The Placer herald., 1866-12-15
Death of a Young Woman for whom Bar
nun offered $25, 5,0CO.

her obscure home at No. - Lewis street, in
this city, singular and unfortunate creature,
whose existence was known TO but a few;
although she presented the strongest attrac
| ton TO the curiosity not only Of the mere
crowd, but also to that Of the most scientific
and philosophical minds of the day. 1t is
rare, in these days of Barnumism and hum
bug, and exhibition of dwarts and monstrosi'
ties and idiots, such as Blind Tom and the
Aztec Children, that case occurs in which
delicacy and sensitiveness and repugnance
to the popular gaze are carried to the extent
that they were in the case of this singular
freak Of disease. When it is stated that in
a girl lS years Of age the result of morbid
action commenced in early life was such
that, while the nutrition and growth of the
body were arrested, the Uranium continued
to enlarge beyond all precedent, SO far as to
constitute, at length, an immense globe, of
which the body in its puny condition seemed
but an appendage-when it is considered
that up to a late period this extraordinary
person possessed certain share Of intelli-
gence and atfeclion-when it is stated that
her mother has seadfaslly refused the most
tempting offers Of money (n one case $685.
OOO) on the part of showmen who desired to
exhibit her wonderful child for the astonish-
ment of the public, and that she now re-
fused the most liberal offers of those
connected with the various medical
schools and museums Of this city to
permit her remains to be preserved sin the
shrines of SCIENCE and when it is added
that such was the curiosity of those in the
immediate neighborbood, when the fact OF
the death became known, that it was neces-
sary to have policeman to restrain the
crowd from entering the house, our readers
will be able to Judge that here, indeed was
sometipg remarkable 1t was remarkable,
the most remarkable case Of its kind on re'
cord 1t is an instance of that disease
which would be more common did l! not
usually terminate the lives of its victims at
an early dato-we mean hydrocephalus, or,
AS i. is moro popularly termed, "water on
the BRAIN" The case has long been under
the eye Of some Of the most eminent physl'
clans in this city, and notices have already
appeared in medical publications. Probably
the most complete is that which has been
prepared by DR.. Seguin, of this city, the
eminent authority of Idiocy and which ap-
pears in bis recently issued work on that
subject. From it we learn the following:
The largest putting up Of the Uranium. by
efFusion, be knows of is that presented by
Miss Maria T, Of this city, who at the
time Of his observation was II years old.
Her head was 81 inches in circumference,
and tweuty-seven and half over the vertex,
from one ear to the other, Between the
same points round the base of the forehead,
it measured only Is inches, a subsideuce so
extreme that it strikes one with awe. Low
or down the body was 'mere skeleton"
whose thighs were forever crossed; if
straightened, they resumed their twisted
position; the feet were thus transposed from
right to left, were strongly arcbed and thus
protruAed in stiff mechanical way, like
those of woodea dolls. Her arms ard hands
he compared to wooden forks; they moved
slowly but certainly toward their object, of
which the fingers would take hold by cross
ing each other, "as the elongated claws of a
prisoner bird do when seizing tiny WIRE"
She never assumed the sitting or standing
posture. Her animal functions were always
good, and she used by preference animal food.
Her senses were acute, but at twelve years
of age she lost her sight. A little over
year ago she had ber spasms for the first
time She then commenced to grow weak
er, and "entered on her period of decay"
Though her brain was, we may say. drowned
in an ocean of Heterogeneous fluid, it kept
up active communication with the world.
She was cheerful, sung and talked-untl
lately, used play things as ordinary children
do, liked to see the bright objects waving
before her eyes, and, even in caecity she
amused herself by making papers rustic and
move before her absent vision, muttering yet.
though indistinctly, "Hurrah for the coors!
Hurrah for the tlae!"-touchng reminiscent
ces of popular festivities which impressed her
at an earlier period. Her gentle disposition,
her affections and family feelings, testified Of
the angel spirit which ministered to her, and
brought to her couch everything which
could feed the body and the soul.
DR.. Seguin thus concludes his remarks on
the subject:
"We plead guilty Of kind Of cowardce in
suppressing for social considerations, the
name Of the mother, who, for seventeen years,
has devoted herself exclusively to the happi-
ness of her strange but loving child, who
seems to be born to show what mother
can do. But we are carried by our studies
into another sphere. We cannot avoid
thinking that Miss = is born also to
permit US to study the ultimatum organic
alterations through which the intellectual
functions may manifest themselves, and that
more honor would be paid to her memory
hv a scrunulOus studv of her organism after
death by men like our Dalton, Draper and
Brown-Sequard, and the preservation of
her remains in the shrines of science, than
to giving her body to be eaten by maggos,
as if it we're the insignificant carcass Of
king or cobler."
Whether the implied recommendation OF
the Doctor will be complied with or not is
| .aAaa;dad prohalalsl II will nat for