A BLOOD TRANSFUSION
by Fred Butler
George Estey's stories were noted throughout the whole of the Nor' West Miramichi. One time back in the 1920's or 30's George was guiding two doctors from the States who were up here on a hunting holiday. After a long day's hunt the two sports were back in George's camp having a toddy for the body while their intrepid guide prepared supper. As supper was being put on-the table the two good doctors were discussing the rather new medical breakthrough of blood transfusions. George never missed a word of what they were saying and when they came to the supper table he questioned them up on what they had been talking about. Using layman's term as best they could, the procedure of taking blood from one person and transferring it to another was patiently and condescendingly explained to George After listening carefully to their description of the procedure of blood transfusions George snorted and told them that this was no great news to him. As a matter of fact he knew of this medical treatment for over twenty years. He then proceeded to tell them of an old lad that had cut himself with an axe. Of course those old woodsmen always kept their axes as sharp as razors. Anyway, the poor old fellow bled something awful and they couldn't get it to cease. His people were terribly afraid he was going to bleed to death before they got the bleeding to stop. What they did ...•• was to rig up a rubber siphon hose somehow and took blood from a sheep and put it into the old lad who cut himself. By golly, didn't he get better! Yes sir, that lad lived to be an old man and was never sick a day in his life until the day he died. Yes sir, boys, and every spring his wife would get about five pounds of the finest wool off him that you ever saw!