Year: 1879

II ALL nervous diseases, tetanus Is
" one of the most determined and
| Objectionable. 1t is usually induced by
over-indulgence In rusty nails or fish
hooks, and when it once takes hold of a
patient 1t is nearly impossible to drive
1t away. One of its permanent symp-
toms is the closing of the jaws so tight
ly that they cannot be pried open with
crowbar. When 1t is remembered that
women as well as men suffer from this
disease, its tremendously powerful ma
ture becomes evident.


Hitherto there has been no remedy
which could be regarded as a specific for
tetanus. In the last century the usual
treatment was to knock out few of the
patients teeth, so as to pour q little
brandy down his throat and then to or
der his coffin. With the progress of
medical science, various other remedies
were suggested, among which the sub
cutaneous Injection of curare, a particu-
larly dreaded South American vegetable
poison, gave, on the whole, the best re-
suits, and, frequently, 50 far got the
mastery over tatanus that it killed the
patient before the disease could kill
him. At last, however, an ingenious
French physician has apparently hit
upon a remedy before which tetanus
yields as readily as toothache yields to
the dentists forceps, and which will, of
course, supersede curare and all other
inferior remedies.


The French doctor in question was
called in to attend lady suffering from
tetanus. In his report he says that she
was married woman of thirty-one
years of age, and that previous to his
visit her family physician had tried
every known remedy for tetanus, includ-
ing curare, without producing any eff
feet. The patient was lying on her
back, with her jaws tightly closed, and
the muscles of her chest and throat were
80 rigid that she was unable to utter q
sound. The doctor at once sent out and
procured a live mouse of the usual size
and voracity, to the tail of which he at
tached strong horse-hair.


Placing the mouse at the foot of the
bed, he permitted it to walk the entire
length of the patients body. No SOON
er did the patient notice the mouse than
she sprang up, loudly calling to the at
tendants to take 1t off, and denouncing
the doctor as horrid, heartless wretch,
who ought to be ashamed of himself
and guillotined on the spot. There was
no recurrence of the symptoms of teta-
nus. In fact, the doctor adds that the
lady's jaws were so thoroughly and per-
manently unlocked that the husband,
who is, of course, ignorant of law, has
threatened to bring an action for dam
ages against him.


The success of this experiment en-
couraged the doctor to try the mouse
cure in other nervous diseases. He rea-
soned that the administration of mice
powerfully stimulates the nerves of fe-
male patient, and enables the nervous
system to throw off any disease with
which it is afflicted. Soon after the in
cldent just related he met with violent
case of hysteria. The patient, mar
ried lady of thirty-seven years, was sub
ject to hysterical attacks, but this par
ticular one was of unprecedented vio-
lence. Among its prominent sypmtoms
was the absence of whisker ON one side
of the husbands face, q broken clock
and an almost irresistible tendency on
the part of the patient to lie on the floor
and kick the paneling of a rosewood
bookcase.


The doctor at once perceived that mice
in strong doses were indicated. He there
fore ordered that mouse should be ad-
ministered every ten minutes until the
violence of the attack should abate.-
The first mouse ran across the patients
body, but there was no perceptible
change in her heels or voice.


The second mouse, however, ,entangled
itself in her hair, and her recovery was
almost instantaneous. She sat up and
said that if the doctor would only take
that mouse away she would get right up
and see about dinner.


No further treatment was necessary,
and the fact that the disease has not re-
turned leads the doctor to express
strong conviction that the cure will
prove permanent one.


The mouse cure has also been tried