90 REMARKABLE CURES EFFECTED BY GYMNASTICS. 



therefore made a careful examination of the body, and found, as I 

 had expected, that the fifth, sixth, and seventh vertebrte of the back 

 were somewhat unnaturally out of the perpendicular. Being now 

 in full possession of the case, I immediately began to apply a course 

 of exercises, with a well-regulated diet, and without having recourse 

 to any medicine whatever. At the expiration of three months, to 

 my satisfaction, and still more to that of the boy himself and his 

 parents, who had but little hopes of his recovery, he returned home 

 perfectly cured. In two months more he went to school, to conti- 

 nue his education, which had been interrupted by his malady. I 

 had the pleasure of seeing him in June last, perfectly well. He 

 was then as well formed as any young man of his own age could be. 



Case II. — On another occasion I was requested to see a boy of 

 three years old, of a lymphatic temperament, who could not walk, 

 or even stand. His parents were greatly distressed, for they had 

 consulted the best doctors in the neighbourhood, but without bene- 

 fit. I desired the mother to undress the child, and on examining 

 him found that the complaint consisted in a slight prominence be- 

 tween the last dorsal and the first lumbar vertebra. The child 

 experienced a little pain during the examination, and especially in 

 the region of the above mentioned vertebrae. Upon the whole, I 

 concluded that there was a touch of the rickets (rachitis J, but I 

 believe the bones were perfectly sound. I then planned out the 

 system to be pursued for the malady, especially taking care to ad- 

 minister the requisite physical exercises. The anxious parents per- 

 formed every thing recommended, and at the end of two months 

 the child was able to walk without the least assistance ; indeed, 

 after the third month, namely, in September, 1834, he had so far 

 recovered as, on seeing me coming, to run and meet me. He was 

 henceforth perfectly well. 



Case III. — This, also, is a case of no small importance. A 

 young lady, about twenty years of age, who had been confined to 

 a sofa four years, in consequence of a fall from a horse while resid- 

 ing in the neighbourhood of London, applied to me as a last resort, 

 thinking that my gymnastics might, possibly, be of some service to 

 her. This case was widely different from the others, and, I should 

 say, much more difficult to cure. As no external injury was ap- 

 parent, I began to examine her back, requesting her to let me know 

 when I caused her any pain. I soon discovered that the tenth, 

 eleventh, and twelfth dorsal vertebrge, and the first lumbar verte- 

 bra, were the seat of the complaint, as she could not bear the slight- 

 est touch on these parts without screaming. It thus became proba- 



