The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-12-10
PAPdZiIN AND HIS PEBBLF.
II May XIII Him, but He Declares That He
VIII not Part With II.
From "a, Js,i1d ,Inii1 gn,u,,,r

From he Psiidd Iphid Enqu,r,r.
"Irt il be death | will sacrifice my life rather
than doubt the teachings Of my fathers and the
wise men of my country"
Such is the choice, or rather the translation Of
the choice, Of II Papazan an Armenian who
lives al 20O2 Germantown avenue In his leg
he has placed magic pebble 10 effect the cure OF
n disease in another portion Of his body The
wound caused by the pebble has become a dan
gerous one, and Papalian has been warned by
men skilled in the art of surgery and medicine
that unless he removes the pebble and submits To
treatment his life is in immincn, jeopardy This
he refuses 10 do
About ten months ago Papazian suffered from
q pain in his hip According to the teachings
II his country, he secured pebble, and. making
nh incIson in the fcshy par Of his leg. inserted
the stone which Is about the size Of small arhe
Srss ani held "n b. sSt ,%
The pebble dil the work y was intended to do -
excited supput',inn. but failed Ia relieve the pain
in place, although daily the wound took on more
serious aspect II evrn'ualE reached such u
stage Of liberation and nnammntion and caused
-, some days ago he called upon pr Il Il Scott
Trwcllih, and roplar streets The ms, Thing
pain producinE pebble, hut Pnpn.inn. while hr
was willing 10 take 1t on, tempornrily, insisted
upon putting II back The wound was clcGns.d
stone replaced by the Armenian
A few days later he was taken 10 Jefferson
Hospital and examined by DR. Orye Horwit,
and Or, j. G. Dat osta The poison from the
selfiniicted wound had passed up The gland,
Of the mans leg and |, was only the course oi ma
poisoned, with death horrible. eScrucatng
death the only result Again, the serious
condition Of affairs and the torture that must fol
low when his system became impregnatcd viii
the poison were explained 10 the man. but his fat
In the teachings Of his countrymen was unshnk"n
| He Was willing to become martyr 10 his bile
| and the belief Of his ancestors
The idea of the placing OF foreign Substance,
| in the body some distance from an afflicted par
il an old one the "counter-irriLan," used in IN,
prcsenrday surgery having its derivation in tn
| old custom.
The seton, an arifcially produced channe
| through which some substance az a thread II
passed IN excite suppuration and keep ARTIFICIAL,
| formed openings patent, Is used sometimes /,
| surgery IN old custom in Central Asia and In
son,e portions in Use at the present day, whici
follows the same principle, is IN insert hair i'm,
| the heels II prisoners which lanes ,hem 10 sucl
! an extent as 10 prevenI their escape
| But the stone which PapaliAn inserted In his lel
was not put there alone a. thread would have beef
| for the purpose OF causing n counter.irritant
/ IL had greater meaning on which the Armenian
| placed his faith, a. the risk Of his life Accord
| ing 20 the supersdious customs pieces Of WOO,
| ,akrn from scahod on which a man who hat
performed certain fea,s In his life has been hange,
| have been used 10 the anne purpose Pebbles
| such as PapaZianrused, and alleged 20 posses
| CERTAIN virtues. are said by an Amcrica an 10 b.
obtained from an Italian In the sou hern sectio,
OF the city, though what those virtues are an,
| why the stone Possesses them he did not st te
| In his opinionp ap nan secured ,heS,ons whic,
in al probability will cause his death from thi
| source.