Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1857-03-14

! a Lndy. and She SIN Sufripes.
DR.. Summer publishes ia the Il iches-
ter On. Y. Union The following account
of singular case of monoma"a on The
part of a young lady.
, The sahject was nineteen years % age
Of nervous temperament. very healthy,
and The daushle! 0! respectable farmer
an Bnuelnu,<, O,Scgo county, New York.
She first came 10 ~ office April 2SsII,
1853. 10 have needle extracted Irpm her
lcr, arm, which she said got IN arriden.
tally as she was removing 0dnIie OF
CARPET rags" This. medium sized so.
winu needle, was soon found and eXifac'
ted from the anterior side OF The forearm
about midway between the wrist and he
elbow. In less iban week she called
again, saving she had another nergie IN
her arm. ! examined and found deep IN
the bend of the arm hard substance
which proved, to be needle similar to me
FIRST, and accounted form similar mHH-
uer. One week after this the arm was
much swollen, painful and presented HE
appearance of malignant rySIpeIaS' which
continued about six days.
After the inflammation and swelling
had subsidized six needles were found, deep
in The flesh, about lhree inches from tho
elbow. May 29th, fourteen were taken
eat, higher and more on the pos;erioi side
Of the arm. 30,h, seventeen were taken
from the arm and shoulders. Some Of
these were superficial. lying just under
the skin, but most of them lay deep in
the flesh and number entirely Under the
biceps muscle. One Of large size. lay
with two thirds of lis length imbedded in
the brachal artery. One large da'nlng
needle was found lying directly on the
lone, al the intersection of The deIind
muscle this caused some inflammation
and supPuralion, which led TO lis deiec-
Iion. June 4lh, twelve were removed
from The left arm, two from the wrist, eIe'-
en- from the right arm and one from tie
right breast The whole number cXuac-
ted during the month of June, was eighty
seven September. ten October, twenty
eight, mostly from the left breast and i"it
side Of the abdomen
Abou, the last of November, 1853. she
was attacked with violent spasms. These
continued about three weeks, and subse.
queniIy large number of needles were
found in all parts of her left side, from the
shoulder to the knee. When apparently
asleep she would converse with her moth
er, and tell where the needles might be
found, but when awake she could seldom
be induced 10 speak Of them. Also when
in This sleeping or somnambnlIc state she
was entirely unconscious of pain. While
cutting through deep muscles, or in the
most sensitive parts, We never could per.
ceiye motion indicative OF feeling. "a
number were extracted in the sleeping
state J on the contrary, when aws&c, ae
experienced acute pain, even from ihc
least incision. 30
FROM January, 1854, no NEEDLES were
found until The middle Of the following
summer, when she resorled TO pins, cut
ting of The heads and thrusiing them INTO
the flesh. Subsequently she used hair
pms, either Strengthened and put in " hole
or the broken halves. These were found
deep in the large muscle OF the thieh.--
Several pieces of wire, and parts Of the
largest size Of knitting needles, nearly
five inches in length, were found lying d.
rccly on the bone of the thigh Oh the an
terror side. These were pu, in two 6r
three inches above the knee, pushed mp
ward under the flesh, and detected by The
discharge of LILLE matter at the point Of
insertion. A few needles aud pms were
found at intervals I'LL December ,l5h.
1883, when extracted six needles and
three plns--aIl Of which had lam in the
flesh long Time, some Of them more
Than year. They were the last found.
and II is hoped by all her friends tia,
there will be no recurrence Of SD strong
mania.
The whole number extracted was, Of
sewing needles, 297, and these were Of all
-izes pms. CT, darnmg needles, 9 hair
pms, . knitting needles and ware each >
Total, $50. Great eH,ons were made on
He part ol Ihe family {" detect her in the
act OF inserting the needles, but IN vain.
It was ascerlalued by comparison than
most Of them were TAX zen from box of
Needles which had lain in tie house for
"ng time. This was removed, but she
'onirlved TO use the same kind, evidently
rom supply secreted about tie premIs-
'S. Almost every means has been resort
ed to 10 find the reason io. SD strange
'ancy, but nothing has yet developed it.
She is firm in her denial Of knowing
when, how or why she did il simply say
ng at mast be Thai do it. furI know no
Dme else does" She is perlecllysane on
every other subject, although the ffpctup