The Indiana State sentinel., 1879-02-12
A MODERN MIRACLE.
Sudden Recovery of Speech by a Dumb
Man.
Fortunate Result of a ShOck-An Inter
esting Case for Students OF
Nervous Diseases.
New York Herald. |

Great and sudden shocks have sometimes
acted as curative upon persons who were
afflicted with deafness or other nervous af
fectlons, but rarely or ever before this pres
ent occasion has any one who has been dumb
for years suddenly recovered speech. Such
an instance happened about two months and
half ago, and the remarkable change was
consummated on Tuesday last. Medical men
who read the following carefully prepared
statement of facts, will be astonished and
deeply interested; and were this a supersti-
tious age, it is probable that this wonderful
occurrence would be ascrlbed by the popular
prejudice to some miraculous power apper-
tanning to locomotive and train of cars
A sUHsrRoKE.
The subject is Mr.. Frank w. Wood bro
ther-in-law of Mr.. ]. J. McComb, of No. $40
Fifth avenue. His father was wealthy, and
during the rebellion resided in New Orleans
When the Federal troops threatened the oc
cupation of the city he was chosen by the
local banks to receive the custody of their
gold and cause it to be conveyed to place of
safety. His son was soldier in the Confed-
crate army. AT the close of the war both
father and son found themselves in straight
ened circumstances, and the latter, in order
to earn a livelihood, became dealer in boots
and shoes in the city of New Orleans. Too
close an attention to business overtaxed his
strength and seriously impaired his health,
and to add to this affiic;ion he soon after
ward received sunstroke which entirely
prostrated him. Paralysis was an Immediate
| consequence. He soon recovered the rower
of locomotiou. and at first the disease did
not seem to affect very seriously the organs
of speech; bit by and by he experienced
marked difficulty of utterance, which gradu-
ally grew UPON him. His mental sensations
| in the meantime, while they did not betoken
any weakening of the brain, were far from
/ pleasant. 1t was not till 1875 that he entire
| ly lost the power of articulation. For some
/ time previously his sym ptoms had given him
/ warning that this calamity was near at hand.
| In the month of May, at the wedding of his
sister in Baltimore, he found himself unable,
/ for the hrst time, TO articulate. The deep
| anguish which this shock caused him could
only be realized by one who had bsen SINH
/ larry visited.
UNDER MEDICAL CARE.
4 Soon after he had become utterly mute it
4 was thought to be possible that his paralysis
might develop insanity, and, in order to be
forearmed against this worst of ills, it was
| concluded to place him IN charge of an ex-
| periencsd physician who was specially quail
| ifed to detect its symptoms and to prevent
| its approach. At this time, and even after
ward, his mind was perfectly clear. He was
/ even remarkable for the strength and the
acuteness OF his memory. He was sent to
Batavia. n. Y, TO the asylum of DIR. Peter
son. He was not subjected to any formal
confinement. The fact that he was in an
abode for the insane was carefully concealed
1 from him. No other inmates were allowed
! to come near HIM, and large suit of rooms
was devoted to his use From that time un
til the return OF his speech, all o. his com.
muaications with those around him were
made In writing. His hearing was always
perfectly good, but the little voice that re.
mained to him almost entirely disappeared.
The only vocal sound that he could make
was sort of whistle. In all other respects
his health steadily improved. He left Ba-
tavia and went to Hartford, where
he resided until September, 1877, IN
the Retreat for The Insane. A
friend named John T. Peters, a law
yer, visited MIN there, conceived the idea
that he would be greatly benefited if he
were to come to New Y ork and remain here
with his friends. He was received here at
the residence of Mr.. J. ]. McComb. An EN-
inent physician, who is a specialist in throat
, of his condition, and was the first to give the
true diagnosis of it. Hitherto those mem
bers OF the faculty who had treated him had
. acknowledged their ignorance. They had al
predicted that he would never speak again
Dr. Rucomer Immediately declared that he
uted his dumbness to the paralysis OF the
vocal cords in the larynx. He is gradually
!, RECOVERING" said be. land as soon as thest
cords become vitalizsd again their function
will return to them. 1t may be suddenly, O.
1t may be slowly" Subsequently, about L
, months ago, DR.. Rucomer gave the stronges
: possible assurances that Mr.. Wood woul(
entirely recover his speech. It wa
: thought advisable, however, that b
should return to Hartford. In las
= | ,hor he IN Orlc
; where his wife and two children noy
are. The climate of Louisiana did not prov
> beneficial to him, and after sojourn of tw
. or three weeks he started for the North
7 Now comes the wonderful part of the story
:, When the train on which he was travelin
y approached Pittsburg it came in collisio
? with another train. The engine wa
y y smashed and the cars were violently shaker
: The dumb man felt new and peculis
sensation that seemed TO indicate a chang
:. of some sort IN his condition. Suddenly
= consciousness of its significance came t
= him, and. springing from his seat, he rushe
= to the platform of the car, where brak
I, man was standing, and tried TO address hin
= As he now relates the incident, he opene
!. his mouth, moved his tongue, and felt thi
- - be was speaking. The brakeman looked /,
q him obviously, as il he had heard his voic
u but failed to understand its import. Z
answered by exclaiming, ''Whatl'' Too e.
,, cited then to make further attempt
= speak, Mr. Wood returned to his seat.
II 'I HAVE 1T now"
I'd On the next day he arrived in New Yor
b and as soon as ne met his friends he eager
er related to them in writing the hopeful e
- perience which ne had so lately had. Th'
a hoped, but scarcely believed in his brig
ia anticipation. On Tuesday last he was e
Mt gagged in discussing some personal busins
nd matters with Mr.. McComb at the Office
I'd the latter. Mr.. McComb remarked to hi
in that his general health was fully restore
", and expressed the most cheerful views abo
n. his future. He urged hira to make t
ne utmost efforts to regain his utterance. n
Id Wood seemed to form the resolution to +
To- | loauu adsic fad and q