Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1916-08-23

whose face was then MISUNDERSTANDING
eyes closed, lips and parts OF his face
burned to the bone, teeth all exposed like
a grinning mask. whose hands were too
dreadrul Tor me to describe-talked with
Mrs. T. the other day, only 10 days after?
That the features of his face are not only
plainly distingutshab!e, but that the deep
wounds are filed up. the flesh fast calm
over with new white sN!l, that there re-
mains on his forehead but one place not
yet fully recovered, and that there will not
be, within another week. even a scar?
have had all his photos in my hand taken
by colored photography, a succession OF
photos from the time he entered until the
day of which l speak-in all. barely a
month. 1t is nothing short of a miracle.
Moreover. he told me with his own lips
that he had not suffered at all after they
began to treat him by this new method.
But l have seen for myself others who
were recovering or practically Well. nave
seen a succession of their photographs too
what they We're and what they nave be-
come-and 1 can tell you that his is no
unique case. by any means. There was
one who had been a violinist before the
war. and whose hands. swollen to the sizo
of small muffs. We're plainly visible-blis-
tered, purple, ~green-beneath the transpar-
ent waxy substance which covered them.
The surgeon made a small mark with his
instrument around each wrist and cut the
waxy covering. Then he turned 1t down
and began peeling 1t off like a glove, and
like a well-oiled glove it came off entire.
The man watched the process with ia
terest. "They promise me-" he said. In
answer to my questions. that I shall have
the use of my hands again. anu I believe
them. for they have already done such
wonderful things. If / had not expert
enced 1t myself, I could not believe that
such pain as / suffered could be stopped
L - Ia ~-l .- (---Y A --.Nl
not have believed that such hands could
have been made ever again to resemble
anything human had ! not seen the coll
ored plate of them 10 days later. Though
a trife larger than ordinary. they were
as white as yours or mine. with not ono
scar anywhere. The men was to leave the
hospital in Il day or two. He had been
there less than a month. We visited an
other man whose case had been exceed
ingly difficult. for the flesh of his nose
and lower part of his face had been quite
burned away. owe saw the colored pho
tographs). They had tried to graft on skin
at another hospital. and there he had been
for IA weeks, suffering ~dreadfully. making
hardly any progress. He told us this him
self. He had been in the hospital where
we were II days His nose was quite COW
cred again. His eyes were open. He could
talk. Above all, he suffered no pain. But
the surgeon told us privately that he
feared OlSIlSuFeHnenC, AS nc udQ uoS OeSI!
able to begin his treatment soon enough.
AS we started to leave the ward two men
came In with a stretcher. When they had
laid their patient down. the surgeon called
the ounge of the two to US. Gle was
not an orderly at the hospital. but had
been giving a helping HANDY. His hands
and face had been burned by the explosion
of a gun. We saw. as usual. a photo
graph. Had they not told me, l should
rot Hoy,1 0y .@N g. - ~ thai - th@ vD-~
before me. He had been brought here inn
mediately. He had been here Is days.
l could see no signs OF any burn.
though by looking closer 1 realized
that his hair and eyebrows and eye lashes
were newly growing out. The doctor asked
me to touch his cheek; it was as soft as
baby's.
You will have been asking all along.
What Is this wonderful thing? Why isn't
the name OF such a benefactor known
throughout the world?' But isn't It the
history OF all great inventions and dis
covcries? I suppose 1t is because the cure
Is so very simple. and because, too. tho
man has neither wealth nor influence be-
hind him. The simplicity of 1t is such that
even | could grasp the thing after a brief
explanation. The mixture is wax. par
ATTN and resin. 1t is heated to 10 degrees
c., when it becomes like water and of the
color of honey. Drawn off from the res
eryoir in which 1t is heated, it is ready for
use. If you dip your fingers into 1T at al
most 40 degrees, as l did. it has only a
comfortable warmth and dries at once
about your hand when you withdraw 1t,
incasing every little fold or crease with an
elastic covering through which you can
see. All air is kept out and there Is no
moisture; and, you know, air and moisture
are the greatest causes OF suffering to
burned people. If the flesh Is not too
frightfully sensitive, the wax Tor ambrine.
as the surgeon has named IT. can be paint
ed On with a brush. If 1t Is. the liquid Is
sprayed on with a small pump. The mem
Der is then wrapped in cotton and gauze
to keep the waxy covering from breaking.
or. as In the case of faces, with a mask
Of gauze only. In the beginning the wax
covering Is removed every II hours and a
new one is painted on. The removing of
the wax causes no pain. AS the days go
on the wax Is removed only once In "a
hours.
To my surprised inquiry If that were
really all that produced such marvellous,
such miraculous results. the surgeon re-
piled: .Mademoiselle. we do nothing. Ma
ture, left alone. does 1t all. 1t is as II We
covered the man as one covers a plant IN
Influences. and there the kin grows again
untouched. as a plant grows under the IN.
iuence of the sun. That Is all" But It
which has taken all his private income.
and which has quite evidently left Its
mark on a deeply scanned and premature
" old face. 1t seems so tragic that one
who has found out how to ease two Of the
most terrible tortures-frozen limbs and
burns-should nav received 30 little rec
ognition. so little help. One ought to cry
aloud his name from the hOusetops. He
deserves the recognition and the thanks
due a great benefactor of the human race.
But he doesn't ask it. He is the most