Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1837-03-27

EXTRAORDINARY CASE.

isiine in the stomach of When ahon, fifteen
wears OF age lie stel ped fe trial. at sprn. in he
field and while dfiaAIng felt sensat rs mining
;iiat pro Luce b. 50 II suh.iance gliding down his
throat Il caused 70 pam nbea iHess AT the time,
aud he supfo,ed u To lie piece al grass of Stone
other harNie~s substance. About SIX wees ailaf-
wards. lc olf a Singular sensation IN the stomach,
RS nblH- lie mefcmeHfs d = living aianlal, and
sometimes aticuled Nith unrezslui rralion 90 ttfii
laiiun, especially lt beipre mra1, aud "hea BE- isad
been long time ii Iout fool Immediately. and Ter
several hcufs aher fuli Drsl al pleasant sens1-
tons sub>d.d. Thee SYMPTOMS continued 10 II
crease I'LL the thify If year of the patent which
he has recently COM lelod he suffering almost con
slant naeasness, aud sonnet mes cxefnc!atlng pam
! His appetite MAS Irregular benz oneumss 80 small
hat he would no. consume tan au DaLce OF
solid food daily for week aud n other times IT
was so ,oraeoas, that he Would cal itc Hounds Of
/ beef da J. for month. One remarkable symptom
wa. that Turing thee periods Of sh,tem,olisless, he
gained fiesA At the rije OF ten puanls weekly, aHd
during the prrods oil sofaets. he lost Il IN sill
greater degree ard was sometimes exceedingly {
ln.claed. While gaming flesh under tins loss Of
appetite, ms pulse WAS irregular, the dlgfsUc ar-
eals much deanecd, hs steep disturbed, ard some
tmc- e.tuel, suspended Tor lefiy cisht hours. lie
suffered severely from pam the oreipita portion OF
the hal in The shoulder blade, the thumb of thc
left hand, and The great toe o. The Ulgl foot. lis
compile ION WIS u eaiayefous ra!cness aud G WIS
subject. nightly, 10 eoIi1natYe swests. }nl while
!
tons were pslor.,rf viii rcgularuy h's pulse was
regular, his sep sound, and In compile .on Vas VI
+ bea',ny hnf, rclHu4 10 be ford. In the mean
i.uc. the aldomel rrfe3scd erfatly IN $40 aud a
motion Ike fIai ii cal III bag, Was apparent To the
hand When lud upon the region Of the stomac IL
But liz "a, 1t all times subject TO ialnting fits Of
pecular kind. Sometimes hr df ipped down sudden
/ ", without sguSe u motion. At other times he
near'y fell, hut recoNcred immediately though al
WAYS VII rfostlahon Il strength fl ono hours al
i forwards. The seusai.ea rs he described IT, WIS
tn; 81 Violent blow WITHIN Ia, stomach. and sor,
! much like that IialucrA by al cet1ic hook, eN-
eeptlne hong ntfe local.
Such extraordinary a}mptom. d. o'cd satnces-
tfaor llnary eau,"of ,sorbanfc. II hid bcca tor
ten Years uudrf The car oi ls tdnl1 hv. tau and
had Teen anhccted To various lrt de Of treatment.
without any abatement OF lhcse symp nns. H. had
taken tie most active cmrtics. aud Tie most dfa *
eailaf'cs without any good effect. When ar eiia
action MAS meh h va blrd enpioa.ly, SOM, incs
losing 'lvcra ounces Gak iol ltte da,a surces-
/ sifrlt When II rs !Je, the moot powerful stnnu-
ants werc administered, opiitm cthet, lrsnd,, barb
hene somrtmes eahihited, each ia sufficient quaint
u 10 li!l man Of ordinary heaih strength. Al
tie "h3e he insisted thai some living animal was III
lis 'tomach, and related the incident at lie - rnr,
AMI hs subsequent sensations. lls lN,lrlan was
ihcf ,dilpus sa>lnn tha he had read .ueh things.
hni dad tot consider ANY ea'c well Gutlcn'cacd OF
btcNe that anN mnll could y list tie soitcit pow
c. 81 til gasuIC fluid 10 the human sion ach. The
pate tthahg t'ttA unpleasant y an tom increasing,
resolved to seek additional AID. aid \ ooI sui allon
was ordered. Fne ct Cur u}osl eminent lLyseiaus
attended, and aitci inmate examinations. came TO
Tie coGclCson thai tn eonlcciutr al the patient wax
probable In thoaei. nethcy ol thtm had ever wi
messed ca,e OF lhhg annual IN lie hur. an ston-
ach ye several cases "cfe recorded Wich they COS
sidcred authentic. They also sd that comparative
anatomy furnished aualo a., tor I,ina lross toaas
and fishes had been found II tie stompchs 81 snake
maly hours AFR icy bad teen swallowed, and
ifat this proved lie power Of III vital rlit ciIe in
lesSt ~ to some extent, the so'enl power OF Us
the 0uds.
Having assumed ,hi- h,roILest a. p,oba5lc, tie,
NEXT proceeded 10 act upon Il. IhDs rcI,t ted al
medicine, urS properly cone nd 10 flu II lac vital
pfhcpie could RESIST esnhent power Of lie stoA-
aeh' II "oud resist Tue action oi any substance
winch III stomach was able to Lear; aud eel c,u,ri
also, thai as powerful medicines had alr,aiy laisd.
IL was hot philosophical ottreat III m.
They ordered cufi}c ~ suncnt" t,5rl N irod and
accordingly, ihe pMlclt IouL ron l1r t. dave
| During Tins perIod, the pam Ia tie slrnlrh ua4eS-
tfuchilng, and the mo ion violent. resembling thar of
aspnd fe'ouiion III q ropr epou c,lndct. Thc
pam becoming too intense Ia bear ,rIhc patient W.,
III rhlng delirlum, the physician suggested ,hai -
pun might act upon the nerves of the stomach with
out affecting tie animal, II II were one, and that IN
search OF ioed mgh force its way through the u>l-
phacus. Tins was tlicd aud with ~ ccss: the "a
tent beng thrown into a disiulcI slecp, VII lr Tie
/ motion III the stomach increased in violence. H..
WAS then held IN iccunbent POSITION with the ti,r
downward, and the bod, inclined to an angle ofiorf,
i've degrees, the head bcnl lowrs.. In aieut ten
minutes, the cause a the riiCull> was manifest
snake, Of dark brown color, and large siZr pfpt,otl,
iui eieht inches nom The mouth with eyes I'm. Li
anu Glatmg with every manifest mon Of rage One nj
the physicians mmedIHey se2cd II Nv the nee,
with lie Intention Of draNiugit OUT, lut Sudd, nv T.
IA upon tlc lour"ithopt sense OF m,lun ast sim,
! by lightning! Like The congcr Ell the .nrrr.ln
ald several "ues sIocnso marine animals, the rep.
ue Wa fttff, ma thus were the sunlug fits of IL
patient Nplurli
but measure Vas soon devised to meet This new
ditcuity. onc OF the physicians covered the han
die OF large rar oi ioYcep, with silk aud s.ood rca-
d, to aeIze the SNAKE, should ae1.n appear This
soon happened, aid ltWaz seized and draw out aboui
Two 'ett struggling most .io MY and emitting Ire
hendou' shocks OF electricity. Two of the attend
lhs pAAslcnns, WHO accidentally touched II in the
struggle were knocked down. Ii was now feared tbat
the electric shocks would DESTROY the patient and il
Wis furthermore asceItiued that rom It's size IL could
not DC draw out without imminent dan ger Of ulptli-
fihS the csophaEus. But ltrtle ncSpcdients, they
suggested new plan which was to suffer the repilc
10 come out as i5ra c4-itlr. 4 Then with sharp IN
sh'ea TO sever he head. and 10 extract the bod, b,
| an lncision into the stomach.
IN ahout an hour II again AZ pearcd: the patient all
ths whiie beng lnsensbie from the effects of opium
AIDED perhaps, by the electro snock, of the rptilc
IL Fr1rnded about two feet and with sharp Ratchet
prepared Tor The purpose, ii suddenly divided a
boui eighteen Inches below the head. The lnwcrrau
suddenly disappemei within the stomach. eHh!b.tino
sioleht motion ter about two minutes. An incsion
Nas then made, and the fragment was extracted. Ii
proved TO be conRcr eel OF the electric species ou,
Zee, long aud three nches in diameter
All UNI loasant symptoms have since dsappemed