Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1910-02-04
Observation-Disclosures
Some Old ashioned n Notions
That Still Obtain Credence.
THE CYCLE OF THREE IDEA.

- "a; !. ;:l -. !.
A Drowning Man May Sink Not Only
- Thrice, but . Dozen Times, and Still
: ee Rescued consestive chills and
tho Merging, Of Diseasss-law Points.
Three physicians were standing in
a downtown drug store the other day
when one. who had been looking at
an evenir'; paper, exclaimed: "Great
: Caesar. here it is again! i see it in
the papers at least twice~a month"
"What's that?" asked one of the 9th.
ers.
"1t's that popular fallacy about a
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 drowning man?
Why. bless you, saw 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
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
ical 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 person dies
In his third suggestive chill. But this
is not true. The same rule holds good
iii congestive chills 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 1T We cit
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
thing as collision between diseases,
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 separate
and distinct trouble, and 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
fallacies regarding the law. A lawyer
present was called upon to explain
first one thing and another. when one
Of the bystanders said:
II made bet the other day that q
person had NO right to touch a dead
body until the coroner arrived, and
won."
''Who decided the question for you"
asked the lawyer smilingly.
'Well," said the man sheepishly, ct
was bartender, but he's an educated
fellow and is 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 body before
the arrival Of the coroner:
I'm 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 a murder today.
especially if any mystery were con-
nected with it, common sense would
teach person to leave everything in
tact, not alone for the coroner. but for
the police officials as we'll. But should
the body of murdered man be moved
there is no law covering it unless 1t
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. III a
fellow sees a murder through a pane
Of glass he can't be witness in the
case"
ooh, pif1lev' exclaimed the attorney.
'1'm going to lunch. That's the limit.
/ 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 window or
on the nose. There is no such law as