COMMUNICATIONS AND EXTRACTS. 69 



the disease of his tongue would kill him ; so that he at 

 once " throw away tobacco forever/^ 



From this time the disease progressively got worse. 

 In May, 1833, the patient, accompanied by his medical 

 relation, visited London, and consulted Sir Astley Cooper, 

 when the patient put the following question to Sir Astley : 

 " Had I come early enough, could I have been cured ?" 

 — to which Sir Astley replied : " Sir, there never was a 

 time early enough to have warranted an operation : every 

 fibre, every papilla of your tongue is diseased ; and it 

 would have been merciful to have clapped a pistol to 

 your head, the instant the disease began/' Sir Astley 

 prescribed for him, but to no purpose, as the disease 

 increased with a rapidity inconceivable; for by the end 

 of June, the anterior portion had mouldered away (so 

 graphically described by his medical attendant), the 

 tongue being previously cleansed by the chlorate of 

 Boda, in doing which the foetor was intolerable. He 

 jiow suffered acute pain, and was obliged to take morphia 

 every night. His pulse was from 120 to 160. In July, 

 his spirits began to be dreadfully depressed, accompanied 

 with pains in his head, and he at this time remained 

 chiefly in bed. 



By the 24th, the ulceration had extended to the 

 fauces, and the glands at the angle of the lower jaw 

 bone became swollen. Deglutition was now difl&cult 

 and painful, and his strength began to fail — but still no 

 haemorrhage. 



By the middle of August, the tongue had mouldered 

 away.— the stump presenting an irregular, lumpy sur- 

 face, covered ^ith a flocculent, dirty, greenish- white 



