New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1885-01-21
A HUMAN BAROMETER.
An Old Soldiers Ability to Foretell Storms
Through an Injured Leg.

The surgeons of the Jefferson college
hospital in this city, writes cores
.pondent from Philadelphia to the Aes0
York Times, have been very much n
terested recently in a somewhat unusu-
al case that has been in thcir hands for
treatment. 1t is that of a man that
may be described rs human barome-
ter. So far, however, from boasting of
his power to foretcll changes in the
weather, the patient, whose name is
Frederick Guyer, went to the hos ital
in hopes that the surgeons might cure
him of his malady. During the war
Guyer was captain of company D, 9th
New York volunteers. Early in the
morning of the second days fight in
the Wilderness lie was struck by
Mimic rifle ball, which penetrated his
right leg three inches above the knee.
The engagement was SO hot at the time
that his comrades could render him no
further attention than to place him I'M
der a tree somewhat out Of the direct
line of fire, and there he remained for
thirty-six hours; when a change of front
by the federal lines left him in confed-
crate territory, and ne was taken pris-
oner. The rebel surgeon under whose
hands he fell insisted upon amputating
his leg, and the operation was roughly
performed by candle-light, the limb be-
ing taken off at the thigh
''Six or seven days after that" said
Capt. Guyer to the Times correspondent
this morning, Il began to feel severe
pains in the stump, and have never
been wholly free from suffering since.
The sensation is apparently in the foot.
| have never felt any pain that seemed
to come from the thigh, or indeed, from
anywhere above the ankle. There is
usually a twitching sensation, such as
man experiences in an electric bath, at
the point where the great toe joins the
foot. Sometimes there is a similar
feeling in the little toe; then, aga:n,
there is :, burning sensation across all
the toes, and occasionally pain in the
heel. Before my treatment in the hos
pital l could always tell by the incrcas-
ed severity of the pain when we were
going to ha.e storm. 1t was especi-
ally severe just before q north or a
northeast wind began to blow, but
when there was a big storm coming my
toes would begin to ache three or four
days in advance, and as the storm ap-
preached the pain would become so in
tense as to almost set me crazy. You
remember the big electric storm we
had three years ago, when the aurora
filled the sky at night, and all the tele-
graph wires were disarranged / was
living then in West Twenty eighth street,
New York, and cit the storm coming
three days before it appeared. l suf-
fered more at that time than upon any
other occasion. The pain grew more
severe as the storm approached, seemed
to vary with its distance and it's tluc-
tuations, and reached 81 max just be-
fore it broke. Then the painful sensa-
tons began to pass away, and in a few
hours, while the storm was still raging,
was at ease again. could always
foretell any change in the weather either
from fair to stormy or from stormy to
fair, and could also tell its severity. A
local storm, or one of slight magnitude
affected me but slightly, while general
storm was announced by its unpleasant
forerunners according to it. magnitude;
and, similarly, knew by the relief
from pain when clear weather was
coming. S nee leaving the hospital,
have been comparatively free from pain
though still feel oeca ional 'twitches. -
The operation performed on Capt.
Guyer was as remarkable as his dis
ease. 1t consisted of the removal of a
number of large dubious formations
from the stump of the nerves. Bulbs
about the size of the middle finger of
the average mans hand I'd nearly an
inch long were cut off from the greater
ard lesser sciatic nerves, and smaller
formations were removed from other
nerves. In ali, six Of these abnormal
growths were found and removed. The
| patient was kept in the hospital four
weeks, and was discharged about two
weeks ago, though he still reports peri
odically for examination and treat
ment. The wounds made by the seal
pei are healing nicely, and the doctors
think that when the inflammation sub
sides no more pain will be felt. The
patient is about IS years old, of slender
build, and aside from his peculiar NAL
ady, in good health. He has never
wo an artificial leg, but has always
used crutche DR.. John II. Brinton,
the operating surgeon, is preparing a
monograph on the case for publ cation
| in a medical journal.