The Portland daily press., 1893-08-09
TWO STRANGE DISEASES.
Miss Baldwin Had Both Syringomyeha
and Acromegaly.

The New York Sun describes most
remarkable case of illness which has re-
Gently ended In death. 1t says;
At her residence, 1854 West Ninety
ninth street, this city, Miss Annie
Richardson Baldwin died on Friday,
after years illness of syringomyella
and acromegaly. Each disease is rare,
but the combination has never been
known before.
About a year ago Miss Baldwin found
that her hands and 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, but the mental pain
caused by the abnormal enlargement
was very keen Her sisters, with whom
she resided, greatly puzzled by her symp-
toms. called in Dr. M. Allen Starr of 22nd
West Forty-eighth street and DR.. Freder-
ick Peterson of 20 West Fifty fourth
street. They said she had acromegaly.
The word means enlarged extremities.
They were astounded to discover at the
same time symptoms OF syringomyel1a
This means disease caused by cavities
in the spinal cord There were several
small cavities in one of the lower
segments of the cervical portion OF the
cord These SegmenS are nerve centres
and if they are injured or defective the
muscles controlled from these centres be-
come partially paralyzed. The patient
loses entirely the sensation OF pau
and temperature, though Inc sense u
touch is not affected =.
That is, the patient becomes aware II
the affected part are touched, but sns-
tains no pain if it be burned or cut. In
Miss Baldwin's case her hands were
first paralyzed. The cavities grew larger
and multiplied. Cavities in segments
controlling the cardiac and respiratory ~
nerves finally became so large as TO
paralyze the action of the heart and
lungs. and death ensued. 1t was well
come to the patient, whose life had been
made miserable. Her ears, lips, nose,
chin and hands and feet had become OF
unusual size and she was gradually
more and more helpless
DR.. Peterson gave this account OF the
diseases:
Acromegaly is caused by a disease OF
the pituitary body at the base of the
brain, which affects the head, hands
and feet in such a manner as to make
them grow to gigantic size, while the
body itself retains its normal condition.
Persons suffering from the disease
plCoCAu q SioUSodoO oPPSNNo.
bones, flesh, nails, ears, chins, noses
fingers and toes attain often twice
their ordinary size. Many people with
this disease have found their way into
museums There is no pain and the
disease is not necessarily fatal
Syringomyeia was first described some
thing 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
infiltration 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,ss of course, but
more for the purpose of keeping, the
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,
Medicine is making such wonderful
advancement that it will undoubtedly
find cure or hindrance for both these
maladies. Their cause, too, will certain
ly be learned. The beginning of each
of them is known, but the why and
how are not.