CURING A COLD

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVI, Issue 8079, 6 April 1912, Page 1

CURING A COLD

LORD BROUGHAM’S WONDER-WORK ING REMEDY.

An extract from a medical diary of 1855 contains the following interesting story of the manner in which Lord Brougham cured a cold: — "A constant visitor to Holland House during Juno and July was Lord Brougham, who was then in somewhat indifferent health, and glad to escape for a few nights from the heat and dust of London to enjoy the comparatively fresh air and cheerful surroundings of Holland House. On ono occasion ho arrived late in the evening, having contracted a bad cold, attended with sore throat and loss of voice. I advised him to go to bed at once, as he seemed feverish, and prescribed some ! appropriate remedy. With the first part of my recommendation he complied, but with the second he would have nothing to do, saying, ‘Don’t you know that a man at forty is either a fool or a physician, and sometimes both?’ adding sharply,- ‘How old are you, doctor?’ I was happy to be able to assure him, on wishing him good-night, that I was only twenty-six years old. “Towards 2 o’clock in the morning I was awakened by a loud rapping at my door, and on opening found Lord B. standing in his nightshirt with an empty pitcher in his hand. In - a voice almost unintelligible from hoarseness he announced that ho wanted a can of boiling water, some carbonate of .soda, and a pot of currant jelly. I' thought he must be delirious, but ns be was not to be pnt off by argument, I thought best to pacify him by compliance with his strange request. At that time of night, everyone being fast asleep, the desiderata were not easily obtainable. Nevertheless. I set out on a foraging expedition : I woke up tho old man of the kitchen, the old woman of the stillroom, and returned with my spoils to the oddest of men upstairs. Lord B. "He was quite ready with hie empty washing-jug, and proceeded to empty the pot of jelly into this receptacle, adding two large tablespoonfuls of soda, and filling up tho jug with boiling water; the result, a foaming mixture of bloodred colour, and worthy of Macbeth s witches, ho carried off in triumph to his room. At half-past six I. awoke, and with a guilty sense of having neglected my patient, I went and rapped at Lord B.’s door, first gently, then loudly, and, receiving no answer, stealthily opened it. On the floor was tho jug empty, ns was also the bed. Tho room was in groat disorder, and tho window, wide open. I was really alarmed, and a painful sequence of thoughts ran through my mind—delirium, suicide, inquest! with a rider of temporary insanity, and culpable neglect on the part of attendant physician! I rushed to the window, and was relieved to find no trace of such a terrible disaster. "Returning to my room I dressed hastily, and running downstairs to the library found it untenanted. Tho floor was strewn with torn-np papers, and on ono of the writing-tables lay a pile ot letters ready for- post, all the work of , my energetic patient! From a housemaid who was dusting the apartment 1 leamt that Lord B. Tiad beenup since five, and was now gone out. I met his lordship at the breakfast-table shortly afterwards, and found him. perfectly well, his strange remedy having worked wonders." •