The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1857-03-05
AN EXTRAORDINARY APPETITE.


Charles Sumner, NJ. d., of Rochester,
communicates the following particulars Of
Il surgical case WHICH came under his prac
tice, to the Daily Union of that city:
"Ihe subject was young lady, nineteen
years ut age, OF nervous temperament, very
healthy, and the daughter OF respectable
farmer IN Butternu's, Otsego county, N.
\. She first came to my office April 2s,h,
1853, to have needle extracted from her
left arm, which, she said, got in accident.
ally rs she was moving bundle of Garrett
ing This, mediutn-szed scwing.needle.
was soon found, and extracted from the in.
terror side OF the forearm, about midway
between the wrist and The elbow. In less
than week she called again, SAYING sho
had another needle in her arm. exam.
'ned AMI found 'le"p in the bend of the
arm, hard substance, which proved to
he u needle similar to the first, and nc.
| counted for i'll Il similar manner.
"One week after this, six needles were
found, deep III the flesh, about three inches
from the elbow. May goth, fourteen were
taken out, higher and more on the postcrior
side of the arm. 3Oth, seventeen were tn.
ken from the arm and shoulders. Some of
these were superficial, lying just under tho
skin, hut most of them lay deep in tho
hesi': AMI number entirely under the bi-
ceps muscle. One. of large size, lay with
tw"'.hirls its length imhe,ldcd III tho
brarh'l artery. One large darnng needle
was found lying directly on the bone, mt
the intersection Of the tlcltoi,l muscle: hi,
caused some inflammation and suppuration.
which led 10 lis detection. June 4th. twelve
were removed from the left arm, two from
the wrist, eleven from the left, and one
from the right breast. The whole number
} extracted during the month Of June was
! eighty seven; September, ten; October.
twenty eight; mostly from the left breast
and left side Of ;lc abdomen.
, About the last ef November, 1853.
>lihc WAS attacked with violent spasns.-
These continued about three weeks, and
subsequently large number Of needles
were found in aIl parts of her left side from
=, the shou,lrs to the knee When appar-
, emily asleep she would converse with her
y mother, AMI tell her where the needles
might bc found, hut when awake she could
seldom he Induced t." speak Of them. Also,
when in this sleeping or somnambulic state.
she WAS entirely unconscious Of ,ain-
d While cutting through deep muscle, or in
t'e 'hoSI SchsltNe t'ailS, We never cOui
d perceive Il motion indicative Of ftcIino-a
o uuml'er were extracted III this sleeping state
ON the contrary, when awake, she expe-
- rienccd acute pain, oven from the least in
- csion.
y Prom January. 1854, no needles were
found until the middle of the following
summer, when she rcsorcL to pins, cutting,
off the heads and ,l'rus,n. them into the
Il flesh. subsequently she used hair pins
't either straightencd aud put in whole, or
=" ihe broken halves. These were found deep
Is in the large muscles of the thigh. Several
pieces Of wire. and l'arts "f The largest size
v, of knitting nrcdrs, nearly five inches in
ct length, were found lying directly on the
s bone of the thigh on the anterior side.
&c "'rhc whole number extracted was, I"
sewing nccc,!rs, 297, and these were OF nj
., sizes pins, CT; dar,'n. ncellcs, 2; hair
:, pins, 5 knitting needles and wire, caci
5; total. 3S3. Almost every means lin
> been rcSor,cd to find the reason; for S,
strange fancy; but nothing has. yet dc
tx vcloprd it. She is firm i'll her deiiinl q
H. knowing when, how, or why she did it
y simply saying, 1t must he that do it: +"
know no one else does She is pcrfecll
ut sane on every other ul.iect.' 49,.