Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-06-24
FREAKS OF THE GRIP.
Remarkable Ways in which This Disease
AH1icts Its Victims.

FREAKS OF THE GRIP.
Remarkable Ways in which This Disease
Aflicts Its Victims.
New York Dispatch to the Philadelphia Press
Some remarkable cases Of grip which are
now under treatment were described to me
this morning. and, although l have not the
permission Of the physicians to give the names
Of these patients thus strangely afflicted, they
were willing that should describe the details
One Of the cases is that Of q young woman
whose home is the home Of luxury, whose
father is distinguished among the leaders Of
New York thought, and whose husband is a
man Of wide influence and much wealth. She
was taken about ten days ago with that pros
tration which indicates the coming Of the grip,
and in day or two the disease was fully
developed. She suffered excruciating pain.
1t seemed as though every nerve in her body
was exposed and touched by hot irons. To
relieve this suffering opiates we're given, and
when the disease had run SO far that pain
was benumbed there followed O remarkable
reaction. The sense Of feeling, in fact all Of
! the senses. were az completely overcome is
| the case in sleep. A part of the brain was
active, as was evident from her mutterng talk
| to herself. The will, Judgment, the reasoning
faculties were all benumbed. SO to speak, and
| the young woman was almost literally in the
condition OF one who dreams. There was this
| difference. She could not be awakened as the
dreamer can The physicians declared that
| thi1 condition would continue until nature had
| restored strength to the exhausted nerve
| centers, and he assured her family that she was
not suffering. and was really on the road to re-
covery. In his opinion this trance-ike condi-
| ton may last q week longer.
Another case quite rs remarkable Is this was
| reported to one Of our medical faculties yes
terday, and, strangely enough, the patient is
| himself physician Of considerable local re-
| puto He seized with distressing symp-
| toms while a visit to q patient few DAYS
| ago. and Immediately summoned physician to
| diagnose his case. The remedies for grip were
indicated by this diagnosis, and they were
/, given without avail The patient suffered such
pain as caused him at times almost to faint. His
body seemed 10 be composed Of nerves laid bare.
| Opiates were given to relieve the pain. and
| when in the course Of the disease these symp-
toms had passed away, the patient relapsed
| into state OF trance. He has no feeling;
| there Is no sight in the eyes; he does not hear
or taste. He occasionally talks little. aud
| there are indications that he dreams not IN
pleasant dreams, as is the case with the young
woman above described He will probably lie
| in this state Of trance for some DAYS to come,
and when nature has done its work will gradu-
| ally regain his faculties and his senses.
Other cases are reported-so many, in fact,
| that it is now suggested even by careful medi-
| cal men that this trance-like disposition is one
| OF the later manifestations of this mysterious
disease. The explanation which is given is
that the frances are caused by the poisoning Of
the blood, which is one of the most dangerous
results of the grip. The first manifestation of
this poison is In attack upon the nerve centers
all Of them. II the attack was confined to the
nerves in one locality-as, for instance those
OF the face or the sciatic nerve-medcal treat
ment could be applied with probable good re-
suits. But it is impossible to give such treat
| ment when the entire nervous System has been
brought under the baneful influence of this
poison. The only treatment possible, then, is
that which deadens the pain by the use Of
opiates, and when such suffering has passed
away in the course Of the disease to allow
nature. aided by such science as medicine has
at command, to begin its restorative work.
When the poison is entirely eliminated from
the system then its trance-like influence is gone
Hysteria in violent forms has been noted as
one Of the results of grip, but until recently no
such pronounced trance-like cases as seems now
to be the tendency. In one of the earlier cpl
denies OF grip young woman was brought to
this city for treatment for violent hysteria One
OF our ablest alienists, physician who is also
noted for possessing common sense, was called
in. He studied the case with great thorough
ness and was Of the opinion that grip had caused
such weakening Of the woman's will power as
could only be remedied by mental treatment
One evening the young woman began to shout
and cry and laugh in alternating paroxysms Of
great violence. The physician was sent for
and, instead Of going himself, prepared pre-
scription, which he directed the attendant to
give the young woman once every hour until
the violence subdued. Early the next
morning he called and found the patient still
very hysterical. He asked the nurse il the pre-
scription had been given as he directed, and
when told that it had he said, in a very loud
voice: Then there is nothing more for me to
do but to 60 away and let her die" He went
from the room, but lotered in the library and
a few moments later was summoned by the
nurse, who said: Doctor, WI en- you left the
room she quoted down for the first time and
asked me If you meant what you said l told
her that you did, and did not know but she
would collapse. Instead Of that she got up and
seems to be herself"
Gas 1 expected" said the doctor, and when
he saw the young woman he perceived that
this mental treatment he had given had effected
a cure. 1t needed that rather than medicine to
restore her perfect mental health, and she has
never been ill a day since then. The prescrip-
ton which the doctor put up contained nothing
but sugar and water, and when he spoke Of the
case afterward he pronounced it one Of the
mysteries Of the grip.
Another case recently reported is that of a
very estimable woman, an actress, Of fine re-
pute, who developed violent hysteria as a con-
sequence of the grip Medicines availed moth
ing. and her case was remarkable that she
was taken to one OF the wealthier hospitals for
special treatment. There her case puzzled the
physicians, and it was at last agreed that violent
shock might prove the proper remedy. very
famous physician OF the city undertook to ad-
minister the shock, and when the woman was
screaming he injected into her mouth, with
considerable violence, a stream of ice-cold
water. She stopped, gasped, looked wildly
about for moment, and An instant later was
herself. excepting that she seemed to wonder
where she and what was the matter with
her. She recovered rapidly and is now play
ing.
One of the ADLER railway managers Of the
city on Sunday last having been to Easter
service. in the morning was taken with a vio-
lent fit OF coughing and seemed likely to
strangle before physicians could reach him.
There was spamoiic contraction Of the
larynx, and for a time his life was in great
danger. When this trouble was overcome
and diagnosis made it was found that he
had the grip and its first attack was with this