Page 333 - My FlipBook
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appearance, pleasing manners, and elegant accomplishments,
(though scarcely eighteen,) have been thus early, as an in-
structress, highly beneficial, having been medically recom-
mended sea-air and recreation on the coast of Sussex, in the
autumn of 1823, was attacked with what appeared, and was
denominated rheumatic pains in the face, ear, and head, sub-
sequently followed by deprivation of rest and appetite. The
painful sensation being so unsteady as to position, and so fluctu-
ative, as to effect, as never to have awakened even the slight-
est suspicion, even in herself, or medical attendant, as to the
precise sphere from whence her suffering might have arisen
except, indeed, that in the height of some of her paroxysms,
with her hand frequently placed on the parietal bones of the
head, above the left temple, she would exclaim, " O my dear
mother, 1 shall lose my senses my face burns like fire, and
!
something seems forcing up into my brain !" The distressing
sensation thus depicted, and doubtlessly described to the
physician, (who, as I hear, most kindly acted on the well-
known liberality of principle in the faculty, " that sons and
daughters of Apollo should help each other gratuitously, gave
his attendance,) probably determined from the diagnostics
delivered to him, that being similar in effect, it could be no
other than a general bilious derangement of stomach, mani-
fested to the head, through the immediate or recurrent chan-
nel of the sympathetic nerve.
Upon this supposition, the fair patient was treated with pre-
sumed hope of success, till after the usual routine of depletion-
ary and repletionary exhibitions " in such cases recommend-
ed and provided," had proved abortive, with much time and
attention lost, and little advantage gained, except from inter-
mediate variety of suffering, and occasional imagination of
amendment, as the supposed disease, (almost generated into
331
appearance, pleasing manners, and elegant accomplishments,
(though scarcely eighteen,) have been thus early, as an in-
structress, highly beneficial, having been medically recom-
mended sea-air and recreation on the coast of Sussex, in the
autumn of 1823, was attacked with what appeared, and was
denominated rheumatic pains in the face, ear, and head, sub-
sequently followed by deprivation of rest and appetite. The
painful sensation being so unsteady as to position, and so fluctu-
ative, as to effect, as never to have awakened even the slight-
est suspicion, even in herself, or medical attendant, as to the
precise sphere from whence her suffering might have arisen
except, indeed, that in the height of some of her paroxysms,
with her hand frequently placed on the parietal bones of the
head, above the left temple, she would exclaim, " O my dear
mother, 1 shall lose my senses my face burns like fire, and
!
something seems forcing up into my brain !" The distressing
sensation thus depicted, and doubtlessly described to the
physician, (who, as I hear, most kindly acted on the well-
known liberality of principle in the faculty, " that sons and
daughters of Apollo should help each other gratuitously, gave
his attendance,) probably determined from the diagnostics
delivered to him, that being similar in effect, it could be no
other than a general bilious derangement of stomach, mani-
fested to the head, through the immediate or recurrent chan-
nel of the sympathetic nerve.
Upon this supposition, the fair patient was treated with pre-
sumed hope of success, till after the usual routine of depletion-
ary and repletionary exhibitions " in such cases recommend-
ed and provided," had proved abortive, with much time and
attention lost, and little advantage gained, except from inter-
mediate variety of suffering, and occasional imagination of
amendment, as the supposed disease, (almost generated into
