Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1896-05-16
"uNEQUALLEp M4z14
MEDICAL. ANNALS
A Patient Cured vino was Afflicted with Rhel-
matiSn, LocOmotOrsAtaxla In the Legs
and ParalySiSsOf the Threat.
1t was In Prescott, Mich. the Patient was an Old
Soldier and has Hundreds of Friends.
The Case Reads Like a 1iracIe.
from thc Lakesidc Monitor. Au sable. 1Ach.

The publisher of this paper having some
business to transact at Prescott, 0gemaw Co.,
Michigan, Monday last, repaired to that ham,
let. While there he cianced to learn of a
remarkable recovery from an illness ofthirty-
four years standing, the fortunate person
p being Thomas +. Calvin. The writer hunted
that gentleman up, introduced himself, and
requested Mr.. Calvin to give a brief history
Of his terrible disease and some history Of
himself. Mr.. Galvin's trouble eliminated
three or four years since in three Diseases
Rheumatism, affecting the general system f;
locomotor a~taxia, affecting the legs, render
ing him unable to direct his course in walk
ing, and paralysis, rendering him unable to
use lips, throat or palate.
In giving a history of his trouble, Mr..
Calvin said:
"In 1861 l enlisted in the army and was
made captain Of Co. H., doth Illinois In
fantry. / was stationed l. at Paducah, KY; in
September Of that year and while there
caught cold and" contracted rheumatism. l
was in the hospital there three months; when
/ recovered sufficiently to report for duty,
although far from we'll. Previous to this
time / had never been sick a day in my life
and weighed 1876 pounds. continued in the
service during the war, although suffering
all the time from rheumatism. AT the close
of the war, | was discharged and a few
months afterwards granted q pension of SO
per month for my disabilities. ! was never
! free from pain fol thirty-three long years. un-
til late last fall or early in the winter. |
continued to grow worse all the time during
the entire period until last November. / was
then in q pitable condition. | had been
stricken with paralysis and locomotor ataxia
in addition to my rheumatism. For three
years | was helpless. | could nottalk because
of paralysis, | could not walk because of the
loc0metor ataxia, and my hands, arms and
legs were all out of shape, withered and
drawn from rheumatism. You see my
knees now. Just as timber rs yours. !. Last
summer | could not move my knees, nor
could I get them together within six inches,
You see my fingers, straight and nearly re-
covered from their stiffness. Al that time,
IL I attempted to walk, | was as liable to 60
backwards or sideways or fall down as ] was
to go forwards, beeause'ofthe lack of power
of locomotion. My God, how | prayed for
years to die and be relieved Of my sufferings.
"Had it not been that our Government
saw fit to increase my pension from SO to S17
per month and pay me SO, $40 blck pension,
/ should have suffered for the necessities of
life.
"Before this time l had treated with the
best medical men of detroit, Cleveland. MIL
/; waukee, Chicago and several other northern
cities, but, as | said, grew gradually worse
until 1 would not have given 81 for my
chances of life last November, and, in fact.
would rather have been dead than alive. |
only weighed 1872 pounds. You see me to-
day. I weigh l75 and am free from pain en-
tirely. am slowly %utSurely gaining strength,
You see ! get up stairs all right, and I c0me
up these stairs g dozen timesa daynow.l You
would not discover that ! was ever unable to
speak. shall go to work with my toolssas
a carpenter soon, so as to help me increase In
strength. was 50 long unable to take a
step that I do not feel hardly safe ON my
pins yet, although ] have not fallen down
in several months. ] nm learning the use of
my legs, hands, arms and tongue agaiu.
guess you will think / have recovered the
use of the latter if I keep on, but l want to