Democratic Sentinel, Volume 22, Number 43, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 November 1898 — It Makes a Difference. [ARTICLE]

It Makes a Difference.

▲ New York surgeon, connected with one of the postgraduate medical schools of that city, was one day on the point of lancing a felon for one of Jhe students, a young Southern* physician. The patient paled at sight of-the knife. “It won’t hurt,” observed .the surgeon, with a sympathetic smile. ‘‘T sometimes think,” he added, “that it is Well for a surgeon to feel the point of the knife at least once in his life. “I saw my first hospital service in this city with Dr. 5.,” he went on, “and no better surgeon was there to be . found in America. He had a large dispensary clinic, and raely a day passed that one or more cases of felon did not appear. “ ‘lt won’t hurt’ was always his comforting assurance to the patient “The old doctor was very irritable if a patient made any outcry or bother over the lancing of a felon. ‘Put your finger down there,’ indicating the edge of the table, ‘and keep still? he commanded; and, truth to tell, patients, as a rule, made little fuss. “Time passed on, and in the mutations of life Dr. S. had a felon on his left forefinger, and it was a bad one. He poulticed it and fussed with it for about a week, and walked the floor with pain at night. At last it became unendurable, and he went to his assistant surgeon and said, nervously: “ ‘I say, doctor, will you take a look at my finger?’ “The assistant surgeon looked, and remarked, gravely, ‘That ought to have been lanced before.’ “ ‘Possibly—but ’ said Dr. S.; and then, with a long breath, ‘Perhaps you’d better lance it now.’ “ ‘Certainly,’ said the assistant surgeon. ‘Put your finger on the table.’ “Dr. S. complied, and with a face as white as paper watched the knife, ‘Be gentle,’ he cautioned; ‘that’s an awful sore finger!’ “ ‘lt won’t hurt,’ remarked the assistant surgeon, and the sharp steel descended. “There was a howl of agony from Dr. S., and with his finger in his other hand he danced about the room crying, ‘Oh! oh! oh!’ “ ‘Why,’ remarked the assistant surgeon. ‘I have heard you tell patients hundreds of times that it didn’t hurt to lance a felon.’ “ ‘No doubt, no doubt you have!’ groaned Dr. S. ‘But that depends on which end of the knife a man is at.’ ”