Heal thyself

And while we're on the subject of healing (see yesterday's post), there's an old country story that Marash Girl's father loved to tell.  A boy in Marash had a serious eye infection and no matter who his mother turned to for help, no one offered a cure that worked -- not the old women, not the village sages, not the doctors.  But there was a doctor a day's journey from Marash, famous for his cures.  The boy and his mother finally decided to make the investment, hire a donkey, and trek to the abode of the famous doctor.  When they reached the doctor's home, they were hopeful, and rightly so. The doctor, watching the boy carefully, looked at the boy's eyes, looked at the boy's hands, carefully washed both, and offered the following advice.  "Tie your son's hands behind his back for a week.  His eyes will heal."