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Description

Sayer recounts the case of a soldier who had suffered from 'difficulty of articulation' since infancy due to a large tongue. In battle on 23 August 1813, two men near him were shot and killed by the Prussian army, sending the man into convulsions, resulting in a contracted tongue and aphonia, some loss of hearing and taste, and some difficulty using the left side of his body. He improved very little and was sent back to his family in February 1814, and was ultimately cured by the application of electrical fluid to the tongue and chin. Preceded by a covering letter from Sayer to Sir Joseph Banks.

Subject: Medicine

Communicated by Rev [Robert] Nixon. Written by Sayer at rue d'Or, Brussels [Belgium], no 1216.

Reference number
AP/8/21
Earliest possible date
1816
Physical description
Ink on paper
Page extent
27 pages
Format
Manuscript

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Citation

Unpublished paper and letter, 'Case of complete aphonia cured by the medical application of the electrick fluid' by Augustin Sayer, 1816, AP/8/21, The Royal Society Archives, London, https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/items/ap_8_21/unpublished-paper-and-letter-case-of-complete-aphonia-cured-by-the-medical-application-of-the-electrick-fluid-by-augustin-sayer, accessed on 09 February 2025

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  • Archived Papers

    Dates: 1768-1989

    The 'Archived Papers' collection is comprised of original manuscript scientific papers and letters submitted to the Royal Society which remained unpublished or were abstracted in the journal 'Proceedings of the Royal Society' published from 1830 onwards.

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