The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1902-02-27
IT'S GOOD TOBE PRUNED
So Says Max O'Rell, Speaking
OF His Operation. .
AwOKB IN A GREENIsH FOG

Noted Writer Tells His Experiences
In Being Operated Upon For APP
pendicitIs-He Il an Enthusiastic
Advocate of Surgery and Sings Its
Praises.
Although still an inmate of the
French hospital in New York, Paul
Blouet MAX O'RelD is rapidly recover
ing from the effects of the operation for
appendicitis performed n few days ago.
He referred to himself as the widest
open man in New York" two days after
passing under the surgeons knife Now
he has written his experiences for the
New York Journal. He says:
When a month or so ago | decided on
having an operation performed upon
me. some New York papers, short Of in
teresting matter for their readers. pub
lished the information. This brought
me scores Of letters from cranks, fad
dists, humbues, faith healers and the
like Give up SIN, some WROTE anu
you will be all right"
Try my cure" wrote charlatans. An
other of this class said: Have you
tried hydrotherapy? With hot water
can bring on crisis that will settle
you"
In fact. received lots of disinterest-
ed advice, and gratis too. a faddist
wrote: "Do not submit TO the cruel
knife of a surgeon. Out OF hundred
people operated on seventy die; the 9th
er thirty are manned for life
Ignorance and prejudice go no fur
Their.
Now. dear reader, If you are sure
that something is wrong with any part
Of your anatomy do not hesitate to
have done to yourself what you would
order your gardener TO do to your trees
under the same circumstances.
Have the damaged. broken or dead
branches taken off. Prunng-that is.
surgery-is the simplest, shortest. SAT
est and surest remedy. If your APP
pendix is wrong, off with it, II your
big intestine. or colon, gets CONSTRUCTED
and threatens to become a semicolon.
be sure that it will soon become a
full stop and kill you. OF with the
offending CONSTRUCTED part. That's your
only chance.
must say was not afraid Of the
operation. can always submit TO the
inevitable. as | once said TO a very
ugly man who said he was glad -
make my acqualntt y - -
49,, =. IS. - "o' cause he had
' r. -..S',oSed very much like him.
) Iss.epared myself cheerfully for many
/ davs so as to be strong and well and
give the surgeon and myself as good
a chance as could.
What does an operation consist In.
even such a long and dangerous one as
have undergone? You 20 to sleep
quietly, pleasantly, and by and by you
wake up. When you do wake up you
| INQUIRE If the thing is done, and you
learn that it is. You feel no pain. and
YOU have felt no pain. not even discom-
fort.
| NV operation lasted two hours. and
was under ether from 2:45 10 5 p. N.
slept soundly all night. The next morn
Ing l was reading the papers in bed
All can remember is that when
woke from my enforced sleep ! had a
vague idea | was in greenish. foggy
atmosphere. and heard, as in the dis
lance. many soft voices whispering
Hello! Hello Wake up. How d.
you feel?'
The day after the operation | had
teaspoonfuls of chicken broth every
two hours, the following day table
spoonfuls, the next day eggs and milk
and the next such meals as for I've
years had not dreamed Of permitting
myself to try.
MY dear friends. l cannot remember
five minutes Of pain. Maybe my anato
| nv Is not improved, but | don't veal
decollete dress, and l feel | have beer
given a new lease Of life. of health an,
of happiness.
Operations are absolutely free from
danger. The only thing is that germs
may get at you, but this danger doe
not exist with the marvellous precau
tons of sterilization and antiseptic
which are taken by the surgeons of to
day.
have been in the FreDch hospita
for three weeks. During that tim
about forty operations have been pei
formed, and every one has been sue
cessful, even including a few perform
ed on patients brought here on TIA
threshold of death.
; The only thing modern surgery car
not do is to give us new head, thin
which many OF us would be glad o.
e In any other case, if you are wron
anywhere, don't suffer. Take my az
vice-ask the surgeon to rid you
what makes your life miserable.
Make up your mind and do not
the psychological moment when /
asks you to lie down to be put to slice
say to him:
"Thanks; after you"