Western Reserve chronicle and weekly transcript of the times. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1854-1855, 1855-04-04


better. The following day the same
symptoms occurred in more marked de-
gree. They continued for short time
and then subsided and he was comfort
able. / felt at loss to know what could
cause his complaint From four days
to week from the first cal he had
another much more violent attack
AT this last l thought the symptoms were
those referred to strychnine in medical
books. One thing that made me think
so was that after an attack he would ap-
parently convalesce for few days, and
then suddenly the spasms would return.
After the spasms the tongue was red,
and showed symptoms of gastric irritation.
During the days of apparent GONZALES
cence the tongue would lose its redness,
and his appetite would return, and then
would come another spssm. noticed
in particular that the red tongue never
preceded the spasm, but always at the
time or Immediately after; they came
OIL generally in the day time. 1 do not
remember any at night. l think the
worst one was in the afternoon usu.
ally Rollin would come after me, but not
always.
l did little or no other business but
attend to Mr. Leet for sometime; 1 spent
most ofmy time; 1 sometimes stayed there
several days without going home. 1
gave no directions to Rollin about ad-
minisiering medicine. 1 should think he
was removed 10 my brothers house about
the last of August. l did not hear
of his having any spasm after he left
home. These spasms continued from an
honr, for the lightest, to eight hours in
the case of the most severe one, which I
thought would be fatal During that
one administered chloraform, and ap-
piled cold water to his head, in which.
he seemed to have pain. He complain
ed first of his extremities. There was a
tendency to Involuntary muscular con-
traction in these. In the bad spasms the
contractions extended to the whole mus
cular system. He sometimes was in ex-
treme pain in the stomach, which l at.
tributed to spasm of the diaphragm and
muscles of the chest ; attempts to move
him would throw him into convulsions
a hand applied to his face would do so.
His extremities would sometime fly up
from the bed as if the poles of a battery
had been applied to his feet. A fly light
ing on his face, or spoon touching
his lips or teeth, would do it. 1t was
during the most severe paroxysm there
was so much determination of blood to
the head. After the spasms, the tongue
would assume fiery red appearance,
with symptoms of gastric irritation,
which extended to the bowels. The lon
ger the interval afterward, the better
would be the appearance of the tongue,
till after day or two, it would resume
its natural appearance. cannot say
how much Rollin was there; probably
half the time not so much at night as
during the day. He was quite attentive
when there. | could not say where
Rolln was when away. Once his horse
broke away at the center caught it.
and took it near to Mr.. Shannon's, and
sent it to Mr.. Shannon's house where
was informed he was.
1 have attended Mr.. Leet's family
some, and doctored Mrs. Leet in her last
sickness. When 1 stayed night and day
at Mr.. Lee,'s, he did not have a spasm;
they invariably came on when was ab-
sent. Some of the time remember be-
ing away not more than an hour or two
and leaving him apparently doing well,
and then would then be called back be-
cause he was in SPAN.
Cross Examination. )-On the 29th
July the symptoms were not the same
as on the day before when he was at my
house. 1 did not suspect anything then,
but it is now my opinion that he was la
boring under the same symptoms, al
though under milder form. Sometimes
he had the spasms every day, and some
times there would be an interval of
three or four days. 1 cannot state
how many he had. During them, it
was difficult to put anything IN his
mouth, on account of the touch of the
spoon bringing on the spasms. Mr.. Leet
had consulted me befJre these attacks,
as to his health, butt had given him lit
tie if any medicine. When he first con-
suited me, suppose he labored under
indigestion, lack of tone in the stomach,
and torpid liver. 1t was probably with
in a week from the time l first saw him
in spasms, that 1 suspected strychnine.
DIR. H. Beach, reside in Fowler;
have been practicing medicine for the
last twenty FIVE years | was at the post
,nor,em examination Of Elsie Leet; can