Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-05-15
A SINGULAR DISEASE.
TCor. Louisyille Courier. journal


The case of Miss Lizzie Collins, whose
queer somnambulistic freaks, superinduced
by nervous affection of the spine, were
first brought to the attention of the public
by the letter of local correspondent is
attracting considerable attention among
medical men. Her father, VIM. Collins,
is well-to-do farmer, living about three
miles from Millersburg, on the Rud.
dePs Mills road. He bears an excellent
reputation for honesty and truth. Lizzie
is his second daughter, and will be Is the
last day of the present month. In figure
she is above the average height of women,
measuring five feet seven and half inches.
She is of delicate frame and weighs ninety
nine pounds. She has pretty face, inner.
iting the beauty of her mother, who was
considered the handsomest woman in
Nicholas county. From infancy Lizzie
has been delicate, and she has had but
about seventeen months schooling, vet
she is intelligent beyond her years and
very lady-like in manners. Last New
Years her spine began to trouble her. and
she was forced to take to her bed. DR.. d.
d. Eads, her medical adviser, says that the
nerves in all parts of her body are super
sensitive, so much SO that the pressure of
ones hand is excruciatingly painful Her
lungs, heart. etc., are normally healthy,
and she has good appetite. Some days
the nerves of her body are less sensitive
than on others, and she is allowed to move
about the house on crutches. About six
weeks ago strange phenomena in connec-
ton with the disease began to manifest
themselves. AT irregular intervals, some.
times In the morning, but generally in the
early evening, the girl to all appearances
falls asleep, always ON her right side, with
her right arm doubled under her head.
Her eyes close, her breathing becomes
short and spasmodic, and low moaning es-
capes her lips. The muscles above her
eyes twitch convulsively, and her mouth is
frequently thrown to one side. While in
this condition she manifests what in men,
tai philosophy is called double conscious
ness. The nervous sensitiveness vanishes
or is deadened, and she has been known to
jump out of bed and walk about the house
unalded and without apparent effort
When In her normal condition the weight
of a persons hand laid upon any portion
of her spine will cause her to scream with
pain. In the abnormal state brisk rub.
bling of the back is unnoticed But stranger
even than this physical change is her men,
tai metamorphosis As soon as she enters
the new state she acts like one in somnam.
bulism, but very unlike her natural self.
In fact, in her normal and abnormal con-
dltion she appears to have two separate
identities, physical and mental. In her
normal condition she presents body, the
nerves OF which are sensitive in a high de-
gree. In her abnormal condition the
nerves lose their sensitive quality. Natu-
rally, she is shy and quiet in manner
choice IN her selection of words, and intel
hgent IN conversation. In the somnambu-
llstlc state she is the reverse, romps with
strangers, talks with an infantile lisp, has
the pettish, willful manner of spoiled
baby, and reasons like a child When
herself she is fond of reading the more alb
struse books, poetic and prose masterpieces
Abnormally, she cares only for nursery
rhymes and books written for little chill
dren. But there is also another phase of
this strange condition. She will frequently
call for her books and slate and proceed to
study her lessons, do difficult sums in
arithmetic, write letters to relatives, etc.,
all with her eyes closed entirely. She re-
Gently wrote letter of four pages to
relative, and, on reading it over, corrected
several misspelled words. While in this
state of somnambulism she calls DIR. Eads
and his wife her pa and ma, and calls her
real parents grandpa and grandma. Dr.
Eads has attended her from early infancy.
When aroused from this strange state she
is always laughing, and before waking has
frequent romps with those near her bed
side. When awake she has no recollection
of what she did or said in the somnambu.
listic state. When awake she writes with
her right hand altogether, and when asleep
she writes with her left hand altogether,
and in either state pens fine but very diff
ferent handwriting. DIR. Kenney, of Paris,
made a careful examination of her while in
a state of somnambulism, and states that
her eyes are really closed all the time He
has never come across similar case in his
practice, andgdoes not know of similar
case on record.