The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1880-04-29

The Singular Freaks Of Pretty Miss
Collins.
From the Courier-Journal.

The Singular Freaks Of Pretty Miss
Collins.
From the Courier-Journal.
The case of Miss Lizzie Collins,
of Millersburg, KY, whose queer
somnambulisticfreaks, s,superlnduced
by nervous affection of the spine,
were first brought to the attention
of the general public by the letter
of local correspondent, is attract
ing considerable attention among
medical men. The Courier-Journal
correspondent, in company with the
representative OF the New York
Sun, visited her on Saturday last.
Her father, Mr.. William Collins, is
well-to-dO farmer, living about
three miles from here, on the right
hand side of the Ruddel's Mill road.
He is well known in this vicinity,
and bears an excellent reputation
for honesty and truth. Lizzie is
his second daughter, and is fifteen
years old. In figure she is about
the average height of women, meas
uring five feet seven and one-half
inches. She is of delicate frame,
and weighs ninety pounds.
She has a pretty face, inheriting the
beauty of her mother, who was con-
sidered the handsomest woman in
Nicholas county.
From infancy Lizzie has been
delicate, and all told has had but
about seventeen months schooling,
yet she is intelligent beyond her
years, and very lady-like in man
ners. 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
that the pressure of ones hand on
her feet, legs OF back are excruciat-
ingly 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 connection
with the disease began to manifest
themselves. At irregular intervals,
sometimes in the morning, but gen
orally in the early evening, the girl
to all appearances falls asleep, al
ways on her right side, with her
right arm doubled under her head.
Her ewes close, her breathing be
comes short and spasmodic, and
low moaning escapes her lips. The
muscles above her eyes twitch con-
vulsively, and her mouth is fire.
quently thrown to one side. While
in this condition she manifests what
in mental philosophy is called dou
BILE consciousness. The nervous
sensitiveness vanishes or is dead
ened, and she has been known to
jump out of bed and walk about the
house unaided and without appa
rent effort. When in her normal
condition the weight of PERSONS
hand laid upon any portion OF her
spine will cause her to scream with
pain. In the abnormal state brisk
rubbing of the back is unnoticed.
But stranger even than this phys
ical change is her mental metamor-
phosis. AS soon as she enters into
the new state, she acts like one in
somnambulism, but very unlike her
natural self. In fact, in her formal
and abnormal conditions she ap-
pears to have two separate identi
ties, physical and mental. In her
normal condition she presents a
body, the nerves of which are SEN
sitive in high degree. In her alb
normal condition the nerves lose
their sensitive quality. Naturally
she is shy and quiet in manner,
choice in her selection of words,
and intelligent in conversation. In
the somnambulistic state she is the
reverse, romps with strangers, talks
with an infantile lisp, has the pet
tish, wilful manner of a spoiled
baby, and reasons like a child.
w hen herself she is fond of read
ing the more abstruse books, poetic
and prose masterpieces. Abnor-
mally she cares only for nursery
rhymes and books written for little
children. 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 rela
tives, etc, all with her eyes closed
entirely. She recently wrote let
ter of four pages to a 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. DIR. 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 bedside. When
awake she has no recollection of
what she did or said in the som
nambulistic state, and is really two
separate persons.
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 different handwrit
ing Dr.. Kenney, of Paris, made a
careful examination of her while in
state of somnambulism, and states
that her eyes are really closed all
the time. He has never come across |
similar case in all his practice,
and does not know of a similar
case on record in all the works
known to the medical profession.
The gentleman who accompanied |
your correspondent on his recent |
visit had paid professional visits to
young lady nearly similarly af
fected, Miss Fouchre, of Brooklyn,
New York, whose case puzzled the
medical men and was the wonder of |
the ignorant and superstitious last
spring. DR.. Hammond, of New
York City, who has had nearly a
half century's experience in the
treatment of nervous diseases,
claims that people afflicted with
hysteria are much given to decep |