The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Autobiography of a Quack And The Case
Of George Dedlow, by S. Weir Mitchell

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Title: The Autobiography of a Quack And The Case Of George Dedlow

Author: S. Weir Mitchell

Release Date: January 21, 2006 [EBook #693]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A QUACK ***

Produced by Charles Keller and David Widger

THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A QUACK

AND

THE CASE OF GEORGE DEDLOW

By S. Weir Mitchell, M.D., LL.D. Harvard And Edinburgh

CONTENTS

THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A QUACK

THE CASE OF GEORGE DEDLOW

INTRODUCTION

Both of the tales in this little volume appeared originally in the
"Atlantic Monthly" as anonymous contributions. I owe to the present
owners of that journal permission to use them. "The Autobiography of a
Quack" has been recast with large additions.

"The Case of George Dedlow" was not written with any intention that it
should appear in print. I lent the manuscript to the Rev. Dr. Furness
and forgot it. This gentleman sent it to the Rev. Edward Everett
Hale. He, presuming, I fancy, that every one desired to appear in the
"Atlantic," offered it to that journal. To my surprise, soon afterwards
I received a proof and a check. The story was inserted as a leading
article without my name. It was at once accepted by many as the
description of a real case. Money was collected in several places to
assist the unfortunate man, and benevolent persons went to the "Stump
Hospital," in Philadelphia, to see the sufferer and to offer him aid.
The spiritual incident at the end of the story was received with joy by
the spiritualists as a valuable proof of the truth of their beliefs.

S. WEIR MITCHELL

THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A QUACK

At this present moment of time I am what the doctors call an interesting
case, and am to be found in bed No. 10, Ward 11, Massachusetts General
Hospital. I am told that I have what is called Addison's disease, and
that it is this pleasing malady which causes me to be covered with large
blotches of a dark mulatto tint. However, it is a rather grim subject
to joke about, because, if I believed t