A case of hydrophobia ... Read May 1807 / [Alexander Marcet].

  • Alexander Marcet
Date:
1809
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A case of hydrophobia ... Read May 1807 / [Alexander Marcet]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    his countenance much more sunk and expressive of debility than the day before ; his pulse fluctuated be¬ tween 100 and lit). He said he had not so much of the pain in his arm and shoulder, but that he felt weaker and extremely sleepy. Indeed, he was no i . sooner recovered from the agitation which our appear¬ ance first occasioned, than he fell into a succession of frequent, but very transient slumbers, out of which lie awoke each time with a convulsive start resembling those occasioned by diseases of the heart. These slumbers or lethargic intervals scarcely ever lasted so long as one minute, being almost al¬ ways interrupted in the course of thirty or forty seconds, by the start just mentioned, which left him for a few moments in a state of agitation similar to that which he experienced after the act of deglutition. We found his pulse during one of these dozing in¬ tervals at about 100; yet we observed, that at the same time his respiration was remarkably slow. In¬ deed, he did not appear to make more than two or three inspirations in a minute, the second of which generally roused him in the manner above described. It may be more easily conceived than described how distressing this state must have been; and I need not say how' much our sympathy for this poor man’s sufferings was increased, when we found that, even during these short intervals of sleep, they were but very imperfectly relieved; “ for,” said he, “ whilst dozing, I can hear, it is not like sleep.” On inquiring into the manner in which he had passed the night, we heard from Mr. Wes top’s
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