The true Democrat., 1857-03-31

renamed for new trial.
 Extraordinary Case of NeedIe.Mauia..
 Three hundred and eighty.three needias
 extracted from the flesh of a lady and she
 still lives.
 The public were interested some time aoo hy an account of a lady in Otscgo county New York, who had endeavored to make herself a sort of pincushlon. Dr. Sumner. who attend. ed her, has lately removed to Rochester and furnishes the Union of that city w~h the fol- lowing account of the case. The following is his statement:
 Some three or four years since. there Aoated throuSh the newspapers, in various sections. a oflel notice of ''remarkab case of needles ,, between one or two hundred having. at that tlhe, been extracted from the body of a young iady. Like other accounts, which tinged with the marvellous, this notice attracted much at- tehtIon, and was frequently called upon to verify the re ation by full history of the case AS the hnls" IS apparently reached, a few notes, collected by " the way may not be unin. terestlng to the general reader, though the min ute details more particularly belong to medi- cal journal
 The subject was young lady nineteen wears of age, of nervous temperament very healthy and the daughter of a respectable farmer in Butternuts, Otsego county. N. Y. She first came to my office, April 25h, 1853. to have needle abStracted flom her left arm. which she said got in accidentally as she was movino a bundle of carpet rags. This Ca medium sized sewing needle) was soon found and extracted from the Interior side of the forearm. ahout midway between the wrist and elbow. In less than week she caled again, saving she had another needle in her arm. l examined and found deep in the bend of the arm. hard sub stance, which proved to be d needle similar to the first, and accounted for in similar manner. One week after this the arm was very much swollen, painful, and presented the appearance of malignant erysipelas, which continued about six days.
 After the inflammation and swelling had sub sided. SIX needles were found, deep in the flesh. about three inches from the elbow May 29th. fourteen were taken out higher and more on the posterlor side of the arm. 3Oth. seventeen were taken from the arm and shoulders. Some ot these were superficial, lying just under the skin, but most of them lay deep in the flesh. ana number under the biceps muscle One, or large size, lay with two-thrds it's length embedded in the brachal artery. One large darnlhg needle was found lying directly on the hone, at the insertion of the deltoid muscle:
 
 which led to its detection June 4th. twelve were removed from the left arm, two from the wrlst, eleven from the left and one from the right breast. The whole humber extracted during the month of june, was eighty-seven. September, ten; October, twcnty-eght; mostly from the left breast and left side ol the abdo- men,
 About the last of November 1853, she was attacked with violent spasms These continu, ed for three weeks, and subsequently large number of needles were found in all parts of her left side, from the left sholder to the knee W hen apparently asleep she would converse with her mother and tell her where the needles might be found, but when awoke she could sel- dom be induced to speak of them. Also, when m thlS sleeping or somuambulic state, she was entirely unconscious of pain. When cutting through deep muscles or in the most sensitive parts we could never preceive motion indca- tive oi feeling, Ca number were extracted in thlS stata,) on the contrary, when awake she experienced acute pain, even from the least ill., cison.
 From January, 1851, no needles were found until the middle Of the following summer when she resorted to pms, cutting of the heads and thruStug them into the flesh. Subsequently, she used hair pins, either straightened or put Tn whole or the broken halves. These were found deep in the large muscles of the thigh Several pieces of wire and parts of the largest size of knitting needles nearly five inches in length, were found lying directly on the bone of the thigh on the anterior side. These were put iE two or three inches above the knee push ed upwards under the flesh, and detected by the discharge of little matter at the poin. of insertion. A few needles and pins we found at intervals till December 18th, 1055 when I ex- tracted six needles and three Iins--al of which had lain in the flesh long time; some of them more than a year. These were the last found and it Is hoped by all her friends that there will be no recurrence of so strange a mania
 The whole number extracted was of sewing needles 297-and these of all szes-pins G. darng needles f, hair pins > knitting needles aud wire, each ). Tutle 383 Great irts were made on the part of tGe family to detect her in the act of inserting the needles but m vain. It was ascertained by comparison tAat most of them were taken from box of needles which had lain in the house d long time. This was removed, but she continued to use the same kiud, evedently from a supply secreted about the premises. Almost every means has been resortcd to to find the reason for so strange d fancy, but nothing has yet developed 1t. She Is firm in her denial of knowing when, how or why she did it, simply saying :" it must be that do it, for l know no oue else does" Sheis perfectly sane on every other subject. AL though the effect upon her general heth h,.s been bad, yet during great share of these years of suffering, she has performed her ac- customed portion of household duties