Show kaaa CURIOUS C M a CASES CAS E DOCTO DIARY 74 E narratives ot of certain peculiar episodes in he the practice by Y L T 1 MEADE I E A D E and nd of 0 a famous physician DOCTOR 0 r to R CL CLIFFORD r F R D surgeon I 1 HALIFAX fa L IF A W in IN THE TOILS S a Q a cop i t 1909 by W G chapman con T WAS due to the imperious whim ot of mr cornelius hav land the western s soap 0 a p mill onalee that I 1 took a hur ried trip across the atlantic tor for the pur pose of holding a consult consultation atron with mith a celebrated english specialist I 1 had treated havland for a certain all nent pent la in new nem york and when he found himself undergoing a second at tack in london nothing would s lit itt bim turn but that I 1 should come to the british capital and confer with sir frederick tremaine the great harley street surgeon as to his condition millionaires are accustomed ace to pay lea heavy leay y prices for ther her fancies and the tee fee havland offered for my services ser vicea was sufficiently largel ito ovel coli e any tiny objections I 1 might have had to the proposed journey it etwas mas my first visit to london and I 1 did not intend to make it a very long one as the demands of my practice necessitated an early return to new york I 1 arrived at my destination bu a saturday saw sir fredericka kf tre malize and examined the patient and made arrangements to sail tor for homp home on the following wednesday A stran ger in a b g city Is apt to find ill the lime time hanging heavily on his hands despite the novelty of his surround ings and baving nothing better eo 5 ui do on monday night I 1 resolved to go 90 to a theater hailing a hansom I 1 or dered the driver to take me to the criterion I 1 was in evening dress dres and wore more a valuable diamond ring a gift from a patient path nt on my finger the 7 be play to be rather te resting and I 1 was beginning to re gret having coat when my attention was arrested by the late arrival of a couple who seated themselves in the chairs next to my own oa n one of them mas as ti 0 man of striking appearance the otier oil er a young and veri very lovely girl the man was old he ile had silvery white hair dark eyes a dark corn com i and a clean shaven face he has mas a tall man with broad shoulders and his companion was slender and willowy with a q antiey 0 soft blonde hair and violet eyes I 1 felt sure that they were father and daugh ter and judging by their actions ae attached to each other the girl dropped her fan and as a matter of course I 1 stooped to pick it up in so doing my hand accidentally touched hers and I 1 encountered the full gaze of her charming eyes I 1 was careful not to appear to watch her but as 1 I turned to look at a distant part of the audience I 1 was startled by the fixed gaze of the man who pat beside her ills closely set dark ees were mere fixed on me and there was mas a sinister expression in the thin lines of his lips the moment I 1 blanci at him he turned away I 1 felt a sudden adden sense of repulsion I 1 have had some thing of the same feeling when I 1 looked fill into the eyes of a snake the curtain rose and the play went ment 0 on n about the middle of ill the ait at ai t the man bent over and whispered some thing to his companion he hand trembled she looked at him acx 0 is ly and said something which I 1 cou d sot not catch I 1 shall be better outside I 1 heard him whisper in response don t be uneasy come back as soon as am rose his may to the nearest exit 4 f Is he 1117 I 1 muttered to myself T as I 1 watched matched hia his retreating figure he does not look it how anxious that poor girl is her hand is trem tiling bling even now the minutes went ment on but the old gentleman did not return I 1 was care e ful not to appear to watch the girl but once her eyes met mine and the unspeakable abb anxiety in them forced me involuntarily to bend forward and made my first remark to her can I 1 do anything for youa I 1 whispered are you anxious about your companion 7 oh thank you she replied with a song long drawn sigh the gentleman gent lemin t is my father I 1 am afraid that he Is very ver ill s would you I 1 ke me to go and see why he has not 7 9 I 1 asked it if you would be so kind she an eagerly I 1 rose went out into the lobby and put some questions to one ot of the at tend ants I 1 think I 1 know the gentleman yo i ii ean replied the man but I 1 do not think he Is ill about halt half an hour I 1 ago a man answering exactly to your description came out of the theater and lighted a cigar I 1 lost s of P him immediately afterward but I 1 fan f cy he went out I 1 returned to give this information to the girl but to my surprise it did not seem to comfort her he surely must be ill she said he lie would not leave me alone if he not I 1 noticed that an am attack sag oming on he Is subject to seizures of a dangerous fatme they are 0 of the native of fits and very dangerous it seems hardly likely that he would haie gone I 1 ome without send ing you word I 1 le marked and if he has gone home a one he will nat aurally send at once for his doctor she shook her head ily 1 father w 11 never seg see a docton she replied he hates the med nied cal profession and las as such a prejudice against all do doc C tors that he would lather tather die than consult one that is a p ty I 1 said scowl but sl e scarcely seemed to I 1 ear me I 1 am anz his only child ac no oil e ef le ie lations here she exclaimed sud denly I 1 must go out I 1 cannot wait foi fol the end of the play she rose as she spoke and I 1 followed her once outside I 1 fac faced edher her and tried to soothe her anxiety lou ou are unnecessarily alarmed I 1 said I 1 assure you ou that I 1 speak with I 1 knowledge as I 1 am a member ot the medical profession myself A man aa as til ill as you suppose your father to b be would not stop to light a cigar I 1 had a goodboo oo k at your father and h did not appear ap pearrill A medical man can detect tokens of illness bedfor anyone else nevertheless she replayed ampa I 1 feel sure that you are mis taken my father would mould not leave in u alone unless he was mas compelled to do 0 o I 1 must go home he may be dead by this time we have a private han ban sorn which was to call for us will coq outcome come with me and see if it has arri arrived ved 7 I 1 complied with her request and we found the hansom waiting malting jut abt round the corner I 1 helped the young lady in she was trembling and her face was w as very pale would you like me to see you hornsb I 1 asked oh if you would mould be so kind she exclaimed and did you not say that you are a medical man mana if my father is ill it might be possible for you to prescribe tor for him but you said he has no faith in doctors I 1 queried he ile has not but when he gets these strange terrible seizures he Is often unconscious for a long time oh ob do please see me home dr halifax I 1 interposed thank you so much my name Is whitby leonora whitby I 1 will come with you with pleas ure tire I 1 answered I 1 stepped into the ban hall om as I 1 spoke what address am I 1 to give to the driver drivers I 1 asked miss whitby T tell ell him to go back she answered quickly goback I 1 shouted to the man he slapped down do the little win low jow and we started at a brisk pace it was not until long afterward that I 1 remembered that I 1 was going anav i ib th a strange girl to 0 o a place I 1 1 knew nothing about the address even of 0 which was me 5 MISS d d not speak for sev eral minutes at last she said tim idly do you now that you are ille first doctor who has ever come to our house I 1 almost wish that I 1 had not asked yo i why so do you think that your slither will resent my visit crino no she repulsed hastily it Is only that well you are corn com ing and I 1 shall never cease to be grateful tor for your kindness to a per feet stranger well I 1 responded I 1 of course know nothing about you but you will answer one pardonable ques question lion where inhere are we goings I 1 am an amer lean ican and a stranger in london what Is your address 7 we are going west she replied quickly then before I 1 could inter rupt bupt her she dished her tan fan the window take th short cut andrews she called to the arher don t go around we are in a great hurry burry yes mibs he shouted back to her we were driving down a fairly broad thoroughfare at the time but now he turned abruptly and entered the slums I 1 had ever seen shouting children drunken men aril women filled the streets was it pos sible that this beautiful refined g rl lived in so repulsive a neighborhood 9 but no it was only as she ei ex pressel presse I 1 it a short cut the horse was a fleet one and we soon found ourselves I 1 in a lonely and deserted square we pulled up at a house which I 1 ad not a light showing anywhere I 1 got out first and helped miss whitby to de from the hansom will you kindly inquire it if your fa faa ther has returned 9 I 1 asked her it if he has not there does not seem to bd be much use in my coming in oh come in in any case for a moment she answered I 1 can see that all the servants have gone to bed so I 1 must let myself in with this latchkey latch key but bat I 1 shall find out in a sec see ond end if father I 1 as returned jut come in and waft wait in the hall antu I 1 find out she h hastened away amay and I 1 stood alone in the dark hall the darkness was so so intense that one could almost imagine it clung like a shroud I 1 heard a faint sound beneath me where did it come froma did the servants who kept such early hours sleep in the 7 9 I 1 was beginning to feel uneasy when allen a glimmer of light appeared and I 1 heard the soft swish of miss whitby a dress she apologized for having kept me waiting in the dark so long but stated that she had stopped to ascertain if it her father had returned it appeared that he had done so and mas w as now in his bedr bedroom requesting eting me to fol low her she led the way upstairs on the alist landing e entered a sitting room which was mas gayly lighted with a couple of lamps covered with soft gold shades and on the center table of which a a kealm meal was as spread sit down doctor said sald miss whit by you must have some refresh ment I 1 don t care for anything thanks I 1 responded if your father Is ill I 1 should like to see him have you told him that I 1 ana am here 0 io NO did I 1 not tell ou how he hated doctors 9 Then perhaps he hg is not ill enough to need one I 1 said in that case I 1 will wish you goodnight good night don t be angov said the girl r tully fully I 1 want you to see him of course but we must manage it carefully look here I 1 said repol resolutely I 1 have come here for the express pur par A I 1 it I 1 mt A I 1 eia T 45 a y clead pose of seeing a sick man it if you do not take me to him at once I 1 must leave you miss sighed my position is a painful one dr halifax she said but I 1 feel that I 1 can trust you I 1 was right about my father he has jut gone through one of those strange seizures I 1 hoped that we should have returned fiola the the atei ahei in time to see him in the ancon selous stage but he has recovered his senses anses and I 1 am rather anxious about the effect of your presence in ill the loom zoom what do you advise me to doa the best thing to do Is this I 1 re illel take me to your fathers boora and introduce me we as dr halifax the chai ces are ten to one that when he sees a real doctor his prejudices against the imaginary ones will mill melt am away ay all right said aiss whitby we will risk it and go 0 ui ul stairs at once please follow me 1 vt hen we entered he room was in darkness and the t f b e flicker of the candle did not impi e matters much the girl laid it dow a e on the table and wall ed directly up to the bed A man was lying there stretched out flat lie was in evening dress and J recognized him at once as miss whit bys by s companion at the theater his ills eyes were shut and his face of a clear cold pallor he did not move when I 1 approached and bent over hi lit a father exclaimed miss whitby but there was br lr reply he Is unfong lous fous again he is worse said the th girl in trembling ac cents 41 aft don mon t be nervous thre Is nothing to be alarmed about I 1 returned I 1 bald said this confidently for I 1 had ta ken hold of raj mi patient patients s wrist and found that the pulse was full and steady I 1 bent closer over the man and it instantly lust antly flashed through my mind that lal ahle unconscious condition wis mas only feigned I 1 remembered the sinister expression of hia ilia eyes as he i left the theater and my conviction at the time that he be was not ill I 1 put his hand back on the bedana ing miss whitby to bring the can die near deliberately lifted first one eyelid and then the other if the man were feigning asness be he did it well the eyes had a glassy fixed appearance but bu when I 1 passed th candle backal backward and forward across the pupils pupils they acted natural naturally lv rals rats ing an eyelid I 1 pressed the tip lip of one finger on the eyeball lie flinched then it wasi wasY enough there Is no immediate clause for anxiety I 1 said aloud I 1 will pre pare a medicine for your jabber fakher have y you anyone who will go to the nearest druggist druggists sa 9 the servants have all retired she said but I 1 will awaken one ot of them she left the room closing the door be hind her the moment she had done so the patient moved opened hl and sat up he looked earnestly at me may 1 I 1 ask our ame 11 he in quiren dr halifax tax I 1 have been asked by your daughter to prescribe tor for ou did she tell you that I 1 place no faith in your profession 9 he asked she did and that being the case now that you are better I 1 will leave you no 0 o don t go yet As you are here I 1 shall shah put pu you to the test lest you shall prescribe tor for me willingly I 1 replied and now as it Js Is feces ne cesry ary for a doctor and his hi patient to understand each other I 1 may as well tell you that the moment I 1 saw you I 1 knew that you were not really unconscious you are right I 1 was perfectly conscious N hy by did you feign to be other wise I 1 asked for leonora s sake and my god I 1 cannot stand this any longer he ile started upright then fell back with ith a groan lock the door he said don t let her in I 1 am in frightful agony I 1 but suf fer ter from angina pectoris ls leonora knows nothing of this I 1 conceal it from her I 1 let her imagine that I 1 am liable to a species of epileptic fits this v lie ile torment visits me often of ten now that you have come give me some thing quickly to relieve me I 1 must first procure what Is nepes sary at the nearest druggist druggists s I 1 re piled plied it you prefer it I 1 will go my self to fetch what Is required no no mo stay not in this room but downstairs leonora will take your message I 1 hear her at the door now let her in but do not betray my ray sec see et I 1 will let her in in a moment I 1 said but I 1 must tell you that I 1 think you are making a mistake in not let ting her know the truth sooner or later she must find it out this di diase ase will kill me in the i A end wl I 1 it not nota inquired whitby it Is a merlou malady I 1 replied but it would be impossible for me tc to say more until I 1 have made a thor 0 sh gh examination in the meantime a dose dole pf will give you relief ghere was a knock at the door and whitby spoke eagerly remember he said my daughter must not know the truth as yet I 1 nodded assent aro 1 unlocked the door to admit miss whitby your father is better and has re covered his senses senes I 1 said in re to her anxious inquiry he jig wishes to be alone and quiet dark nesa ness will be good for him we will take candle and go downstairs together we descended to the bit sit tin ting groom room and hading been furnished with pen ink and paper I 1 proceeded to write a prescription presently I 1 heard heavy footsteps approaching and si saw through |