The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1903-06-24
Young Surgeon Lies Helpless
and Cannot Speak a Word.
MAY BE MYSTERIOUS POISON
Medical Experts Are Puzzled At Remarkable
Symptoms Shown In Case, but
Mona Hare Theory.

New York. June "a. Suffering
from mysterious poison. which
bafies medical experts. DIR. VII
lam I. Greameile. assistant surgeon OF
the Twenty-second Regiment. who lives
In Loring place, near Hampden street.
University Heights. the Bronx lies in a
: comatose condition paralyzed and speech
less. lowering between life and death.
DIR. Greamele has been IN this condition
for several weeks. and while many
specialists have made study OF his case
they confess their inability TO diagnose IT..
as the symptoms are unlike those or
poisons known TO them.
sHe became violently III on the morning
OF April 30. after attending church fes-
tlyal In the Bronx, at which no partook
OF Ice cream, cakes and tea.
But what makes the case all the more
arrange is that no one else who attended
the festival has suffered from anything
partaken thereat.
On the night OF April 27 DR.. Greamelle
attended the opening Of the military
tournament In Madison Square Garden.
and ate supper at one OF the restaurants
there. Here, too, there is an absence
81 similar effects following in the case
OF any one else who ate food where he
did.
ON the morning after the festival when
he awoke his left leg was partly
parayzed, and when he arose from the
bed ne staggered
Realizing that he was suffering from
some serious Illness, he sent for two ply
slc.ans, who were also his friends. Dr. T.
Joseph Dunn Of Creston avenue, Ford
ham. and DR.. Irt&ng Balcom OF High
bridge road. Fordham. They found him
unable to control the muscles OF his leg.
His symptoms puzzled them.
~ PARALYSIS ExTENpIh-..
! They thought he might be suffering
from apoplexy, but owing TO the fact that
he is only 90. they dismissed this theory.
The patient was put TO bed and that night
lost consciousness. Thoroughly baffied
now by the case they called In DR.. Jacoby,
specialist. but he too was at a loss 70
diagnose the trouble.
For two days DR.. Greamelle remained
unconscious. When he was restored he
had entirely lost the power OF speech.
He was observant OF everything that
went on about him. but was unable to
utter the slightest sound.
The paralysis had In the meantime ex-
tended TO the other leg. The upper part
of the body and the arms retained their
power.
In this condition the patient continued
for three weeks and then dropped into
deep coma. from which he could not
be aroused for eight days.
When he did recover, at the end of
that time. heart trouble had set in, but
he could articulate In the faintest whis-
per. He could pronounce the letters OF
the alphabet, but could not form a word
or the simplest syllable.
This is practically his condition at pres
ent. Four days ago. however, there was
noticed slight tendenos to improve and
he was removed 10 the home OF his father
Mr. Walling ID. Greamelle, wealthy i'm
porter. who lives at 160 West Ninety
second street. There he is under the care
OF four or Ave specialists and trained
nurses night and day.
The physicians say that IL he does
recover his convalescence will be slow
and tedious
The doctors at first thought that he
might be suffering from ptomaine poison
ing taken In his food. but dismissed this
theory, as the symptoms were entirely
foreign to such cases.
DIR. Greamelles house is closed. He and
his wife separated four months ago She
took one OF their two children and he the
other. and since then they have lived
apart He is a graduate of New York
university and has been practiclns in the
Bronx for six years.