The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1882-02-11

From the Philadelphia Press.

From the Philadelphia Press.
Lyssophobla, or spurious hydrophobia, has
been developed IN the father of Edward Gard
ner the l6year.old boy who died on last Mon.
day night, in Camden, of genuine rabies, The
case is a remarkable instance of the effect of
The Imagination. On the evening preceding
that OF his sons death, Mr. Gardner entered
the ck.room, while the patient was writing
In painful CONFUSION. The boy struggled
strongly, and to prevent him from lnJurlng
himself the father seized both hands, and
bending over the bed, endeavored to hold him.
While in this position, the lad, who was foam
ing at the mouth, made several savage snaps
with his teeth, ana then spat IN his fathers
face. A small quantity of the frothy saliva
entered Mr.. Gardeners right eye. As soon as
the violence of the spasm had exhausted itself
Gardner ran out of the room to his wife and
told her that he believed he had been poisoned
by the spittle, insisting at the same time that
his eye panied him, although the only lnflam-
nation visible about the eyelid was that
caused by rubbing. On Monday he said very
little about the matter, but after the boys
DEATH IN the evening, he began to get nervous
and excited.
Three hours later the frightened man had
worked himself into state bordering on hyS
terra, and it was only by the creates. persua
sion that he could be induced to 90 TO bed
and then simply to toss about without sleep
BY morning imagination had so thoroughly
conquered judgment that Gardner announced
that he felt severe pain at the lower part OF
the cerebellum, and complained of chilly
sensation in the spinal column. lie professed
to feel the same dryness about the throat thai
his son exhibited, and actually gave vent to g
series of short sharp coughs the same as the
dead boy had done in the preliminary stage;
of the genuine malady. DR.. Ireland was sent
for and when he arrived the imaginary sick
man was found in bed bathed IN Il profust
IperSplratlon. HIS eyes were wild and staring
and his mouth parched, but when given ;
glass of water he experienced no difficulty il
swallowing it. This one fact gave assuranc,
to the physician that the patient was not suf
tering from the effects Of hydrophobia virus
besides the knowledge that there has never
been a case on record where the poison haC
been transmitted by one human being to an
| other
! The PATIENTS nervousness increased so rap
idly that DR.. Ireland at last resorted to physl
cal treatment Hydrate of choral and bromide
of potassium were administered III doses rath
aboye the average, but even then the patient.
brain had become so thoroughly under the
control OF morbid imagination that sleeI
could not be induced until the doses had beer
repeated.
| Gardner then fell into a troubled sleep
which in the course of few hours set
tied into an apparently healthful slumber, ant
he awoke on Wednesday morning decidedly
better but still convinced that poison was run
ming through his veins. The nervines wer,
again exhibited, and at noon he had gaineC
sufficient mental strength to discuss the mat
ter calmly, and to be partially persuaded tina
he was in no immediate danger Of dissolution
He Is still in bed, and very much Frustrated