APR. 1911,] KAWAMUIiA.—ON A POISONOUS FVNGUS. 10$ 



daily becoming worse, they constilted a physician who gave 

 them various treatments, but without result. After five da:ys 

 the fourth and fifth patients were g^lmost entirely cured of 

 their illness, but . other three were still suffering pain and 

 knew of no remedy but to dip their limbs into cool water. 

 They noticed that the effect of the cool water became weaker 

 and weaker day after dsij. Once they tried to dip their 

 hands into hot water, but it only made the pain much more 

 acute. So they built a small shed on the bank of a stream that 

 flowed near their home and remained in it day and night for 

 about two weeks, b'ing down on the floor and constantly 

 dipping their limbs into the running water. But their condition 

 became no better, the pain continued. The limbs became swollen 

 and dropsical, so that it was difiicult to move them. 



The patients knew that they were in a bad condition, and 

 called another doctor to examine them. The second physician 

 told them that the case was very severe and that they had 

 better gone at once to the Fukushima Hospital. The patients 

 obeyed him and decided to do so. On the way to Fukushima 

 they constantly bathed their limbs in a tub of cool water 

 which they carried with them. It was now twenty days since 

 they had begun to suffer. They were very tired because on 

 account of the severe pain they had been unable to sleep 

 soundly for a long time. Fortunately their appetite remained 

 excellent, preventing the complete exhaustion of the body. 

 During the night of November, lOtb the two patients arrived 

 at the hospital and were immediately examined by an assistant 

 doctor. The doctor at first injected half tubeful of 2o/o morphine 

 -water as an anodyne, but this had no effect. Then he injected 

 into the feet where the strongest pain was felt, half a tubeful 

 of 1.00/0 cocaine water. This seemed to relieve the pain for a 

 minute but after a short time the patients complained that the 

 pain was as strong as before. 



Doctor Iso, to whom the patients were brought, concluded 

 that the illness was due to the disintegration of the vasomotor 

 nerve function and gave the patients chloral hydrate and extract 

 of ergot as an anaesthetic. Then the patients slept well and 



