The Leavenworth weekly times. [volume] (Leavenworth, Kan.) 1870-1880, 1870-12-15
a HORRIBLE Srspw 4.
The Mes. rrixhsr.l Death On Nee.

The Most IriGheGul Death On Record
The st. Louis papers Of Monday contain
the following account-forwarded by tele-
graph from Chicago, under date Of ith in.
stant,-of the singular death Of lady resid-
ing at Elgin, Illinois:
The city Of Elgin, some forty miles west
Of Chicago, is greatly excited by the appear
ance of a strange disease in that vicinity, the
first case known OF, which terminated fatally
on Friday last The facts are as follows:
On Friday week Mrs. G. W. Daniels, a lady
% years OF age, who was married two years
ago, and gave birth TO child eleven months
since, was Frustrated by what seemed at
first To be premonitory symptoms Of typhoid
fever. She had not been very we'll for some
time previous, but nothing serious was an
ticipated till Sunday, when she was compell-
ell TO take 10 her bed and place herself I'M
der medical treatment. She complained of
pains in her bones and soreness in her flesh.
Nothing very unusual, however, was OBJ
served until Sunday morning, when the milk
from her breast attracted attention by its
dark color, it looking like the washings OF
an ink bottle. Submitting the milk to mi
croscopic examination, it was found to contain
immense numbers Of animalcule, DIFF
ferent in size and shape from any human
parasite Of which the attending physician
had ever seen or heard. They seemed to be
somewhat hexagonal in form, longer one
way than the other. They did not seem to
have any head but were evidently alive,
Judging from the way they moved about
Their size was estimated BY the doctor as
varying from a hundred thousandth to five
hundred tho,sandth of an inch in diameter.
The power of the microscope varied from
$50 To 500 diameters, the former being re-
quired to make the insect visible. They
were not trichina, as the doctor was well ac-
quainted with that form of parasite, and this
new kind was much smaller and of entirely
different shape. Authorities were searched
but none Of them gave any clue by which
they could be identified. and the doctor and
those with whom he consulted were compell-
ed TO believe that they had discovered a new
species OF parasite.
In the meantime the patient grew worse.
She suffered terribly, and complained of
soreness all over her body Nothing could
be done to relieve her, she could not bear a
bath, and could hardly bear To be touched
She fingered in agony till this afternoon at
l o'clock, when she died.
There WIS some reason at first TO believe
that the parasites were the product OF some
disease of the breast, and were confined 10 that
locality. The doctor determined TO test the
matter. Anticipating her death, he was pre-
pared To do so five minutes after life was ex-
tinct, and while the body was still warm he
made an incision in the calf of the lex, and
drawing the lancet, examined the moisture
which covered it. lie found three Of the
were similar in all respects to those found in
the fluid taken from the breast. lie then
dis-octed the tibiaiis or anterior muscle Of
the leg, including a small portion OF the sur
rounding flesh. The muscle presented 4
granular appearance, As if covered with
grains of sand. These grains the doctor pre-
slImed were parasites.
The Investigations were conducted by DE-.
Clark, assisted by DIR. Tyrrell, and neither of
them nor any of the family who have been
asked their opinion can explain the presence
of what they regard parasitical phenomena.
A further examination Of the muscle will be
made, and it is expected that some light will
be shed upon what is now a mystery.
The physicians think that the parasites
fastened death, III they were not the immedi-
ate cause, while the symptoms of typhoid re-
manned to the end. They were aggravated
by the pain, and soreness and throbbinss
especially, and came sooner and more sud
denly than in cases Of unmistakablc typhoid.
The baby had been pining for some time
before its mother WIS taken sick, but As soon
As he was weaned he recovered his health,
and is now more robust than ever. He was
not weaned until his mother was confined to
her bed. The doctor reports tina. he exam