Democratic Sentinel, Volume 19, Number 46, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 November 1895 — DANGEROUS TIP. [ARTICLE]

DANGEROUS TIP.

it Nearly Cost a Limb, and Perhaps a Life. There is a hospital superintendent in New York to-day who, when he was a hospital clerk, advised an applicant to lie about tiie history of his case, and so got him admitted. When he thinks of his kindness and what followed it he shudders at the recollection. The wouid-be patient was suffering from a tubercular knee. He had been disabled for three years. The clerk knew that a case of three years’ standing would be denied admission. He pitied the sufferer. “They won’texamine youat first,” he said. “Tell them your knee was all right until a few days ago. Then they’ll accept you. Once in you’ll be all right. ” The patient followed this advice and was admitted. But he didn’t stop at that. When the surgeons examined his knee he astonished them by saying it had been well until a few days before. They thought it strange and cross-examined him. He was firm. That made all the difference in the world. Had he told them that the limb had been affected for three years, they would have treated it in the ordinary way.

But heroic measures were necessary if -what he told them was true, for then it seemed that the case was one of cancerous growth and that amputation at the hip joint was necessary, The operation is often fatal. The patient heard with firmness their decision to amputate. The date for the amputation was set. On the day before it was to be performed the kind-hearted clerk went into the ward to ask how the patient was getting along. “My operation is set down for tomorrow, ” the man said. “Operation !” said the clerk in surprise, “what kind of an operation?” “Amputation at the hip. I may live through it. It’s better to have it over anyway.” “Goodness, man!’’ exclaimed the clerk, “you don’t mean to tell me you stuck to that story about your leg only having been affected for a few days? Yov told them the truth after you found you had befen admitted?” “No, I didn’t,” he of the bad limb responded. “They’ve questioned me several times, but I’ve stuck to my first story like a brick.’ ’ The clerk ran to the house surgeon in mad haste and confessed that he had “inspired’’ the false history of the case. There was a consultation of surgeons. The operation has not taken place yet. Better still, the patient walks on two good legs to-day. The clerk is superintendent. But when he thinks of what would have happened if he had postponed for a day his friendly call upon the man with the bad leg, he shudders.