94 Fatal Effects from the 



or anger, when existing in a moderate degree, render {he 

 heart more sensible to ihe stimulus of the blood, and in- 

 crease the frequency of its contractions ; w hile, when the 

 same passions exist in a greater degree, the heart is rendered 

 altogether insensible to the stimulus of the blood, and syn- 

 cope ensues. 



[I'o be contiaued.] 



XXr. Histouj of fatal Effects from the accidental Use of 

 JVIiite Lead ; 'm a Letter to the President. By John 

 Deering, Surgeo7i, F.ALS.; intli additional Remarks 

 by William Shearman, M.D.F.M.S.* 



xVt the sitting of January 30, IS09, a verbal communica- 

 tion was made to theSocietv, by the author of the following 

 memoir, of some extraordinary symptoms, i'ollowed by the 

 death of several individuals of a family whom he had at- 

 tended. It appcariiig to the members present highly pro- 

 bable that these unfortunate events originated from the 

 poison of leadf, a commit lee was deputed to iav( stigate and 

 10 endeavour to detect the real cause of the fatality ; which 

 the following relation fully and satisfactorily explains. 



Aldersgatc Street, Oct. 4, 1809. 



If the following narrative do not convey any important 

 medical inforn)ation, it n)ay not be wholly uninstructive, 

 as it relates to a domestic calamity, occasioned by a cir- 

 cumstance which at the time was whollv unsuspected; and 

 it may at least inculcate the necessity of a closer investiga- 

 tion of symptoms from causes not fully ascertained, and at 

 the same tin)e evince ib.c fallacy of hasty prognostics. 



On the 21st of October last, 1 was desired to visit Mrs. R,, 

 tlie wife of a respectable iiatlesman in Aldcrsgate-streel, 

 who complained of violent pain in the scrobiculus cordis, 

 with great soreness of the epigastric region when pressed 

 upon. She had vomited a considerable quantity of ijilious 

 matter, and at th.e same time her bowels were constipated; 

 the pulse was calm and regular, the tongue clean and moist, 

 and there was no svinptciiii of fever present. She imine- 

 diatelv look a cathartic, which operated, and an opiate in 

 the evening. The ioUowing morning the patient appeared 



* From the Tr.^nsactions of llie ^TcdIcrll Society of London, vol. i. parti. 



f On the t<iIio\vin_2^ evening Ur. Sliearman delivered tlie arnexed cmn- 

 iriinication, v.-hicli served to confirm the pnibahiliry of ti.ese suspicions; 

 ?.'iihouo-h Mr. D. had been hitherto unsuccessful in detecting the precise 

 fciigin of the exciting cause. 



relieved J 



