68 BACTERIAL POISONS. 



of S. H. Evans, a respectable farmer, I was called in to see 

 him. I found him — a man of about fifty years, spare 

 and muscular — vomiting severely, with flushed face, but 

 with a temperature of 96° F. There was marked throb- 

 bing of the abdominal aorta; the tongue had a white, 

 heavy coating, and the breathing was very labored. I set 

 to work with the ordinary remedies to allay the vomiting, 

 which bad already continued for some hours. The vomited 

 matters were colored with bile. Pupils were dilated, and 

 a rash resembling that of scarlatina, but coarser, covered 

 the chest, forearms, and legs below the knees, while the 

 abdomen and thighs remained unaifected. As the bowels 

 had not been moved since the beginning of the attack, I 

 administered a purgative dose of calomel with a little podo- 

 phyllin and rhubarb. On Sunday a small stool resulted. 

 During that day and night, and the following day, the 

 retching and vomiting continued. Small doses of carbolic 

 acid seemed to give the most relief After the movement 

 of the bowels the symptoms were somewhat more prom- 

 ising ; but a heavy and unfavorable stupor was observable 

 and persistent. 



" ' On Sunday the coating of the tongue remained very 

 thick, and had changed to a dark brown color. At first I 

 thought that his symptoms indicated a depressed condition, 

 which I had known in one instance to precede typhoid 

 fever. However, after a few days, I concluded that I 

 must look for the cause of the condition among the poi- 

 sons ; but I could think of no one poison which would , 

 be likely to produce all the symptoms observed. During 

 Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, there was but little 

 change, and the treatment was continued. 



" ' On Thursday morning I found the son Arthur, a lad 

 of eighteen years, strong and vigorous, suffering with the 

 same symptoms, only in a more violent form. After 

 supper on Wednesday evening he was taken with nausea 

 and vomiting. He had no rash, but the symptoms were 

 otherwise identical with those of the father, except in being 

 more severe. I gave a cathartic, which acted only slightly. 



" ' At] my evening visit J found Mrs, Evans, a lady of 



