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Article ACCOUNT OF A TOUR TO KILLARNEY, &c. ← Page 2 of 5 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Account Of A Tour To Killarney, &C.
As one of these stories struck me with considerable force , I made particular enquiry respecting its authenticity after my arrival at Cork ; and , having received a confirmation of its being true , I hope to stand excused from the charge of credulity for giving it a p lace in this letter ; The story , as near as I can recollect , is as follows : Dr . Dobbs ( who was a physician of eminence at Ypughall , a seaport town in the county of Cork ) used frequently to take a walk on
the strand by the sea-side to collect shells , coral , & c . He happened one morning , on passing by the door of a hut , to observe a large concourse of people assembled for the purpose of attending to the grave the remains of a poor woman , who had ( apparently ) died the day before . The doctor pursuing his walk , soon got at a considerable distance from the housebut was suddenlstopped ba great
uneasi-, y y ness of mind , attended with a strong conviction that the person about to be interred was not dead . For a while he resisted the impulse as a matter of caprice , vague supposition , or whim , but his increasing uneasiness at last determined him to try if his feelings were rig-ht or not ,
and for that purpose he hastened back to the cottage . The coffin was nailed down and placed under a large table , around which several of the relations and friends of the deceased were seated , circulating the parting glass amidst noise and upyoar . The Doctor having begged their attention to what he had to say , informed them of the extraordinary uneasiness with which he had been affected , as also of the consequent opinion that the person , to attend whose funeral they had
assembled , - was not dead , and therefore desired that he mi g ht see the body . At this unexpected address some laughed heartily , whilst others were displeased , and insisted that as the time fixed for moving the corpse was arrived , it should be immediately taken out ; upon which the Doctor finding but little was to be done by gentle means , had immediate recourse to another expedient . He told them that several there knew him to be a medical man ,. that men of his profession had an undoubted right to see for themselves . in such cases , and , in short ,, that if they moved the corpse he ivould call them to a severe account at some future
time . This remonstrance having had the proper effect , the coffin was opened , and the Doctor , putting his hand under thc small of her back , declared that the woman was not dead ; he then ordered her to be taken out of the coffin and put into a warm bed , which was immediatel y 'done , and in a short time appeared evident signs of returning life . The Doctor attended her closel y for several hours , and had the pleasure , before he left the house , to see his patient in a fair way of
recovery . In a few days she was able to wait upon the Doctor at his own house in Youghall , and , after the first effusions of gratitude were over , made him the tender of a fee , ; but he told her that as what he had done was from a sudden impression and sense of duty , he was not easy to take it . The poor woman was quite distressed by his refusal , and signified she could not be happy without he permitted her to make some return for the trouble he had experienced on her account ; upon which the Doctor consented that ( as he knew she was a good knitter ) die should every year bring him a pair of knit woollen gloves on the
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Account Of A Tour To Killarney, &C.
As one of these stories struck me with considerable force , I made particular enquiry respecting its authenticity after my arrival at Cork ; and , having received a confirmation of its being true , I hope to stand excused from the charge of credulity for giving it a p lace in this letter ; The story , as near as I can recollect , is as follows : Dr . Dobbs ( who was a physician of eminence at Ypughall , a seaport town in the county of Cork ) used frequently to take a walk on
the strand by the sea-side to collect shells , coral , & c . He happened one morning , on passing by the door of a hut , to observe a large concourse of people assembled for the purpose of attending to the grave the remains of a poor woman , who had ( apparently ) died the day before . The doctor pursuing his walk , soon got at a considerable distance from the housebut was suddenlstopped ba great
uneasi-, y y ness of mind , attended with a strong conviction that the person about to be interred was not dead . For a while he resisted the impulse as a matter of caprice , vague supposition , or whim , but his increasing uneasiness at last determined him to try if his feelings were rig-ht or not ,
and for that purpose he hastened back to the cottage . The coffin was nailed down and placed under a large table , around which several of the relations and friends of the deceased were seated , circulating the parting glass amidst noise and upyoar . The Doctor having begged their attention to what he had to say , informed them of the extraordinary uneasiness with which he had been affected , as also of the consequent opinion that the person , to attend whose funeral they had
assembled , - was not dead , and therefore desired that he mi g ht see the body . At this unexpected address some laughed heartily , whilst others were displeased , and insisted that as the time fixed for moving the corpse was arrived , it should be immediately taken out ; upon which the Doctor finding but little was to be done by gentle means , had immediate recourse to another expedient . He told them that several there knew him to be a medical man ,. that men of his profession had an undoubted right to see for themselves . in such cases , and , in short ,, that if they moved the corpse he ivould call them to a severe account at some future
time . This remonstrance having had the proper effect , the coffin was opened , and the Doctor , putting his hand under thc small of her back , declared that the woman was not dead ; he then ordered her to be taken out of the coffin and put into a warm bed , which was immediatel y 'done , and in a short time appeared evident signs of returning life . The Doctor attended her closel y for several hours , and had the pleasure , before he left the house , to see his patient in a fair way of
recovery . In a few days she was able to wait upon the Doctor at his own house in Youghall , and , after the first effusions of gratitude were over , made him the tender of a fee , ; but he told her that as what he had done was from a sudden impression and sense of duty , he was not easy to take it . The poor woman was quite distressed by his refusal , and signified she could not be happy without he permitted her to make some return for the trouble he had experienced on her account ; upon which the Doctor consented that ( as he knew she was a good knitter ) die should every year bring him a pair of knit woollen gloves on the