Phenix Gazette

From the Petersburg Intelligencer.

HYDROPHOBIA.

On Wednesday the 23rd of March last, commenced in the county of Mecklenburg, Virginia, one of the most appalling, heart-rending, soul-afflicting scenes that has occurred in modern times. A scene which exhausted the tears of grief, tortured the feelings of friendship, awakened and enlisted the sympathy of spectators, and aroused even stoical indifference from its callous lethargy. Sad and tragic as it was, yet, it should be told; that the living may take warning, use care and precaution: and that the virtuous qualities of the meritorious, but unfortunate victim may be recorded, as they have been embalmed in the memory and affections of his acquaintances. On that woful day, Hope, the last friend of mortal man, became disconsolate, and was vanquished; and the awful realities of Dread and Fear, in full array came forth the unwelcome harbingers of the grim monster Death!

On that day, Mr. Lucas DRUMRIGHT, aged twenty-four years, was attacked by the paralyzing symptoms of Hydrophobia. He was bitten on the 29th of December 1830, by a dog of his father's: the two wounds inflicted by the dog were situated between the two flexor muscles of the hand; (palmaris longus and flexor carpi ulnaris:) the one about two inches from the articulation of the hand and fore-arm, and the other, two or three inches above it. The last mentioned wound was deeper having been made by the fang of a bull-dog:

Both of the wounds were cauterized, alcohol and salt, in the form of a cataplasm, were applied for some days; and the wounds healed in about three weeks. At the time he was bitten, his constitution was unimpaired by disease: and health with all its endearments continued his welcome companion, until assailed by the unconquerable and fatal disease, Hydrophobia. On the 21st March, he undertook to learn a young nag to plough, which proved refractory and difficult to manage; the undertaking was arduous and laborious; his exertions were great, and he sustained several severe falls and jerks. He suffered some restlessness at night and loss of appetite for several days: but nothing serious was apprehended until the evening of the 23rd, when he became more severely afflicted; complaining principally of numbness in his head, and a dull heavy feeling all over; he desisted from labor, retired, and hoped to find relief from rest, which he sought in vain, the night being spent by him with much restlessness, great anxiety, and deep sighing. On the morning of the 24th he felt great thirst, had high fever, complained of an aching, stiffness, in the neck and body: yet he could eat and drink whatever he chose without difficulty. He would occasionally doze, but start up as if alarmed or frightened; roll from one side of the bed to the other; and complain of a soreness in his breast and shoulders, with a difficulty of breathing.

Medical aid having been called in, the physicians arrived about eight o'clock A. M. A large dose of submurias of mercury with scammony was given, which operated well; the discharges were billious, not very offensive, but quite watery: his pulse from the first of his complaining became irregular, and his skin hot and dry. After the operation of cathartic, great heat, thirst, numbness and restlessness, with a pain in his neck and head ensued. His right temporal artery was then opened which afforded some temporary relief, He slept for nearly two hours, when he awoke the other temporal artery at his request was opened; which produced little or no alteration for the better: his difficulty of breathing upon the presentation of liquids, diet or polished metals, continued to increase. About twelve o'clock he was without fever; but there was a jerk and quickness about the pulse which very much resembled a mercurial or hectic pulse: two grs. opii. and ten grs. calomel were given. About one o'clock P. M. there appeared to be a considerable determination to the larger vessels; his heart beat strong, pulse irregular, cold clammy sweats, with great anxiety. He asked for some custard, which when shewn him, produced unpleasant sensations; but by much persuasion he swallowed a tea-spoonful with great difficulty. Every ten or fifteen minutes violent agitations or fits almost suffocated him to death; the violence of which increased if he saw water, heard it poured out or spoken of, to avoid the sight and hearing of which, he would thrust his head under the sides of the bed, and request that it be removed from his sight and hearing. His breath became very fetid, his tongue very much swollen and of a bluish color;—though not much fur on it only about the root which was of a dark green. About two o'clock P. M the wounds were cut open and pieces trimmed out; a seton put in the back of his neck; both of which operations he sustained without complaint. There being considerable torpidity about his bowels, an injection was given, and about eight o'clock P. M. he had two evacuations in the space of twenty minutes which reduced his pulse from sixty to forty-five beats in a minute: the other symptoms continued without alteration: gave him two grs. of opii. which rendered him more quiet. In the course of the night the wind blew more violently, which greatly annoyed him; he rested badly, the symptoms became stronger, his pupils dilated, his pulse fluctuating and intermitting, the pain and soreness in his neck and limbs, and the swelling of his tongue continued to increase; respiration became more difficult, but he continued rational; with an increase of the violence of the symptoms and of thirst, though he would entreat that water might not be offered or shewn to him until the wind abated: he expressed a great desire for ice but could not use it, when carried to him. A large dose of calomel with two grains of morphine given him. He asked for two wet cloths, and when he took them in his hands, he said they produced a pleasant sensation. About 4 o'clock A. M. 25th, he complained much of thirst, but could not bear the sight of water; however, the water-vessel was covered, and with great difficulty he sucked two or three swallows which almost deprived him of breath. Calomel and morphine continued every four hours; mercurial ointment, camphor and cayenne pepper, rubbed over the region of the stomach, liver, lungs, bowels, arms, thighs and spine every three hours. The pulse which at 8 o'clock had fallen to thirty-seven beats in a minute, had now (about twelve o'clock) risen to eighty-eight beats; though rather weak and quick, and at two o'clock up to one hundred: cold clammy sweat, with numbness in his extremities; he manifested great anxiety and distress, especially at the sudden sight of a friend or relation. The paroxysms became more regular; the least cold air (even to throw off or on the bed cover suddenly) would produce a fit.

At 3 o'clock P. M. his pulse rose to one hundred and thirty beats in a minute, and was a little hard and irregular: his skin hot and dry; his fits more frequent and severe; with considerable restlessness, yawning and stretching. His eyes had now become quite red, his voice hoarse, his tongue much swollen, of a reddish or leaden color, and his mouth filled with a thick ropy slime. Medicine continued, but no salivation produced: a strong injection of active medicines given without effect. About 7 o'clock a copious passage of urine which was highly colored: he swallowed his medicine in the form of a bolus, the sight of diet or drink very offensive to him and the power of deglutition nearly failed. About 9 o'clock he became somewhat delirious, talked of his crop and other domestic concerns, and frequently smiled and laughed; his pulse became so irregular that they could not be counted, but must have beat from 150 to 160 in a minute. Strong convulsive fits succeeded each other: he became deaf and blind, foamed at the mouth, gnashed his teeth and was so restless that it required force to keep him on the bed, until the morning of the 26th, when he expired about eight o'clock.

Signed by the attending Physicians.

The circumstances attending the death of this amiable young man, are lamentable indeed. He was in the bloom of youth, with a naturally vigorous constitution; of an amiable disposition, possessing a flow of spirits, which buoyed him above, and made him regardless of most of the little vexations, incident to every one, and which rendered him a pleasing and agreeable companion, and endeared him to all who knew him: possessing habits of the strictest sobriety, and indefatigable in all his pursuits in life. As a Son, he was always willing to obey the commands of his bereaved parents; and as a brother, kind and affectionate. He has gone in the morning of life, to a premature grave. He has closed his earthly career, as it were in its very commencement. He has been taken by an all wise Providence, from the midst of his affectionate relatives and companions, to the untried scenes of another world. He has been thus cut off, as if to afford, to his young associates, a striking example of the uncertainty of the fairest prospects, and the instability of the most substantial earthly enjoyments:

"Yet he sleeps, yes, sleeps in the land of his birth,
and calmly he rests beneath the cold earth;
Yet his memory's enshrined in each friendly heart,
Yes, cherished so fondly that it never will part."