Two Cases of Loss of Power over the Voluntary Muscles

September, 1817, labouring under a loss of voluntary power over the muscles of the extremities. This woman, ten years ago, had a venereal sore throat, for which she was treated accordingly ; she had also been in St. Bartholomew's Hospital, under the care of one of the physicians, where, from what I could learn, she had taken mercurials with decoctum sarsaparillai. When first I saw her, she was confined to bed, unable to assist in feeding herself, or turning from any position in which she might be placed ; and in this state she continued thirteen months. The intestines and bladder had participated so much in the dis-