IN THE LOCKED JAM'. 



The Negro was named Frank, aged about 22 years ; was 

 of a slender make, but for the most part healthy. Ten days 

 before I saw him, on account of some misdemeanour," his 

 father nave him a severe beating with a stick, and particularly 

 bruised his cheeks and temples. From that time he continued 

 to be much indisposed ; a surgeon in the neighbourhood was 

 sent for, who, mistaking his disorder for a sore throat, made 

 use of bleeding, blisters, laxatives, and gargles ; but the dis- 

 order daily increasing, and the patient complaining much of 

 his neck, and a stiffness of his jaws, a locked jaw at length was 

 suspected. Thirty drops of laudanum were ordered to be given 

 him every four hours ; he was directed to lie in bed, to be 

 covered with blankets, and to promote sweating by warm teas 

 and gruels : all this, however, without effect. 



The symptoms were as follows : viz. an acute pain under 

 the sternum, darting through to the small of the back ; a pain 

 and stiffness in the neck and jaws ; every fifteen minutes he 

 was attacked with a spasm, which greatly aggravated the pains 

 and rigidity, and bent his head and shoulders backwards. 

 The fit lasted ten minutes, and when it was over he sweated 

 profusely. The jaw now gradually loosened so much that I 

 could see his tongue, which was most miserably torn. On ac- 

 count of this, and the difficulty of swallowing for the last six 

 days, he had taken very little sustenance. 



When he stood up, his head was much retracted, nor could 

 he turn it to either side; his body bent a little backwards, 

 and the lower extremities quite rigid. 



These appearances, and the little benefit he had from even 

 method hitherto tried, determined me to use the cold hath. 

 I therefore got him out of bed, and, after being gradually 

 cooled, he was helped out into the open air, his shirt was 

 taken off, and, as he could not sit down, he was laid on the 

 ground, with his face downwards. Three buckets of cold wa- 

 ter were at once thrown upon him, from a considerable height. 

 The effect of this was a glow all over his hotly ; he felt less 



