John Gay
By Lord Campbell—The tongue seems to retain its powers?—Yes. The case is recorded in the Lancet.
Cross-examination resumed—After the 29th of July did the convulsions continue throughout the 30th and part of the 31st?—The convulsions came on during the night, and they appear to have remitted during the day, except a muscular rigidity. The tetanus did remain.
But were there no spasms during the daytime?—I believe not.
In the daytime, although there were no convulsions, were the muscles of the body, of the chest, and of the abdominal back and neck all rigid?—Yes. That continued throughout the two days I administered tartar emetic. The rigidity of the muscles and of the stomach would go far to prevent sickness.
You have no doubt that your tartar emetic would have produced its effect but for the rigidity of the muscles?—I suppose it would have done so.
When did the symptoms begin to abate?—On the 1st of August, on the fourth day, and they gradually subsided. They appeared to have subsided during the night. I saw the child during the middle of the day, and I found that they had subsided, and in fact had entirely gone off. I thought he was going to get well.
You told us the woman set him up in bed for the purpose of changing his linen. Would that in any way have brought the toe, that part that had been attacked, into any friction with some parts of the bed?—It must have done so. But I do not think the simple irritation of the toe at that part would have any effect.
But there not having been, in your judgment, nervous irritation set up from the original seat of the disease, can you account in any way for the nervous or muscular disease of tetanus?—If the cause had not entirely gone the symptoms were brought back by the act of sitting up in bed. My impression is there must be some action about the spinal cord as the immediate cause of the symptoms.
Action set up in the spinal cord by irritation of the nerves in the immediate site of the laceration or wound?—Quite so.