SMASHED UP IN HEALTH.

Otago Witness, Issue 2490, 4 December 1901, Page 24

SMASHED UP IN HEALTH.

STATUTORY DECLARATION.

THREE WEEKS IN BED. UNABLt TO STIR.

The Case of Mr. W. OONNELL.

{By a Dunedin Reporter).

When, an occurrence of an unusual character takes place, stJch as a highway tbb%ry, the demolition of bialdinfel # fir^e, thf laSWg of a new GovefijiQh €hfe Arrival of tfoops from the seat' of wWllfe unaunpuiiced departure of- aft atisCoMing Wftk clerk, or anything '!Ei§ r ~catyslated tff provoke a general simmer 8f Excitement, the patient SajpUlwaSS M? ft do his <Wy fit the mtefTjdjg of the workVs enhghtenru«d£ AotMied by this desire a reporter recently visited IvXv. Wijliam ConjleU-, w No. 122 E'oi'thrstreot, P«aedin, whose Tenjiirks are particularly luilid. In answer to a. .question Mi-. , Cornell sjmil^d complacently, and. said': "^es; I^ni tshe man you are enquiring about; buf. yoit fi?ok surprised. I suppose you .did not expect to see mo looking so" tfeii. 'Biank God. I anv^ound aifd hearty novf , aad have bfqn Sb cfur- - ing thfe pa?t fif ceen year? \ (t is about that time since I was taken very ill, aJicl I must say th&t my condition became so critical that I despaired of ever getting well again. I wal working in the tramway service, my duties'Eonsistiug in cleaning the tram-cars. Although I invariably wore over'a.lls and leggings, I Vas many a "time wet through to the skin on cold, bleak nights. Having nb opportunity to change miy clothes, I was obliged to go" through my work as I wVsVwet and. Chilled to the marrow. No wonder, then'," that my constitution was completely broken down in time. The whole of my system seemed petrified with cold, which I felt taking hold o( life for days^ before I was lard up. The. collapse came suddenly, for I tried to get up to go lo my work and i'ouncl my limb's reiiise to men ' \M,y legs and arms wei 1 © useless, all niv muscles "anft sinews being oontraoted. My head^ached and throbbed in a dull, depressing manner, making me feel more dead than alive. Terrific pains appeared ri^ht aj6ng ray" baok, and my shoulde.rs felt as sore as though they had been battered with a hauimer. T became co helpless that t could not pull myself off the sofa, and it is no exaggeration to say that I used .to cry like a child with excruciating agony in ray loins. Even when sitting in. a chair I could, not move 1 , aiid for three weeks I laid tv bed unable to stir. I was literally smashed up in health, being so weals that a child could have pushed me down. When urinating I noticed the water was thick and discdlpured, a sure sign that I was also suffering from kidney complaint."

" Were you able to take food, Mr Connell?" 0 •

" Very little satisfied me, for it only required a mouthful or two of food to produce pains emanating from a gaseous fulness in lny stompch. Then my chest troubled me greatly. Quantities of gjas arose to my chest in such volume that I thought it would burst, besides extending along the breathing passages and almost choking me. A very peculiar thing happened every time 1 ate anything; my head used to get completely covered with a cold sweat — a probable result of the agonising tortures I felt. If I had an inclination to read I was prevented in two ways, the first being that my sight was too bad, and, secondly, my fingers were numbed and powerless. Even my hearing was affected, for I became as deaf as the proverbial door-post. I was rather glad of this latter affliction, aa, whilst I was capable of hearing, noise> of any sort was extremely irritating, and the sound of children's voices wero intolerable. I sank lower and lewer, and was very snappish and murky. Previous to •my illness I always had a disposition to be agieeable, but now I was qu;te the reverse . I' was so low-spirited and morose thai I even became suspicious of my surroundings, having an inward dread of impending disaster. My appetite soon fell away altogether, my face was pale an.d shrunksn, and I had every app arance of a person koing into consumption. This

caused me .no end of anxiety and worry/ especially "as it was my first sickness^ fi"Sd thei c seemed every probability thafa f|| would have a fatal termination, ifivenv fske blessing of sleep was a stranger to{ me, my aching limbs and bodily tortures^ keeping me in a constant state of wake-* f uinoss.. lioth day Uiid night I lay in ar state 0! stupid ii^, being only halt coa-< serous of what was going on around me| My lungs aiid chesft were' so stuffed ug£ w'Hh phlegm that I couhi scarcely catcfia my breath sometimes. >nd I was often|. afr&id thaj; 1 mi^i tsl off to sleep an* ■silifooate whilst ki my slumber. Ms|' nerves were just like a fiddle unstrung^ They were the only portions of my sys*| tern which showed any signs of life a» aH. Try as much a? I liked; I could not| He|P them" still 3 and if any uiiituaft sound struck" mylars my nerve* \;bnit.-4 ed and shook for hours af(.er'_ >'nt ia ; -was. nob only from, the severe •.<>:<.! and? , kidney complaint I suffered. My livei^ a.lso went wrong, there being a fright- : fully bitter taste in. my mouth, combiried with a^ constipated condition of • my bowels. Jyily toijgue was covered!' with., a yejkuvisb moist-tire,* the sani« ! colour being noticeable in the mattec : jvh'ich I 'used to vbigjifc so frequently. 1 Death would 1 have been a source of re^sf lief had it come, and I must confess to? wishiug to die on many occasions. B could not see any good in living withf uiy emaciated frame full of pain, es-| pecially as there w!3 no apparent reliefs at hand. All these violent and maoM dening pains came through, neglecting^ my complaint ia time. I was like a* man walking On anxl on without taking] a rest until at last I dropped. I then* thought what % fool I was not to hay» tried to check the advance of my difeafial where I felt it coming on." A " Had you done so you would h'aveje undoubtedly have saved yourself a deaß| of suffering." ' 1

" I am sure of it. But it was nofci until I was nearly dead that I consulted a doctor. I shall never forget one dajg I trying to move my chair, and the conse-r ! qtieht unpleasant results of the at-t I te"mpt. As I leaned forward, intending^ j to drag the chair 'under me, my h&nd^| slipped, and I fell to the floor. My wife'/ v \v"as out at the time, and I was soj i frightfully weak and powerles^ that 3H had to lie there till she returned and^ picked me up." c ? ! " How did you £c-{> on whejt you' i started under medical treatment?" 1 j " Very badly. I did not make anyi I progress at all.' All the medicine I took; iwere valueless. I was like a man; stretching his hand out in the dark inj the hope of reaching something for sup-* port, without any definite knowledge^ of what was required. Eventually 1 was. told what I wanted to cuje me. ' Cle-' ments Tonic will do it,' said a friend, j raid, sure enough, he was right. After. everything failed, Clements Tonic drovej my cold away and restored the use on my limbs," besides settling my nerves! and bringing back my appetite. My ( . lungs were cleared of phlegm, and every, ache and pain gave way to Clementa Tonic. I was soon strong enough to( work, by which time my kidney &nd\ liver diseases were eradicated. Clementgj Tonic was my doctor, hospital, and| medicine all combined, and since I was! cured by that great remedy I have nob| had a day's sickness. Publish in anyf way these statements."

I. William Connell, oi 12s Forth Street, Dunedin 3/ in the Colony of New Zealand, do solemnly and; sincerely declare that I have carefully read thet annexed document, consisting of three folios, and* consecutively numbered from one to three, and thatr it contains and is a true and faithful account of myi illness and cure by Clements Tonic, and also con-3 tains my full permission to publish in any way my| statements— which I give voluntarily, without receive ing any payment ; and I make this solemn! declaration conscientiously believing the same to bef true, and by virtue of the provisions of an Act of the! General Assembly ot New Zealand, intituled "Th^ft Justices of Peace Act, 1882."

Declared at Dunedir, this twenty-ninth day o# December, one thousand nine hundred, before me^ f* FREDK. MALLARD, J.P. »