The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1880-04-15
A RENARKARLE INVALID. Ii 1ll
Eho a,rgaiar Frsalls Of Pretty aIlss collins.
FF0m Ae Loaisviae Courier. Journal.
MILLERsBURa. Ky.. Afarch 16

Ehe sirguIar FFsalrs oe Pretty aIIes Cal,ins
| From the Louisville Courier. Journal.
MILLERsBURG, KY, March is.
The case Of Miss Lizzie Collins, whose
queer oomnambulistic freaks, euperinduc.
ed by nervous affection Of the spine
were first brought TO the attention Of the
general public by the letter Of a local cor,
respondent Is attracting considerable e.
tention among medical men. The Gn.
yier-.lolsfzlak correspondent, liz Company
With the representative Of the New York
iSts,a, visited her on Saturday last. Her
father. Mr.. William Collins. Ia q we'll.
to!do farmer, living about three milea
from here, on the right-hand aide of the
Huddel's Mill road. he is we'll known
in this vicinity, and bears an excellent
| reputation for honesty and trath. Liz.
Zie Is his second daughter, and will be
Gftcen the last day of the present month.
In figure she is about. the average height
of women, measuring Eve feet seven and
one-ha!finches. She ia Of delicate franc,
and weighs ninety-hine pounds. Z, She
has pretty, face, inheriting the. beauty
o. her mother, who waH considered the
handsomest woman in Nicholas county.
From infancy Lizzie has been deli
cate, and all told has had but about sew
enteon months schooling, yet che is In
telligent beyond her years, and vefy
lady-like in manners. Last New Years
her spine began to trouble her, and she
was forced 70 take TO her bed, DIR, D..
D. Eads, her medical adviser, aeys that
the nerves in all parts Of her body are
super sensitive, so much SO that the
pressure of ones hand on her feet, legs
or back are overwhelmingly painful. Her
lungs, heart, ETC., are nominally healthy,
and she has good appetite. Some days
the nerves of her body sre Lass sensitive,
than on others, and she is allowed to
move about the house on crutches.-
About six weeks ago. strange phenome,
ma in connection with the disease beaen
to- manifest themselves. At irregular
intervals, sometimes in the morning, but
generally in the early evening, the girl
to all appearances falls asleap, always ON
her right side, with her. right arm
doubled under her head. Her eyes close,
her breathing beoomea short and upas.
modic, and a low moan escapes rhez
lips. The muscles above her eyes witch
convulsively, and her mouth Ia Rreauent-
ly thrown to one side. While in this
condition she manifests what in mental
philosophy il called double conscious
ness. The nervous sensitiyeness van
ishes or is deadened, and she has teen
known to jum? out of bed and walk
about the house unaided and without ap-
parent effort. When in her nompi con-
dition the weight of o pefson's haud laid
upon any portion of her spine will cause
her to scream with pain. In the abnor-
NAL state brisk rubbing OF the back is
unnoticed. But stranger even than this
physical change 10 her mental metamor
phosis. As soon "a she enters into the
new state, she acts like one, in somnam-
bulism, but very unlike her natural self.
L; fact, in her normal and abnormal con-
ditions she appears to have two separate
identities, phyeical and mental. In her
normal condition she presents a body,
the nerves of which are, sensitive in O
high degree. In. her abnormal condi-
zion the nerves lose their sensitive quail.
ity. Naturally ahe is shy and quiet in
manner, choice in her selection of words.
and intelligent in conversation. In the
somnambulistic state che is the reverse,
romps With stranngels, talks With an in.
fantile lisp, has the pettish, Willfuli man
ner Of epoiled baby, and reasonyi Like
child. When herself she is fond of
reading the more abstruse books, poetic
and prose. masterpieces. Abnormallv
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 hsrbooka and slate and proceed
to study her lessons do difficult sums
in arithmetic, write letters % relatives,
etc., all with her eyes closed entirely.
She recently recently s~.-otsaa letter OF four pages
to q relative, and, on reading It over,
corrected several misspeiled: words
While IN this stata Of somnambulism
che calls DR.. Eads and his wife her pa
end ma and calla her ranl nnranis arsanll-
pa and ETandnaS. DF. DR.. TIliads Ilad has attend
ed her frors early infancy. When arous-
ed from this strange state che ia always
; laughing, and before waking haa fire.
guent -omps with those near, her bed.
aide. When awake abe has no recoliec-
tion OF what che did or said in the som,
nambulistic state, and Is really two aeps-
rats peTaufisi. q, s i...,ssi ssyr., s.. is -
When awake ehe writes With her right
hand altogether, and when asleep she
writes With her left hand altogether. and
ia eit.er state pene q iine but very diff.
ferent handwriting. Or. Tenney, of
Parts, made. q careful exalasnRtion Of her
while la q atAteA OF aounafn ulisnl, and
states that her eyes are really closed ell
the time. He has, never come across q
similar case ia all his practice, sndgdoes
not know ofla similar case on record in
all the works known to the medical pro-
feslion. The gentleman who acconipa-
MED your correspondent on his recent
visit had paid professional visits to q
young lady nearly similarly affected.
Mics Fouehre, Of brooklyn, New York.
whose case pnzEled the medsS ideis and
was the wonder OF the iguorant and su-
perstitious last spring. DR.. Hammond,
OF 1Jgyq, York, City, who has had nearly
q half jcensnry's experience In the treat
me.s OF, nervous diseases, claims that
;.es;:is slsssca :sh Jsb1Ti aEe much
given to deception. FeaEing thate Mi is,
Collins was doipg something Of the sort
to impEees hsf evef:cfeaui6tis and less,
critical friends and relatives, We made
uaI of sss .s .sss. .o 1:;;css -.
| she in reality saw without seeing, ;Tnrn.
| ing the phges of o book at random, a
| passage was selected and the book held
| in such o position that the sick girl
could not have sesn, the printed page,
even had her, eyes been wide OPEN =
Without hesitation, she correctly read
theIpassage selected. Al number of OBJ.
jsctB were scattered about over the bed.
near enough for her. to reach any Ji
them with her hand, but In such o posi-.
| lftion that she could not sec anyso OF the
Articles were her eyes really open with.
ont tufalifiH ,hSr head i. Whan ahaT r-,or