The San Antonio light. (San Antonio, Tex.) 1883-1886, 1884-02-27
LEAD POISONING.

Horrible Death ola Victim -Heartrending Agony.
From the Cleveland Herald.
Augustus Nelson, young Swede, I'M
married, and living at No. 6GG Lorain
street, died Wednesday at the in6rmary
and will be buried to-day.
Lead poisoning is much more prevalent
than the public imagine or than the own
ers of white lead works will always adj
init. Morley & Co., at whose works the
dead man was employed, were by no
means reticent about giving all the facts
in the case. They said that Nelson had
worked for them at one time and another
for several months. In regard to pre-
cautions against lead poisoning, they
allege that they had adopted all required
by law and suggested by science, which
are that persons exposed to lead poison
ing must be attentive to cleanliness and
must combine the frequent application
of u warm bath with the use of sulphuric
lemonade or treaole beer aoidulated with
sulphuric acid as drink. The must also
wear sponges or respirators over the
mouth and nose.
Nelson was afflicted with the fourth
and happily the least common stage of
lead poisoning. The first and most com
mon form Is lead collie, from which house
painters as well as those employed in
white lead works suffer. Then there is
lead rheumatism; next, lead palsy or
paralysis, and fourth, disease of the
brain, from which Nelson suffered. Lead
collie is distinguished from ordinary collie
by a peculiar narrow blue line along the
TO tnl A.
also distinguishes lead rheumatism.
Lead palsy usually affects the upper
limbs. and strangely enough the ball of
the thumb and eXtensors of the wrist are
the muscles usually affected, causing
what is sometimes known as wrist-drop.
The symptoms of lead poisoning are the
blue line along the gums, q peculiar
taste in the mouth, and a strange odor of
the breath, jaundiced state of the skin,
and an enfeebled circulation, while the
patient grows much emaciated. Deliri-
um, coma or commissions occur in the
case of brain disease from lead poisoning.
Young Nelson's case, viewed from n
medical standpoint, was an interesting
one. lie was attacked n few days ago
and almost Immediately went into con-
WILSON'S. Last Saturday his disease as
suined such Il violent nature and he was
so dangerous in his delirous rawlings that
his landlord had him removed to the in
Urinary.
81 can liken his terrible commissions to
nothing else than the struggles of man
afflicted with hydrophobia," said an in
firmary attache. "When he became
violent he would struggle awhile with
superhuman strength, and then, hurting
aside the attendants, he would try to
climb up the head of his bed as If in
spired with the idea that if he could
ascend TO the ceiling he could get above
the terrible agony that he suffered. 1t
seemed almost incredible that sick man
could possess such strength, and when
his frame was shaken with commissions
he made the room tremble. He finally
became so violent that we had to put on
him one of those straight jackets with
which dangerously-insane persons are
restrained. Finally, as his strength was
ebbing away, he became less violent,
but suffered terrible agony and admitted
groans and shrieks of pain, until at last
1t was relief to see the poor sufferer die
and escape the terrible agony, the most
heartrending Lever witnessed.