There was another instance--in a member of
the medical profession--who suffered from urticaria after eating
veal. Veal has the reputation of being particularly indigestible,
and the foregoing instance of the production of urticaria from
its use is doubtless not an uncommon one.
Overton cites a striking case of constitutional peculiarity or
idiosyncrasy in which wheat flour in any form, the staff of life,
an article hourly prayed for by all Christian nations as the
first and most indispensable of earthly blessings, proved to one
unfortunate individual a prompt and dreadful poison. The
patient's name was David Waller, and he was born in Pittsylvania
County, Va., about the year 1780. He was the eighth child of his
parents, and, together with all his brothers and sisters, was
stout and healthy. At the time of observation Waller was about
fifty years of age. He had dark hair, gray eyes, dark complexion,
was of bilious and irascible temperament, well formed, muscular
and strong, and in all respects healthy as any man, with the
single exception of his peculiar idiosyncrasy. He had been the
subject of but few diseases, although he was attacked by the
epidemic of 1816. From the history of his parents and an inquiry
into the health of his ancestry, nothing could be found which
could establish the fact of heredity in his peculiar disposition.
Pages:
950
951
952
953
954
955
956
957
958
959
960
961
962
963
964
965
966
967
968
969
970
971
972
973
974