The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-04-18
White Doctor in Tibet Saved
Mans Life.
Parents Walked 100 Miles to
Pay Doctor.
BUTTER AND SIX EGGS
This Constituted Part Pay for
Operation.
Practicing Medicine 1000 Miles
From Civilization.

Hutchinson, Kan, April 1S-IWelve
hundred miles from civilization IN tle'
midst of a suspicious people, VINO on llle
least pretext would not hesitate 10
cruelty slay white man, "; -. "a. -
Shelton. who is visiting in Hutchinson
a guest at the home of Rev ana MIS-
o. L. Cook, had a most thrilling expert
ence as a surgeon at Batang' IlDeI
zone day, when had been in Ilpet
but a short time, a man came runhllS
to my dispensary with an oftlclars s, US
iting card in his hand,'' said Dr. Shel-
ton.
He stuck it up in front of my nose
and said The fu' (the mayor or rather
of the people,, wants to see you rlg,n
away 1 told him all right, would oe
up as soon as 1 could get through WIN
the patients I had. L hurried through
and went up to the fu's office.
1.-THE fu met me, we shook hands IN
each others faces, inquired about each
others families for awhile, and as soon
as I could, without offense, L SAID TO
him:
"'You sent for me this morning. Is
there anything I can do for your
YES he said, "a man has got his
head cut by a rock sliding down the
HILL
IT told him all right, would be glad
to fix it up for him. Where Is the
man?s 1 asked. He said, He is down
here in another part of he town. L Will
send a man to take you to him.
IT went back to the dispensary ana
got soap and water, towels, a neeole
and thread and scissors, and anything
else / would need to take care OF an
ordinary scalp wound, and went on
down to where the man was. The
houses in that country are built two
stories high; the lower story is used for
the stable, where the horses and sheep
and cattle are kept; the people live up
stairs. They hadn't thought 1t worth
while to carry the man upstairs, but
had Just left him lying on the straw and
manure in the stable.
Instead of an ordinary scalp wound
] found him with the whole side OF his
head mashed in, and his brains oozing
out. I hadn't counted on anything like
that. / went back to the fu and said:
Look here, can't do anything for that
man. That man is going to die He
said, Can't you do anything for him at
ALP I said, Yes, I can operate on him,
and he will have, perhaps, one chance
in ten of getting well; but don't want
to do it We had only been there
few days, and it would look bad for me
to operate on this man and have him
die on my hands. l wanted the first
case to come out all right. This man
was practically a corpse to begin with.
But the fu kept on asking me if L
wouldn't give the man chance, and,
while it just made me sick to think OF
it, 1 said would.
Il got my instruments, sterilized
them, and went back to the man to do
the best could. had him carried up
stairs to a little room, pulled off a door
for the operating table, and stretched
a. sheet overhead to keep the filth and
vermin from dropping down on him.
Then I washed him. shaved his head.
and did everything I possibly could to
get him in shape.
''Then 1 operated on him, taking out
about four square inches of skull.
washed out the wound, and put the
scalp back in place.
When I got through the fellows
heart was just barely beating. I didn't
dare give him any more heart stinu-
lent was in despair. The sweat was
dropping off my face. I just gave up.
1t was absolutely hopeless. But just
then the Lord seemed to say to me,
You have done all you could, I'll take
care of the case now The man got
Well without a fever. 1t didn't hurt
him any more than any ordinary cut
About three weeks after this l was
going from the dispensary to dinner I
met an old man and woman. When
they got within twenty yards of me
they fell on their knees in the road. I
said: What's the matter? Get up
from there. We don't allow men to get
down on their knees to US 1 finally
got the old man up, and he began to