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Kaikoura Star, Volume XXII, Issue 35, 11 March 1902, Page 7

Liver and Kidney Disease WORN TO A SKELETON.

The Case of Mr. ft. N. MORRISON. (I3y a LyttJeton Reporter). A pathetic incident in the history of the Upper Kyeburn, which resulted in the loss of five young lives, has been lucidly described in verse, under the title “ Lost in the Snow,” by Mr- Andrew Napier Morrison, of Percy-street, Sydenham, who is also the author of other poems of much merit. Our reporter recently interviewed the abovementioned gentleman, who gave a graphic description concerning a persona! matter, which is submitted to public notice. “ I think there must be a mistake somewhere. Mr. Morrison,” exclaimed the scribe. “ Surely you are not the man who has suffered so greatly as I have been led to believe?” “ Yes, I am, although I acknowledge I don’t look like it,” was the answer. " But a few years ago I was not half the man I am now. My career has been very t varied, you must know. Being fond of roving from place to place in my younger days, I was always on the move. I have travelled all over New Zealand, and have been engaged in all kinds of business pursuits, some of which involved exposure to the weather. Many a day I have been our when it has been raining and blowing a miser-ibb? cold wind, an! have been too ar iron: civilisation to get a change o: •Ly . clothes b'sides getting irregular ni 'nis. with no variety in my diet. The s i-mgest of constitutions will go under i time, if a p< r--»n continues with this ' ode of living, and my system broke low n and collapsed entirely. I was requciitly out of touch with a town where. I could get something to keep me in regular trim, with the result that I became a. rietim to liver and kidney disease, besides having a heavy cold upon me for a long time.” “ How did your complaints manifest thenu elves ?’’ I fnffered pains of an acute, darting character, which always increased i.i severity when I went to bed, particularly if I lay on my right side. The symptoms became more aggravated as time wore on. The pain extended to other parts of my body, even my shoulder blades being affected by sharp twitchings of agony. I became so weak that I was incapacitated from going through my daily vocation. I have always had a strong aversion to medicine of any kind’, and for a long tintI determined to allow nature to take her course; but I found that this doctrine was a fallacy, as my condition was getting too serious to trifle any longer with my complaint. Occasionally I took some medicine which was supposed to be strengthening, and which sometimes partially relieved me; but the ease only lasted an hour or so, and then the pains came back with redoubled violence. My dread ailment obtained a firmer hold upon me every day. I was drowsy and heavy, ancl felt fatigued as if I had been working hard. My bowels were constipated and excessively relaxed in turn, and there was a beastly taste in my mouth. It was not often I felt hungry, but if I did take a few mouthfuls of food I suffered for it afterwards.” “In what way, Mr. Morrison?” “ Horrible pains in the stomach seized me, the food seeming to turn into lead, and refusing to digest. There it lay till the victuals turned sour, when another torment appeared in the form of windy spasms, which fairly doubled me up. A little relief was obtained when I vomited the food up again, which was a matter of frequent occurrence; but, of course, a man can’t live very long without some nourishment, and iny inability to keep the food down soon wore me to a skeleton. My eyes were swollen and almost sightless; a result, I believe, of the racking, blinding headaches which never gave me any peace. I became so listless and dreamy that I could not follow a person’s conversation without losing the gist of the subject, besides getting very hard of hearing. Anybody who came to have a chat with me must have found me a most uninteresting individual to talk to. as I took very little heed of what trans- i pired. My thoughts were continually !