Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1905-08-04
SOME FREAKS
OF LIGHTNING
BOLT FROM SKY HAS BEEN
KNOWN TO AMPUTATE A
LIMB.

MANY pSSonS nave DeeH kllleu ny
lightning, but many more have suf-
fered strange and injurious effects
from it after recovering from the
shock.
A stroke of lightning has even am
putated limb, as in the case of
boy at Cracow Poland. as recorded
by the medical profession. The boys
right knee was stiff from disease, and
when riding in a field during a vio-
lent storm loud peal of thunder
made the horse run away, throwing
the child to the ground. When the
boy recovered his senses he found
that his right leg was missing. hay.
ing been cut through at the knee, leav-
ing a perfectly round end below the
patella or kneecap. There were
signs OF burning around the body.
from all of which he recovered. Some
few days afterward the missing leg
was found near where he had been
thrown by the horse.
DIR. Candy, of Paris, gives the case
OF a woman who had two children
killed by lightning in her presence.
She herself was rendered unconscious
for four days, and after regaining her
senses she found herself paralyzed
and numb Oh the left side of her body.
She fully recovered in three weeks
Two years afterward in a thunder
hn hoI
though there was no visible light
ming. Three years later under SINH
lar circumstances she again had like
attack.
Surcharged With Electricity.
DR.. Macdonald, of England, reports
a woman of IS years of age who
some AZ years previously while iron
ing cap with an Italian iron was
stunned by a strong flash of lightning
and fell back into a chair. On recov-
erlnS consciousness she found that
the cap, which she had left on the
table some distance from the iron,
mad been transformed into cinders
Her clothing was not burned. nor
We're there any marks on the skin
After the stroke she felt a creeping
sensation and numbness. especially
in the arm that had been next to the
table
She declared that as a consequence
she could predict when the atmos-
phere was highly charged with cleo
triclty, as the numbness increased on
these occasions. She also said that
shortly before and during a thunder
storm she always become nauseated.
1t seems that in this case the nerves
s OF the arm reaching to the base of the
brain had continued abnormally SEN
sitive.
DR.. Aiamson of North Borneo. re-
lates the following case: The per-
son struck by lightning was seated
at dinner when the flash came. and
ne felt what seemed to be terrible
blow on the left knee, as if he had
been hit by something round. He fell
Off his chair unconscious and remem-
bered nothing more until awakening
TO lind himself unable to get up and
in darkness except for what seemed
to be burning specks on the floor and
around him.
The patient was put to bed when
the body showed the following condi-
ton: Both legs We're swollen anu
green in appearance. this latter con
dltlon passing off in a short time
from the knee to the toes in the left
leg the skin in some places was torn
away, and in others it was raised in
TO bllsters; from the middle of the
thigh to the ankle of the right leg
the condition was the same as in the
left leg. The patient stated that he
felt as if he had no legs at ALL
Sensation was completely lost, anu
the feet felt very cold. There was
great pain in the muscles of the legs.
The general shock was considerable,
and brought deafness, with ringing in
the ears. He made rapid recovery
after the application of hot water
bottles and massage to the soles of
the feet and soothing applications
to the burns
Two cases of lightning stroke with
burns and uncOnsciOusness have been
recorded by Dr.. Cook and DR.. Boult
ing, both of which recovered. One
of these patients saw the clouds OPP
ening" and "a sheet of fire falling"
as he stated He heard deafenlnc
thunder clap and felt stunned for
some minutes, but had no sensation
of pain. He discovered that his
trousers were on fire and that hi,
steel buckles had been torn from his
legs. He saw the other man lying
senseless on the ground and appar-
entity dead. He had lost all feeling IN
the legs and tumble.l down when h..
tried TO walk. His boots We're 'in
ribbons and fell off when he moved.
He felt "as though he had been blown
from a cannon"
The other man remembered moth
ing of the accident, and he neither
felt nor saw anything at the time b.
was struck. When he became Slight.
ly conscious he complained of haviu-
pain, as from red hot iron. which
was travelling up his legs. The
whole of one side was burned. He
recovered in three weeks, while the
other man recovered in three or four
days.
Captain Brine reports lightning as
striking four men in tent in the
Transvaal They all suffered from
severe shock and some We're severely
burned. He specially draws attention
to the peculiar odor from such cases.
which, he says, is very marked Il
is not the smell of burnt clothing or
charred flesh. but smell like dilut-
ed sulphuric acid
WHAT All DIjcCIA