p. 10 | BETTER THAN LEECHES by Dr. E. Miller

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Aug 26, 1897

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 23, No. 33.

BETTER THAN LEECHES.

By Dr. E. Miller

A FATHER, by prayer, precept, and flogging, had done his best to reform his boy, whose staple diet was meat, and sausage, and pie, and cake, at his meals, with cake between. The family physician said to the father, “If you will put leeches back of each of your boy’s ears, once a week for a month, you will do more to reform him than your preaching and pounding will do in a year.” The father asked for the philosophy of this prescription. “Why,” said the doctor, “your boy has bad blood and too much of it; he must behave badly or he would burst.” “Then,” said the father, “I’ll change his diet from beef and pie to hominy and milk.” In three months thereafter a better boy of his age could not be found in the neighborhood. The acrid, biting, vile blood had not become food for leeches, but it had done its wicked work and passed away; and a cooler, blander, purer, safe blood had been supplied from sweeter, gentler food sources. —Dr. E. Miller.