River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1880-07-29
A FISH CAUGHT IN A BOYS EAR.
The Terrible Agony that a MiunOw
Caused n Pennsylvania Lad.

Reading Pa. Eagle.
The most horrible case of suffering is
reported from No. 422 Walnut street,
this city. The name of the victim is
George Whitman, son of Howard
Whitman, aged ii years. His suffer
ings were terrible in the extreme and
the pain and agony endured by him al
most drove him mad Young Whit
man, in company with q number of
boys about his own age, had been i'll
the habit of bathing i'll the Schuylkill,
and since vacation commenced has
gone in the water several times n day
Three weeks ago lie was swimming With
several Of his schoolmates, and while
diving he experienced a tickling III one
of his ears. Directly after he had n
little pain, but it was only momentary,
and soon passed away He probed for
the object with a sharp piece of wood,
but could not find nothing He dressed
and went home, and no more attention
was paid to the matter. Some time
after he had terrible headache, and,
from that he experienced nothing but
an unceasing agony. The boy is natur-
ally small and delicate for his age, and
the awful strain upon his nervous
system was enough to greatly reduce
him, and render him almost crazy.
Sometimes there was Il slight allevia-
ton. but it invariably increased, and
always with increasing pain. No ply
stefan was employed, his parents think
ing he was afflicted with nothing but
earache. The agony increased, and
the boy passed many sleepless night.
His ewes lost its brilliancy, and his
checks their rosy, healthful hue. Lau-
danum was recommended us n remedy
for earache. and enough of the liquid
was poured into his auditory passage to
lay him into that sweet sleep that knows
no waking. No relief was experienced
by the frequent application of lau
danum. and rabbits fat was next re-
commended. The animal was obtained,
and lot of fat rendered. This brought
no relief, and only greater and more
horrible suffering. Matters went on
in this way for over two weeks. 1t was
now thought that the boy was afflicted
with neuralgia, because he only OK
perienced the pain in fits and starts.
When it first commenced the one side
of his head felt as if some small object
was wrigglmg and twisting i'll his ear:
During this time he often thought the
top of his head was about bursting
open. The properties of molasses to
draw" are well known; and a drop
was poured into his ear. At II o'clock
at night he had another attack, and
the pain he then endured, his parents
say, is simply INDISPENSABLE. Sleep was
impossible Laying quietly down was
not to be thought of Up and down
the room and through various parts of
the house the boy paced all night At
6 o'clock next morning he felt some
thing press hard against the lobe of his
ear. His mother was called, and wind
ing Il handkerchief around the head of
a small pin, probed into his car. She
saw something protrude. She reached
for it, got firm hold, and pulled out a
white looking object, over two inches
long, which proved to be a fish, one of
the species used by many of the dis
ciples eff Izaak Walton for bait I'M
mediate relief was experienced. The
boy felt as if weight of fifty pounds
had been removed from his head, and
Immediately began to get better.