Curing a Cold

Curing a Cold by Mark Twain (1880)

The narrative presents a humorous account of the author's struggle with a cold, detailing a series of misguided remedies and the absurdity of advice received from friends and acquaintances. The author begins by expressing a noble intent to provide beneficial insights based on personal experience, emphasizing the importance of sharing knowledge for the sake of others' health. After losing his home in a fire, the author succumbs to a cold, which he attributes to the stress of the situation. He recounts the conflicting advice he receives, leading him to try various treatments, including hot baths, cold showers, and a diet aimed at "feeding a cold." Each remedy proves ineffective, often resulting in comical outcomes, such as an encounter with a restaurant owner who, after witnessing the author's cold, decides to change his business strategy. As the cold worsens, the author experiments with increasingly bizarre concoctions, including a mixture of molasses and other dubious ingredients suggested by a self-proclaimed expert. The effects of these treatments lead to a decline in his moral compass, humorously suggesting that the remedies are more harmful than the cold itself. The narrative escalates as the author travels for his health, trying various treatments, including a sheet-bath that leaves him feeling frozen and desperate. He humorously recounts the discomfort of this method, comparing it to a near-death experience. Despite the absurdity of his situation, he continues to follow the advice of friends, leading to further complications, such as a mustard plaster incident that goes awry due to a friend's late-night hunger. Ultimately, the author finds himself in San Francisco, where he is advised to consume large quantities of whiskey as a remedy. He humorously notes that despite the excessive intake, he survives, concluding with a tongue-in-cheek suggestion that his varied and chaotic treatment regimen might be worth trying for those suffering from similar ailments, as it could either cure them or lead to their demise. The work serves as a satirical commentary on the often irrational and contradictory nature of medical advice, highlighting the absurdity of self-treatment and the human tendency to seek quick fixes for ailments. Through wit and exaggeration, the author illustrates the futility of his efforts while providing entertainment and insight into the human experience of illness.

By Mark Twain · First published 1880 · Genre: Humor, Essay, Non-fiction · 1,921 words

First lines

[Written about 1864]

It is a good thing, perhaps, to write for the amusement of the public, but it is a far higher and nobler thing to write for their instruction, their profit, their actual and tangible benefit. The latter is the sole object of this article. If it prove the means of restoring to health one solitary sufferer among my race, of lighting up once more the fire of hope and joy in his faded eyes, or bringing back to his dead heart again the quick, generous impulses of other days, I shall be amply rewarded for my labor; my soul will be permeated with the sacred delight a Christian. feels when he has done a good, unselfish deed.

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Curing a Cold is listed on Textopian as a short story by Mark Twain, dated 1880 CE.

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Satire · Humor · Social Commentary · American Literature · 19th Century Fiction · Medical Satire · Comedy of Manners · Social Criticism · Irony · Sarcasm · Wit · Literary Satire

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