A Treatise on Hysterical Affections (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1858. Excerpt: ... the accession of her illness, she menstruated; and was afterwards quite well. Thus proving, very satisfactorily, that the amenorrhcea was the source of the vertebral irritation; and that this, in its turn, produced the other ailments. Case 3. Miss L., aged 19, had not been in good health for nearly four years before the date of the present seizure. When first called to her, she had been ill several days with most acute pain in the left side, which was increased on inspiration, but relieved by pressure. This was so violent as frequently to make her scream, and beg her friends to hold her sides; which was often done for hours together. There was considerable pectoral oppression, and her head was in much pain. A few hours before I saw her, she had fallen suddenly back in her chair, apparently lifeless; and was carried to bed. In this state she would lie for half an hour or an hour; recovering at intervals, and speaking rationally and even cheerfully, and then again suddenly sinking into a state of perfect coma. While thus seemingly comatose, her breathing would be suspended for ten minutes, or longer, at a time; or carried on with so much subtleness, that no air escaped her lips;--no rising or falling of the chest;--no motion of any muscle, except a quivering of the eyelids, could be detected to show that she was not actually in a state of syncope. Then a rapid gasping would follow, succeeded by another deathlike stillness. Her eyes were then turned up, her teeth fixed, her hands convulsively clenched, --so that nothing could relax them. Now, during all this while, her pulse was perfectly regular and quiet; except that she had occasional palpitations of extreme violence, which shook her from head to foot, and continued through her illness. The little colour s..