A GIRL'S LIVING DEATH. She Lies Without Speech or Motion For Forty-Eight Days.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 398, 31 August 1889, Page 3

A GIRL'S LIVING DEATH. She Lies Without Speech or Motion For Forty-Eight Days.

What must seem a very remarkable case in medical practice, ab leasb to those outside of the profession (says a San Francisco'e'xchange), is that at present under the care of Dr. H. T. Webster, of Oakland. * The patient is Elizabeth Ruth Case, the daughter of Alfred S. F. Case, 6f the Oakland 'Enquirer,' and the disease is" what is known as the ' slow ' for«i of eerebrospinal meningitis. The child — she is only fourteen years of age — first became ill some two months ago while visiting in Stockton, and was brought home for medical care and treatment, the disease soon • thereafter developing its true character. The noteworthy poiut in the case is that for forty-eight days past the little girl has been practically unconscious, though the first few weeks of this period were marked by extreme physical nervousness, manifested by constant twitching and other indications which are u&ual to the form of the disease. All such movements, however, were mechanical and unconscious, the child having apparently no knowledge of what she did. Of late that stage of this affection has passed, and she now lies almost motionless and vo all appearances in a complete state of coma, except when it is necessary to give her medicine or food. Upon these occasions she does not arouse or in any sense return to consciousness, but the food or medicine placed in her mouth is swallowed, though apparently by no will of her own, It seems rather as if the muscles of the throat acted mechanically. Her mouth, alsq, upon occasions ab least, opens when the spoon is placed to her lips, but she gives no other indication of being conscious of what she doe 3. As a rule, since the close of fche restless period, the unfortunate child lies night and day without motion, always retaining the. same position, except when moved by' her attendants. There is no movement'of the eyelids, ordinarily speaking, though those of her family ' whb watch her constantly state that once -in a great while her eyes open for an instant, bub certainly nob- to a conscious recognition of anything about her. It seems, indeed, a veritable case of death in life. Dr. Webster, however, does not give his patient up, though admitting that the case is very serious. In his Oakland medical experience he has met with another rather notable case of tho same disease, the patient in this instance being' the child of an employee of the Pacific Press Publishing House. The peculiarity of this case lies in the fact that the child Jay for weeks perfectly motionless, except that the left leg was alternately drawn- up and extended with the precision and regularity of clockwork. When the motion finally ceased the afflicted child died.