The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1879-06-11
What Followed thu Extraction of Nine
teen Teeth.
A Swedish Girl Takes Nitrous Oxide and
Subsequently Exhibits symptoms of De-
acknowledgements to Hospital, She
Creates Excitement Among the
Inmates-A Strait-Jacket
Required to Sub 81
due Her.
New York Mercury.l

corning the case of Miss Hannah Deal, a
young Swedish lady residing In the family
of Mr. Mead, on West Fifty-sixth street.
who, after undergoing a dental operation
under the influence of nitrous oxide, or
laughing gas. went crazy, and atterward be-
came raying maniac. This result is the
occasion of greater surprise because, while
the use Of apasthetics, such as ether and
chloroform, has always been supposed to be
attended with more or less danger, the in
hslaiion of laughing gas was supposed to be
harmless. It is claimed by the Cotton
Dental association that 10000 people have
had their teeth extracted while under the
influence of that anasthetic, suffering no
pain nor any subsequent evil effecS. Miss
Deal has been in the employ of Mrs. f. Mead
for i've years. and by her lsdy-like manners
and general efficiency endeared herself to
her mistress. She has had, il is stated,
ROMANTIC HISTORY
in her native country, Sweden, and when
she came here she ran away from trouble,
and endeayored to leave trouble behind her,
also. She is of small stature, with golden
hair large, expressive blue eyes, and OF gen.
eral attractive appearance. Her tseth have
troubled her for some time past aud two
years ago she had the stumps of 10 teeth ex-
tracted. At that time she endured the pain
withou. calling to her aid any gas or other
emollient, and she suffered so greatly from
the operation that she declared that she
would not have another tooth pulled with.
out an anasthetic. Her teeth were rotting
and she suffered greatly with toothache of
late. 1t kept her awake nights. and she
became nervous and untitled for work. Fin
ally her mistress told her she had better
have the teeth removed. She reiterated
her statement about the use of some ar
ticie that would kill the pain, and
finally Mrs. Mead told her if she was de-
termined in the matter she had better GO TO
the Cotton Dental Institute and take laugh
ing gas. On Wednesday, May 10. Mrs.
Mead accompanied Hannah to the Cooper
Institute and an examination was made OF
her mouth by DR.. Cotton and his partner
Dr. L. NJ. Slocum. The latter said that
NINETEEN TEETH WOULD HAVE TO BE DRAWN
before she would be in condition to have
false teeth fitted and inserted. Miss Deal
was asked whether she was ready to under
60 the operation. She declared she was
chair. Dr.. Slocum administered the gas
Size at once gave evidence of being under its
influence and tbs doctor began the work, OF
extraction. Only nina teeth had been
drawn when Hannah came to sensibiliiy
and gave evidence of pain, and the gas was
=
pulled and Miss Deal soon gave evidence of
consciousness. She did not appear excited or
unpleasantly affected by the gas; on the con-
trary, she was much calmer than
most people under similar cir
cumstances. But when she got
into tire street she began to act queeriy. As
she had passed through the hallway ard
down tie steps OF the institute she seemed
to be in trance, and not yet recovered from
the stupor OF the operation; but after they
had walked short distance she began to
LAUGH AND SING,
Her mistress looked at her in astonish-
ment as she was exciting attention, and re
quested her to be quiet But she laughed all
the more, and by the time they had reached
tue house became quite hysterical. Her
peals of laughter rang through the house,
attracting the attention OF all the inmates.
She laughed and was greatly sgitated with
her mirth, which seemed to be of very
forced and unnatural KIND, as it did not
cease when every one else looked serious and
tried to check her, but rolled on in cachin-
nation which coon became painful to listen
to. They coaxed, scolded, upbraided, threat
ened, pitied and com sssionated by turns
All 10 no effect. She kept on laughing until
bedtime. Then the reaction came. She
began TO talk of spirits. do you see
| THAT ANGEL UP THEREOF
she inquired; ''why, the air is full of them
There are spirits everywhere. The room
can not hold them ali. My own spirit is
| there floating near the ceiling. Blessed
spirits! Don't you see them? They are
coming down to bear me up. Nov l am ris
ing; up, up, higher, higher. o. it's lovely
here I'm soaring away, away with ange
| body guards.n
Suddenly she gave shrek which was
heard throughout the block then she ex
claimed: I'm falling, catch me; the angels
are flying away" Her countenance under
went remarkable transformation. The
| jubflant and happy creature was suddenly
changed into woman of demoniac passion
She scowled and shouted and swore, tearing
her hair and becoming uncomfortable. She
| began to tear her clothes from her body
She seized pitcher and hurled it across the
room; chair soon followed it, then hand
some vase was dashed to atoms on the floor.
She caught sight of herself in a mirror. 1
was enough to appall her, for the woman
| that met her gaze was wild of eye, raginf
with fever and craZed with excitement. She
pushed her hand through the glass, batter
ing it in fragments. 1t was evident tn.
! woman was luDatlc, and efforts were made
to restrain her. 1t required the united ef-
forts of all the members OF the family and o
the servants to keep her from leaping out o
i the windows. Aid was called for and til,
family physician was summoned. He sale
the aa ae
WOMAN WAS MANIAC, Q
and must be admitted to an asylum. Thi
the family would not listen to. The docto
declared she was unsafe, and that for her Il
/ remain In the house would jeopardize he
life and the lives of all the inmates. Thel
they looked about them to see what dispo
sition could be made of her. They did no
want her to be committed to Blackwell
island or any other asylum. Finally the,
consulted clergyman, and, through his in
huence, they Obtained entrance for her il
the Presby terrain Hospital at Seventeenth
street and Madison avenue. She was tag e.
there in a carriage on the afternoon of FIR
day. 1t took two strong men to restrain he
! violence on the way. She endeavored 8
times to choke herself and her custodian
As she was conducted into the hospital tn
attendants and inmates of that institutlo
t looked in wonderment at the shriekini
struggling woman, who made the neighbo
hood resound with her cries. They wei
surprised, because it had been generally III
!. 0ersfOod that M insane or violput perao