Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1883-07-29
SINGULAR DELUSiONS.
Effects OF Anssthetics on Fair
Patients.
ChIorsfom lntoxicat!on-Risks Which Physi-
clans and 0eatlsts Run-Seyeral
Cases Trled-A BIsckmail-
ing Transaction.


known dentist was charged with as
saulting lady patient while in bis OIL
flee, says the New York Mercury, has
called the attention of dentists and sur
geons anew to the subject of anssthet-
icdelusions, and as adding one exam
pie more to justify the rule recently laid
down by the Medico-Legal society OF
this city, and generally adopted py
leading physicians. The rule Is this
never to give an anesthetic to q wo-
man, and particularly never to admin
lister chloroferm or ether, except in the
presence of a competent witness-if a
friend of the patient, all the better. The
rule applies to nitrous oxide, Also out
not with the same force as to chloro'
form and ether, under which, as has
been proved by the record OF many
cases, decisions are always liable to &C.
cur.
A Dentist IA This city,
whose standing in his profession is OF
the highest order, relates an incident In
his own practice that occurred in OctJ-
Der, 1880. The lady was the unmarried
sister of young clergyman, and the
wife of the latter was present. Il be-
gan to administer the ether" said the
doctor, preparatory to the extraction
of the tooth. The first saturation did
not take effect, and while was renew
ing the quantity on the napkin the pa.
tient struggled away from me and
seemed to be highly offended. | did
not try to compel her TO inhale any
more of the vapOr, but urged her YER
bally to take it, as did her sister in-law,
who was seated on the sofa within four
or five feet of her. But she refused,
positively, and that ended the sitting
For weeks she would give no explana-
ton of her behavior whatever, but
finally, on being urgently besought to
divulge her motives for such singular
conduct, she confessed her fixed belief
that had attempted toassault her, and
that
Her Brothers, wife
had entered into conspiracy with me
To enable me to accomplish my pur-
pose. 1t was long time before she
gave up this idea, but she was at last
convinced of her Authorization, anu
that by a most singular circumstance.
Accompanied by her brother himself,
as we'll as by his wife, she went 10
another dentist to have the operation
performed. Again the administration
of the ether was commenced, and again
the impression that the dentist was at
tempting an assault, abetted by those
crescent, supeTvened in the cumulative
Stage of the drug. so vivid was the
dream, or halluCinatiOn, that 1t was at
first impossible for the lady to credit
the tact that she was under deluslon
Case was Tried
in Northampton, England, by Justice
Hawkins, in November, 1877, which
has not found its way into American
Journals. A surgeons assistant was ac-
cused of assault upon Mrs. &. w. Child,
who went to the surgery of her family
medical attendant to have a tooth
drawn. She had been there the day be-
fore, and an attempt had been made to
bring her under the influence chlorO-
form, but it had failed. The second at
tempt was rather more successful, but
not completely so, and the operation
had to be postponed. She was accom-
panied by Miss Fellows, lady friend,
who was out Of the room only once dur
ing the hour Of their visit to the surgery,
and that was to speak to Mr.. Child,
who called while his wife was in the
operating room, for moment, but did
not remain. Mrs. Child stated on the
trial that the assault was perpetrated
immediately on Miss Fellows going out
Of the APARTMENT, and that she was
conscious, hut was unable to speak.
The OperatiOn was finally given up,
and Mrs. Child was accompanied home
hy her friend and the young surgeon.
The latter had no sooner left the house
| than she related the whole AFFAIR to her
| husband, who, the next day, when the
accused called, told him what had been
alleged. The young man replied that
| the lady was the victim of a delusion.
In the witness box Miss Fellows swore
| that she was out of the room only
few minutes, and was liable to return at
any moment; that when she did return
there was no evidence Of an assault.
DIR. Benjamin w. Richardson,
whose celebrity is world wide, was called
as an expert OH behalf of the defence.
DIR. Richardson, in his evidence de-
scribed with fidelity the three stages of
chlorOform intOXicatiOn. In the first,
consciousness was not lost, he said, and
the patient would struggle and fight for
air. In the second, Consciousness was
not eXtlnguished, but it was impossible
to operate because the patient would
often scream on very little prOvocatiOn,
kick and resist violently. In the third,
muscular irritation altogether ceased,
! and all rigidity was abolished; the
stage vas the only one that permitted
of an operation. In his opinion Mrs.
Child never passed beyond the second
stage Of the drug. DR.. Hawksby, one
| of the most distinguished experts in
| London, sustained DIR. Richardson's
views, and the jury acquitted the
prisoner without leaving the box, the
Judge instructing them the lady was
undoubtedly labOring under delusion.
The Late Joseph wOrster. N. D..
or this city, one of the founders Of the
aeademy of medicine, always made it a
| rule to warn pupils, for whom he acted
| preceptor, never, under any circum-
| stances, to administer an anRsthetic to
a woman without the presence of wit
nesses. He often related case that oc-
Cured in his OWE practice to show the
necessity of the rule. The patient,
woman some fOrty.five years old, was
the victim of a tumOr that had to be re-
moved with knife. DR.. Worster was
accompanied by two young men, ply
sicians just graduated, the one to give
the chloroform, the other to act as sur
gical assistant. Neither left the room
during the operation, and besides the
three doctors a lady friend Of the patient
was present. The drug acted well and
the operation was successfully perform
ed. On coming out Of her long uncon-
sciousness the woman accused the as
sistant surgeon in violent terms of hay-
ing assaulted her. As it happened, II
had been his duty to see to the pro-
vision of instruments, pass them to the
operator when required, and so on and
not once during the whole period had
| he been
within Two Feet of the Patient.
The woman persisted, Notwithstanding
the assurance of all present, even that
of her own lady friend, in declaring that
such was the case, and ended by accus-
| So, tba,,, ell Of fba eOnSDiFary TO shield