Daily American telegraph. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1851-1852, 1852-08-09

How wonderful that ages Of discovery in the
sciences Of medicine and surgery should shed so
little light upon the nature and cure Of this awful
malady! Captain Williams, near Bridgeton,
New Jersey, was bitten by a dog, not known to
be mad, some time in June. Five or six weeks
later he was taken i'll. The narrative of DR..
Wales, the physician TO whom he applied, dated
"Tuckahoe, July 24th," relates the tragic story.
After stating that on Tuesday Capt. Williams
feeling unwell, had called upon him for relief, he
says:
GAS no apprehension was entertained at this
time of the nature Of the disease an ordi-
nary prescription was given him, and he con-
tinued on his way home, about three miles from
this place. On the following day ] was sum-
moned to attend him, and, finding the symptoms
by this time very unusual, with the water-dread
strongly marked, n wild manner, and the case in
every feature novel, the conviction flashed across
my mind that it resembled hydrophobia more
nearly than any other disease, and accordingly
the question was propounded TO the poor fellow,
Have you been bitten by dog at any recent
period p / have was his reply, with look and
manner which | can never forget, at the same
time holding up his hand and pointing to the
scars on each side of his thumb, near the body of
his hand
"Whatever Of hope might have been present up
to this period was at once dispelled by this in
terrogatory, even before any adverse opinion had
been given, and his request was that he might be
shot, importuning his father, who was present,
to do So His situation, from this time through
the remaining few hours Of his life, was horrible
in the extrme. Fully, now, awake TO the awful
nature of his situation from the consciousness Of
his terrible condition, he continued from this time
(about o'clock p. m in n wakeful state-now
conversing with tolerable composure upon such
tropics as might be suggested, and anon thrown
into the most painful muscular contortions, es-
pecally if any liquid were offered him, or even
any alluson made TO anything of the kind The
case, however, did not attain its worst phase
until about 8 o'clock the following morning. lie
seemed, indeed, from early dawn TO this hour, a
little more composed; Ind even forced down a
small quantity Of milk, although not without IN
effort which was painful 10 behold.
"At or near o'clock, however, the final strug-
gle commenced. With wild scream he besought
the presence of his mother his wife, and others
of his relations and friends, and took n formal
leave Of them in n manner rs rational as possible.
This was at once succeeded by paroxysms so yo-
lent rs to require his being firmly secured TO the
bed, in which situation the spasms increased
fast in frequency and violence, with q rapid flow
Of saliva, ut first frothy and yiscid, but after
WuTuS InlnHeT, less IenuclOuS, ana maue up OF
froth and glairy fluid, which he sputtered forth
forcibly while his strength continued, clutching
at it with his hands sometimes, as il to tear il
away from his mouth. His countenancewas now
Mt times shockingly distorted, and his brain fren-
zed, his teeth grating and gnashing in n terrible
manner. He continued in this awful state until
about half-past 10 o'clock n. m, when, his power
having so far failed as to prevent his dislodging
the fast accumulating saliva, his throat gradually
filed with it, and he expired
"In the fitting and varied expressions which
passed over the countenance of the unfortunate
patient towards the close Of life, there were ex
hibited such appearances as would lead the be-
holder without much stretch Of the imagination)
to suppose that the rabid creature, whose deadly
poison was circulating through his system by its
bite, had worked out the effect Of Transforming
his very nature into its own-there was the rabid
canine expression MS fully expressed as the hu-
man features would in anywise allow Of.
"Thus ended a tragedy which, in practice Of
25 years, have seen nothing to compare with