Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1881-07-08
KEPT ALIVE By ABSORPTION.
A Woman who Has Taken Neither
Food nor Water for Eight Months.


A Battle Creek, Mich, special says
mention has been made in the newspa-
pers at various times of the case of
Mrs. Nellie Ingram. who, since last
October, has been in bed, unable to
take food or water. Mrs. Ingram is
now 80 years old, and has been twice
married. her present husband being
Henry Ingram, a teamster. In girl
hood, as Miss Nellie Dunn, she was
hearty and robust, specimen of
blooming health, and had a more than
ordinary fine constitution, which she
retained as she advanced in years. On
Oct. II, 1880, she stepped into DR.. n.
Merrltt's office TO have tooth extract
ed. She was then in the most perfect
health, and weighed not far from $50
pounds. The tooth was a double one,
far back in the jaw, firm and fast, and
very troublesome from a cavity. I'm
doubtedly the pain and annoyance she
had experienced from it had excited
her nervous system to that degree that
it took but little to produce a decided
shock. The tooth was extracted with
much difficulty, and produced intense
pain. Mrs. Ingram became greatly ex
cited, which eliminated in q nervous
shock. A hack was called, and she
was taken to her home in a PROSTATE
condition, and was Immediately after
ward seized with a severe pain in the
bowels, which has continued night and
day ever since, accompanied by sick
ness and nausea. She repeatedly at
tempted to eat to sustain life, but it on
ly produced a loathing and deathly
sickness, and was at length given up.
These spasms occur, however, whether
she is given food or not.
| As soon as it became certain to her
physicians that all attempt to keep her
alive by introducing food into her stom-
ache were useless, he began giving her
injections, thereby sustaining life by a
process of absorption by the walls of
the intentines. Life has also been
sustained by baths of beef tea, milk
and such highly nutritious liquids, with
an occasional bath of alcohol to keep
the pores open. She has lived for the
past eight months in this way, not a
morsel Of food having passed her lips.
Her weight has been reduced from $50
to less than eighty pounds; but al
though her body is SO much reduced,
her face still preserves a quiet healthy
appearance, and would not strike ore
as belonging to a person who has been
obliged to go without food, and who has
suffered such excrucating pains. Her
nerves are at such high tension that
she IS unable to sleep more than two
hours IN twenty-four This short rest is
generally taken toward morning, when
the vitality Of her body is very low
With returning activity Of the senses
she begins the retchings which spasmod
lc efforts ofnature continue through the
day until her system is completely ex-
hausted and she falls into the unsatis-
factory sleep described. Within the
last few days, owing to the strain on
her throat by the frequent contortions
of the muscles during retching she has
substantially lost her voice, and is un-
able TO speak above low whisper. A
constant fever attends her, accompani-
ed by al inordinate thirst, but she
cannot drink any more than eat.
The case has excited uncommon in
trest IN the medical Paternity through
out the State, and many have come to
see her. 1t is curious to see hunger
appeased and thirst quenched by out
wade applications.