MISCELLANY. 



251 



to almost the last moment of his life, recall 

 the celebrated case of Amedee BerthoUet, 

 who, while dying of suffocation by charcoal- 

 gas, kept a record of his sensations as long 

 as he was able to hold the pen. 



Some time before his death, Mr. Walker 

 had been struck in the temple by a truck- 

 pole, the result of which injury was blepha- 



ro-t'acial paralysis, or spasms of the facial 

 muscles and the eyelids. These symptoms 

 were extremely troublesome in themselves, 

 the spasms often continuing for hours at a 

 time ; but scarcely less annoying was the 

 fact that the contortions came on without 

 premonition, and thus the patient often 

 had the misfortune to excite the derision 

 of others by the hideous grimaces which he 

 could not control. The best medical ad- 

 vice had been resorted to without avail. 

 Brown - Sequard performed many severe 

 operations on the patient, such as actual 

 cautery and severing of the facial nerves ; 

 the surgeon even cut out considerable por- 

 tions of nerve-fibre in the attempt to con- 

 trol the spasms. Brown-Sequard having 

 returned to Europe, Mr. Walker came to 

 Prof. C. R. Agnew for treatment. Dr. Ag- 

 new tried to relieve the spasm of the right 



, eyelid by dividing the muscle which sur- 

 rounds the corner of the eye ; but the op- 

 eration failed. On Saturday, April 3d, Mr. 

 Walker visited, by appointment. Dr. Ag- 

 new's office, for the purpose of being 

 treated with the extract of Conium macu- 

 latum, or hemlock. The drug was admin- 

 istered by Dr. Webster, Prof. Agiiew's as- 

 sociate ; the first dose, forty drops, being 

 taken at 10.23 a. m. At 10.50 the dose was 

 repeated, as also at 11.15, and half an hour 

 later sixty drops more were given. No effect 

 was observable. The patient was then di- 

 rected to obtain from Dr. Squibb, of Brook- 

 lyn, an ounce of his fluid- extract of conium, 

 and to follow minutely that physician's di- 

 rections as to its administration. Both by 

 Dr. Webster and by Dr. Squibb Mr. Walker 

 was again and again charged to stop taking 

 the conium the moment he " felt any effect 

 of the drug, such as muscular relaxation, or 

 vertiffo." The dose recommended by Dr. 

 Squibb was fifty drops, to be repeated in 

 half an hour, in case the symptoms did not 

 present themselves. From the record taken 

 down from the patient's own lips, it is clear 



that the admonitions of the doctors were 

 disregarded. We give the record, to show 

 the stoical calmness of the man, while the 

 shadow of death was gathering upon him : 



"4.10 p.m., took fifty minims Squibb's 

 fluid - extract of conium (hemlock) ; 4.40 

 p. M., effect very decided in dizziness, re- 

 laxation of muscles and limbs ; fifty min- 

 ims more then taken ; difficulty of walking 

 immediately and want of power to control 

 movements ; forced to lie down, but no 

 mitigation of spasms, limbs and legs weak, 

 unable to hold up head, speech thickening 

 some, pain and heaviness in top and back 

 part of head ; pulse fifty-six. 



" 5.15 p. M., took fifty drops; some nau- 

 sea, some tremor at base of clavicle and in 

 muscles across the chest, just above the 

 sternum ; no diminution of spasms about 

 eyes nor of photophobia. 



"5.25 P.M., drowsiness; inclined to 

 sleep. 



" 5.40 P. M., eyes difficult to open, speech 

 difficult, fullness in throat, prostration near- 

 ly complete, diplopia (double sight) vastly 

 increased. 



" 6.10 P. M., nausea, twitchings on right 

 side, unable to articulate, eyes closed, full- 

 ness almost to suffocation in throat, pulse 

 about sixty. At eight in part " He never 

 spoke again. 



A New Respirator. A respirator, in- 

 tended for the use of miners, firemen, and 

 others, whose duties so often expose them 

 to danger by the inhalation of deleterious 

 gases, was recently tested at the Barclay & 

 Perkins Brewery, London. The apparatus 

 is the invention of a Frenchman, Denay- 

 rouze. It consists of a tube about an inch 

 in diameter internally, made of flexible spi- 

 ral wire and India-rubber, and so strong and 

 well protected as to bear the weight of a 

 heavy man without collapsing. The tube 

 is attached to a belt which is firmly buckled 

 to the waist of the operator. The mouth- 

 piece is very ingeniously contrived for hold- 

 ing in the mouth with extreme tenacity and 

 the minimum of inconvenience. There is a 

 glazed eye-protector, which also closes the 

 nostrils. Inspirations are taken through 

 the tube, and the respired air is discharged 

 through a valve half-way between the belt 

 and the mouth-piece. By drawing a long 



