The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-08-13
Arrsr1NoursHED WOMAN.
She Has Two Uncommon Diseases
With Long Names.

with Lone Names.
New York Letter in Baltimore American.
At her residence. 1G4 West Niuety-ninth
street this city, Miss Annie Richardson
Baldwin died on Friday, after years
Illness. Of svriugonyclia and acromegaly.
Each disease Is rare, but the combination
has never been known before.
About a year ago Miss Baldwin found
that her hands aud feet were becoming
larger. They kept on growing and her
mirror and her friends told her that her
head too, was growing. She suffered no
physical pain, bat the mental pain caused
10y the abnormal enlargement was very
keen. Her sisters with whom she resided,
greatly puzzled by her symptoms, called
in Or. NJ. Allen Starr. of % West Forty
eighth street, and DR.. Frederick Peter
son, OF 20 West F'Orty-fOmth street.
They said she had acromegaly The
word means enlarged extremities."
They were astounded to dis
cover at the same time symptoms
of svriGgQmyelia. This means
disease caused by cavities in the spinal
cord. There were several small cavities
in one Of the lower segIncuts of the cervi-
cal portion Of the cord. These segments
are nerve centers. and if they are injured
or defective the muscles controlled from
these ccnters become partly paralyzed.
The patient loses entirely the sensation
of pain and temperature, though the sense
of touch is not affected.
That is, the patient becomes aware If
the affected part be touched, but sustains
no pain if II be burned or cut In Miss
Baldwin's case, her hands were first par
alyzed. The cavities grew larger and
multiplied. Cavities. in segments con-
trolling the cardiac and respiratory
nerves, finally became so large as to para
lyze the action of the heart and lungs,
and death ensued II was welcome to the
patient, whose life had been made miser-
able Her ears. lips, nose, chin, and
hands and feet had become of unusual
size and she was gradually more and moro
helpless
Physicians and surgeons generally
watched with u peculiar interest the
progress OF the patient, since no one had
ever succeeded in com batting successful
ly the progress of either disease. Many
medicines were tried without appreciable
relief TO the patient Electricity was
used without avail Physicians say
that, although each ailment has been all
ready described a number of times, no
one knows what causes either, and no
one knows a remedy for either. DR..
Peterson said yesterday;
"Acromegaly is caused by q disease Of
the pituitary body at tho base of the
brain which affects the head, hands and
feet in such manner as to make them
grow to a gigantic size, while the body
itself retains its normal condition. Per-
sons suffering from the disease present q
grotesque appearance. Their bones,
flesh, nails, ears, chins, noses, fingers and
toes attain often twice their ordinary
size. Many people with this ailment have
found their way into museums. There is
no pain, and the disease is not necessarily
fatal.
"The danger Is that tumor may form
in the pituitary body, and thus corrupt
the medulla and pores, which are close 10
the base Of the brain. The enlargement
Of the hands, head and feet is slow, but
goes on until the patient dies. There is
neither paralysis nor loss of sensation.
The disease was first described byP.
Marie, Frenchman, about six years
ago.
"Syringomyelia was first described
something more than ten years ago. The
cavities IN the spinal cord are caused by
the disintegration of tumOrs which form
there. The tumors dissolve, leaving
water IN their place. 1t is kind of infil-
tration of water. The cavities are not
much larger than bean, and may form
in any part of the spinal cord. They are
not fatal until they reach the segments
containing the respiratory or cardiac
nerves.
mo remedy has been found for either
disease. We prescribe, of course, but
more for the purpose of keeping tho
healthy parts of the patients body in
good condition than TO impede the march
of the sickness. If either disease once
gets hold there Is no stopping it. Medi-
cine is making such wonderful advance
ment that it will undoubtedly find cure
or hndrancc for both these maladies.
Their cause, too, will certainly be learn
ed. The beginning of each of them is
known, but the why and the how are
not"