Year: 1879

One of the most celebrated practition-
erS of Pesth, Dr. K, was called upon
one morning to receive at an early hour
a visitor in great haste, who, while wait
inc in the ante-chamber, sent in word
by the footman that delay for him was
danger. He must be received lmme-
diately.


The Doctor threw on his dressing
Gown hastily and had his patient shown
in. He found himself in the presence OF
a man utterly unknown to him, but who,
to Judge by his dress and manners, eyi-
.dentlv belonged to the best society. His
pale face bore traces of great physical
and moral suffering. He carried his
right hand in sling, and in spite of his
efforts to restrain himself, from time to
time a stihed sigh escaped him. Seeing
the poor man stagger the Doctor invited
him to sit down.


Il am tired. | have not slept for a
week. There is something the matter
with my right hand--I do not know
what. Is it a carbuncleP Is it cancer?
At first the suffering was slight, but now
it is burning, horrible, continual pain,
increasing in intensity day by day. |
can bear it no longer. jumped into
nv carriage and here | am. | have
come to beg you to cauterize it, or to
cut out the painful part, for one more
hour of this dreadful torture would drive
me to perdition!n


The Doctor asked to see the hand,
which the patient put into his, gnashing
his teeth meanwhile from the intensity
of pain, while the physician proceeded
to undo the bandages with every posi-
BILE precautlon.


above all, Doctor, beg of you not
to attach any Importance to what you
will see. My complaint is so strange
that you will be surprised, but | beseech
of you to take no notice of it. )"


"Where is the painful spot? 1t is
surprising. see nothing"


"'Nor | either; and yet the pain there
is so dreadful that | feel tempted to
knock my head against the wall. :"


The Doctor took magnifying-glass,
examined, and shook his head. ,


1.-The skin is full of life. The blood
circulates very regularly. Underneath
there is neither inflammation nor can
Ger. 1t is as healthy as any other part OF
your body :.


"And yet it seems to me that 1t IS IS
rather more red there than elsewhere


WHEREOF
The stranger took pencil from his
pocket-book and traced on his hand
circle as large as a ten-cent bit, with the
remark, "Just here"


The Doctor looked. He began tC
think that his patient was crazy. " he,
main here he said. "In few days
will cure YOU. The Doctor saw to his
astonishment that his strange visitor
spoke seriously. He took off his coat
turned up his shirt-sleeves and took
bistourv in his left hand. A SecOnC
more and the steel would have made ;
deep incision in the flesh.


"Stop!n cried the Doctor, who wa
afraid that his patient through unskill
fulness might open some important vein
"Since you Judge the operation indis
pensable, so be it.


He took the bistoury, and holding il
his left hand the right hand of the pa
tient he begged him to turn away hi
head, some people not being able to bea
the sight of their own blood.


at is unnecessary! On the contrary
it is who will indicate how deep dow
you must cut"


In fact, he watched the operation t.
the end with the greatest possible com
posure, indicating how far it was to go
The open hand did not even tremble il
fha Dnn+Or'S hand and whom thp ltt1