The San Francisco Examiner says a gentleman of that city, about
twenty-five years of age, ruddy complexion, curly red hair, who had an
intractable and painful ulcer on the left arm, resisting all previous
modes of treatment, yielded to the request of trying the effect of
transplanting a piece of skin to the ulcer from another person. The ulcer
was prepared in the usual manner by his physician, and a bit of skin,
about an inch square, was taken from the arm of a fine healthy negro man
and immediately spread over the ugly ulcer, and then carefully dressed and
bandaged. The skin transplantation had the desired effect. Healthy
granulation sprang up, and the unsightly ulcer soon healed. A few months
afterwards he went to his physician and told him that ever since the sore
healed the black skin commenced to spread, and it was increasing. About
one third of his arm was completely negroed. The doctor himself was
alarmed. The high probability is, that the whole skin of this white man
will become negro.
* * * * *
An officer had a wooden leg so exceedingly well made that it could
scarcely be distinguished from a real one. A cannon ball carried it off. A
soldier who saw him fall called out, "Quick, run for the surgeon." "No,"
replied the officer, coolly; "it is the joiner I want."
"SQUASHY."
Squashy was a contraband. He came from North Carolina. He was looking
about Washington for "a new masser," when Dr. ----, of ---- regiment C.
V., took him for a body servant.
[Illustration: SQUASHY'S SURGICAL OPERATION ON THE DOCTOR.]
The doctor was out on horseback at parade that very day, and the most that
Squashy had as yet learned of his master was, that he was handsome.
"Dat's him! Dar's my new masser! see um! see um! ridin' on hoss-back,
dar!" exclaimed the contraband to a host of other negroes watching the
parade.
That night, when the doctor returned to his quarters, Squashy came to
assist in removing some of the superfluous and dirt-covered garments of
his new master, amongst which were his heavy and mud-splashed boots.