Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1857-03-12
An Extraordinary Appetite.

Charles Sumner, NJ d., of Rochester, COM
municated the following particulars of surg-
cal case which came under his practice, to the
DqiU J'ujon Of that city
The subject was a young lady, nineteen
wears Of age, of nervous temperament very
healthy, and the daughter of a respectable far
mcr in ButternutS Otsego county, n Y. She
first came to my Office A pril 2Sth, 1858, to
have a needle extracted from her left arm,
Which, She said, got in accidentally as she was
moving Il bundle Of carpcting.' This q medi-
Gm sizcd sewing-nCedle was soon found, and
extracted from the interior side of the fore
arm, about midway between the wrist and the
chow. In less than week she called again,
,aving she had another needle in her arm |
examined and found deep in the bend of the
am hard substance, which proved to be
ocdG similar to the first, and accounted for
IN similar manner.
One week after this, six needles were
hund, deep in the flesh, about three inches
rom the elbow. May 29th, fourteen were Ia
ken ont, higher and more on the posterior side
d" the arm. 30th, seventeen were taken from
tle 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
argc size, lay with two-thrdS its length i'm
.c..ded in the brachial artery. One large darn
a- needle was found lying directly on the bone,
the intersection of the detoid muscle this
alscd some inflammation and suppuratiOn which
sd, to its detection. June 4th, twelve were
moved from the left arm, two from the wrist,
4 r.v ho lnft nd frpr, bo q
4 reast. The whole number extracted during
he month of June was eighty-seven Septem-
eT, ten October, twenty-cght mostly from
lie left breast and left side of the abdomen
About the last of November, 1858, she
attacked with violent spaSms. These con
med about three weeks, and subsequently
ne number of needles were found H. all parts
her left side, from the shoulder to the knee.
Wien apparently asleep she would converse
,h her mother, and tell her where the needles
clt he found, but when awake she could
ION be induced to speak of them. Also,
len IN this sleeping or sOmnambulic state,
SIC was entirely unconscious of pain. While
ting through deep muscle, or in the most
@Stye parts, we never could perceive mo-
@ Indicative of feeling--a number were eX-
4 ' 'A lHiS HICCplHS 9IdtC--OH IIC toHti d-
when awake, she experienced acute pain,
- from the least incision.
From January, 1854, no needles We're
.. until the middle of the following sum
LII. when she resorted to pins, cutting off the
and thrustng them into the flesh Sub
'ently she used hair pins, either straighten-
and put in whole, or the broken halves
Sc were found deep in the large muscles of
thigh. Several pieces of wire, and parts
The largest size of kntting-needles, nearly
inches in length, were found lying directly
,le bone of the thigh On the anterior side.
The whole number extracted was, of sew
needles, 297 and these were Of all sizes
81; darning needles, 2 hair-pins, !;
'hg-needes and wire, each 3 total, 3S3.
most every means has been resortcd to to
The reason for so strange a fancy ; but
ing has yet developed it. She is firm in
leDial of knowing when, how, or why she
I. l. simply saying, 1t must be that | do
T know no one else does She is per-
y sane on every other subject.