Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1875-09-25

A Curious Case of S Hydro
phObia.s'-The Attending
Physician Somewhat Sold.
10 The Editors Of the Independent

TO the Editors Of the Independent
HEDGESvILLE, Sept. rs.
There is story current, here, of
what may be set down as curious
case of "Hydrophobia." 1t occur
red at the house Of Allen Robins,
who resides near the North Noun
tain Station. The patient was
white servant girl, who had been
brought from the hills of Back
Creek but day or two before her
attack, and nothing was known of
her antecedents. Her symptoms
were as follows :-She fell in a fit,
and commenced frothing at the
mouth. biting herself and warning
those present to keep oIt of her
reach, saying she was afraid she
would bite them. She craved wa
ter, but, when it was brought to
er,the sight OF it seemed to throw
her into spasms.
Becoming alarmed, Mr.. Robins
summoned his family Doctor, Ia
well-known physician of Hedges
ville) who inquired, on his arrival,
whether she had ever been bitten
by mad dog. He was answered
that she had, sometime ago, been
bitten by dog, according to her
own account, but that there was
no evidence that it was mad. The
symptoms above described, and
others, so much resembled those
of Hydrophobia, that the Doctor
came to the conclusion that he had
the rare luck, or unluck, of gen.
uine case of that disease under
treatment, and he didn't hesitate
to pronounce it such to all ques-
TONERS.
It was resolved to return the girl
to her home in the Hills. Afraid
to otherwise undertake the job Of
her conveyance thither, several
men cautiously approached and
tied her hands with BEDFORD,
muzzled her mouth, and placed
her in wagon. In this way they
conveyed her to the home Of her
parents. When they got there,
what was their surprise to be in
formed that the case of Hydro
phobia," which had so terrified
them and baff1ed the skill of the
Doctor, was only case of Hyste-
RIGS, to which disease the poor girl
had been subject. Her parents I'M
bound her at once, and placed her
in bed. The Doctor followed his
"bydrophobic" patient in a short
time. Under the new light shed
upon the situation, he approved
the removal of all restraint, and
administered remedies indicated
by Hysteria, in the language of
the profession. Speedy recovery
was the result.
The girls father was very indlg-
nant at the rough treatment to
which his daughter had been sub
jected, until told that she had in
vited it by giving out the story OF
her having been bitten by dog,
as also by her saying that she was
afraid she would bite her attend
ants, if they approached her. lie
even had gone so far as to threaten
prosecution for the rough treat
ment to which she had been sub
jected.
IL was now Mr.. Robins's turn
to complain of the imposition
practiced upon his family by suf-
fering the girl to GO to service
therein without any intimation oil
her liability to such frighiful
symptoms.
There has been a good deal OF
sport amongst the competing ply
sicians, and their adherents, at the
expense of the attending physi-
clan. But it ia but justice to him
to say that he claims to have
thought the symptoms were those
of Hysteria, until misled by the
statement that his patient had
been bitten by dog aud her
spasmodic- behavior when he Of
fered her liquid medicines, CO.
operating with her expressions OF
fear that she would bite somebody.
He was heard tointimate, indeed,
that the symptoms reminded him
of histories. But evidently he fell
at length into the hydrophoblc
idea, reluctant as he naturally is to
own it now.
1t is probable that the idea oil
the dogs bite story was nothing
but hysterical conceit. The accep
lance of it as fact naturally
enough would encourage the run
ming Of the patients nind upon
the danger Of herself biting in
turn, and so 10 cause her to accept
and play the part of dog madness.
In fact there is nothing too absurd
for hysterieal patients to imagine,
AS TO the frothing at the mouth,
that ought not to have misled a
medical observer. seeing how com