Miss B----, aet. 20; a tall, spare brunette, and a good specimen of
Fothergill's _Arab type_, brainy and vivacious. General health has been
good, but she was never robust; could not go to school regularly.
Between her thirteenth and fifteenth years grew rapidly in stature, and
then she was easily wearied on walking; knees tired and limbs ached. Had
good digestion through the growing period, but subsequently became
subject to "bloat of wind" in abdomen. These meteoristic attacks came
when lying down. A "weight rises from the abdomen up to the heart." She
must at once spring up. This condition is relieved by eructating, by
liquor, and by drinking hot water. The night attacks of meteorism are by
far the worst. _She is now subject to them._
[Her grand-mother had such "spells of bloating;" would spring out of bed
at night, lose consciousness, and "bloat up suddenly." If she had such
an attack when dressed, they had often been obliged to cut open her
clothes.]
Patient has found that apples, tomatoes, cabbage and onions disagree
with her; no other food. She is constipated--"wants to and can't."
Her hair is unusually dry; scalp full of dandruff; skin, generally, soft
and flexible.
She has frequent epistaxis; has had four and five attacks a day. Blood
bright red, "runs a perfect stream," does not clot at the nostrils. Has
previously a "heavy feeling" in the head, which the bleeding relieves.
In appearance she is "the picture of health;" good complexion, fairly
ruddy cheeks, sparkling eyes--in a word, she is an incarnated protest
against "single blessedness."
In the latter part of July, 1886, had her first "fit." She had arisen
with a headache, which kept on increasing in severity. Just after a
light meal had the attack; "Oh, dear! Oh, dear!" and fell insensible.
Stiffened at first, then had clonic spasms. Neither bit the tongue nor
frothed at the mouth. No micturition or defecation. On coming to, did
not remember that she had fallen, but recollected being borne up stairs.
Had a "dreadful nosebleed" after the attack. Left her very weak; could
hardly lift her feet from the floor. Before the "fit" the headache had
become unbearably severe.
Had her second "fit" on August 7th, 1887. Headache came on and kept
growing worse; was in temples, beating and throbbing, and in eyes,
"light hurt"--also on vertex, "pressing-down" pain. At 4 P.M. suddenly
fell down insensible. No cry. Tongue bitten. Slight frothing at the
mouth. First "stiff all over," then clonic spasms. After the "fit" knew
that something had happened to her. Was prostrated for nearly a month,
but not so much as after first attack.
December 10th, 1887, third "fit." On the night of the 9th her mother had
been very ill, and she herself was very uneasy and alarmed. Had the
attack before breakfast. Blurred vision, headache, fall; no biting of
tongue, nor frothing. First rigid, then clonic spasms; after attack,
nose bled profusely, head ached all day, face flushed and dark.
Prostrated as usual.
In none of the attacks was there any involuntary micturition or
defecation, nor was it ever necessary to use any force to hold her on
the bed.
One other fact I gathered from her brother, namely: during her "fits"
her abdomen bloated so rapidly and to such a degree that the family had
learned to remove her clothing as soon as possible after she fell.
Of course, Thacher's case, wherein the "abdomen was remarkably tumefied
and tense," came into memory at once. The old volume was taken down, and
that case re-read. Then followed the _Encyclopaedia_, and then the
English _Symptomen Codex_. No pathogenetic light or corroboration
_there_. Then Curie's "Jahr." Ah! "_Inflation and tension in the
abdomen._" Only a straw, but a pathogenetic, and I grasped it
thankfully. I found also, "_aching in the temples with violent arterial
pulsation_."
It was an open winter; my son dug some skunk cabbage roots in a swamp; a
tincture was made; ten-drop doses, four times daily, were taken until
six ounces had been consumed.
No "fit" up to date; no epistaxis; only once a slight headache.
I never made a diagnosis in this case; have not reached one yet, nor am
I grieving over that omission. I did rashly declare that it was not
epilepsy, because Sauvages _tympanites intestinalis_ is a feature of
hysteria, but not of epilepsy. But not a word of this was said to the
patient. It was not a "mind cure," for I have no "mind" to spare; nor
was it "Christian science," for I am not up to that. I had an _amnesis_
in which grand-mother and grand-daughter participated. Nature had put
the "key-note" in italics, not only in the patient but also in the drug.
Thacher stumbled upon it empirically; Hering found it pathogenetically,
and that led to its application under the guidance of the only
approximation to _a law_ in therapeutics that has yet been discovered by
any of woman born: _similia similibus curantur_!
(Anent the foregoing paper Dr. W. C. Campbell sent the
following to the same journal:)