Turner County herald. (Hurley, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1884-04-17
SUSPENDED ANIMATION.

Leadville Boy Who Cannot Live When
the Sun is the Doctors Say
[Leadyilla Dispatch to the Denver Tribune.J
One OF the most extraordinary cases Of
suspended animation in human being
ever heard of is now puzziing two physi-
clans of this city. The subject is boy
8 years of age, who resides with his
parents.
'It is the most remarkable case OF
suspended animation have ever seen
or even heard Of" said one of the medi-
cal gentlemen when reluctantly forced
to admit that there really was such a
case. In all my experience in Europe
and America / have never heard of any
thing like 1t"
"What are the symptoms, doctor?"
.Two months ago was called to Wis
it boy nearly 8 years of age, whom
l had treated previously for whooping-
cough. cured him of that malady,
and while on my way to his parents res
idence, believed that he had been at
tackled by another sickness pertaining
to juvenility. What wss my surprise,
therefore, when the parents told me that
their boy had been in comatose CON
dition ell day, and they we're afraid he
was dead. He had slept all night, they
said, and at sunrise complained of sick
ness, after which he fell into a stupor,
from which they We're unable to arouse
him. Ientered the room where the boy
was in bed and found him wearing all
the appearance of death. He had no
sensible respiration, no pulse, no mo-
tion of the heart, no feeling. A conyul-
sive movement of the right eyelid COR
vinced me that the child was not dead,
however, and I applied such restorative
remedies as I had at hand, but they
were of no avail. 1 worked until the
sun had disappeared from the horizon,
when the boy recovered his senses by
degrees and raose without any symptoms
that could indicate his having been ILL,
I was puzzled and resolved to ascertain
the nature and cause of the stupor.
That evening l took Dr.-in consulta.
tion, and we both visited the house in
which the strange little patient resided.
We remained with him until o'clock
in the morning. He slept very tran
quilly throughout the night, and shortly
before daylight we awoke him. made
him speak and amuse him until the sun
began to rise. The little fellow had
been very happy, and laughed heartily
at the funny stories we told, until the
first glimpse of sunshine was seen, when
he suddenly said, ooh, mister, I'm sick,
and lay down on the bed and immedi-
ately assumed the appearance of death.
Animation was entirely suspended, with
the exception OF the twitching of the
right eyelid, and be looked exactly like
I had seen him on the previous day. We
pricked him with needles and applied a
galvenic battery to his most sensitive
parts, but without creating the least i'm
preston. The body remained extremely
cold for at least two hours, after which
the cold diminished, without ceasing en-
tirely. I foreibly raised one of his
arms, and it remained in an upright po-
sition. One of the legs also remained
elevated when placed in that position.
The members were like soft wax that
takes every impression, and were cov-
cred with iudentations where we had
pressed them with our fingers. The
child remained thus without swallowing
until the sun disappeared behind Mount
Massive, when symptoms of returning
animation were observable, and after
awhile he arose, MS on the previous
evening. He was ravenously hungry,
and ate a very hearty meal, after which he
romped with his younger brother until
bedtime, when he again went to sleep.
Thus the boy has lived and died every
day during the past two months. He
eats one hearty meal every night, and
his digestion does not seem to be i'm
paired by his strange ailment. In fact
he has increased in weight and height
since my first visit to him, and his
spirits are excellent. / have expert
mented with every remedy known to
cure such cases, but they seemed to
have no effect, except to make the child
sick during his walking hours, and when
the catalogue of favo1ite remedies was
exhausted LETT him alone"