The Miracle Man of the Tremont House
A Seattle sawmill worker recounts his miraculous recovery from a mysterious 'general nervous debility' thanks to a touring medical lecturer.
Dr. Paul M. Brenan, the renowned medical lecturer and practitioner, would respectfully inform the public that he can be consulted free of charge at the parlors of the Tremont House. Dr. Brenan can tell the patient’s disease the moment he comes in contact with them. This accounts for his wonderful success in the treatment of chronic and difficult diseases. His perfect knowledge of phrenology and human character enables him to understand the wants of each individual. John Baliau, employed at Colman’s Sawmill, writes: 'I take great pleasure in stating for the benefit of those who are afflicted with any chronic disease that I am cured. For the past two years I have been under the treatment of different physicians from whom I have received no benefit. I have been suffering with general nervous debility—a difficulty in my stomach, and at times dizziness and severe headache, almost incapacitating me for work. About three weeks ago I put myself under your care, and I can say with delight that I am cured.'
“To attempt to treat without being able to tell what the matter is with the patient is like looking into the Mammoth Cave of Kentucky for the lost arts of Egypt.”
In 1877, Seattle was a frontier boomtown where itinerant 'doctors' and patent medicine men often preyed on the desperate. Today, we call this 'wellness culture' or 'alternative health,' but the impulse—seeking quick relief from the grinding physical tolls of a hard labor economy—remains a persistent feature of the city's identity.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.