A peculiar odor also arises from the patient, which I have thought quite symptomatic of the disease, while the evacuations are thin, dark, watery, and extremely offensive. The eruption on the skin I have observed, but am not able to say whether or not it is present in all cases; I have never been able to see it in negroes, neither do I know whether it is perceptible at all in such subjects, but I am inclined to the opinion that it is not. The eruption, as I have observed, is various in appearance. It consists of small, rosy blotches, of a roundish, or lenticular shape, scarcely, if at all, raised above the general surface of the skin on which they appear.
I have observed another eruption in this disease, called “petechiæ.” This eruption is most perceptible on the chest, and interior part of the arms. There is still another eruption which I have frequently observed, but it is not peculiar to this disease; I have also often observed it in other forms of disease. It makes its appearance about the neck, and the eruption varies in size, from a mere point to that of half a pea, and is filled with a transparent fluid; it looks not unlike large and small drops of dew, scattered about over the neck; this eruption I have often observed on negroes.
Shortly after the termination of the disease, and sometimes even before its termination, the skin commences desquamating. This desquamation is particularly apt to take place on the inner surface of the hands, and bottoms of the feet; the hair also frequently falls off, and even the nails are sometimes shed. Patients recovering from this disease, frequently have a numbness of the arms or legs, which sometimes amounts to a complete paralysis.
Abscesses often form about the thigh, leg, or some other part, which burrow in the inter-muscular substance, and are very hard to cure.
THE INFLUENCE OF OPIUM.
MRS. N. was the wife of a clergyman of high standing in the denomination to which he belonged. She was a worthy woman, and, as things are viewed by finite eyes, deserved a better fate than it was her fortune to meet. Some years previous to my acquaintance with her, she had a severe illness, and opium was freely prescribed, notwithstanding the opposition of her husband to its use. Being naturally of a nervous temperament, he feared that she would find it hard to relinquish a powerful stimulant, if she once became accustomed to its use. On her recovery, his fears were fully realized; for some time, she continued to take her daily dose; but at length her husband felt that the habit must be broken up, or her usefulness would be entirely destroyed. It would never do to have the parson’s wife an opium-taker, and he told her that she must give it up, for he should not get her any more.
As soon as she had used up what she had on hand, she was seized with vomiting and diarrhœa, which continued for one day, when she began to grow cold. Through the following night, the chills continued to increase, and toward morning she was taken with fainting. She could not retain a particle of food, or anything else, except brandy and water, on her stomach. By daylight, her strength was nearly exhausted, and she looked more like a corpse than a living person. It was a serious question with her husband, whether he should not send and get her some opium; but, as he was obliged to leave home on business, he resolved to wait until his return, and see if she would not get along without it.
As soon as he was gone, she took a full dose of brandy, and then started to go to the doctor’s house, which was but a short distance. She knew the doctor’s wife would supply her with what she wanted; but she did not dare to send one of her children, for she knew that they partook too much of their father’s spirit. She succeeded in reaching the door, and then fainted. The doctor’s wife, being aware of the real state of things, soon found means to relieve her, and she returned home, comparatively comfortable.