River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1903-02-12
SICKROOM SUPERSTITIONs.
The Influence of Certain Beliefs E n
tertained by Patients on
Their Condition.

The nurse who can control the su-
perstitions of her patient has fought
half the battle for the physician in
charge of the case. Here are some
cases in point:
A woman in Washington who is
firm believer in palmistry, was OF
Grated on for appendicitis. When the
incision had been made the surgeons
discovered that it was case OF PERI
tonitis instead OF appendicitis.
The woman was in a critical condl-
ton, and when she recovered from
the influence of the anaesthetic, the
physician in charge of the case
deemed it best that she should be in
formed of the true state OF affairs.
This was discreetly done by nurse
and doctor, and it was suggested that
she send for her mother and her
clergyman, says the New York Sun.
Now, it happened that the patient
had neither, but she had something
else-an immense amount of grit and
an unshakablc belief in the lines of
her hand. With an effort that showed
in her tightening lips, she turned her
right hand and held it where the doc
tor might see it distinctly. Then she
remarked, in u weak, but determined
voice:
doctor, 90 you see the life line in
that hand? 1t says | will live until
| am As. Those lines never lie You
can't kill me with trife like peri
tonitis. [ am only 80. Give me some
water and I'll go TO sleep"
She fought her fight and is about
again to-day.
Just the reverse of this situation
was shown in Philadelphia hospital
where one of the nurses underwent
serious operation from which she
was rallying apparently without diff
fculty.
The superintendent of nurses
dropped in to see her just at dusk
and congra tulated her on her evil
dent progress. The girl turned ques-
tioning eyes to her chief and said:
Eyes, it seems all right, but pray
Heaven that a peacock won't call!
You know what that means"
The superintendent spoke reassur-
ingIy, but when she had left the ward
the words of the nurse worried her.
A wealthy woman living next door
to the hospital owned a magnificent
peacock, which ordinarily was eX
ceedingly quiet, but a superstition
existed in the hospital that when
ever the bird cried, death stallled in
one of the wards.
At two in the morning the superin-
tendent found herself sitting straight
up in bel and seized with a sudden
horror. The peacock was uttering a
mournful wall.
Pulling on her wrapper and slip
pers she hurried to the ward where
lay her assistant. 1t was as she
feared. The reaction from the OPP
Grafton had set in, preceded by vio-
lent nervous chill.
The house physician had been sum-
moned, but the patient seemed like
one in the clutch of supernatural
power. Her temperature went down
with plunge, her pulse followed, she
seemed unable to respond to any of
the emergency remedies, and in less
IMAM an uOuE was u6du, DIS her CuI6l
said, the victim of her own fear.
For one whole year New York
man suffered from a hallucination
which he could not throw off, and at
the end of the time he was practical
ly victim of nervous prostration, be-
cause he could not get away from
himself.
An astrologer had foretoid that he
would die when he was 35. At the
time of the prophecy the man
laughed heartily, but as the year APP
preached he found shadow, walking
ever at his side. He tried to think
that it was due to Overwork and
worry about his business, and he de-
termined to go abroad for a rest.
Then something stayed the pur-
chase of tickets for the journey, and
he realized that it was fear-fear
that the steamship might go down.
He became afraid even to go on
railroad journey and doubled his life
insurance.
Finally he took several friends in
to his confidence, and seldom Travelled
the streets at night without one of
them in his company. He lodged
trolley cars and trucks like one who
thought all methods of traffic were
in league against his personal safety.
His friends ceased to jest with him
on the subject, and seriously aided
in what to him seemed a fight for
life
When at last old Father Time land
ed him safe across his thirty-sixth
birthday this perfectly sane and
thoroughly healthy man collapsed
from pure reaction and took the trip
abroad which he had feared for -
long months.
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