Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1884-05-07
Dying Every Day.

One OF the most extraordinary cases
of SUSPENDED animation II q Luman be-
ing ever heard of is now puzzling two
leading physicians Of Leadviiie. Co.
orado. They have been treating TIE
case for the past two months, but they
are as far from affecting a cure to-day
as they were at the beginning. They
have exhausted all the ancient and mod
ern methods OF resuscitation, but they
might as well have been working upon
a dummy or an image. The subject is
q boy about eight years of age who re-
resides with his parents In the vicinity
of Carbonate Hill. The father Is
miner-a strong. robust man, who never
suffered day of severe sickness In the
thirty. st ven years of his life-and the
mother Is healthy woman. Both are
Germans, and, besides the little patient
whose ailment Is mystifying the physl-
clans, have two other children, boy
five years Of age and an infant IN arms.
These two children are healthy, and
haye suffered FROM 10 other sickness
than the ills of childhood.
at is one of the most remarkable
cases OF suspended animation l have
ever seen or heard of, - said one of the
medical gentlemen. 'In all my expert
ence in Europe and America, never
heard of anything like it. Two months
ago was called to visit boy nearly
eight years of age, whom had treated
previously for who oping cough l cured
HIM of that annoying malady, and while
on my way 10 his parents residence be-
lieved that he had been attacked by
another sickness pertaining to juyenllliy.
What was my surprise, therefore, when
the parents told me that their boy had
been IN a comatose condition all day
and they were afraid be was dead. He
had slept all night, they said. and at
sunrise complained OF sickness, after
which he fell into stupor, from which
they were unable to arouse him. l en-
tered the room where the boy was lying
IN bed and found him wearing all the
appearances of death. He had no sen-
slble respiration, 10 pulse, no motion
of the heart, no feeling. A convulsIve
movement of the right eyelId Convinced
me that the child was not dead, how
ever, and l applied such restorative
remedies rs l had at hand, but they
were of no aysl. / worked until the
sun had disapl cared from the horizon,
when the boy recovered his senses by
degrees and ar Sc without any symp-
toms that would Indicate his having
been Ill. vas puzzled, and resolved
TO ascertain the nature and cause OF the
desth-Iike Btupor. That evening l took
Dr. III c. Insulation, and we both visit
ed the house In which the strange
little patient resided. We remained
with him until SIX o'clock In the morn
ing. He slept very TRANQUILITY through
out the night, anu shortly before day
light We awoke him, made HIM speak,
anG amused HIM until the sun began to
rise. The little fellow had been very
happy, and laughed heartily at the
funny stones We told him until the first
glimpse OF sunshine was seen, when he
suddenly said, 'Oh, mister, I'm sick,
and lay down on the bed and lmmedl-
alely assumed the appearance of death.
Animation was entirely suspended, with
the exception of the twltchlng of the
rignt eyend, and he looked exactly as l
had seen him on the previous day. We
pricked hum with needles and applied a
galvanic battery to his most sensitive
parts, but without creating the least
IMPRESSION. The tody renamed ex-
tremely cold tOr at least two hours, after
which the cold diminished, without,
however, ceasmg entirely. L torcibiy
raised one OF the arms, and it remained
In an upnght position. One OF the
legs also remained elevated when placed
III that position. The members were
ike soft wax that takes every impress
sion. and were covered with lndenta-
uons where We had pressed them with
our fingers. The child remained thus
without swallowing until the sun disap-
peared behind Mount Massive, when
symptoms OF returning animation were
oDserDavle, and alter IA while he arose /,
as on the previous evening. He was
ravenously hungry, and ate very
hearty meal a1ter which he romped
with his younger brother until bedtime,
when he az ain went TO sleep. Thus the
boy had hved ana died every day dur
ing the past two months. He eats one
hearty meal every night, aud his dlges-
ton does not seem impaired by his
strange ailment. In tact, he has IN
creased III height and weight since my
first visit to him, ana his spirits are ex-
cehent. 1 have exper mented with every
remedy known TO cure such cases. But
they seemed to have no effect except to
make the child sick during his waking
hours, and when the catalogue OF Ia
yorIte remedies was exhausted let him
alone. l have written full diagnosis
of the case and cent it to several medl-
cal monarchs IN this country and
Europe, and they are all ANXIOUS to see
him. L am now applying my last pre-
scription, aud If it fails Will take the
boy to New York, when the most emil
nent physicians in the country will eI-
anime him."