Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1886-12-15
OF INTEREST TO PHYSICIANS.
Death of a Victim of "Addison's Disease"
"A White Man Becomes Black as q
Full Blooded Negro.
[From The Cincinnati Ennnirer.

irIOH TIC OlHCluldIl
In Rising Sun, Ind, on Sunday morn.
ing. death brought to a close q case
which has attracted keen interest and
widespread attention, not only Of tie
medical fraternity CT that section, but
also of Cincinnati, whittier the patient
came a short time since for treatment.
The name OF the man was Stephen E.
Seward. He died of Adlison's dis.
ease. The remarkable feature Of Sew
ards case was the gradual superven.
ton OF the discoloration of the skin,
which, although originally of fair com
plexion, eventually gave him the ap-
pearance of a perfect type of full.
blooded African.
The nature OF this case was not
comprehended until he visited the
| clinic of Drs. Ransohoff and Whitta-
ker, at the Ohio Medical College, on
sixth Street, two months ago, when
the case was recognized as one of Adj
dlsOn's diseases, or "bronzed skim"
Seward was a single man, and at the
time OF his death 28 years old. He
came OF very healthy stock, both of
lis parents being still alive, and his
ancestors having all reached round
Old age. He was employed up to six
months ago as a laborer on his faith
er's farm. He was g. man of fine
physique and great strength, and up
to that time had been able to perform
an immense days work. About that
tlme-slx months ago-he began to
notice that even couple Of hours ex-
ertiOn In the field was followed by an
unaccountable sense of WEAKNESS.
Within two months after the beginning
OF his disease this Inconvenience had
increased to such an extent as
to unfit him for his work.
About this time there was a grad |
ual change in the color of his skin. |
Before this discoloration began he was
q blonde, of fair complexion, light |
hair, and gray eyes. In the beginning
his face became the color of ashes. He |
grew.darker and darker, until at length |
he became pronounced black, large
quantities OF the coloring matter be-
ing deposited on the skin of the face,
neck, shoulders, hands and forearms,
and subsequently in all parts of the
The mucus membrane OF |
the lips, tongue and of the mouth |
In this discoloration.
The physical appearance OF the pa
tlenJ did not otherwise Indicate the |
gravity of mis- disease. The muscles
retained their Development, and there
was but little hamilton. In the last |
four weeks q rapid change for the
worse set in, and death resulted in q |
little over six months after the incep-
ton of the disease. This was an un-
usually rapid course, for, as rule, |
patients who suffer from this disease |
linger for from two to five years, but
always with the grave as the newt |
able. Altogether not more than two |
hundred cases of this peculiar disease
could be collected from medical lit. |
erature. Thedisease is one of COM
recent recognitions as no |
well-marked case is recorded previous |
to 1922, when Loebstein, Of Paris,
discovered the first known instance. |
The name by which it is generally
known-Addison's disease-was given
it after DR.. Addison, of London, who |
In 1855 collected eleven cases, only
four of which, however, strictly be-
long to this category. 1t was DR.. Ad-
olson who first recognized the fact
that the peculiar discolored co ndition
OF the skin is due to a deceased condi-
ton ofthe suprarenal capsules, minute
bodies situated above the kidneys,
the physiological character of which
has not yet been established. In Ad-
dison's disease these bodies referred
to are invariably found to be the seat
Of inflammation, of consumption, or
of cancer. 1t is for this reason that
the disease invariably proves fatal.
The patient may, for awhile, improve,
but the progress of the case may be
compared to that of d man who has
an inevitable staircase to descend.
He may linger or go back, but the
descent is still to ne taken, and the
best he can hope for is to go down
slowly and with long pauses.
"Bronze skin" may be said to
be disease of the laboring class.
Those who WELD the ak and toll with
the shovel are almost always it's vic
TINS. 1t is for this reason that it at
tacks the male nearly twice as often
as the female. Of the 1873 cases re-
Gently collected by Greenhow, 119 &C.
Cured in males and "a il females. AS
ISOLATED with the 'bronze skin" and |
the accompanying muscular weakness
are other symptoms, which are more
or less characteristic of the disease,
and which hasten the end. Most |
prominent among them are severe
pains in the abdomen, inveterate at
tacks of vomiting and diarrhea, great
difficulty in breathing and finally con-
vulsions. So far as the treatment of
the disease is concerned there is none
worthy of the name. Remedial agents
have not yet been discovered that can
directly or indirectly affect the dis
eased condition of the suprarenal cap
suiee, as the surgery of the abdomen
does not lay claim to that domain. 1t
is, however, among the probabili-
ties of successful progress that
in the near future in these
cases which medicine can not
reach the knife will be re-
sorted to. Addison's disease must
not be confounded with melan-
osis, which also at times discolors the