Nervy Illinoisan Submits to the Knife Without an Anacathetic.
    Wallrath Mochle, a Belleville blacksmith, has lost his right leg as the result, primarily, of a hog bite three years ago. Moehle is 55 years old. Three years ago while hunting he crossed a field and as he was climbing over a fence in the center of it a vicious hog rushed at him. He kicked at it and the hog grabbed his foot. His teeth penetrated Moehle’s toe. The wound, which was not large, healed, but in its place there came a corn. Several months ago an itinerant corn doctor happened in Moehle’s neighborhood and hearing of the corn which gave Moehle so much trouble, he offered to take it off without pain. Moehle finally consented. The corn was taken out in a few minutes and the next day Moehle went to work as usual.
    Two weeks later Moehle felt a numb, hot sensation in his foot. He noticed that the flesh around the old injury was highly inflamed. He treated it for several days, and, getting worse, went to a physician, who pronounced the case blood poisoning. It was first proposed to amputate the foot, but Moehle objected to this, and then every known means of science was applied to save the foot and to rid the man’s system of the poison. The inflammation and diseased area spread. Finally it was decided that amputation of the leg four inches above the knee would be the only means of saving Moehle’s life.
    Moehle, although a hearty and strong blacksmith, has a weak heart. When the doctors who had gathered around his bedside spoke of the danger of giving him an anaesthetic Moehle rose up in bed and said: “You needn’t bother about chloroform or ether. I will stand the operation all right.”
    Two men were selected to watch the man’s heart and five doctors performed the operation in four minutes. Nitroglycerin and strychnine were administered hypodermically. During the entire operation Moehle hardly winced and with almost perfect self-control watched the physicians as they cut and sawed off his leg.
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