Read Online A Cowboy at Heart by Virginia Smith, Lori Copeland - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Virginia Smith, Lori Copeland
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All you have to do is empty this vial onto the cone and hold it over his mouth and nose for a minute or so.”
For a moment Katie thought Jonas might object. His throat moved as he cast a frantic look toward Jesse on the bed, and thenhe seemed to come to a decision. He took the items from the doctor and moved to the place where Jesse lay on his stomach, his head facing the far wall. Dr. Sorensen gestured for her and Maummi Switzer to precede him out of the bedroom, and they all hurried through the doorway to huddle together in the living room.
“Try not to breathe, Jonas,” Dr. Sorensen cautioned from his vantage point.
Although the situation was grave, Katie couldn’t help feeling excited. The doctor’s practices were beyond anything she’d ever seen. She’d come to recognize which herbs could treat certain disorders, such as Martha Hostetler’s occasional stomach upset and Sarah Yoder’s headaches. She had heard of chloroform but had never seen it used. Judging by the keen look on Maummi Switzer’s face, the older woman was as interested as she.
“All right, Jonas, that’s long enough. Now, take that cone outside and put it somewhere in the open.”
He moved away from the doorway to allow Jonas, holding the cone at arm’s length, to pass through the room. Katie noted that the Amish man’s anxious frown had relaxed, and he wore a placid, almost happy smile. Perhaps he was pleased to have helped his friend. Or perhaps he’d breathed a little too deeply while administering the chloroform. The sound of the door opening followed his disappearance into the kitchen.
Dr. Sorensen called after him, “When you dispose of that, you might want to lie down and have a nap.”
After waiting for a long moment, he motioned for Katie and Maummi Switzer to return to the room with him. He marched to the pile of linens, picked up a sheet from the stack, and, with a quick movement, ripped it in two. Katie couldn’t stop a gasp. Thewaste of a good sheet was unheard of. But Maummi Switzer did not flinch as the doctor ripped again and then handed her a large square. Then he retrieved the jar from the table and motioned for one of the buckets of water, into which he poured a small amount of the liquid.
“Now, Miz Switzer, if you’ll be so kind as to drape this over the edge of that bucket.” While she did as instructed, he picked up the biggest basin and placed it on the seat of the chair. “Come, Katie. You and I will both wash our hands.”
She followed his instructions and held her hands beneath the flow that Maummi Switzer poured through the filter of the ripped bed sheet. A sharp, pungent odor rose from the water. Katie’s nose twitched with the unpleasant aroma. Whatever the liquid was in the jar, it was strong. Surely not as strong as chloroform, else the doctor wouldn’t risk breathing it himself. They lathered with lye soap, and followed the same procedure to rinse in the odd smelling water.
Dr. Sorensen must have noticed her curiosity, for he offered an explanation. “I expect you’re aware of the high rate of infection that results from a wound like this one?”
Katie glanced toward the bed, where Jesse’s back rose and fell at an alarmingly slow rate.
“ Ja ,” answered Maummi Switzer, her tone grim. “Many do not live.”
“That’s a fact. When I was in school there was a fellow over in England, name of Lister, who did quite a bit of study on infections resulting from surgeries like this one. He put forth the idea that infection, or sepsis, is caused by something invisible to the naked eye in the air and the surrounding area during surgery.Microorganisms, he said. He came up with a technique to kill those infectious organisms using a solution of carbolic acid.”
While he spoke, he ripped the wasted bed sheet into three more squares and dipped them into the smelly water. Carbolic acid. Katie had never heard the unusual term.
“Now, I’ll be honest with you, some of my colleagues think Lister
For a moment Katie thought Jonas might object. His throat moved as he cast a frantic look toward Jesse on the bed, and thenhe seemed to come to a decision. He took the items from the doctor and moved to the place where Jesse lay on his stomach, his head facing the far wall. Dr. Sorensen gestured for her and Maummi Switzer to precede him out of the bedroom, and they all hurried through the doorway to huddle together in the living room.
“Try not to breathe, Jonas,” Dr. Sorensen cautioned from his vantage point.
Although the situation was grave, Katie couldn’t help feeling excited. The doctor’s practices were beyond anything she’d ever seen. She’d come to recognize which herbs could treat certain disorders, such as Martha Hostetler’s occasional stomach upset and Sarah Yoder’s headaches. She had heard of chloroform but had never seen it used. Judging by the keen look on Maummi Switzer’s face, the older woman was as interested as she.
“All right, Jonas, that’s long enough. Now, take that cone outside and put it somewhere in the open.”
He moved away from the doorway to allow Jonas, holding the cone at arm’s length, to pass through the room. Katie noted that the Amish man’s anxious frown had relaxed, and he wore a placid, almost happy smile. Perhaps he was pleased to have helped his friend. Or perhaps he’d breathed a little too deeply while administering the chloroform. The sound of the door opening followed his disappearance into the kitchen.
Dr. Sorensen called after him, “When you dispose of that, you might want to lie down and have a nap.”
After waiting for a long moment, he motioned for Katie and Maummi Switzer to return to the room with him. He marched to the pile of linens, picked up a sheet from the stack, and, with a quick movement, ripped it in two. Katie couldn’t stop a gasp. Thewaste of a good sheet was unheard of. But Maummi Switzer did not flinch as the doctor ripped again and then handed her a large square. Then he retrieved the jar from the table and motioned for one of the buckets of water, into which he poured a small amount of the liquid.
“Now, Miz Switzer, if you’ll be so kind as to drape this over the edge of that bucket.” While she did as instructed, he picked up the biggest basin and placed it on the seat of the chair. “Come, Katie. You and I will both wash our hands.”
She followed his instructions and held her hands beneath the flow that Maummi Switzer poured through the filter of the ripped bed sheet. A sharp, pungent odor rose from the water. Katie’s nose twitched with the unpleasant aroma. Whatever the liquid was in the jar, it was strong. Surely not as strong as chloroform, else the doctor wouldn’t risk breathing it himself. They lathered with lye soap, and followed the same procedure to rinse in the odd smelling water.
Dr. Sorensen must have noticed her curiosity, for he offered an explanation. “I expect you’re aware of the high rate of infection that results from a wound like this one?”
Katie glanced toward the bed, where Jesse’s back rose and fell at an alarmingly slow rate.
“ Ja ,” answered Maummi Switzer, her tone grim. “Many do not live.”
“That’s a fact. When I was in school there was a fellow over in England, name of Lister, who did quite a bit of study on infections resulting from surgeries like this one. He put forth the idea that infection, or sepsis, is caused by something invisible to the naked eye in the air and the surrounding area during surgery.Microorganisms, he said. He came up with a technique to kill those infectious organisms using a solution of carbolic acid.”
While he spoke, he ripped the wasted bed sheet into three more squares and dipped them into the smelly water. Carbolic acid. Katie had never heard the unusual term.
“Now, I’ll be honest with you, some of my colleagues think Lister
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