Mr. Edgerton is suffering extremely, about the close of the third day
after his last 1/2 grain dose of morphia, from the agonizing rythmical
neuralgia of which I have spoken, throbbing from the loins to the
feet; and although with good effect we have given him galvanism,
shampooing, baths of several kinds, and a number of internal remedies,
still, wishing to keep each of these appliances fresh in its potency,
we make a change this time to the "movement-room." He is stripped to
his shirt, dressing-gown, and drawers, and laid on his back along a
comfortable stuffed-leather settee, running quite through whose bottom
are a number of holes about four by three and a half inches. These
holes are occupied by loose-fitting pistons which play vertically up
through the cushion--lying level with it when at rest, and when in
motion projecting about two inches above it at the height of their
stroke. Motion is secured to them by crank connection with a light
shaft running beneath the settee, revolved by a band-wheel, which in
its turn connects by a belt with the small engine outside the
building, by which all the drudgery of the house is performed.
Mr. Edgerton is adjusted over the holes so that, in coming up, the
pistons, which are covered with stuffed leather pads, strike him
alternately on each side of the spine, from about the region of the
kidneys to just beneath the shoulder-blade. The shifting of a lever
throws the machine into gear, and for the next five minutes, or as
long as he experiences relief, the artificial fists pummel and knead
him at any rate of speed desired, according to the adjustment of a
brake. This process over, if he still feels pain in the lower
extremities, his foot is buckled upon an iron sole which oscillates in
any direction according to its method of connection with the power,
from side to side, so as to twist the leg about forty-five degrees
each way, up and down, to imitate the trotting of the foot, or with a
motion which combines several. A variety of other apparatus gives play
to other muscles; but I have said enough to show the idea of its
_modus operandi_. The passive exercise thus afforded is an admirable
substitute for that active kind which in his first few days of
deprivation the intensity of his agony often incapacitates him from
taking. I have seen men at this period almost bent double from mere
pain, and hobbling when they attempted to walk like subjects of
inflammatory rheumatism. Their debility also is often so great as to
prevent exercise, especially when the characteristic diarrhea has been
for some days in operation, though different people differ
astonishingly in this respect. I knew one case where an opium-eater of
three years' habituation to the drug endured in its abandonment every
conceivable distress without suffering from debility at all, as may be
inferred from the fact that as his only way of making life tolerable
he took a walk of twelve miles every morning while going through his
trial.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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