The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-02-28

| beginning of the Terrible Disease, How 1t
| Feels and What the Doctors Did.


Philadelphia Times.
Two months ago, young man came from
Honolulu to this city as a patient of Prof
Samuel D. Gross, and has just departed for
home uncured although there is a precepti-
bic change for the better in his health. The
case is one of the most remarkable that was
ever under the notice of the faculty of Phila-
delphia Drs. Hagen and Trousseau, who are
well known on the Sandwich Islands, sent
the patient, with a letter of introduction
and description of his condition, to Prof
Gross, stating that they had advised trip to
this country as a change, and for the benefit
of good medical advice. The full name of
the patient is withheld, his initials being
given as III. A." and his age as thirty-four
He was born in Honolulu, his parents being
emigrants from New Hampshire. He had
always led a rather dissipated life, and about
eight years ago. after slight indisposition
noticed dead spot of skin just above the
knee. 1t spread slowly, and was only about
twice as large four years after its first ap-
pearance.
This was the commencement of the terrible
leprosy with which so many Sandwich
Islanders are cursed. During the fifth year,
spread. The fingers and toes became very
sensitive, and sharp, prickly pains ran
through the extremities This was succeeded
by dead feeling, which put the young man
into such condition he could scarcely dis
tinguish solid substances when picked up by
the hands. He was placed under medical
treatment, but, in spite of it, his state con-
tinued to grow worse. His nose became red
and dead to the touch, a small elevation APP
peared between the eyebrows, the previous
symptoms became more marked, and torpid
feeling set in in the small of the back. 1t
was at this stage he was brought to Philadel-
pha. The trip, it was thought, would not
endanger others on the steamer in which he
came, as the disease was regarded as non-con-
tagious. He was man of more than aver
age intelligence, with brown hair and an oily,
shining complexion of dirty sallow color
The eyes were heavy, the lids dropping, and
the general appearance careworn.
On stripping him at the hospital here DR..
Gross found the muscles of the body very
much wasted. The heart was found to be
normal but rapid in its action. 1t was re-
marked that the toes of both feet like the
fingers, were insensible, especially to the
prick of needle The diagnosis of the case
proved to the satisfaction of all the doctors
who studied the patient, that the symptoms
were those of leprosy. Nearly all the recog
nized phenomena of the various varieties of
the various Affections were present. 1t ap-
peared the disease began as what is known
as the anesthetic form and gradually passed
into the more complicated and violent stages
DIR. John V. Shoemaker prescribed the
treatment. 1t was an aperient pill, followed
by a dose consisting of two teaspoonfuls of
compound tincture of gentian, with FIVE
drops each of tincture of nux vomica and
dilute phosphorc acid i'll water admins
| tered after meals. 1t was hoped by these rem
edies to tone up the digestive organs and as
sist nutrition. Equal parts of chaulmoogra
| oil and oleate of mercury were ordered to be
rubbed over all the anesthetic spots after the
sufferer had taken steam vapor bath. Out
door exercise and something to occupy his
mind were especially urged, After three
| days the young man looked somewhat bet
] ter; his tongue was cleaner and his digestion
| better. All the other symptoms were, how
| ever, as before. After a clinic at which
nothing was advised for the benefit of the
patient, DIR. Shoemaker told him that his
case was incurable, and advised him to leave
Honolulu, to seek some agricultural district
| in a cold mountainous region, and to keep
his mind and body both employed. At this
he grew very respondent, and said that on
his way to the city he had every hope of be-
| ing cured; that the thought of being an out
| cast in society, to be hunted down for isola-
| ton and to be Stunned by every one, had al
| most turned his reason, and he only wished
| to die.