Observations upon the effects of electricity, applied to a tetanus, or muscular rigidity, of four months continuance. In a letter to the Royal Society ... / [Sir William Watson].

  • William Watson
Date:
1763
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Observations upon the effects of electricity, applied to a tetanus, or muscular rigidity, of four months continuance. In a letter to the Royal Society ... / [Sir William Watson]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    even liquids could be admitted into her mouth. She had two days before parted with two worms, and had had feveral very offenfive ffools. Her breath was now, and had been for fome days, very fetid. Though her jaw was locked very clofe, fhe was without pain 3 even in the temporal and Mafleter mufcles, whofe office is to bring the under-jaw to the upper 3 and which, in this indance, were tenfe, hard, and fpafmodically affedted. She was feveriffi, her pulfe was quick, and her flefh hot 3 and fhe had had but very little deep. On Monday, July 12, I vifited this poor girl in confutation- with my learned and ingenious friend and collegue Dr. Morton. We found fhe had had a refflefs night 3 her fever was high, and it was infinitely difficult to introduce any thing between her teeth. As there had been no wound, no eruption repelled, we were of opinion, from her offenfive breath and other indications, that the fpafm of her jaw was fymptomatic, either of worms or foul bowels. Whatever was admitted into her mouth was fwallowed without difficulty ; neither in this date of the difeafe was her breathing at all affeded. The regimen we put this patient under, for this formidable complaint, will be mentioned hereafter. For near three weeks the diforder confined itfelf to the jaw, during which time fhe was conftantly feverifh. At times indeed her fever ran very high, and her pulfe beat 130 ffrokes in a mi- nine. Ai odaer times it beat only about 100 3 but never for thele three weeks it was flower than that number. Notwithstanding our belt endeavours, the difeafe not only con¬ tinued, but the rigidity communicated itfelf to the mufcles of her neck, fo that fhe could not move her head in the leaf!;: And irom pains f looting down her back, we had reaion to apprehend, and which indeed did foon after happen, that the mufcles of her back would loon like wife be rigid. After
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