Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-03-16
PUZZLED DOCTORS.


A Remarkable Case of Suspended AMI
nation at Leadviile.
One of the most extraordinary cases of
suspended animation in a human being
ever heard of IS now puzzling two Lead
ing physicians of this city, says the Lead
vile Democrat. They have been treating
the case for the past two months, but they
are as far from etfectlng a cure to-day as
they were at the beginning. They have
exhausted all the ancient and modern
methods of resuscitatiOn, but they might
as well have been working upon num-
my or an image. The subject is boy,
about wears OF age. who resides with his
parents in the vicinity of Carbonate Hill.
The father is a miner-a strong. robust
man, who never suffered day of severe
sickness in the thlrty-seYen years of his
| life-and the mother is healthy woman.
Both are Germans, and, besides the lit
tie patient whose ailment is mystify-
ing the physicians, have two other chill
dren, boy 6 years of age, and an infant
in arms. These two children are
healthy and have suffered no other sick
ness than the ills of childhood. The doc
tors have kept the peculiar case a secret,
and it was by the merest chance that an
attache of this paper learned of its exist
ence day before yesterday.
at is the most remarkable case of sus-
pended animation | have ever seen or
gentlemen when reluctantly forced to adj
nit that there really was such case.
SIN all my experience in Europe and
America / have never heard of anything
like it,
what are the symptoms, doctor?"
asked the reporter.
''WeI, | may as well tell you all / know
about it. Two months ago | was called
to visit a boy, nearly years of age, whom
| had treated previously tor whooping-
cough. | cured him of that annoying
malady, and while on my way to his
parents residence believed that he had
been attacked by another sickness per-
tanning to juvenility. What was my sur
prise, therefore, when the parents told
me that their boy had been in a comatose
G99pWatjj9n mall all day and they WsEEeh td y
said, and at sunrise complained of sick
ness, after which he fell into a stupOr,
from which they were unable to arouse
hun. / entered the room where the boy was
lying in bed, and found him wearing all
the appearance of death. He had no
sensible respiration, no pulse, no motion
of the heart, no feeling. A convulsive
movement of the right eyelid convinced
me that the child was not dead, however,
and applied such restorative remedies as
l had at hand, but they were of no avail.
| / worked until the sun had disappeared
| his senses by degrees, and arose
without any symptoms that could indi-
cate his having been i'll. l was puzzled.
! and resolved to ascertain the nature and
cause of the death-like stupOr. That eve
ming | took DR.. - in consultation, and
we both visited the house in which the
strange little patient resided. We re-
NAMED with him until O'Clock in the
morning. He slept very TRANQUILITY
throughout the night, and shortly before
daylight we aWoke him, made him sneak
and amused him until the sun began to
rise. The little fellow had been very hap
py, 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 Immediately as
sumed the appearance of death. Anima-
ton was entirely suspended, with the OK
ception of the twitching right eyelid, and
he looked exactly as | had seen him on
the previous day. We pricked him with
needles and applied galvanic battery to
his most sensitive parts, but without Gre
ating the least impression. The body re-
manned extremely cold for at least two
hours, after which the cold diminished,
without, however, ceasing entirely. l
f0rcibly raised one OF the arms, and it re-
manned in an upright position. One of
the legs also remained elevated when
placed in that position. The members
were like soft wax that takes every i'm
preston, and We're covered with indenta-
lions where we had pressed them with our
fingers. The child remained thus without
swallowing until the sun disappeared be-
hind Mount Massive, when symptoms of
returning animation were observable, and
after a While he arose, as on the previous
evening. He was ravenOusly hungry. and
ate a very hearty meal, after which he
romped with his younger brother until
bed time, when he again went to Sleep
Thus the boy has lived and died every day
during the past two months. He eats j..
)ne hearty meal every night, and his di-
geStion does not seem to be impaired by
his strange ailment. In fact he has in
creased in height and weight since my
first visit to him, and his spirits are ex-
cellent. / have experimental with every
remedy known to cure such cases, but /
they seemed to have effect except co
make the child sick during his waking
hours, and when the catalogue of favorite |
remedies was exhausted | let him alone.
have written full diagnosis Of the case
and sent it to several medical monarchs
in this country and Europe, and they are |
all anxious to see him. l am now apply |
ing my last prescription, and if it fails |
will take the boy to New York, when the |
most eminent physicians in tie country
will examine him. What beautiful sub !
ject he would be for a dime museum" |
concluded the doctor, laughing.
The reporter accompanied the doctor |
when the little patient was visited yester- |
day morning and last evening. The case |
was found to be exactly as the physician |
had described. 1t was death in life. |
During the SUMS ascendancy the inani- |
mate boys limbs were plastic as clay, /
and the doctor bent and twisted them /
without evoking the least sign OF con-
seriousness from the patient. In the eve
ming, when the boy awOke from the trance,
he looked around, and recognized the doc
tor, smiled as brightly and cheerfully as If
he had just enjoyed a pleasant nap.
1t is, indeed, remarkable case, and one
which must be seen to be fully realized.
The parents are poor Germans, but they |
shrink with horror from having their
child's extraordinary infirmity paraded
before the public. The doctors are also
DESTROYS of keeping their strange patient
to themselves, and studiously avoid men,
tioning the subject. With these strong |
to contend against, it is not I
to be wondered at that the newspapers |
have failed to discover the case until now. /
Eriesson's Solar Engine.