The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1913-07-31
A Professional
Episode
Rv DONALD CHAMBERLlN

While the Spanish-American war
was being fought a very pretty gill
came into my consulting room-l am
an oculist-with very sad face ana
surprised me by asking me to take
ont one of her eyes. My first suppose
t,on was that it had been injured ana
she dreaded that it would affect the
sight of the other one. but upon study
ing her face for time saw 1ndica-
lions of an unbalanced mind. So
simply asked her for her reasons.
81 am engaged to a soldier boy now
in Cuba" she said, land he has writ
ten me that Spanish bullet took OUT
one of his eyes. He says that he Will
never permit me to sacrifice myself
for him. If have the same disfig-
urement he can't talk So"
It seemed likely that the girl had
brooded over her lovers misfortune
and the danger Of losing him till her
mind had become affected. But ola
not believe that her trouble was per-
manent. l tried to persuade her to 90
something to divert her mind from her
trouble, but finally, realizing the fulfil
fty of reasoning with one suffering
from mental depression and fearing
that she might do herself bodily in
jury. said to her:
Every WELL If by this day week
YOU still feel as you do come here at
o'clock in the afternoon and VIII
perform the operation"
Twas so busy during the next week
that I never once thought Of the girl
till on the afternoon 1 had appointed
she came in promptly at the hour
named. 1t seemed to me that the
shortest. the easiest and the safest
way to get rid of her would be to pre-
tend to do what she asked. So l told
her that If l took out her eye she
would have to wear bandage over IT
till the wound healed. otherwise she
would lose the sight Of her other eye
and become totally blind. l would nc!
operate without her promise not t" re
move the bandage herself or permit
any one else except me to do so. She
gave the required promise.
made the same preparations as If
I were about to perform a real opera
ton, putting on my rubber apron
making myself look like Il butcher
then called in an assistant, to whom
had explained what proposed to do
: and, placing the girl in an operating
chair, directed my assistant to apply
an anaesthetic AS soon as the pa
tent had lost consciousness / placed 6
pad over tiac eye in question and held
it In position by means Of bandages
To complete the deception / showed
her IN eye in spirits. She wished tt
Fey ,ne for the operation, but I tolG
! i..r, that being unprOfessional, would
. not take pay. Moreover, warned be-
to tell no one what had done, for ii
} she did would probably be eliminat
ed from my profession. She promised
, to confide only in me and went away.
/ The girl was to come to see me q
l my request once week since l wish
t ed to keep track of her and, IT sh'
recovered her mental balance, comics!
, to her that had not taken out he
eye. She came once, and l saw tina
2 her, condition was very much i'm
? proved Then for three weeks I saw
| nothing Of her. One morning youn,
r came into my Office, and l saw by hi
t lowering brow that he had come t.
I give me a piece Of his mind, If nothing
more.
| "What did you mean," he roared
| "by taking a good eye out Of wo
, mans head?"
I suspected, Of course, that he wa
the returned soldier boy lover Of tn
, girl had pretended to operate on, bu
contented myself for the present b,
+ asking him what he meant, whereupol
, he told me that, having returned from
the war in Cuba. his betrothed hat
told him that she had persuaded m,
, to make things equal between then
, by having one eye renewed. cane
, now" he said, I've come home with
out losing my eye after all, though i
will never be as good as the other one
The doctors told me they would hav'
: to take it out to save the other one
+ but they didn't: they saved it. In
l going to begin suit against you To-
) malpractice at once"
"What did the surgeons tell you they
> would have to take out your eye To-
J when they didn't do 1t, that you nigh
3 not be disappointed? How do 70,
l know but that the girl who loves 20,
has come out better than she ex
9 pected?"
"What do you mean?"
= els her mind affected?" l asked.
l Certainly not"
! 1 was pleased to hear this an(
/ straightway told the young man tina
r her mind had been affected and that
l had possibly saved her from ruinin,
f her eye by pretending to take it out
e he seized my hand joyfully and, no
/ contented with this, threw both hi,
3 arms about my neck.
: "Where is my patient?" 1 asked.
: "In the anteroom."
: Bring her in here, and I will Civ,
her a surprise. Don't disabuse he,
e Leave it to me-"
Q He went out and brought in the girl
D I saw at once that she had recovered
r her mental balance, and she looked n
r me reproachfully. l sat her down he
' fore mirror and proceeded leisurely
. to take off the bandage. then removed
e the pad.
q | To coo hor Pooo xzho,, ,t,.