Mineral Point tribune. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1854-1858, 1857-08-04
CASE OF HyDR0pH0RIH.
REPosrED b Geo d. wILDER, NJ D.
Mn. EDI1oR.

tee OF physicians furnishing secular Jour
nails with ordinary eases from their priv
ate experience, ! have, after some hesit-
alton. decided TO give you the outlines Of
a case Of disease, which disease when de-
veloped, 50 far as | know, has uniformly
destroyed It's victims. 1t may be that the
very fatality of the disease adds fearful
interest TO all eases of IT, for we are ali
more or less exposed to the known cause
Of the rnaiady. The history of the case
is briefly This:
John jenkins, Of Dodgeville, was Bit
ten by Il dog under circumstances that led
some TO SUPPOSE that the dog was healthy,
although John Immediately went 10 sur
geon, and SAID HAT a certain dog, (Which
had Just bitten him in the left hand near
the base of tho thumb, and that he want
cd the wound treated. The surgeon ex-
cised potion of the wound and cauter-
izeI it with nitrate of silver. Fhe wound
soon healed, and lefl healthy looking
cicatrix.
About three weeks after tho bite,
John was lodged in The County jail in
This city, TO await his trial for an ofense,
of which he may, or he may not have
been guilty. He was admitted on Sun
day, the I4Ih Of June, and nothing re-
markable occurred, (unl.~s a considerable
aversion to water and exercise may be
mentioncd,) until Sunday, tho 18Th of
July, when he commenced complaining
Of pain in the region of the heart, in the
left side of the head, ond in the left arm
and hand. lie also seemed to have i
dread of some imaginary and impending
danger; = but Us he was unaccustomcd
to the use Of tobacco, and as he had been
smoking to excess, il was Thought, that
these symptoms would wcIr away by an
other day.
On Monday, he still complained as
before, and / was therefore called to see
him. lie lad Il morose Sullen look, and
besides the pain in the left side Of his
body, he mentioned incidentally that it
made him ahudder, or, as he said, it took
his breath to touch, and especially TO
swallow water. He had also express
sed desire to the ialcr, to be out III the
fresh air, ten minutes every day, if no
longer Add to this obstinate constipation.
and you have his symptoms when | first
saw him. l did not know that he had
been bitten by Il dog, until die next day,
and even then, ruInor sand, the dog was
healthy.
Taking n review Of the case at this
point, and tearing in mind the motives
for deception, concluded that such symp-
toms as could not property be referred 10
his confinement, were probably feigncd,
and prescribed for HIM accordingly, Civ
ING INN i mild c1thartic.
Between and > o'clock A. NJ, on Tues
day, | was called in great haste to see
him, as he SAID he was ''dying for fresh
air" | found him quiet, counrenauce
slightly anxious, pulse regular, firm, aud
very slightly accelerated - IN tins re-
spccl the same as yesterday, TT and the
left side of his face rcddcr than the other
and the left eye injected, pain the same
as before. lis medicine not having vet
operated, / left him, and called again
about noon. His medicine had taken 81
feet, but he felt 10 better, aud the symp-
toms remained about the same. lie was
brought out INTO the fresh AIR, and then
learned that he had been bitten by dog,
supposed to be rabid, some seven or eiehl
weeks ago. | examined the scar and
found il sound, and normal in appearance,
IN which condition it continued 10 the last.
On trying HIM with water, he at first re-
fused 10 touch it, but finally took a TEA
spoonful of waCmish water at a time.
making much effort apparently to swat
low; after which, on being urged repeat
eddy to DO So, he swallowed from a fourth
to 4 third of tumbler of cold water in
hurried gulps, without any other uupIcas-
ant symptoms than the efforts toowaliow;
although lac sill complained lhal the water
took his breath.
For my own part, had never seen a
case of lIydroPhobia; and if this case
had occurred III private practice, without
any apparent motive Tor deception, OF any
other modifying influences, the nature of
the c2@e might not have remained long in
,ioubt. As it was, doubted, ard had
John taken hack 10 his room; aud as he
neglected cleanliness, during the afternoon
hls companions washed him from top to
toe and ia the evening, he felt so much
better that he declared himself well.
However, toward midnight, he began
10 st gloomy, aud paced his room con