Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1874-11-26
Abnormal Appetites.

AT recent meeting of the Societe de
Medicine of Paris, reported in the Gazette
deS H0spstdug of Sept. Is, some curious
records of cases of foreign bodies in the
digestive passages were related. NJ Lu-
der cited the case of young woman, a
maniac, who had several times tried to
commit suicide. On the first occasion
she took decoction of two or three
packets of tobacco, which she had boiled
for half an hour Another time she
swallowed two quarters of hundred of
pins, and buried another quarter of a
hundred in her scalp Finally she pro-
cured two hectogrammes NEARLY half
placed herself over it. However, none
of these attempts resulted in anything
but making her i'll. She passed great
number of pins per annum, and it was
only at the end OF two or three months
those in the scalp were discovered and
thirty of them removed. At the end of
three months she was completely cured.
This fact tends to confirm the relative
immunity from suffering which is pc
culiar to the insane. NJ. Peter wrote
work on the migration of foreign bodies
in the digestive passages, Tor which he
collected certain number of cases.
Some of them are as follows A juggler
having swallowed a saber was brought
into the Charlie Hospital. Serious con-
sequences followed. Adhesive inflam-
nation eLsued, resulting in an abscess
The saber became divided into two parts
and the extraction was performed in two
operations. A sailor, for half pint of
brandy, swallowed knife, which he af-
terward passed easily. But one day the
knife would not pass, serious results
came on, and caused his death in three
days. The necropsy revealed chronic
ulcerous gastritis. The knife was
found, but the horn handle
had been completely digested and
there only remained vestiges of the five
or six blades it had contained. Another
case was that Of hysterical woman,
who had swallowed apackage of needles,
of which 1896 issued from her breast,
arms, chest, etc. M. Renquet related a
case of strangulated hernia, operated on
by M. Maisonneuve, in which ii was as
certained during the operation that all
the effects of strangulation had been
brought on by the presence of lark's
claw, which had been swallowed by the
patient and had lodged across the intes.
tine. M. Forget drew attention to the
preparations presented by Nj. Gallard's
house-surgeo2, from the body Of waiter
who, having entered the hospital on one
occasion. in consequence of having re-
ceived some blows on the chest, which
brought on some general symptoms, left
cured. Soon after, however, he again
came into the hospital for an abdominal
affection, to which he succumbed. At
the necropsy old adhesions between the
pericardium and the corresponding wall
of the lung were found These two or
cans were held together by pin, of
which the point issued into the interior of
the pericardium, where it was perfectly
free. 1t but rarely touched the heart, on
the surface of which was found series
of concentric curves produced by the
point of the pin, which inscribed the
hearts movements on itself, just as the
stylet of sphygmograph would have
done. This case, besides being very in
teresting from physiological point of
view, proves that the swallowing of
single pin will sometimes cause death.
NJ. DuroZier said that coins seemed to
find easy passage through the digestive
tube. Thus, man who came to the
Hotel Dieu after having swallowed six
pieces, passed them all, and
recovered without any bad symptoms.
THERE Is a curious prescription in
England for the cure of drunkenness, by