"No, doctor; _I_ ought to know about that," she said. "Depend upon it, the disease is more deeply seated. I am sure he had better be bled. Won't you bleed him, doctor? A few ounces of blood taken from his arm may give life to the now stagnant circulation of the blood in his veins."
Thus urged, I, after some reflection, ordered a bowl and bandage, and opening a vein, from which the blood flowed freely, relieved him of about eight ounces of his circulating medium. But he still lay as insensible as before, much to the distress of his poor wife.
"Something else must be done, doctor," she urged, seeing that bleeding had accomplished nothing. "If my husband is not quickly relieved, he must die."
By this time, several friends and relatives, who had been sent for, arrived, and urged upon me the adoption of some more active means for restoring the sick man to consciousness. One proposed mustard plasters all over his body; another a blister on the head; another his immersion in hot water. I suggested that it might be well to use a stomach-pump.
"Perhaps he has taken some drug," I replied.
"Impossible, doctor," said the wife. "He has not been from home to-day, and there is no drug of any kind in the house."
"No brandy?" I ventured this suggestion again.
"No, doctor, no spirits of any kind, nor even wine, in the house," returned Mrs. H--, in an offended tone.
I was not the regular family physician, and had been called in to meet the alarming emergency, because my office happened to be nearest to the dwelling of Mr. H--. Feeling my position to be a difficult one, I suggested that the family physician had better be called.
"But the delay, doctor," urged the friends. "No harm will result from it, be assured," I replied.
But my words did not assure them. However, as I was firm in my resolution not to do any thing more for the patient until Dr. S-- came, they had to submit. I wished to make a call of importance in the neighbourhood, and proposed going, to be back by the time Dr. S-- arrived; but the friends of the sick man would not suffer me to leave the room.
When Dr. S-- came, we conversed aside for a few minutes, and I gave him my views of the case, and stated what I had done and why I had done it. We then proceeded to the bedside of our patient; there were still no signs of approaching consciousness.