Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1839-11-28
From the Southern Literary Messenger.
CAfAtEfbY..

o We IsuuT " We 'oo""S" S"""J '~'s
senger:
/ SiR.-In reading in a late number of your
periodical, the Interesting tale OF "Tha
| Ifransfgured," was reminded OF case
which occurred IN my practice some year;
| since. IN looking over some old papers,
1, have this day found my notes OF The case,
/ which ] will attempt to write out; end though
| better suited TO medical journal thon yours,
/ will send them To you, To dispose Vi ~ you
lb.uk proper. ! know that many OF the facts
will be- disbcleved bot pledge myself for
their correctness, and The most improbable Of
them can be uttcsted by dozen living wit
nesses.
I On the I2lh Of April, 1928, ] was sent for
! in great haste, to visit Miss -, about four
! teen or fifteen years ofage, whom had seen
! the day before, IN the town OF my residence,
I quite well and very gay, having been at
party on the preceding night, as she proba-
! bly had been Oh several successive nights
| before that ! found her IN u state OF entire
insenslbility, trom winch she could not bs
aroused by talking, shaking, er even p'nch-
lng. The account which. her intelligent pa
| rents gave of the attack was, that she arose
! IN tho morning apparently well, aud while
sitting in the window and employed IN knit
ting she became suddenly speechless aud
lhsenslblc.
II Notwithstanding lie use Of settle reme-
dies, such as dividing the temporal artery,
a ca,hartic, valerian, slnaplsns, &c. she re-
maned ia this siute Tor twenty Hour hours
WI hen she revived, she talked necessarily of
the parties to which she had been, and VI
vi the colnpuny. lett her in this state Of vi
vac,ty but on the next night l was sent tos,
with the information that smother paroxyshi
was upon her. | remained with ber-durm.
the night, atteDtvely watching the symptoms,
and using such remedies as they Indicated
il soon d scovered that she WIS affected with
ca,a alepsy, q disease, which, though not ot
frequent occurrence, had before seen.
4 In spite Of medicine aud consultations, tho
disease continued in various forms, the pa
roxysms returning at various intervals, I'll
the middle OF May. Arteriotomy, cupplng,
clustering the head and spine, tartar emetc
lolntment aud all the most active internal
remedies were employed, sometimes win
apparent advantage, aud often without any
beneficial result a physician, who Was
present during one of the paroxysms, divided
the temporal artery with lancet that ho had
used in vacclnating. Ii was the belief OF thu
family that she had been vaccina,ed; but now
a large vaccine pustule formed on tbs tenn
lplc, from which we augured bene ehcsl re-
1.-THE paroxysnis became longer, more frequent
, and more violent. ! recullccted ,ha, sns
had suffered very much nnd was derlous,
about twelve months before, from diseased
tooth, which a neghborIng physician atienp-
ted to extract. | now proposed It's exiiic-
ton, which she resisted, and the family would
not consent to coercion.
Il The form and duration OF the paroxys'ns
| were constantly varying. Sometimes sho
| would be taken with spasms and fall into
| comatose state which would continue from
one to twelve hours Sometimes her head
| would be drawn back upon the shoulders
| | have often seen the body curved backwards
| with the head and feet IN contact, in the form
| of hoop, in which state she would continue
| perfectly rigid and immoveable for more than
an hour without any appearance OF respira-
ton; yet arterial action continued have
! seen her, at other tlmos, lie with her eyes
open, and immoyeably fixed upon the ceiling
| for several hours, with q countenance the
most placid and serene, yet luminous, tina,
ever beheld, and which many OF her visitors
pronounced unearthly and angelic durin.
all this time there was no apparent respra-
ton. When the paroxysms were off, sho
would converse in the most volatile, spIi light.
ly and amusing style. Before this attack
she had been considered rather tacIturn,
when compared with her sprighty, voubIa
and talented sisters. From the co'nmence-
ment of the disease she talked necessarily
during the intermission at first her CONVEX
lsation ran upon light and common place sob
| iects, but as the disease advanced. her mind
seemed 10 expand, and her conversation be.
came not only interesting, but often eloquent
| and learned, on subjects which she had uever
been known to study. She had not even
| had access to books relating to them. Tho
knew that enjoyed the implicit condolences
of this iOmily, rs physician aud friend, my
mind was constantly kept in state of ten-
| sion first, to find suitable remedies for iho
varying symptoms OF the dIsease next, To
| quiet the npprehensions oil her anxious Trends
! whose intelligence and sagacIty were not tn
be eludcd by the ordinary aud jushiiablo ar
tliccs, which the bcs, and most pious physi-
! clan sometimes resort to for the beneht of
! their patients but, above all, by the extra
ordinary shrewd dness and discernment Of my
| patient. had not only 10 chime in with her
| notions in regard TO tho medical treatment of
I,the dlsensc, but had TO accommodate myself
Ito ber various opinions OH variety OF sub
iccts-amatorv, social, religious and polii-
ca, and often 10 discuss them with her,
II A bare assent to hcr opinions would not sat
islv-a reason, and plausible ono, ms. be
given. Had I betrayed gross ignorance ou
some Of her favoritc subjects, should havo
lost, forever, the chance of discharsing my
duty to her as n physician. She would,
probably, never have suffered me to aDprnach
her sick chamber. These discussions some
tines took place IN the presence OF Intelligent
nrrsons. She would sone,uAcs oyerwholin
. me with confusion by her cxtravagant COM
plimcnts for some opinion advanced, or soma
Gallant expression uttered; at rnoiher time,
,he would Keep me smnrting and wrIihlng
under her keen invcctive aud biting satire
/. IL
II .some Of our readers may suppose that this
deeply interesting narraiyeis an ingenious fiction.
copiri,cd Tor thoir amusement but We are hap
n nv 10 have il IN our power To assure them, that
is author is a gentleman Of unimpcachabIe hon
our and yreacity, and Of high standing ns n men,
ber Of the medical profession. In private let
liter received from him, he repeats tho pledg,
conlnined N the narrative Itself, that, II it, state
nenis are contro,suei, he is prepared to .ui'.
sianiia,e them by testimony Of as high character
as can be adduced in this country. Our rsadsv.
therefore, may fully rely upon the verify OF tho
story, however curious aud inco'oprehsnsible Ne
details may sppcsr,o them. How little. indeed,
after all the researches Of phlcsophy. do ~s