336 THE TREATMENT OF DISEASES. 



after a moment's look of serious terror took half a spoonful of the gruel in a 

 hurried gasping manner, and then said he would not take more at a time lest 

 tlw sensation should come on. He was desired to drink the last portion of the 

 gruel from the basin. He accordingly seized it with hurry, carried it to his mouth 

 with an air of determination, and then a violent choking spasm of the muscles 

 about the throat ensued, and most of the gruel was spilt over his chin. He 

 observed that he had been in too great a hurry about it, or he should have 

 managed it. On the Wednesday, at noon, he was in nearly the same state, 

 but said he was better. In the course of the night some morsels of ice had 

 been given him. With considerable effort he swallowed two or three of these ; 

 the third and fourth caused so much spasm, however, that he was obliged to 

 throw them out of his mouth, but so great was his resolution, that he seized them 

 again, and by a strong exertion succeeded in swallowing them. He complained 

 now that his mouth was and had been clammy; and he champed much, and 

 spat out a good deal of tough mucus. At his own request, and (as he said) 

 that he might injure no one, a straight- waistcoat was brought, which he assisted 

 in putting on. He subsequently made an attempt to take some arrowroot, 

 the effort being preceded by hurried inspirations and sobbings precisely resembling 

 those which occur when one gradually wades into deep water. He swallowed 

 small quantities of arrowroot eight or nine times with hurry and difficulty, 

 and with sighs that succeeded each other rapidly. By the evening of that 

 day the disease had not made much further progress. He again sat up and 

 tried to eat some thinnish gruel. While taking the basin into his hand he drew 

 back his head to a distance from it, apparently involuntarily. He took one half- 

 spoonful with effort and distress, then sighed deeply and rapidly, or rather 

 his breathing consisted of a succession of sighs at short intervals; he gave up 

 the basin and sank back on his pillow, still sighing. The next day he was still 

 composed, though more easily irritated, his pulse was 140, and much weaker 

 than before, and his mental powers were failing. He gradually sank, and died 

 in the evening, having repeated the Lord's Prayer an hour previously. During 

 the last hours of his life he had been moaning and tossing from side to side ; his 

 bowels were purged ; fluid stools ran from him, and distressed him greatly. 

 His feet and legs first became cold, and the coldness extended by degrees up 

 to his chest. He hawked up in the course of the day a considerable quantity 

 of ropy mucus, and much frothy saliva came from his mouth towards the close. 

 The duration of this case was unusually protracted, and on the whole the symptoms 

 were less violent than usual. 



It is almost needless to say that there is not the slightest fear of the disease being 

 communicated by a patient to his attendants. In former times it was universally 

 believed that the unfortunate sufferers had both the power and the inclination to 

 impart the disease to others by biting them. Every one feared to be bitten, and 

 fancied that by merely coming in contact with the body, or treading upon the saliva 

 of a diseased person, the malady might be contracted. The nearest relatives fled 

 from the patients, and abandoned them to their fate, as if they were so many wild 

 beasts. Sometimes, however, with the view of shortening their sufferings, as they 



