Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1829-03-20
EXTRAORDINARY TRANCE

The subjoined extract from paD., 80,
foreshe CambriRe Philosophical Socie,, "
tails some extraordinary particular. r,,n.,,;S
. case Of trance, which occurred to a si,,;
the neighbourhood of Cambridge. OF"
Sarah Carter aged II. the daughter o.,
mer at StapIeford, has Been afflicted ~;'. A'
enlr agement of the viscera or abdomen e.. an
years, the consequence Of typhus fever nt W9
attacked her while nursing her father OH "nsa
Of that complaint. The swelling Of ,hs 1 t"s
does no, give the Auctua,ing sensation n, OuaI
eed BY wafer, but its hardness is that Of erI,,s.
men. Of the internal organs. During the ~hs.
Of her illness she complained very li.rle o. .'
perhaps to her constitutional Incidence Of I'Ss
aud mind; as even in the earlier period or y!
disease she seldom spoke, except when or Wv
Toned; and she is now without FEELING a, ~"
er Of utterance, lying in State of pe,i,e, ip...
sibility, in which she has remained s;nc, -,
first week in October. During the FRS, r0r
night Of this insepsible slate, her head WV
constantly rolling from side to side unpn =.
pillow. and this action continued nigh, and w.
without moments intermission. In Mar a.,
she eat the last solid food, which was ,i.,.
Of cheese, and for the four following mSr,S,
she took nothing but fruit, which She mer,',
sucked, and water, which she swallowed in M,
mute quantities. Since the first week in Oc,n.
Der, it appears that nothing whatever hs, n,v
her throat, and her mouth is so firmly loek,i
by the spasmodic contraction Of The musr,
that all attempts to open it have failed. |,
seems that every voluntary muscle Of her fran.
i. 10 the same state Of spasmodc action, r.,
when, with much force, her arms are raised
from her chest, on which they are crossed ,hsr
can only be elevated few inches, and recoi
instantly 10 their former position, and SO in.
flexible is her whole person, tina, wien lemo.
we'd from her bed, she is carried like Statue.
Nothing has passed her bowels for thirteen
weeks, aor has there been any sscretions Of D.
rine Tor the same time; every power of he ,b.
dominal viscera seeming suspended. The heart.
the circulating system, and the organs Of
eathing seem unaffected; he Pulse, indeed
varies in frequency and strength. and she t1ps
| rienees, occasionally, an increase Of fever. tn.
pulse does not get weaker, and The color Of
cheeks changes SO often, that her mother thinks
she is conscious Of what is passing in lbe room
She lies upon her back little inclined to h.
right side. The application of leeches to hs
temples, some time since, was followed by,
copious discharge of blood, and few day, A.
ter her nose bled freely She had taken no med.
icines whatever for some months; but, on h.
10th Of November, two drops Of Croton oil
were put upon her tongue by means Of feah.
er, but with no effect; the following day four
drops from different bottle were applied in
the same way, and in The course Of few hOur,
il ocasioned heavipg Of the stomach, and an
ounce Of cheese, in a semi-mastieatsd state,
and retaining It's odour, was thrown up. For
several days the salivary glands mcreed eopi'
ously, but the mother would not allow repe.
lilion of the oil, the application Of galssaism,
or, in fact, any medical means whatever. The
great PECULIARLY Of this case is, tina, 10 50 long
a state Of inani.y, the body. has suffered 20
waste in appearance nor in weight, and that,
though the nerves seem torpid, ,hos. suossr'l'
ent to muscular motion appear 10 have their
vigor increased; for how Otherwise can be e.
planned the power with which they resist 'h'S
efforts to which in a natural state, they muf
have yielded. Cambridge Paper