Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1898-03-25
LETTERS FROM OUR READERS.

Mr.. EDITOR. | would like through
your paper to call the attention OF tht
road commissioner or the Selectmen oi
the town to the state of the sidewalk be-
tween the Essex House and Mr.. Currier' :
4 sidewalk to he of use should be above
ground, at present it is six inches to I;
foot below the level OF the ruadbed and
the wash aud overflow from the street
lies thick upon it. 1t was in this state all
last summer much to the discomfort OF
those having to use it. The town does
not appear to have any too many side
walks and it seems too bad to leave this
in such a neglected state when an eXpend-
iture OF few dollars would raise it and
allow OF the road wash to pass under
meath. II. +. MILLER.
Island Pond, VT. March %, 1898.
Mr.. Editor: hope you will allow me
a little space in which to answer my an
onymous friend who asks for my dag
nosis OF the case of the late Mrs. Haynes.
As there was quite little difference OF
opinion, and am quite good deal cor
cerned, having treated her between two
and three years, am glad to have been
called upon to give my diagnosis OF this
case. | know | am not inialllOle; the
most eminent physicians have been known
to make mistakes. From the first | had
two very strong reasons to believe that
| was right. In the first place the trouble
was OF too long standing to have been
either cancer or consumption as it dates
back as far as eight or nine years ago,
and secondly that there were weeks aud
months when she could swallow as well
as ever. Since the autopsy and examina-
ton at Burlington have third reason
Which proves that the trouble was only
nervous, and this is that they could not
find anything to prove otherwise.
will now give you my diagnosis as it
is given by one of our best authors. The
trouble was spasmodic structure OF the
nsophagus or 9sophagism. The descrip-
ton OF symptoms follows :-Spasms o.
the UsophaguS, contraction OF the mus
Giles OF the. .9sophagus, which exctes a
spasmodlc shrinking OF that passage aid
makes the deglutirion OF solid and even
liquid food at times impossible or at
least very difficult. More frequently
found in women than men. GsOphagism
is sometimes essential, idiopathic and re-
suits from local irritation and is mann
tanned by general nervous state. Some
times it is symptomatic either from a
local affection, producing a spasm and a
hasty diminution OF the passage OF the
throat, without any lasting contraction
or from lesion in the throat, or below ;
bearing, on tbs superior part OF the Stom-
ach. The dysphagra difficulty in swal-
lowing is generally hasty, ottener incom-
plete than complete; sometimes the food
partly swallowed Is rejected, it is not
lasting, stops after an undetermined
period, and its return cannot be toreseen.
Any irritation of the throat will cause
it's return, too hot food, liquid or solid,
or cold, etc. This is my diagnosis.
Mr.. Editor, hope you will excuse me
ii l have taken up good deal Of space in
your valuable paper, but had to be ex-
plicit, and l want Mr.. or Mrs. Fair
Play" to distinctly understand that this
closes the discussion as far as l am con-
cerned. My name is
DR.. ANTONIO Ellie.
Letters to Island Pond People.
Mr.. Z, II, COfeY, Island Pond, Vt.