The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1919-01-15
NEVER STUDIED MEDICINE
Sergeant Accompanies Wonderful Re
cults In Treatment Of Patients suf.
feslno From Nervous Attic
tlons-says He IL Not
Hypnotist.

die west ana came over as q private.
He IL a sergeant now. His experiences
driving an ambulance iirst, and after
that In the front line and then in vari,
Gus camps In France until he was sent
to Z base hospital as a patient-would
all several diaries, IL he keeps such
things. which I doubt.
But there are a great many men In
that base hospital who W their re.
turning health to him after they had
been In bed for weeks, and even
months. Now, although they admit
that he II well again, they will not lei
him 80 from the hospital, because a
transfer II q long and tedious bust,
hess to bring about, and they need him
there to help out with the patients.
He was out Of bed only a day or 50
himself when he came acros two boys
one Of the wards who had been in
IT, hospital since April. They had been
she'll shocked, and In all those months
from April to September, they had
grown scarcely any better.
Asks Leave to Try.
Captain" Sergeant Van. said one
morning to the doctor in charge of the
ward. "do you mind IL I see what ]
can do for those men there? ! think
may be able to help them out a bit II
ron don't mind"
The captain looked at him interest.
eddy. II It had been any other man the
captain would have been Indifferent
perhaps. But Sergeant Van has a way
m(kh him.
~Oh. 60 ahead. Van" the captain
asrsed. DO anything you blame
please"
Next morning on his rounds the cap
min stopped beside the bed Of the first
o. the two men who had been shell
shocked.
~How's 1t coming this morning.
boysfs he asked,
"T-f-nne. sir" was the answer, a lit
tic ~unsteadily given, perhaps. but the
captain did not notice that. He sat
down on the bed and looked at the boy
In amusement. Those were the first
words he had spoken aloud since the
day he came to the hospital, uncon.
scious. I'VE months before.
At that moment Sergeant Van hove
into sight from the diet kitchen. He
had Z plate Of milk toast-a plate the
boy IN bed followed with an interested
case.
Bee pardon. sir" Sergeant Van
aid, saluting. "but / must ask you to
wait until my patient has had his
hreakfast before you talk with him."
The astonished captain allowed him.
self to be waved from the bed to the
nearest chair and watched in amaze.
mint the boy devour the toast. His
hands shook 90 from shell shock that
h. could scarcely manage 1t, but he
NO. propped up and fed himself, with
every appearance Of keen interest In
NJ food. The day before the boy had
MT been able to swallow anything but
liquid food. and he couldn't have held
~ spoon.
The captain beckoned Sergeant Van
- the end Of the ward.
ibid you do thatf' he demanded.
sYss. sir" admitted Sergeant Van.
sHow In blue blazes"-began the
captain and paused for lack Of words
@T1l show you II You like. sir"
Il would like" ordered the captain
Astenlshss the Doctors.
% Van showed him, though the doc.
tor couldn't quite make It out at that
just what Van did. He stroked theii
heads Z little and massaged their
throats 4 BIT, and all the time he
talked to them In the quietest voice In
the world. Ten minutes after he be
gan the boys asleep. naturally
without I tremor In the bodies that
had been nerve-wracked for weeks
The doctor looked at Sergeant Var
heIplessly and left shaking his head.
Two weeks later Sergeant Van held
: clinic before . major general Of the
medical corps and several majors and
stll more captains and lieutenants-
~ nm az reputation In America a.
oectosA Two OF his subjects were tn,
m over whom he worked that irs
motning. They came into the clinic
elear-eyed and straight and rudy a
athletes from the field.
1hey passed tests that the doctor
eo116nft pass themselves.
olneo then the shell shock cases hav
49, ID Vans hands. The doctor
oAako thelr heads and wonder.
= ~ camp and the hospital the
Ell HIN To 'hypnotist."
s1t iGnft that I hypnotized them q
el1sr - WIN tell you, II inst tell ther
&hat ~ are bigger than their nerve!
ma that they can control them Il the
feoIly want TO. And I show them how
~ no1leve It because I tell them
- nj than. you zee, they I well.
ut ne doctors continue to wonde
- ~ that Van has discovered th
- fsally U~upooG1eul treatment g
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