M. W. a very tall and thin woman, forty-four years of age, was admitted
into the hospital, September 19, 1795. Her disorder was of six months
standing, and eight years before she had also had an attack of this
disease. The cause assigned to have brought it on, the last time, was the
loss of some property, the disease having shortly followed that
circumstance.--The constant tenor of her discourse was, that she should
live but a short time. She seemed anxiously to wish for her dissolution,
but had no thoughts of accomplishing her own destruction. In the course of
a few weeks she began to imagine, that some malevolent person had given
her mercury with an intention to destroy her. She was constantly shewing
her teeth, which had decayed naturally, as if this effect had been
produced by that medicine: at last she insisted, that mercurial
preparations were mingled in the food and medicines which were
administered to her. Her appetite was voracious, notwithstanding this
belief. She had a continual thirst, and drank very large quantities of
cold water.
On January 14, 1796, she had an apoplectic fit, well marked by stertor,
loss of voluntary motion, and insensibility to stimuli. On the following
day she died. She was opened two days after death. There was a remarkable
accumulation of blood in the veins of the dura and pia mater; the
substance of the brain was loaded with blood. When the medullary substance
was cut into, blood oozed from it; and, upon squeezing it, a greater
quantity could be forced out. On the pia mater covering the right lobe of
the cerebrum, were some slight extravasations of blood. The ventricles
contained no water; on the plexus choroides were some vesicles of the size
of coriander-seeds, filled with a yellow fluid. The pericranium adhered
firmly to the scull. The consistence of the brain was firmer than usual.