Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1886-07-14
DEADLY SHKNGLE-NAELS.
Frfghtfu1 Disease to Lather Who Oar
ried Them In His Mouth-His Tongue
Twice Amputated and His Troubles Not


I
Twice Amputated and His Troubles Not
| Yet Ended.
iFrom the Cincinnati Enqurer.l
1t was about two years ago that
Robert Gray, of Brooklyn, a finely de-
veloped specimen OF manhood, began
to be troubled with sharp, darting
neuralgia pains, which seemed to radi-
ate from the right side of his tongue in
every direction, and to such an extent
that the whole of his head at times
seemed to be ball Of palpitating ago.
ny. He was subjected to varied treat
ment by number of physicians, who
all seemed to be laboring in the dark,
and in spite of everything that was
done for the suffering man the torture
continued and increased. It's cause
could not be made out for a. time.
But the appearance of O. bright red
spot on the right side of the tongue
was a tell-tale that could not be mis-
understood.
The red spot increased in size, and
in time q little white spot ap-
| peared in the center of it, and then
the pain was somewhat relieved. It
was evidently an ulcer of malignant
type. At the edge of it the muscular
tissue was hard, and it required some
thing of q pressure to indent it. The
greatest difficulty was shown in the
act of swallowing, and when food,
even in the liquid form, touched the
liberated surface on it's way to the
stomach, it set up the most excruciat-
ing pain, which at times was unbeara-
BILE and would induce a semi-delirious
mental condition. There could be no
mistaking it's identity as it gradually
developed. It was an epithelioma of
a malignant type, and told the story
OF lingering death.
Gray's business was that of g. lather.
AS is the custom among his fellows,
Gray was in the habit when at work
of keeping his mouth full of shingle
nails, one Of which, by a peculiar
twisting OF the tongue, was kept stick
ing out between his lips ready for use.
1t was supposed that this was the
cause Of the disease. The sharp edge
of the nails, when the tongue would
rub against them, would set up irrita-
tion and inflammation, which, being
persistent and long continued, changed
in some manner the structural proper
ties of the organ and induced thelo
some malady.
His health was destroyed and his
| constitution undermined. He became
weak and emaciated, and as the swell
ing gradually extended to the glands
under the tongue the power of speech
was seriously interfered with, and at
| intervals there was considerable diff
Guilty in breathing. Eating was out of
the question, as it simply meant ago.
ny in the most vigorous form, and
the function of every organ was inter
fered with, and would do things which
any organ having sense would never
have thought of, to the great discom-
fort of the patient.
Becoming tired OF private treatment
by physicians, which seemed to do lit
tie more than increase his poverty,
Gray went to Bellevue Hospital, and
received the benefit of the wisdom of
the wise consulting surgeons who dali
ly make the rounds ofthis institution.
| To them the case was as simple as
to Gray it was horrible, and after g.
careful examination and microscopial
analysis Of piece of the liberated
surface, to determine the nature of
the disease with scientific exactness,
it was determined to take off the end
of the patients tongue. Gray was
willing to have anything done to ben
eft him, for there was little wife and
two children dependent upon his labor
for support. He was taken to the op-
Grating room and put under the inf1u
ence OF ether. A gag was put in his
mouth to keep it open, and the tongue
was drawn as far out as a strong ten
sion upon the muscles would permit.
A clamp was then placed around the
tongue back of the point where it was
proposed to cut, and screwed up tight
ly. Then the end of the tongue was
cut off with pair of sharp scissors
about one inch from the end. There
was little or no hemorrhage, and the
several arteries having been ligated
the clamp was unscrewed and the pa
tient was put back to bed.
There was a careful examination
made at the time of this operation for
the evidence of the disease in other
parts of the tongue, but it was believed
that all that was visible had been re-
moved. There was an immediate i'm
provement in the patient The pain
In his head ceased, g. horrible thirst
that had come upon him vanished,
and in comparatively short time he
was sent to his home cured, so far as
the eye could discern, OF the malady.
This was over a year ago. He went
back to his work and was as well and
strong as ever. He grew stoU5 again,
and there was evident groun ! for the
belief that he had been healed. But in
about six months afterward, while
working at his trade, with his mouth
stuffed full of lath-nails, as in days of
yore, he felt a sudden twang, and there
was the old darting pain again, run
ming from the tongue all over his head.
There could be no mistaking it. The
disease had only been slumbering and
gathering renewed force. It's second
growth was quite slow at first, and did
not cause much inconvenience; but
when it got good hold it grew so
rapidly that the increase from day to
day was almost discernible to the eye.
With it's growth came great physical
depression, q yellow skin, a haggard
Go ~ ooo4 >1,o,. a = I'll tirooc With q IooL