This was a
highly diverting adventure for a young clergyman, but it cost him weeks
of suffering. A somewhat similar strain came upon him when his first
child was born. He does not seem to have ever met with a physician who
understood his case. One worthy doctor in Worcester invited him to his
house and drove with him in his sulky for more than half a year, without
accomplishing anything for him. He went on a voyage to London and
another to Smyrna, without any better result than suffering from bad
food and stormy weather. After the first voyage his condition was so bad
that, as he said of it once, he scarcely knew whether it was day or
night: but the climate of Asia Minor agreed with him and he returned
from Smyrna at least better for so much experience. I think his first
real improvement came during his stay at my father's house. There he had
plentiful repose, both of mind and body, and if good medical treatment
had been added he might have made a substantial gain.
In the spring of 1864 Bradford, the marine artist, being ambitious to
paint icebergs in their native wilds, organized a sailing party for
Labrador and invited Wasson to go with them. This was the first
enterprise of the kind that gave him permanent benefit. Fortunately they
encountered no severe storms. The cool, bracing air of the polar regions
was better than galvanism and stimulated his nerves to work in the
proper way.
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