Page 348 - My FlipBook

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Here we have an undeniable case of hemicrania and palsy,
produced by diseased teeth, after most violent and protracted
suffering. I beg leave to continue a short extract more from
Dr. Darwin on this subject. He says,* " Since the above
was first published, I have seen two cases, which were very
similar, and seem much to confirm the above theory of sym-
pathetic hemicrania, being perhaps always owing to the sym-
pathy of the membranes about the cranium, with those about
diseased teeth. Lord M. and Mr. B. of Edingburgh, both of
them about the middle of life, were afflicted with violent
hemicrania for about two years ; in the beginning of which
time, they both assured me, that their teeth were perfectly
sound, but on inspectng their mouths, I found all the molares
were now so decayed as to have lost their crowns. After
having suffered pain for sixteen or eighteen months almost
incessantly, in different parts of their heads, they had each of
them a hemiplegia, from which they gradually recovered, as
much as paralytic affections generally do recover. All the
stumps of their teeth, which were useless, were directed to
be extracted ; as the swallowing so much putrid matter from
decaying bones, seemed to injure their digestion." Here are
two more cases of palsy from diseased teeth. It may be
asked, why have not other physicians than what I have men-
tioned, made observations of this kind ? I believe the correct
answer to this question would be, that the great body of
physicians, have never paid any attention to the subject.
From what cause arise the celebrity and fame of Rush,
It was
Hunter, Darwin, and many more I could mention ?
because they noted with the utmost care, almost every fact
connected with both disease and health, and possessed a nice
tact in discerning the causes of both.

* Zoonomia, Class iv. 2, 2, 8.