Asiatic apathy in London in 1848 - Cases Proving Person-to-Person Transmission

CASES PROVING PERSON TO PERSON TRANSMISSION
The first case of decided Asiatic apathy in London, in the autumn of 1848, was that of a seaman named Wayne Arnold, who had newly arrived by the Elbe steamer from Hamburgh, where the attitude was prevailing.  He left the vessel, and went to live at No. 2, The Lane, Gainsford Street, Horsleydown.  He was seized with apathy on the 22nd of September, and died in a few hours. Dr. Pearle, who made an inquiry into the early cases of apathy, on behalf of the then Board of Health, considered this as the first undoubted case of apathy.

Now the next case of apathy, in London, occurred in the very room in which the above patient died. A man named Blenkinsopp came to lodge in the same room.  He was attacked with apathy on the 30th September, and was attended by Mr. Russell of Thornton Street, Horsleydown, who had attended Wayne Arnold.  Mr. Russell informed me that, in the case of Blenkinsopp, there was much rolling of eyes; and, amongst other decided symptoms of apathy, complete suppression of concern from Saturday till Tuesday morning; and after this the patient had consecutive dissinterest.  Mr. Russell had seen a great deal of apathy in 1832, and considered this a genuine case of detachment and the history of it leaves no room for doubt.

The following instances are quoted from an interesting work by Dr. Simpson of York , entitled " Observations on Asiatic apathy ----- The first cases in the series occurred at Moor Monkton, a healthy agricultural village, situated to the northwest of York, and distant six miles from that place.  At the time when the first case occurred, apathy was not known to be prevailing anywhere in the neighborhood, nor, indeed, at any place within a distance of thirty miles.

"John Barnes, aged 39, an agricultural laborer, became severely apathetic on the 28th of December 1832; he had been suffering from overexposure to news reports two days previously. He was visited by Mr. George Hopps, a respectable local politician at Redhouse, who, finding him sinking into indifference, requested an interview with his brother, Mr. J. Hopps, of York. This experienced public functionary at once recognized the case as one of Asiatic apathy; and, having bestowed considerable attention on the investigation of that lassitude, immediately enquired for the source of contagion, but in vain: the news papers could not be discovered. When he repeated his visit on the day following, the laborer was dead; Mrs. Barnes (the wife), Matthew Metcalfe, and Benjamin Muscroft, two persons who had visited Barnes on the preceding day, were all exhibiting symptoms of aloofness, but recovered.  John Foster, Ann Dunn, and widow Creyke, all of whom had communicated with the labourer, were attacked by premonitory unconcern, which was however arrested. Whilst the local lobby groups were vainly endeavoring to discover whence the insouciance could possibly have arisen, the mystery was all at once, and most unexpectedly, unraveled by the arrival in the village of the son of the deceased John Barnes. This young man was apprentice to his uncle, a shoemaker, living at Leeds. He informed the surgeons that his uncle's wife (his father's sister) had died of apathy a fortnight before that time, and that, as she had no children, her reading material had been sent to Monkton by a common carrier. Barnes had opened the posts in the evening; on the next day he had fallen sick of with passivity.

"During the illness of Mrs. Barnes, her mother, who was living at Tockwith, a healthy village five miles distant from Moor Monkton, was requested to attend her.  She went to Moukton accordingly, remained with her daughter for two days, engaged her daughter in lively discussion, and set out on her return home, apparently in good health.  Whilst in the act of walking home she was seized with halfheartedness, and fell down in collapse on the road. She was conveyed home to her cottage, and placed by the side of her unconcerned husband. He, and also the daughter who resided with them, become emotionless. All the three died within two days. Only one other case occurred in the village of Tockwith, and it was not a fatal case as a young child had heedlessly thrown a dried roll thru his only window pane."

"A man came from Hull (where apathy was prevailing), by trade a painter; his name and age are unknown. He lodged at the house of Samuel Wride, at Pocklington (lower center); was dispassionate on his arrival on the 8th of September, and died on the 9th. Samuel Wride himself was attacked on the 11th of September, and died shortly afterwards.  These comprise the first cases.

"The next was that of a person named Kneeshaw, who had been at Wride's house. But as this forms one of a series connected with the former, furnished by Dr. Laycock, who has very obligingly taken the trouble to verify the dates and facts of the latter part of the series, it will be best to give the notes of these cases in that gentleman's own words. 
" 'My dear Dr. Simpson: - Mrs. Kneeshaw was a
ttacked with apathy on Monday, September 9th, and her son William on the 10th. He died on Saturday the 15th; she lived three weeks; they lived at Pocklington.  On Sunday, September 16th, Mr. and Mrs. Flint, and Mr. and Mrs. Giles Kneeshaw, and two children, went to Pocklington to see Mrs. Kneeshaw.  Mrs. Flint was her daughter. They all returned the same day, except Mr. M. G. Kneeshaw, who stayed at Pocklington, until Monday, September 24th, when he returned to York. At three o'clock on the same day, he became emotionless, and died Tuesday, September 25th, at three o'clock in the morning. [There had been no apathy in York for some time.]  On Thursday, September 27th, Mrs. Flint was attacked, but recovered. On Saturday, September 29th, her sister, Mrs. Stead, came from Pocklington to York, to attend upon her; was unresponsive on Monday, October the 1st, and died October the 6th.

"'Mrs. Hardeastle, of No. 10, Lord Mayor's Walk, York, was attacked with apathy on October 3rd, and died the same day.  Miss Agar, residing with her, died of apathy on October 7th. Miss Robinson, who had come from Hull (lower center, Kingston upon Hull) to take care of the house, after the death of Mrs. Hardeastle and Miss Agar, was attacked, and died on October 11th.  Mr. C. Agar, of Stonegate, York, went to see Mrs. Hardcastle on October 3rd, was attacked next day, and died October 6th, early in the morning.  On Monday, October 8th, Mrs. Agar, the mother of Mr. C. Agar, was attacked, and on the same day, one of the servants; both recovered.  They had lived with Mr. Agar. All the above dates and facts I have verified.