Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1867-06-06
The Iowa ..Lizard Case,

the nO6eS taken at the p0St-HtOTteH1 eAdllllild-
ton held by the physicians of this town,
and DR.. Russell, Of Monticello, in presence
of our citizens. The problem has been &C
tually solved, whether or not there was
snake or lizard in Mrs. Parker's stomach,
by her death, and by p0st-m0rtenn eXamina-
ton. This case has ocasioned much interest,"
at home and abroad, and been the topic OF
discussion for anumber OF weeks. Inc re-
port that Mrs. Parker certainly had a vile
snake or hateful lizard in her stomach
has been extensively disseminated through
public journals, and variety OF opinions
expressed in relation to the cause OF tne
patients illness and suffering therefore 1t
is due to the medical profession, ana the
community generally, that brief history
of the case and notes of the p0St-na0rteaaa
examination be published.
HISTORY OF THE CASE.
Mr.. Parker says My wife's age was AZ,
the Sth day of last August. She had an
attack, something like quinsy, nine years
ago last November, that resulted In uicera-
lions, and was attacked with a disease OF
the lungs in three or four weeks, and raised
from them over two pints OF fluid every
twenty-four hours Dr. Hemingway, oil
New York, called a council on her case
the same fall, and pronounced it consump-
ton DIR. Natson saw her about three
months ago. He decided that one of her
lungs was gone, and the other badly dis
eased. Said he could do her no good farther
than advise palliatives.
THE oUACK APPEARS AND SUGGESTS THE
-ii3 LIZARD THEORY -
A German from Lisbon, calling himself
Doctor (who y saw her about eight weeks
ago, and, after an examination, pronounced
the disease a snake, tape-worm or lizard
said her lungs were just as good as his
lungs, and no disease in them; said he
could take away the animal from her In
three or four days. and she would be as fat
and hearty as any one. r II.
First process of operation, to eat salt
herring, just taken out of the brine, with
vinegar, and crackers soaked in vinegar,
for food, the first week; and put on her
stomach poultice of garlic, also fish oil
and lard simmered together, and give her a
teaspoonful morning and night, and battle
the throat and chest with the same-the
garlic poultice to drive the creature out or
the stomach, so that, putting hot milk be-
fore the patients mouth when she bent over
like hoop, he could induce the vile "sar-
pent to approach near enough her mouth
so he could get hold OF him with his
tweezers and draw him out She must not
drink anything but whey and sour wine,
and tea Of elder blows and chamomile,
and to be sweat over sour whey. At the
end of the first week he could not get the
snake; would have to try another week
thought he had not gone quite thorough
enough.
The second week, did not allow her to
drink anything but sour wine, and not to
eat anything at all. At the end of two
weeks, came to try again; milk heated and
put in a pan as before; said the snakes
head was so large that it could not come up
that way; no food yet.
The third week he said he would kill the
snake and have it pass the other way, and
gave her a teaspoon each of castor oil and
turpentine morning and night, and not to
eat anything get.
Said in three days the snake would be
dead. She took turpentine and oil over q
week; when he came back and said the
snake was dead, and would pass away from
her in twenty-one days, which was five or
six weeks ago Said the bones of the skull
and the skin would not digest, and that
they would pass off so she could see them.
Gave her permission to eat, but the tur-
-pentine had irritated the stomach, so she
could not take much nourishment.
After the twenty one days had expired,
he said the meat and skin of the animal
would not pass off for three or four weeks,
and perhaps longer. Two weeks ago, said
it was there yet, and would not come away
for a month or two, and might stay for
months, for the reason that the outside had
become coated like the stomach, and the
acid Of the E5ger would not act on 1t; that it
had been there so long it had become as a
part OF her being. The following was
prepared by the Doctors directions, and
ordered by him to be worn the whole time !:
One pint each elder bark, slippery elm, flax
seed and bran, put in flannel bag and
covered on both sides with black sleeps
aoo0z. a'
Before he commenced doctoring her she
was up and around the house quite com
Portable. Last Friday she was gaining
strength g little and went few steps to
her brother: When she came home and
got on the first step she fell from it and
bruised her tempe. She became uncon-
scious the next morning, and remained so
until she died on Sunday noon 3
POST MoRTEM EXAMINATION.
On Monday, post norton examination
was held, by request OF Mr. Parker, to de-
eide the question whether his wife had
been the victim of miserable quack or
had been treated by a scientific man. Mrs
Parker had often made the request that an
should be mBde, as she was
convinced that some monster inhabited her
internal organs. In the examination an
lnclslon was made, commencing just below
the chin ard reaching the whole length of
the abdomen, and all the internal organs
were exposed to view and subjected to
thorough examination. The mucous
membrane OF the throat (the pharynx and
larynx) were found liberated their entire
surface; the heart was in healthy condi-
lion. Upon attempting to remove the
lungs which, in the healthy subject, hang
loose in the thOraX so that they are easily
removed by seVering their natural cOnnec-
tons, it was found that by disease they were
firmly attached to the walls of the chest. 4
The left lung for its whole extent was a
diseased mass, and had TO be dissected from
It's surrounding organs with care to remove
It entire. The lower portion of the left
Jung was entirely gone, and its place occu-
pied by large abscess, which had formed
adhesions to the ribs, stomach, and liver.
On the inside of the abscess small particles
IF tubucular deposits were found. The
upper portion of this lung was contested,
and tubucular deposits found through it.
The right lung was also contested, and the
same tubucular c0ncretions were found
scattered through the upper portion, and
1ad begun to soften and destroy the lung.
Then came the search for the monster
reptile with four feet" "large head, and
coated like the stomach so that the acid of
he liver would not dissolve it," No one