Philosophical transactions, Vol. L. Part I. For the year 1757.: Giving some account of the present undertakings, studies, and labours, of the ingenious, in many considerable parts of the world.Various
History
Philosophical transactions, Vol. L. Part I. For the year 1757.: Giving some account of the present undertakings, studies, and labours, of the ingenious, in many considerable parts of the world.
Various
Science -- Periodicals
ELizabeth Foster, aged 33, in poor circumstances, unmarried, about 15
years ago was seized with a violent nervous fever, accompanied with an
asthma, and was so ill, that her life was despaired of. She recovered
however from the violence of her distemper, but the sad effects of it
remained. For, from this time, she continued in a weakly uncertain
state of health till the month of July, 1755, when she was again taken
ill of the same kind of fever; and after it went off she was troubled
with worse nervous symptoms than ever, ending at last in a paralytic
disorder, which sometimes affected the arm, sometimes the leg, of
the left side; in such a manner as that these parts, tho’ deprived
of all motion for the time, yet still retained their sensibility. In
this condition she remained till the spring 1756, when unexpectedly
she grew much better; but not so far as to get quite rid of her
paralytic complaints; which, in cold weather, seldom failed to manifest
themselves by a numbness, trembling, sensation of cold, and a loss of
motion in the left side.
This paralytic tendency made her apprehensive of a more violent attack;
which accordingly soon happened: for, about the end of August, in the
same year, her symptoms gradually increased, and in a very short time
she lost all motion and sensation in her left side. In this state
she continued throughout last winter with the addition of some new
complaints; for now her head shook constantly; her tongue faltered so
much, when she attempted to speak, that she could not articulate a
word; her left eye grew so dim, that she could not distinguish colours
with it; and she was often seized with such an universal coldness and
insensibility, that those who saw her at such times scarce knew whether
she was dead or alive.
Whilst the woman was in this miserable condition, observing that she
had some intermissions, during which she could converse and use her
right leg and arm, in one of those intervals I proposed trying to
relieve her by the power of electricity. With this view, I got her
supported in such a manner as to receive the shocks standing, holding
the phial in her right hand, whilst the left was made to touch the
gun-barrel. After receiving several very severe shocks, she found
herself in better spirits than usual; said she felt a heat, and a
prickling pain in her left thigh and leg, which gradually spread over
all that side; and after undergoing the operation for a few minutes
longer, she cried out, with great joy, that she felt her foot on the
ground.
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