Democratic Sentinel, Volume 9, Number 23, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 July 1885 — A SINGULAR BOOK. [ARTICLE]

A SINGULAR BOOK.

Scintillating with Sarcasm and Brilliant with Truth. [New York Cor. American Rural Home.] Chap. I. “Has Malaria-,’’ goes to Florida. Chap. JI. “Overworked;” goes to Europe. Chap. JU. “Has Rheumatism;** goes to Ems. Chap. IV. Has a row with his doctor!

The above chapters, Mr. Editor, I find in a book recently published by an annoymous author. I have read a deal of sarcasm in my day, but I never read anything equal to the sarcasm herein contained. I suspect the experience portrayed is a personal one; in short, the author intimates as much on page 31. Let me give you a synopsis: “Malaria,” as it states, is the cloak with which superficial physicians cover up a multitude of ill feelings which they do not understand, and do not much care to investigate. It is also a cover for such diseases as they cannot cure. When they advise their patient to travel or that he has overworked, and needs rest, and is probably suffering from malaria, it is a confession of ignorance or of inability. The patient goes abroad. The change is a tonic, and for a time he feels better. Comes home. Fickle appetite, frequent headaches, severe colds, cramps, sleeplessness, irritability, tired feelings, and general unfitness lor business are succeeded in due time by alarming attacks of rheumatism which flits about his body regardless of all human feelings. It is muscular—in his back. Articular—in his joints. Inflammatory, my! how he fears it will fly to his heart! Now off he goes to the springs. The doctor sends him there, of course, to get well; at the same time he dees not really want him to die on his hands! That would hurt his business!

Better lor a few days. Returns. After a while neuralgia transfixes him. He bloats; cannot breathe; has pneumonia; cannot walk; canngt sleep on his leftside; is fretful; very nervous and irritableis pale and flabby; has frequent chills and fevers; everything about him seems to go wrong; becomes suspicious; musters up strength and demands to know what is killing him! “Great heavens!” he cries, “why have you kept me so long in ignorance?” “Because,” said the doctor, “I read your fate five years ago. I thought best to keep you comfortable and Ignorant of the facts.” He dismisses his doctor, but too late! His fortune has all gone to fees. But him, what becomes of him? The other day a well-known Wall Street banker said to me, “It is really astonishing how general Bright’s disease is becoming. Two of my personal friends are now dying of it. But it is- not incurable, lam certain, for my nephew was recently cured when his physicians said recovery was imposssible. The case seems to me to be a wonderful one.” This gentleman formerly represented his government in a foreign country. He knows, appreciates, and declares the value of that preparation, because his nephew, who is a son of Banish Vice Consul Schmidt, was pronounced Incurable when the Remedy, Warner’s safe cure, was begun. “Yes,” said his father, “1 was very skeptical, but since taking that remedy the boy is well.’.’ I regret to note that ex-President Arthur is said to be a victim of this terrible disease. He ought to live, but the probabilities are that since authorized remedies can not cure him, his physicians will not advise him to save his life, as so many thousands have done, by the use of Warner’s safe cure, which Gen. Christiansen, at Drexel, Morgan & Co.’s, told mehe regarded “as a wonderful remedy.” Well, I suspect the hero of the book cured himself by the same means. The internal evidence points very strongly to this conclusion.

I cannot close my notice of this book better than by quoting his advice to his readers: “If, my friend, you have such an experience as I have portrayed, do not put your trust In physicians to the exclusion of other remedial agencies. They have no monopoly over disease, and 1 personally know that many of them are so very ‘conscientious’ that they would far prefer that their patients should go to heaven direct from their powerless hands than that they should be saved to earth by the use of any ‘unauthorized’ means.” And that the author’s condemnation is too true, how many thousands duped, and yet rescued, as he was, can personally testify?