Show or gt 5 I 1 szn g t 4 i t A c Z t e t r 0 i 2 loaf IL j U 1 aft 4 P THE PARCHMENT NT TOX TOE T was before m day of ap apeci that I 1 began al study of m med k i kl trying to p I 1 mys myself elf in e V branch of the healing art to that end I 1 served as in terne in a new I 1 york hospital and spent a year as aa as distant P physician in an insane asylum before going abroad for study in ger baay on my return to new york I 1 soon built up a fine practice which repaid ne me tor for all my work of preparation A physician has necessarily all aorta of people among his patients but it is not often that a man like my friend alfred van bruler goes to to one for advice however he was ushered into my private office one morning and he ha came on professional business van bruler had a splendid physique was handsome as montague and like him an actor adored by the women praised by the critics and lionized generally his strong healthy appearance gave one the impression that here was a man who possessed a sound cound mind in a sound body judge then of my surprise when greetings over he leaned forward in his chair and said in excited tones dalrymple the great toe on my right foot has turned to parchment it was with a herculean eff effort ort that I 1 restrained from hilarious mirth at these then absurd words I 1 thought at first that it was a bit of fine acting but a 11 quick glance at his face checked my laughter and convinced me that no matter how irrational his speech he firmly believed what he be stated you astonish me alfred I 1 SAM said quietly enough for although I 1 have hae known several cases of flesh ossifying ying I 1 have never before heard of its changing to parchment this is something new yet he broke in triumphantly if flesh esh can become bone why cannot it is easily change to parchment I 1 remained silent for I 1 knew no answer aw er to make except the childish one chat it never had you eee he continued eagerly it came about this way last night night I 1 d dreamed that I 1 tried to cut the nail of the great toe of my right toot foot and found that I 1 was simply cutting into IF rr 9 I 1 rf 1 bic 1 c i f 1 r I s t 3 r 01 7 7 1 11 11 I 1 n V I 1 1 I 11 I 1 1 r yv y v I 1 I 1 A e C N 1 I 1 I 1 z ak I 1 1 I 1 A W 41 I 1 1 I I 1 I 1 14 1 f 7 I 1 I 1 ll 11 J 1 I 1 C 1 NI ta I 1 ir P W I 1 MADE A CUT roll after roll of a parchment like substance shaped like a toe I 1 awoke in a terrible fright and felt a strange ligh highness ness in that toe unable to go asleep again I 1 rose under the pretense of cutting the nail and found he dropped his voice to a whisper that the dream was quite true I 1 tried to cut the nail and discovered as you will khat hat I 1 could have clipped off the whole thing without feeling it as it was really nothing but parchment he flung himself back in his hie chair as if to say 1 I have told you all and you must help me 1 I will help you old fellow I 1 said aloud then for one moment covered my face with my hands and in that brief time mapped out the course to follow I 1 could see that t the horror of his dream had so wrought upon his fancy that it had become a reality which could not be dispelled by laughter or scorn going to the door I 1 locked it as if to secure the greatest privacy remove your shoe and let me make an examination I 1 commanded he did so and I 1 found the toe in perfect condition except that the nail had been trimmed a little too short I 1 had no doubt that this was the cause of the dream which had produced such an effect his brain for some reason not clear to me was in such a condition as to render this dream so vivid that he had accepted it as reality As I 1 knew from my experiences in dealing with pat patients Jents laboring under hallucinations ci ei in the asylum nothing I 1 could say would convince him that it was only the fancy of an idle brain it was bests best then I 1 decided not to waste time in vainly anin trying ta show him his error I 1 I 1 had known of a somewhat similar case care at the insane asylum A patient conceived the idea that his head was turned backward and insisted upon reversing hla his clothing buttoning everything in the back and even walking backward the physician was finally obliged to humor him by giving his bis head a severe wrench to turn it arom around d to its proper position before sie he was satisfied to don his apparel la in the he custor customary nary way van I 1 mad yours is an unusual case and unusual means mean must mast be used I 1 lor for its ita cure cum are you yon brave enough to submit to heroic measures to save yo your ur toed toe indeed your life even event I 1 for or change MU may affect I 1 the who I 1 6 system it if zot not checked at the 1 t ii 11 W 4 1 foft I 1 1 oat answered firmly I 1 az t ai ZIA rj am Z ea M ny careers fi 1 3 thinea i i 1 t h e stage to ado bote re apart Z in iv 1 V 1 awod A r i we 1 U bat I 1 I 1 d r abi y W ail ak I 1 1 it VOM Q 0 ule I 1 f a V 77 e z 3 P A all p 44 00 d 7 nc r E M f ome 87 Es 1 tta asas 4 k Z S i 7 5 11 4 place the winter season had bad task st closed and his time was at his 0 own disposal then en I 1 resumed 1 I will amputate th the f toe tm but to do this wa would uld mate make aya 1 u in a sense what yo you u so dread to 1 a cripple ale I 1 will remove demov e it but I 1 emust replace it how chow is that pos possible he asked eagerly 1 I have just received word I 1 answered of a patient who met with an accident a half hour ago which will necessitate the removal of his bis right leg the limb its itself belf is in a sound condition but it was crushed at the knee within an hour I 1 will have amputated it an and d will have a live healthy gre treat at toe in my possession wb which ich I 1 can immediately 11 med lately grat graft on to your toot foot if you consent to the operation it can be performed within an hour and a half bait tor for I 1 will immediately bring the toe and sew to your room remove yours the healthy one on without the I 1 loss oss of a moments time shall it be d done one tears of gratitude coursed down van Br Bruler ulers 8 cheeks as he answered you are arc my preserver dalrymple I 1 am in your hands at the expiration of the stated time I 1 joined him in his apartments carrying a long bundle buddle which might have been a severed human limb or a billet of wood this I 1 placed carefully on a table and proceeded to put my patient under the influence of chloroform then with a sharp instrument I 1 made a cut slight but deep enough to leave a sear scar around the base of the great toe of the right 0 toot foot and after care carefully full Y b bandaging a nd it with an antiseptic dressing restored van bruler to consciousness when he opened his eyes I 1 exclaimed enthusiastically you stood it like a hero alfred and your magnificent constitution 1 sure to pull you through all right As the matter was a very delicate one we agreed upon perfect secrecy so neither of us had any embarrassing questions to answer I 1 dressed the toe daily feeling like a dyed in the wool hypocrite always reporting it as doing well and at the end of a fortnight I 1 i declared lec fec lared the grafting complete under the circumstances van bru ers gratitude was very painful to me ind hie generous check tenfold the amount of my bill was so abhorrent that I 1 sent it anonymously to a fuad tor for building a home for needy needa |