The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1874-06-10
EXIRAORDINARYFEATS CAUSED
BY DISEASE.

Tie field Of pathology, says Dr. Brown
Seqprd, is indeed very rich in cases in
whid all sorts Of movements resembling
voluntary movements are made by patients
who however, are not trying to perform
those movements. There is one case ess
pecially Of "a young lady in Paris who wY
attacked with ecstacies every Sunday, and
who performed feat the tLousandth part
of which not one among you could perform
unless you were diseased like her. Every
Sunday at 10 q clock the young lady as.
scended bed. and putting her back on
the ion Of the edge or border Of the bed.
took an attitude d prayer and began to ad-
address prayers IL the Virgid Mary. She
continued in that attitude, fixed like q
statue, except that her chest continued to
move aud her, heart beat, and the lips
Spre giving utterance 70 sound. All the
other parfsof the body were absolutely
motionless. This was feat that you could
not perform on level ground. Standing
rigidly on tip toe, even without shoes, is
an utter impossbslity, beyond short time.
| yentured to try my own power on the
bed. and fell Immediately. | was not
ready to try it again, as there was no
doubt that the thing was impossible. |
had been called by the agent OF police 70
see whether there was disease there. or
whether il was false pretense to make
money. as the family Of the girl was poor,
and many came and paid for the privilege
nf witnessing her attitude in prayer. 1t
was clear there was disease. | made an
experiment which proved it.
There are other movements which are
performed without the will. Some Of
these are very singular. Sometimes il is
movement forward. sometimes it is a
movement backward as fast as possible |;
then movements sideways, or q movement
like Nurse ii circus o. a single rotation
executed on the SINE place on the feet.
What may surprise MANY persons, there
are two cases 60 my knowledge in which
these rotary movements. iustead Of being
performed as just performed them, were
performed with the head on the ground.
Tue feet were against the wall. without
which. Of course. this action would be inn
possible. The patient turned with ra-
pidity that was wonderful. No person
with ill-pewer could have done it. The
head spun around as Is il were top.
In another case L saw most beautiful
Irish girl, who had blow on the head,
aud who bad rotary movement on that
sccount. Size knew well what was the
matter with her. and had come to be able
to prevent any bad effect Of it. Ii she
wanted Ia 70 10 contrary direction she
tarned herself ii direction almost at
right angles 70 il, and. the irregularity Of
ber movement brought her TO the right
place. She knew tue amount Of her rota-
tiOn, her deviation from straight line.
and calculoted accordingly. So when she
went along the street she executed series
Of half-cireles. and in that way succeeded
in going forward, She was in perfect
health otherwise. She could not help
this. There was an irrepressible power
pushing ber so. Her will force could not
overcome Is.
LUG mVsb sHhEu W buSSu lWAaNy hiotS-
ments are those that the ear will produce.
An injection Of cold water in the ear will
produce very great change sometimes. In
curious book Of Frenchman Of Alsacc---
lie il 4 German nowhere are, dare
say, more than three or fur hundred Of
those strange cases Of rotary movements
or change Of direction by something acting
against tne will. These diseases are par
ticularly common in women. and great
many Of the cases allied to hysteria; but
they exist from an organic cause in man
sometimes also.