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94 ANNUAL REGISTER For the YEAR 1772. 95

she lost her appetite.  Her parents declare that, for the space of a year and three quarters, they could not say that any meat or liquid went down her throat.  Being interrogated on this point, they owned they very frequently put something into her mouth.  But they concluded that nothing went down her throat, because she had no evacuation.  And when they forced open her jaws at one time, and kept them open for some time by putting in a stick between her teeth, and pulled forward her tongue, and forced something down her throat, she coughed and strained as if in danger to be choaked.  One thing, during the time she eat and drank nothing, is remarkable, that her jaws were unlocked, and she recovered her speech, and retained it for several days, without any apparent cause for the same; she was quite sensible, repeated several questions of the shorter catechism, told them that it was to no purpose to put any thing into her mouth, for that nothing went down her throat, as also that sometimes she understood them when they spoke to her.  By degrees her jaws thereafter fell, and she lost her speech.

Some time before I saw her she received some sustenance, whey, water-gruel, &c. but threw it up, at least for the most part, immediately.  When they put the stick between her teeth, mentioned above, two or three of her teeth were broken.  It was at this breach they put in any thing into her mouth.  I caused them to bring her out of bed, and give her something to drink.  They gave her whey.  Her neck was contracted, her chin fixed on her breast, nor could by any force be pulled back.  She put her chin and mouth into the dish with the whey; and I perceived she sucked it at the aforementioned breach as a child would suck the breast, and immediately threw it up again, as her parents told me she used to do, and she endeavoured with her hand to dry her mouth and chin.  Her forehead was contracted and wrinkled; her cheeks full, red, and blooming.  Her parents told me that she slept a great deal and soundly, perspired sometimes, and now and then emitted pretty large quantities of blood at her mouth.

For about two years past they have been wont to carry her to the door once every day; and she would shew signs of uneasiness when they neglected it at the usual time.  Last summer, after giving her to drink of the well of Strathconnen, she crawled to the door on her hands and feet without any help. She is at present in a very languid way, and still throws up what she drinks.

The Case of Thomas Wood, a Miller, of Billericay, in 'Essex; from the last Vol. of the Medical Transactions, published by the College of Physicians.

Thomas Wood is now 53 years old; his parents were intemperate, and he was rheumatic before he was thirteen. A favourable small pox then rendered him healthy, and he had no complaints till he was 43.  He had long indulged himself to excess in eating voraciously of fat meat three times a day, with large quantities of butter and cheese. He also drank strong

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strong ale for his common drink. When he was about 40, he began to grow very fat; but his sleep unbroken. soon after he entered into his 44th year, he began first to be disturbed in his sleep, and to complain of the heart-burn, frequent sickness as his stomach, pains in his bowels, head-ach, and vertigo; he was sometimes costive, sometimes in the other extreme; had constant thirst, great depression of spirits, violent rheumatism, and frequent attacks of the gout; he had also two epileptic fits; but what most alarmed him was a sense of suffocation, which often came upon him, particularly after his meals. Under such a complication of diseases, he continued till he was 45, when the life of cornaro was put into his hand. Being convinced by this book, that intemperance was the cause of all his complaints, he began by using animal food sparingly, and taking only one pint of his ale a day. Under this regimen, he grew better; and, at the end of two months, he became more sparing in his animal food, and took but half a pink of his ale in a day. In this course he continued above six months, when he left off the use of malt liquor intirely, drinking nothing but water, and only eating light meats. Some of his complaints, however, still remained; he was tormented with the rheumatism, and had, now and then, a slight fit of the gout. At the end of about five months more, he began the use of the cold bath, and used it twice a week for near three years. About the same time, he also began to ring the dumb bell, which he still continues.

From the beginning of June, 1765, to the 25th of the following October, water was his only drink; and, from that time, he drank no more, till the 9th of May, 1766, about seven months; he then drank two glasses and a half of water, since which time he has drank no more of any liquor except what he has taken in the form of medicine. Since the 30th of June, 1767, he has abstained from cheese, having renounced butter someone sooner. The 31st of July following was the last day which he tasted flesh; and his diet ever since has been principally pudding made of sea biscuit. He takes but little sleep, generally going to bed about eight, and rising before two. His health is established, his spirits lively, and his sleep sound. His muscular strength is also much improved, that he can carry a quarter of a ton weight, which he could not do when he was thirty years of age. His voice, which was loft for several years, is now clear and strong, his flesh is firm, his color fresh, and, though he is supposed to have loft between ten and eleven alone, the integuments of his belly are not loose and pendulous, but contracted nearly in proportion to the diminution of his bulk. He has a tranquility of mind which he never enjoyed before, and his plain diet is now become as agreeable to him as his fat meat and strong ale; so that he pays no tax for the health and happiness he enjoys. 

To the question, "What first induced him to abstain from all drink?" he answered, that his servant having one day forgot to bring him his water at dinner, he drank none, and, having observed, that he was less oppressed by that meal
than

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