk was alb
sent, and in the other it was in
creased. This, DIR. Wood told the
class, suggested the possibility that
the disease was due to some brain
or spinal cord lesion.
To make sure he said, we
must look at the eyes to see whether
the pupils are of equal size.'
Zone of the eyes was found to be
very much smaller than the other,
which, he said, made it seem all the
more certain that there was some
brain lesion. The several hundred
embryo doctors to whom DR.. Wood
was lecturing expressed deep inter
est in the subject. They took copi-
ous notes of what he said.
:" But before accepting the prop
osltlon as certainty, he continued,
1t will be necessary to ascertain
whether the pupils were of equal
size before the patient was taken
sick. Sometimes, due to some little
detection in an eye, the pupils will
be unequal
while DR.. Wood was talking DR..
Potts, who was assisting him in
demonstration, whispered to one of
the students that the patient had a
glass eye. 1t was quickly COM
municated to the whole class, and
there was laughter, loud and long.
DR.. Wood overheard the whisper
ing. He made closer examination
and found that the patient did haze
store eye that was remarkable in
it's similarity to a natural optic.
" I told you you couldn't tell for
certain unless knowing something
Of the history of the patient, ex-
claimed the doctor'as he joined the
class in their hilarity.
CDR. Potts had seen the patient
before he was ushered into the elm
&c, and DR.. Wood had made only a
superficial examination while lee
turing on the general points of the
disease.
'The glass eye story of course
reached the ears of the other mem
oers Of the medical faculty of the
university, who have since been
smoking good perfectos and having
great merriment at DR.. Woods ex-
pense and discontinue. washing
.on Star.