, 1880-03-14

The mouth Is not to be played pranks with, but
IN she
pose OF holding them for few moments or for
playing some trick, has been frequently attended
tice Is common, especially among young women,
who may be seen holding pins between their teeth
while dressing. Medical attendants in hospitals
have frequent cause to find faun With female
patients OF a humble rank for putting pins ia
their mouth when they have occasion to remove
any part Of their dress
Instructive, fancy to put playthings IN their
mouth, and sometimes therefore give no end OF
every precaution, distressing accidents occur.
4 few years ago a boy swallowed small piece
Of brass chain, with which he had been amusing
himself BY putting it into his mouth The bit Of
chain lodged In the stomach, and. though meai-
cal aid was resorted to, the poor child fnngulshed
and died oniy few weeks go = nentioned ct.
died from having allowed a small TIN whistle 70
sliptrom bis mouth into the traehea, where I
took place from inability to breathe.
Remarkable instances arc relatcd Of needles
which had been accidentally swallowed finding
the stomach, and thence to the exterior surface
OF the body, where they are Drawn out 1t IN all
. chance, however, that they make their escape
IN this harmless manner, and accordingly there
is no excuse for women thoughtlesly, it may b
pervcrsely, putting needles IN :hetr mouth
Those who do so run q great risk Of por1shtng IN
considerable agony. Occasionally female 1una-
tics in their mad freaks unwIttingly kill them.
selves by swallowing needles which they NAM
age to secrete. A case has been mentioned to
us OF most extraordinary degree OF mud per-
yerslty. a female iunatic hnd such q morbid
craving for swallowing small parcels OF needles
length she destroyed herself At q post-mor-
TEN examination rs mnny-if we mistake not
as 800 needles, in less or more suite OF corro-
sion, were found lodged in various parts OF her
body. In another case that has been recorded,
the great French surgeon. Baron Dnpuytren,
ffkxrh hrf Ntyf4f3f al xXn n
In the narrative Of memorable cases con-
nected with Guys Hospital there Is a curious
intoxicated. swallowed clasp knives In 11oo he
Ind seen French jusgler perform the trick OF
public entertainment. The feat WIS so ctever1y
performed that the spectatots-or at least somo
Of me- the be M tn fna TIE
stead Of being put by sleight-othand In som&
part Of his dress. The sailor, In bis SIMPLICITY,
bis a. messn,ates @ be began to swallow clasp knives.
He at first only swallowed four, which, fortu-
nately for him were expelled. and no in:oayen-
swallowing for six years In March. 16f6, when
as Boston, he was one day tempted, while drink
ing With party OF sailors to boast M ot as f1sner
ancc. A s1nall knife was produced, which he in-
stantly swallowed In the course Of that even-
crowds Of visitors came to see him, and in the
course OF the day he was Induced to swallow
eight knives more, making in all fourteen
He paid dearly for his frotlc; for he was seized
with constant vomiting, and pain in the stomach
Taken to hospital, he was by etHeaclous medic
al treatment relieved, IS he imagined, of nll the
knives he had swallowed But in this he would
appear to have been Mistaken Portions OF
knives undissolved remained Ia his stomach
The amount Of relief, whatever 1t was, did not
cure the poor wretch Of his folly When atapit-
head in December, 1865, and somewhat tipsy, he
resumed his bcastfulness Of being able to sHaI-
low knives, and to aInuse the Slips company
swallowed nine cfAED- kuIFEN Some OF them nf a
large size. Again he became III, and was in the
hands Of the ships surgeon for several months,
during which portions Of knives were discharged
At length he WIS admitted Us a patient at Guys
Hospital In 1901, and again he came to the hoe-
his sut1ertngs. until March. 1900, when he died in
state OF extreme enactation-
An incident Is told Of the late Nr. Brunei, the
eminent English engineer who planned tho
One day while dtrerttng child with tricks OF
sIeight-of-hand, by causing half sovereign to
mysterious1y disappear and reappeaF, stun
ming disaster occurred The trick consisted IN
10 bring it out at his eur. All At once. before he
was aware, and to bis dismay, the half sovereign
clipped down into his guet- He tried to cough
1t UP without eject There 1t stttck. Every
surgical device was tried y get hold Of It With
could not be dislodged. fatal results would en-
sue. 1t was q matter Of life and death IN tho
dire dllema into which he bad needlesly
brought himself, BFuners presence ct mini did
not desert him. He devised 8 wooden structure
to which he could be strapped head downward,
In the hope that the half sovereign would full
out OF his throat by the force OF gravity. TWAS
a painful experiment, but life waa at stake. H8
WIS fixed to the machine head dowumost, keep
the coin dropped FROM its lurking place, and
rp}iad to the floor.