Narrative of a marvellous cure from a serious attack of typhoide [sic] fever and pneumonia, or (inflammation of the lung), performed within 13 days by Henrik Kellgren ... upon Carl Obach, 314, Brixton Road, London, S.W.

  • Obach, Carl.
Date:
[1877?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Narrative of a marvellous cure from a serious attack of typhoide [sic] fever and pneumonia, or (inflammation of the lung), performed within 13 days by Henrik Kellgren ... upon Carl Obach, 314, Brixton Road, London, S.W. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    lungs, which as it were, nailed me down unto the bed, making it possible by the exercise of strong will only to manage to sit up. I at once recognised that the enemy was at the doors, or looking at myself as the fortress within them, and out he must be driven, this much was perfectly clear to me. Was it the morsel of bread I had eaten that was the cause of this outbreak, or was it that my lungs recognised that the moment had come when they had a chance of ridding themselves of all the London fog that had managed to settle there during a stay in this country of now nearly 17 years? I know not, but guessed the latter. This much, however, I do know, that I set to at once get to rid of the intruder, doing this with so much instinctiveness that I now marvel at it myself I sought for the pains in my lungs through all the crevices between the ribs; I shook and made them vibrate with my fingers ends, beginning a the top of my chest and forcing the pains further and further down until after an hour-and a-half's self-manipulation I had driven every pain out of my body. I must mention that the attacks and bursts of the cough during this time were fiercer and coarser than at any time durinej the whole course of my disorder; however, as before mentioned this cough seemed to be coming more from the stomach than the chest, and I managed to find ease by drinking a good deal of water, or barley water mixed with a little raspberry syrup; I also got rid of an astonishing amount of gases that had generated in my body by retching and othenvise, and mostly whilst in a state of evidently wholesome perspiration. To these gases I attribute the greater part of the pains I suffered throughout my disorder, for no sooner had I each time got rid of them, than the pain invariably ceased. The matter expectorated by me during the night in un- commonly large quantities, was, as before, more of a froth than a