September 16th

Patient:

Mr. Samuel Evans, age 22, farmer

Ailment:

Difficulty breathing after misadventure with mule.

Treatment:

Treated at office. Opened chest cavity, removed ribcage, soaked in cow’s milk and horsetail to repair hairline fractures. Removed left lung, stitched tears, replaced. Closed chest cavity, rubbed putty on scars to reduce visibility.

Explanation:

Patient was given alcohol mixed with sleeping draught to dull the pain. Treatment completed while asleep. Bandaged torso with anesthetic cream to signify that work was done.

Payment:

5 cents

September 17th

Patient:

Mr. Phil Bean, age 14, child

Ailment:

Knocked front teeth out while climbing a tree.

Treatment:

Treated at site of accident. Unhinged jaw slightly, peeled mouth away, affixed teeth back in sockets with glue. Checked teeth with level to make sure they were properly aligned.

Explanation:

Told the patient and siblings to close their eyes while I work.

Payment:

A ‘cool rock’, three pinecones, a very sharp branch

Note:

According to the Bean children, their father told them to come to me if they ever got seriously hurt. I have no idea what that could mean. Could be another attempt at sabotage, but surely he wouldn’t stoop to using his own children for his crusade. Right? At the very least, I trust his kids mean well and I enjoy that they trust that I mean well. Just wish they could actually pay me. I made sure they knew that Anak is doing fine and growing up to be big and strong.

September 20th

Patient:

Mayor Roger Macy

Ailment:

Weeping arm stump, blasphemy (Stonewall)

Treatment:

Treated at office. Auger applied to eye socket for thirty minutes, followed by wax and bitumen sealant. Discussed the user of a rubber plug to reduce need for further augering

Explanation:

Procedure falls within bounds of modern medicine. No need for obfuscation.

Payment:

11 cents

Note:

The good mayor seemed stressed. Needed extra time with the auger to stem the flow. Thought he might have learned about Apprentice, but he got less stressed when I asked about her. She’s been ‘a hell of a lot happier’ in the past few weeks, according to him. What else could be it? His family is fine. The town is always fine - the harvest never fails these days. No new pronouncement from Washington that he needs to act on. There’s a circus nearby; maybe that would improve his mood

Addendum: Sept 28:

Received a letter from Father. I believe some of it might pertain to long-term treatment of the weeping, though it could very well be a completely different kind of portent; it’s obtuse even by his standards. I’ll need some time to interpret this.

September 24th

Patient:

Mr. Mark Barrow, age 48, carpenter

Ailment:

Toe accidentally lopped off with a saw.

Treatment:

Housecall. Implanted wooden pegs at stump and into toe to improve quality of joining and reduce nerve damage. Sewed toe back on.

Explanation:

Distracted patient with talk about his profession while preparing for joining. Rest of treatment falls within usual conceptions of medicine.

Payment:

20 cents, some advice on carpentry.

Note:

Risky assignment. Reattachment is known to be possible but exceedingly rare. Could have restored toe entirely if I could utilize the voltaic to repair the nerve damage, but that would raise too many questions. Then again, I could have done better with what I had if he called me immediately rather than hem and haw about hiring me. I keep underestimating what people will do to avoid being touched by me.

September 27th

Patient:

Mrs. Sarah Hane, age 21, fisher’s wife

Ailment:

Patient complained of headaches after ‘tripping’

Treatment:

Treated at office. Patient declined full examination and simply requested ‘something to ease the pain’. She insisted that this was normal and my predecessor would do the same for her all the time. Through visual examination, detected bruises around the face, neck and shoulders. Provided a light morphine distillant to be taken with water.

Payment:

Bluegill, gibbous

Note:

Let the Apprentice watch from the basement. I can’t just teach her the technical methodology; she has to master bedside manner as well.

Additional Note:

She was trying to hide the extent of the bruises. And the neck was more bruised than to be expected from a fall; bruising would be more centered on the arms and torso. I know what it means when a married woman lies about the source of her bruises; the Apprentice concurs. However, I’m in no place to intervene without putting the mission at risk and, whether for my gender or for my skin, she clearly doesn’t trust me enough to let me help. The Apprentice has volunteered to investigate this herself; God’s grace to her. I’ve written to Birch about her. This was his town; he might know to navigate this socially without putting the town in a frenzy. Worst case scenario, next time Mr. Hane calls for my help, I’ll take the opportunity to pick his brain a little about how he treats his household. Maybe I can change his mind.

September 28th

Patient:

Mr. Nathan ‘Prospero’ Wilmington, age 21, entertainer from visiting circus

Ailment:

Burned hand when attempting to throw a ‘fireball’ (gunpowder charge) at ‘that horrific homunculus’.

Treatment:

Treated at office. Sterilized area, lanced blisters, bandaged affected area with aloe vera

Explanation:

Procedure falls within bounds of modern medicine. No need for obfuscation.

Payment:

5 cents, bottle of non-potable alcohol

Note:

Birch will either be amused or sick when he finds out that I treated a Confederate wizard, even if he only plays at being one on stage. I suspect that his act relies more on his charm and good looks than his skill at faking magic. Or maybe him being bad at magic is part of the joke? I could never follow common theater. Probably for the best that he’ll ‘no longer dabble in the incendiary arts’. Mentioned that others at circus were harmed by the same homunculi encounter. Might be getting extra work this week.

September 30th

Patient:

Mr. Benton Bitters, age

[Editor's Note:

Entry was left unfinished, most likely due to the assault attempt]