Account of the illness and death of Dr. William Pulteney Alison / by Patrick Newbigging.

  • Newbigging, Patrick (Patrick Small Keir), 1813-1864.
Date:
[1860]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Account of the illness and death of Dr. William Pulteney Alison / by Patrick Newbigging. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    In 1853 fourteen, two of which were followed by feelings of oppression and discomfort—sensations which, however, soon passed off. In 1854 the number of attacks were reduced to ten ; but the separate epileptic fits were more numerous, much more severe, and followed by symptoms of cerebral congestion, of a formidable character. For example, in April of that year, I find it recorded that he had six fits, followed, on return to sensibility, with headache and nervous excitement—the latter state continuing during a fortnight, and then going off entirely. On the 23d of October, there having been four attacks since the one in x4pril, at six a.m. he had a fit, was well during the day, but at eleven at night he was again seized, and had eleven very severe attacks before the same hour next morniuL^ These were followed for two or C J three hours by violent excitement, with constant motions of his arms, and great restlessness, I saw him early on that day, and found him quite insensible, almost comatose, with flushed countenance and turgid veins. His case at this time assumed a very formidable aspect, and it appeared to me that recovery was doubtful. He was cupped, and as he was able to swallow when fluid was put into his mouth, an antiraonial mixture was prescribed. Dr Christison saw my patient with me in the evening, at which time he was returning to consciousness. On my visit next morning, I found there had been no return of the spasms since eleven in the morning of the preced¬ ing day, but the mind was languid, and at times incoherent. He expressed himself as feeling very ill, and that he was paralysed. On the 7th day of this attack he became suddenly delirious. Leeches were applied for the second time, and again on the follow¬ ing day, after which the delirium passed off, and he became quite calm, so that at Dr Christison’s and my visit, on the tenth day of the attack, he was again in his usual state of health, and in a week from this date he was able to walk out. In 1855, the seizures numbered only seven, but the fits in all amounted to sixty, there having been, on the 4th of May, so many as eleven severe fits in twelve hours, but in the following year, even this formidable seizure was exceeded on 19th January, when from 10 o’clock on that, until 12 on the following day, he had twenty-two fits. This attack was altogether a very severe one, and resembled much the one described above, as occurring in October 1854. In 1856, the seizures were eight, the fits eighty-six. In 1857, the seizures were seven, the fits sixty-two. In 1858, seven seizures and fifty-four fits. In 1859, the seizures were five, the fits fifty-nine. The nature of the terrible attacks to which Dr Alison had be¬ come so great a martyr, gradually underwent certain changes. They became less numerous, but the fits were greatly increased in severity, and during this year, the condition of rny patient after the fits was very formidable, and most painful to witness—the delirium assuming more and more the maniacal character; and latterly the difficulty of restraint, even with the assistance of two or three male