Year: 1870

New and Wonderful Form of Dis.


cas- In Illinois.


CHICAGO, Dec. 4.-The city of
Elgin, some forty miles west of
Chicago, is greatly excited by the
of a strange disease in
that vicinity, the first known case of
which terminated fatally on Friday.
The facts are as sollows: On Fri
day week Mrs. G. W. Daniels, lady
twenty-five years of age, who was
married two years ago and gave birth
to child eleven months since, was
prostrated by what seemed at first
to be promonitory symptoms of typ
hold fever. She had not been very
well for some time previous, but
nothing serious was anticipated till
Sunday, when she was compelled to
take to bed and place herself under
medical treatment. She complained
of pains in her bones and soreness
in her flesh. Nothing very unusual,
however, was observed till Sunday
morning, when the milk from her
breast attracted attention by its
dark color, it looking like the was
tings of an ink bottle. Submitting
the milk to microscopic examina-
ton, it was found to contain i'm


mense numbers Of animalcule, of
different sizes and shapes from any
human parasite which the attending
physician had ever seen or heard of.
They seemed to be somewhat hexa-
gonaI in form, and longer one way
than the other. They did not seem
to have any head, but were evidently
alive, judging from the way in which
they moved about. Their size was
estimated by the doctor as varying
from the one hundred thousandth
to the five hundred thousandth of
an inch in diameter. The power of
the microscope used varied from
$50 to 800 diametres, the former po-
wer being required to make the
insect visible. They were not trio
hinia, as the Ooctor was well acqua-
inted with that form of parasite,
and this kind was much smaller and
of an entirely different shape.
were searched, but
none of them gave any clue by which
thew could be identified, and the
and those with whom he con
suited were compelled to believe
that they had discovered a new
species of humaa parasite. In the
the patient grew worse,
suffered terribly, and complained of
of soreness all over her body. Moth
ing could be done to relieve her.
She could not bear a bath, and could
hardly bear to be touched. She
fingered in agony till Friday after
noon at one O'Clock, when she died.
There was some reason at first to
believe the parasites were the pro
duct of some disease of the breast,
and were confined to that locality.
The doctor determined to test the
matter, and, anticipating her death,
he was prepared to do so five min
utes after life was extinct, and while
the body was still warm. He made
an incision in the calf of the leg, and
the lancet, examined the
moisture which covered it. He
found three of the parasites, only
one of which was alive. They were
similar in all respects to those found
in the fluid taken from the breast.
He then dissected the tibial arteries
and muscles of the leg, including a
small portion Of the surrounding
flesh. The muscle presented a
granular appearance, as if covered
with grains of sand. These grains
the doctors assume were parasites.
The investigations were conducted
by DR.. Clark, assisted by DR.. Tyreh,
and neither of them nor any of the
faculty who have been asked their
opinion are able to explain the pre-
sence of what they regard as para
siticical phenomena. A further ex-
animation of the muscles will be
mude, and it is expected that some
light will be shed upon what is now
a mystery. The physicians think
that the parasites fastened the
death, if they were not the immedi-
ate cause. While some of the
typhoid remained to the end, they
were aggravated, the pains and sore
ness and throbbing especially, and
death came sooner and more sud
denly than in cases of unmistakaole
typhoid. The baby had been pining
some time before the mother took
sick, but as soon as he was weaned
he recovered his health, and is now
more robust than ever. He was not


weaned till his mother was confined
to her bed. The doctor reports


that he examined the child's blood,


whihh was perfectly healthy.