Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1871-01-14
A New Medical Horror.

The cI;y OF Elgln, some iOily mhes
ives, of Chicago, is greatly excited BY
the appearance Of strange disease IN that
vicinity. The first case known, which
terminated fatally on Friday last, was as
follows On Friday week Mrs. g. w.
Dsniels. lady lwenty-Iw years OF age.
who was married two years ago and gave
birth 10 a child eleven months since, was
prosIaed by what seemed at first TO be
premoni;ory symptoms OF typhoid lever.
She had not been very well Tor sometime
previous, but nothing serious was antIcI-
paled until Sunday, when she was COM
PEELED to take TO her bed and place her
self under medical treatment. She com.
planned of pains in her bones aud sore.
ness in her flesh. Nothing very unusu-
al. however, vas observed until Sunday
morniug, when lhe milk from her breast
attracted attention by It's dark color, II
looking like the waslibgs OF an ink bottle.
Submitting the milk TO a microscopic ex-
animation i, was found 10 contain an i'm
mense number of animacule different 10
size md shape from any human parasite
OF which the attending physician had ever
seen or heard. They seemed 10 be some.
what hexagonsl in loneer-lOnger one
way than the other They did not seem
10 have any head, but were evidently
alive. judging from The way in which
they moved about. Their size was estl.
mated by The physician as varying from
.he one hundred IhousGndih 10 The FIVE
hundred thousaudlh OF an inch in dame
ter.
The power Of The microscope used va
ried from $50 10 800 dlsmeters, the for
mer power being required 10 make the
insecls visible. They were not TichInG,
as The doctor was we'll acquainted with
the form Of lha, parasite. and his new
kind was much smaller and Of an entirely
different shape. Authorities were search.
ed, but none Of Ihem gave one By viii h
they could be Identified, and the doctor
and those with whom he consulted were
compelled to believe that they had dis.
covered a new species Of human parasite
In the meantime The patient grew
worse. She suffered terribly and CON.
planned OF soreness all over her body.
Nothing was done to relieve her. She
could not bear bath and could hardly
bear 10 be touched. She fingered in sg-
ony unnl HE afternoon al o'clock when
she died. There was some reason at
first to believe that the parasites were the
/ product ul some disease Of The breast and
were confined to that locality. The doc
Tor determined to test the matter. and sn-
( ticipsiing her death. he was prepared 10
/ do So. Five minutes afIer life was ex-
,lnci and while the body was still warm,
he made an inclsIon in The cali Of The leg,
and, drawing the lancet, examined The
moisture which cover it. He found three
OF tie parasites. one OF which was alive.
They we're similar in all respects to those
found in The fluid taken from the breast.
He then dlssecled The G6iatis arteries
aud The muscle Of the leg, including a
small portion Of surrounding flesh. The
muscle presented a granular appearance,
a. If covered with grains OF sand. The
grain. The doctor assumes were parssiies.
, These Investigations were conducted by
DR.. Clark, assisted by DR.. Tyuell. and
neither OF them nor any Of the faculty
who have been asked their opinion are
able 10 eIplsin the presence OF what they
+sxnd as a practical phenomena.
SWEET AND BITTER.
'Tis sweet TO court,
But, oh !, how bitter