The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-08-01
ESCAPED a LIVING DEATH.
Mrs. Kraus' Rscov cry from a Strange
MaladY.
From The Nelu York Wor;d,

IAo4NtAY-
From the Nelg York World.
There is woman residing in the village
OF Far Rockaway who is to-day congratu-
latlng herself over deliverance from one
OF the strangest If living deaths.
her name is Mrs. Lena kraus She is IS
years old, and the mother of three children.
She and her husband keep a dry goods and
general notion store not far from the rail-
road depot
Her case bears striking similarity to
that OF patient now undergoing treatment
at Bellevue hospital, inasmuch as both have
peen experiencing all the fortunes of slow
out gradual petrlhcation. In one instance
This strange malady has progressed until the
poor victim Is now almost living statue.
the nesh having become as hard as stone to
the touch. Mrs. Kraus, however, is grad
ually recovering, after months of mental
and physical anguish, under the skillful
treatment Of DR.. H. j. Schiff, one of the
attending physicians at Mount Sinai
hospital Incidentally DR.. Schiff has
made rare contribution to medical
science, in that he is virtually the first to
employ ma sage treatment in cases of this
character, which are in themselves almost
unknown. His discovery, for such it might
be called, will undoubtedly revolutionize
the prevailing methods of treating this class
of disease. Heretofore it has been custom
airy to treat ossifcation and kindred all
ments by the use of internal remedies al
though medical annals have no record Of Q
cure ever having been effected by such proc
ess But Mrs. Kraus' ailment was not
osslficatlon. There was no accompanying
waste Of muscle and tissue, no anneallng of
the joints or drying up of the life fluid.
That is just what puzzled her physicians
when she first presented herself for treat
ment.
The woman's illness has not been of long
duration, but the agony endured may not
be told in cold words.
Some time In September last Mrs. Kraus
was attacked with severe pains in her left
arm. They shot and jumped in and about
that member from shoulder to finger tips
Mrs. Kraus thought it was rheumatism
Her husband thought the same, and thu
usual remedies were applied. They brought
no relief, however, and the arm soon began
to swell out of all proportions. Then the
same burning sensation, as though twenty
sharp knives were being twisted in
the flesh at one time, was felt in
the left limb. The swelling also
appeared as in the arm. Gradually
the flesh began to harden in both
limbs and the joints to stIffen until every
muscle was powerless TO obey natures sum-
mons A few days after the attack first
manifested itself Mrs. Kraus could not move
arm or leg. 1t was impossible even to bend
a finger She could not walk or sit up, and
so was compelled to take to her bed. Sev>
eral physicians were summoned. but none
could relieve or effect cure. All the while
the flesh grew whittier and harder and
spread slowly up the left side toward the
heart. 1t was not a pleasant prospect for
an active, industrious woman to lie there
scarce able to move a muscle, petrifying by
degrees.
The husband determined TO seek the ads
vice Of the physicians at Mount Sinai hos
pital.
DR.. Schiff became interested in the
strange case and agreed to treat it. Mrs.
kraus was then removed to New York.
For days and nights the doctor pored over
all the medical tones accessible. He failed,
however, to make his diagnosis of the pecul-
lar malady agree with any to be found.
Finally he gave up in despair. The disease
was nameless. He made up his mind to
treat it according to his own ideas. This
he did At last he found remedy which
seemed to benefit the patient. Once assured
that his internal remedy was of the proper
kind, DR.. Schiff decided to facilitate its
merits by outward applications.
There is in Seventy-Jhird street, New
York, q woman noted among physicians of
the city as a professional massage manipu-
lator. ThiEher he sent his patient. Three
times a week the manipulation slapped,
rubbed and kneaded the petrifying limbs.
No improvement was noted for ABOUT ten
days.
Then the stubborn adipose gradually be-
gan to soften and the bound muscles to re-
lax. 1t was slow work and tedious, but the
improvement was soon as steady and per-
sistent as the disease itself for months had
been. Regularly the treatment has con-
tinued until a week ago, when the swelling
began to disappear and the use of the hand
and partial use of the limb returned SO
marked has been the patients recovery that
DR.. Schiff did not fear TO order a cessation
Of the vigorous massage prescribed during
the sultry month of August. 1t will be re-
sumed in September, and unless something
Unforeseen occurs the physician hopes for
Mrs. Kraus' complete recovery before
Christmas.