In John Steinbeck’s East of Eden, Dessie is stricken with abdominal pains. Tom gives her “salts” (NaCl? Epsom salts? Steinbeck doesn’t say) and Dessie starts foaming at the mouth and dies. Before she dies, her abdomen is “rock hard”. Tom called the doctor, and the doctor said, “You gave her salts! You damned fool!” Apparently you’re supposed to avoid these “salts” when you have this condition or you’ll die.
But Steinbeck never says what’s wrong with Dessie. That implies that the condition was well known in the early to mid part of the last century.
What killed Dessie?
