Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-04-08
mills cody 4thp

was Of the opinion that the patient was
afflicted with a species Of reptile, the symp-
toms not all corresponding with the ordi-
nary tape worm symptoms.
"The girl continued robust in a remarka-
bic degree, and the reptile, instead Of being
ravenOus, was fckle, at times scarcely taking
any food, while at Others she had a good
/ appetite. Very often she would vOmit a
/ fetid, Shiny matter, have sour eructatiOns,
| eOnstipated bowels, swelling and tender
ness Of the epigastrum, and a very remark
| able feature Of the. case was the motion or
movement Of the stomach, that was clearly
| perceptible TO any person across an ordinary
| room, and this train Of symptoms attended
| the patient from the time I took charge Of
the case until The extraction Of the Iep-
/ tile.
"However, about five weeks before the
| patient was relieved, extracted a men,
| branOJs substance, about four inches in
| length and about one inch in width, Of the
| thickness Of paper to that Of One-eighth Of
/ an inch; it was difiused with a bloody
| serum, and, after being placed in three
different preparations and the bloody
| serum extracted, the solid portion remains,
which submit to the Society 70; inyesti-
/ CATION.
| that l was at a loss to know the precise
mode Of treatment TO adopt, as our authors
| have no clearly defined positions for treat
ment Of such cases, but l used the most
/ powerful anthelmintic combination that
could be brought to bear in the case; emet-
les wee used also, and had the patient
| to abstain from food for two or three days
at a time, thereby trying to Induce the rep
/ tile 10 cOne up into the mouth Of the pa
tient, 50 that l might get hold Of it to ex-
| tract il.
"The authelmintic remedies having a
more appTeCiabie effect than the other
modes Of treatment. When first admins
| tered, il would cause the reptile to VIC.
| lently contract, wTithe and twist in her
stomach, and 3 continuance of the medi-
cine would cause il to pass from the
stomach to the intestines, where it would
remain until a discontinuance Of the
remedy, when it would return to the
stomach.
"On the evening Of the 10Th of June,
1874, the case reached lis terminus by the
| extraction of
| SNAKE TWESTY-THREE INCHES LONG,
and thRe-fourths Of an inch in diameter,
Of light and dark brown stripes on back
and sides, with white abdomen, being COW
cred with a Shiny, mucous coating, and
presenting a cold, clammy sensation to the
touch. II lived for several minutes after
its extraction. It's death might have been |
produced by two causes, in my opinion: I
! First, being exposed to the atmosphere, an
element TO which it had hitherto
been unaccustOmej, at least for
| several years, and, secondly, from
the violence Of the patient in gripping 1t
with her teeth on its appearance in her
mouth, and from the grasp Of the mother
/ Of the patient in holding il for my arrival,
/ as / had previously instructed them when
it came up again 10 hold to it until they
could get me there. II appeared from the |
position in which found the snake on my
arrival that = came 10 head foremost into |
the mouth Of the patient and was trying TO !
return TO tie stomach with its head down |
ward, and in that position formed loop by |
which the patients mother held, and l i'm |
mediately took hold Of it, and with but |
little effort drew il out, and in my opinion,
so far as l was able to judge, it must not /
have been less than six or eight inches \
down the PsOphsguS, if It did not reach the !
stomach, and am inclined to the latter /
opinion. The patient Immediately after /
the extraction Of the snake commenced an /
involuntary vomiting, which continued very /
prOfusely for several minutes, after which /
she expressed herself as being greatly re-
lieved, and to use her own language,
Il feel like great load has been taken
from my stomach and since which time,
notwithstanding her former prOstratioC,
she has been attending 10 all ordinary do
nestle affairs, without previous symtOm
or a single sign Of 4 recurrence Of that |
once strange malady, and is is now over
nine months since extraction Of the snake.
The previous
HISTORY OF THE CASE
as given by others, seems to be, that some
thing like five years ago, she was taken
with violent vomiting spells, which. were
Immediately followed by severe cOnvul-
siOns, supposed at first to be Of an epileptic
character, and was treated as such, but
without relief. There was 4 continuance Of |
Of the commissions, vomiting spells, and II
regular appetite without emanciatiOn up to
February, 1873, when she was violently at
tackled, and neigbbOring physician sent
for, who applied remedies fer her relief.
According to his own statements in a pub
lished card the S,h day of January, 1874,
The commissions lasted for several days
when she seemed to be relieved to some
extent. In August last she was
l
physician again sent for, who found her |
in convulsiOIs s, with the skin on her fire.
head, arms, LEGS, and over tie region Of the !
stomach, split in several places from a {
fourth to two inches in length. That ! !
night the tape-wOrm or so called reptile
made its appearance, when the physician
in attendance attempted to extract It by !
thrusting pointed instrument through it,
when the patient ierked his hand and in
strument away; she closed her mouth and
the tape-WOrm reCeded into her stomach.
II came up for four consecutive nights, I
about seven or eight O'Clock each time. The
ceased and she was affected no g
more until the DIST Of January last, when 5
she was again attacked with commissions, L
and the tape-worm again made its appear 4
ance. The DeighbOring physician was e
again sent for. On his arrival he found it 9
in her mouth, lying upon her tongue with
in half an inch of her teeth. The family
told him that it had been out between her
lips before his arrival. She permitted the
physician TO examine it, but would not
permit him TO remove il, fOr the rea-
son that when it was touched it gave i,
her great pain from writhing and twisting =
in her stomach. She has all the symptoms =
Of tape-wOrm emaciatiOn, ravenOus appe- 1
lite when able 10 ear, bleeding at the eyes
and ears, and the worm la ing a pointed
gOurd seed-like in its appear
snce, as it comes up Eer throat. When it "
gets into her mouth it expands itself, and fl
S half an inch across, being Of fiattened ! Z
shape and Of a dark brown color
'The Rev. Whit Ransom, a neighbOr, pl
laing sent for to see the patient, stated to | &
ne that he had seen a black living sub
tance come up the throat into the mouth
If the young lady, and did extend even be- O
-Ond the teeth sufficiently far that he was \,
bile to take hold Of it with his hand as :
,ften as five or six times, and that it would Il
emain in her mouth twenty minutes OF pI
Onger, which enabled him to examine it | Vi
cry infinitely, and from its color, shape, | -
ize and movements he was convinced that =
{ was a snake, it having a cold, damp feel A
ng. There is much more evidence that
night be adduCed from other physicians
md reliable citizens, who have seen the
trangely afflicted girl before and since her -,
but l desist, thinking it Unneces-
airy to burden the report with further tes- ! 81