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Story
November 25, 1870
The Pulaski Citizen
Pulaski, Giles County, Tennessee
What is this article about?
A doctor tricks a malingering soldier, who faked a leg contraction from rheumatism, by threatening cauterization with hot irons. The soldier flees on straight legs, cured of his pretense, and returns to duty.
Clipping
OCR Quality
95%
Excellent
Full Text
41
A Skulking Soldier Cured,
I remember the apparent painful condition of a soldier whose right leg was drawn up at an angle from the knee--the result of rheumatism, he insisted. He was known to be a skulker, and several surgeons had examined the limb and found no appearance of contraction of the muscles; but all their efforts to pull it into shape were useless. Some of them becoming convinced by the stubbornness of the member, insisted that it could not be fixed, and advised the man's discharge.
Dr. H. however, had seen much of the same difficulty in hospitals, and put in practice a mode of treatment which he had successfully tried in several cases. The man, by his direction, was brought over to the division hospital and confronted by the surgeon and two assistants with their sleeves rolled up.
"I understand perfectly well the nature of your difficulty, my man," said the doctor. "It is a species of sciatica, and I can cure it by cauterization."
"What's that?" the victim asked, in distrustful wonder.
"Cauterization! Oh, that's merely burning a blister from the hip to the heel with a white-hot iron. It's sure to cure. Get on that table."
"I don't want to," the shirk stammered, his face turning whiter than the doctor's irons and his teeth clattering. "You shan't do it; it won't do me a bit of good."
"Mount that table, or I'll have you tied to it," was the stern command; and the poor wretch obeyed with groans, not yet quite certain that this extreme measure was really to be resorted to.
"Strip that leg! Steward, bring in those irons!"
They came hissing hot from the fire, and the miserable creature on the table shrieked: "Doctor! you ain't a going to burn me with those things, be you?"
"I am that--from hip to heel," replied the doctor, cooly, taking one of the ugly instruments in his hand and approaching the table.
"You shan't do it! Let go! my leg's well, I tell you!" the man screamed; and tearing away from those who held him, he jumped nimbly to the floor and ran out of the hospital with two as straight legs as there were in the whole army. He returned to duty the next day, and was effectually cured of his malingering propensities.--Lippincott's Magazine.
A Skulking Soldier Cured,
I remember the apparent painful condition of a soldier whose right leg was drawn up at an angle from the knee--the result of rheumatism, he insisted. He was known to be a skulker, and several surgeons had examined the limb and found no appearance of contraction of the muscles; but all their efforts to pull it into shape were useless. Some of them becoming convinced by the stubbornness of the member, insisted that it could not be fixed, and advised the man's discharge.
Dr. H. however, had seen much of the same difficulty in hospitals, and put in practice a mode of treatment which he had successfully tried in several cases. The man, by his direction, was brought over to the division hospital and confronted by the surgeon and two assistants with their sleeves rolled up.
"I understand perfectly well the nature of your difficulty, my man," said the doctor. "It is a species of sciatica, and I can cure it by cauterization."
"What's that?" the victim asked, in distrustful wonder.
"Cauterization! Oh, that's merely burning a blister from the hip to the heel with a white-hot iron. It's sure to cure. Get on that table."
"I don't want to," the shirk stammered, his face turning whiter than the doctor's irons and his teeth clattering. "You shan't do it; it won't do me a bit of good."
"Mount that table, or I'll have you tied to it," was the stern command; and the poor wretch obeyed with groans, not yet quite certain that this extreme measure was really to be resorted to.
"Strip that leg! Steward, bring in those irons!"
They came hissing hot from the fire, and the miserable creature on the table shrieked: "Doctor! you ain't a going to burn me with those things, be you?"
"I am that--from hip to heel," replied the doctor, cooly, taking one of the ugly instruments in his hand and approaching the table.
"You shan't do it! Let go! my leg's well, I tell you!" the man screamed; and tearing away from those who held him, he jumped nimbly to the floor and ran out of the hospital with two as straight legs as there were in the whole army. He returned to duty the next day, and was effectually cured of his malingering propensities.--Lippincott's Magazine.
What sub-type of article is it?
Deception Fraud
Medical Curiosity
Curiosity
What themes does it cover?
Deception
Justice
Triumph
What keywords are associated?
Malingering Soldier
Fake Rheumatism
Cauterization Threat
Army Hospital
Medical Trick
What entities or persons were involved?
Soldier
Dr. H.
Where did it happen?
Division Hospital
Story Details
Key Persons
Soldier
Dr. H.
Location
Division Hospital
Story Details
A soldier fakes leg contraction from rheumatism to avoid duty. Dr. H. threatens cauterization with hot irons, causing the man to reveal his leg is fine by fleeing on straight legs and returning to duty.