The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1885-11-17
A LIFE OF INTENSE PAIN.
"A Man Whose Muscles Had
Become Stiffened.
Story Of James Melvin, Who Hasn't Seen
His Hands for Seven Years.

His Hands for Seven Years.
The stiffening began in my arms.
but l did not give up work until 1
found it impossible to raise my arms
to my head. and could hardly dress
myself without assistance. Then came
in rapid succession cane, crutches and
bed. After the stiffening of my arms
the muscles of my legs began contract
ing. until they were shut up like a
pocket-knife, the heels resting against
my hips. This condition of things
continued for some months.
One day, while being moved upon
my bed, my right hip slipped out of
joint, the effect being to throw my
knees owe to the right side of my
body and bring my heels to the left
side. About a year later muscular
contraction CAUSED my left hip to slip
out. bringing my knees where they are
now, on the left side of my body, with
my heels pressed closely against my
right side and hip. 1t was impossible
to replace the hips. and amputation.
which was at one time thought of to
relieve me, was given up by my ply
sicians.
The muscles of my face and throat
are in good condition, and are the only
ones in my whole body which I can
move. My jaws. as you see. are firmly
fixed, and I am fed with liquids
through Al aperture formed by the
loss Of several teeth. To give you an
Idea of the resistless force Of the mus
cular contraction, I will tell you that
when my legs were being distorted I
had a twenty pound weight suspended
over q pully by a cord, and so arrang-
ed as to resist the force which was
being exerted. But it was of no avail
whatever. and my heels are so firmly
pressed into my hip and side that my
wife has to exert all her strength to
pull them away from my body sufici-
emily to insert a single thickness of
cloth. My hands lie upon my breast
/ have not seen them for seven years,
and probably never shall again.
My head is, as you see, turned near
Iy one-quarter around to the left.
When I first become conscious that it
was being drawn out of its proper
position l had a stout clamp put on
my head to try to hold it in place, but
the muscles had their way. Not alone
have my muscles %stiffened. my joints
have become completely ossifed, re-
sulting in making my entire skeleton
one solid bone. While this o%ssifcation
was going on my sufferings were most
intense. BY means of a mechanical
attachment to the bed. worked by a
crank. | ian be raised and lowered
without disturbing the joints, always,
however, retaining the same horizon
tai position. it being impossible to
raise my head above the level of my
body.
The bones of my neck and spinal
column are united firmly and insepa-
rably into one. and are as rigid as a
bar Of iron. My ribs are all firmly
united by their connecting tissues, the
chest being simply an immovable box
of bones. incapable of expansion, all
breathing being done by the dia-
phragm and the muscles of the abdo-
men Human ingenuity could hardly
devise a more effective arrangement
of the limbs as a means of torture. If
turned on my left side I would lie d.
rectly on my face; if turned on my right
side my right hip would rest on the
back of my heels and my feet on the
ends OF my toes. Owing to the pecul-
lar arrangement OF my limbs I have
for v long years lain squarely on
my back, never for an instant having
changed my position in the least, each
day having seemed a year, each year a
century. Formerly weighing 1876
pounds, my present weight is not over
eighty-fve pounds .-Bcston Herald.
He Gave Notice OF His Intention.