Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1910-01-20
POPULAR PALACES.
Some Old Fashioned Notions
That Still Obtain Credence.
THE CYCLE OF THREE IDEA.
A Drowning Man May Sink Not Only
Thrice, but Dozen Times, and Still
Be Rescued-Congestive ChiIIs and

the Merging of Diseases-Law Points.
Three physicians were standing in
a downtown drug store the other day
when one, who had been looking at
an evening paper, exclaimed: Great
| Caesar, here it is again! | see it in
! the papers at least twice month"
whats that?" asked one of the 9TH
) erS.
It's that popular fallacy about Il
drowning man sinking for the third
time. Here it says, just as he was
| sinking for the third time he was saved
| by the timely arrival etc. The next
time l see this third time business it
probably will read, He sank for the
third time before aid could be had and
was drowned
"Why will people get that fool idea
that sinking for the third time must
needs be fatal to a drowning man?
Why, bless you, saw a man sink a
half dozen times before he was res
| cued alive. An uncle of mine, wit
nesses said, never sank but once, and
he was drowned The number of times
a man sinks has nothing to do with
his drowning He may sink but once,
| and he may go beneath the water any
| number Of times. 1t all depends upon
| the person who is drowning, his phys
zeal condition and how quickly the
lungs fill with water"
THAT cycle of three" suggested an
other of the doctors, lis carried along
by those who insist that Il person dies
in his third suggestive chill But this
is not true. The same rule holds good
in cOngestive chilIs as in the case of
the drowning man. A person may die
in the first or he may have a dozen
and still live. The rule of three does
| not obtain there either"
The first physician, with great dis
dain, then told how many ignorant
persons would swear that IF We git
tn malary an it runs into typhoid
fever an it runs into newmony it's
shore death"
There's that same old rule of three
again." he continued almost angrily.
First and foremost, one disease does
not run into another. There's no such
as many believe. If one has malaria
he has. that and that alone. The same
thing is true of typhoid fever and
pneumonia. Each one is a separate
and distinct trouble, and a doctor with
any sense should be able to diagnose
his malady from symptoms which are
always present in each and entirely
different"
From popular fallacies in regard to
medicine the conversation drifted to
falIacies regarding the law. A lawyer
present was called upon to explain
first one thing and another, when one
of the bystanders said:
81 made bet the other day that a
person had no right to touch a dead
body until the coroner arrived, and l
Won"
''WhO decided the question for you?"
asked the lawyer smiIingly.
We'll" said the man sheepishly, cit
was q bartender, but he's an educated
fellow and is a good judge of the law"
''YOu speak of the law as if it were
something to be judged like cattle at
a fat stock show" replied the attorney.
There is no law on any statute book
in any state in the United States which
says one may not touch a body before
the arrival of the coroner.
"In case Of murder the old English
common law used to require that the
body of the murdered one be left just
as it lay until viewed by one in author
ity.
THAT was done, it can plainly be
seen, for the purpose of preserving the
surroundings intact so that whatever
evidence might be there would not be
disturbed. In case of q murder today,
especially if any mystery were con-
nected with it, common sense would
teach q person to leave everything in
tact, not alone for the coroner, but for
the police officials as well. But should
the body of a murdered man be moved
there is no law covering it unless it
could be proved that the person who
moved the body did it with the inten-
ton to destroy evidence. In cases of
suicide or death by accident there
could be no objection to moving the
body anywhere in the city if done with
humane or some other proper motive"
"I'll tell you what is the law" said
a stoop shouldered, long armed man
who had been listening long enough
to get the gist of the discussion. "1f
fellow sees a murder through a pane
Of glass he can't be a witness in the
case"
ooh. piff1er' exclaimed the attorney.
I'm going to lunch. That's the limit.
1 was waiting for some zap to spring
that. If that was the case and muir
der should be committed in this room
half a dozen of US could not be com
petent witnesses, if your statement is
true, because we are wearing glasses.
Glass is glass whether in a window or
On the nose. There is no such law as
that. That's foolish"
II heard my grandfather say that"
insisted the long armed man, land ne
knov'd law too"
Yes" retOrted the eX2sperated at
torney, "and he no doubt gave it out
as law that man could stand with his
back against his own house and Kill
anv one who came within a certain
distance Of him. But he would hang
for it unless he had mighty good de-
Tense. All Of those things are what
we call chimney corner law but they
won't hold in court."-Kansas City
Journal
D. 81