The Midwest pioneer, his ills, cures, & doctors - University Library ...

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eggs in his
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time, which had collected and hatched; which
explanation entirely satisfied the patient, and in a short
time he was as well as ever he was in his life; but never
could be prevailed on to eat another egg." Dr. Carter once
heard of a man "who became so desperately in love with a
young woman, that on her denying him, (although he had
ever been considered a prudent man, and managed his
estate well,)
yet he became so extravagant, as to patiently
sit for three months on a goose egg. If this was not the
hypo, it was very much like it, if not worse."
One of the worst cases of hypo recorded was that of an
old urine doctor who, feeling bad, set aside a specimen to
be examined after it had settled. While he was out of the
office a woman "who imagined from circumstances that
she was in a state of pregnancy" decided this would be a
good time to find out. "She therefore discharged the phial
of its contents, and filled it up with her own water.
When the Doctor returned (not suspecting any thing of
what had transpired,) his consternation was inexpressible
to find from the appearance of the urine, that he was in a
state of pregnancy, and found [from] the organization and
structure of his system he saw no chance of delivery. He
became almost frantic at the discovery, and nothing saved
him absolute dispair, but the discovery of the real facts, as
they transpired."
In a somewhat similar mistake the embarrassing situation
was solved by a bit of mental hygiene. "The gentleman
concluded that it was a fact, that he was in a state of
pregnancy, and would soon go to shut-eye town. But it
happened that this gentleman, for a particular purpose,
stepped out and placed himself against an old stump, and
just at the critical moment, out jumped a rabbit from the
stump, which he owned for his child, but it being rather
fleet for the old man, it escaped, and he returned to the
house with great joy, &c."
A complete cure of the hysterics, or hypo. Dr. Carter
thought, was very seldom obtained, particularly after it
became deeply rooted in the system. Blood-letting was in