Martinsburg gazette and public advertiser. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1826-1833, 1829-04-02
EX rRAORDINARY TRANCE.

ne snoJolhea extract rom a paper
read before the Cambridge PniIosoph
ical socie,y, details some extraordina.
~ PARTICULARS respecting a case of
trance, which occurred 10 a girl in the
nelghbourhood Of Cambrdge:
Sarah Carter, aged IL, the danqh
ter OF farmer at Slspleferd, has
been afflicted with enlarge men, OF The
viscera of the abdomen for two wears.
the consequence of typhus fever,
which attacked her whilst nursing
her father, who died of that complaint
The swelling of the body does not
give The fuctuatng sensation produced
by water, but its hardness is that of
enlargement of the internal organs
During the whole Of her illness she
complained very little, owing perhaps
to her constitutional Incidence of boiy
and mind; as even in the early period
oithe disease she seldom spoke, except
when questioned: and she is now
wiihouI feeling OF power Of ulievance.
tty'ng IN a state o. periecl insensibilty
IN winch she has remained since the
tlrst week ia October. During the
first fcrtniehi OF this insensihIe stale.
her head was constantly rolling from
side TO side upon h.r pillow, and this
aclion continued night aud day without
q moments lntermission. In NV
last she ale the last solid food, which
was piece of cheese, and for the fopr
following months she tool. nothing hu,
frat, which she merely sucked, and
water, which she swallowed in min.
ute quantities. Since The first week in
October, It appears mat nothing what
evsT has passed her threat, and her
mouth is so firmly locked by the spas
Wodic contraction OF The muscles, that
all attempts TO open il have failed. Ii
seems that every voluntary muscle OF
her frame is in the same state of spas
medic action-for when, with much
force. her arms are raised from her
chest, on which they are crossed, they
can only be elevated few inches, and
recoll Instantly to their former position;
end so inEexible is her whole person
that when removed from her bed, she
is carried like statue The heart, the
circulating system, and the organs OF
breathing. seem unaffected; the pulse
indeed, varies in frequency and strength
eEd she experiences, occasionally. an
1ncrease OF fever. The pulse does mol
get weakeE, and the color oflhe cheek.
changes SO often, that her mother thinks
she ia conscious OF what is passing ii
the room She lies upon heF back. q
little inclined to the right side The
application OF leeches 90 her temples
some time since, was followed by 4
coPlorS discharge Of blood, and a few
days after her nose bled freely. Shs
bias taken no medicines whatever 70,
some months; but, on the 10Th of No
vembcr, two drops of Croton Oh
were pat upon her tongue by means o
q feather, bot with no effect; the fol
lowing dry four drops, from d fer
ent hohle, were applied in the sam,
way, and in the course of few hour
1t occasioned aheaving of the stomach
and an ounce of cheese, in a semi
nasticated state, and retaining its o
dours, was trou up. For severa
days the salivsry gland secreted co
pIousiy, bot the mother would not al
low repetition Of the oil, the apph
cation of gaivanism, or, in fact, any
medical means whatever The,grea
peculiarly of this case is, that. 10 81
long a state Of inanity, the body ha.