The Russellville Democrat., 1881-08-04
LIVING BY ABsoPrIos.
Woman Who Has Taken Neither Food
 Nor Water For Eight Months.

Chicago Tribune.
 Mention has been made in the news papers at various times of the case oi Mrs. Nellie Ingram, who, since last Oc- tober, has been in bed, unable to take food or water. Mrs. Ingram is now 36 years old, and has been twice married, her present husband being Henry In gram, teamster. In girlhood, as Miss Nellie Dunn, she was hearty and robust, a specimen of blooming health, and had a more than ordinarily fine constitution, which she retained as she advanced in years. On Oct II, 1880. she stepped into Dr. F. Merritt's office to have a tooth extracted. She was then In the most perfect health, and weighed not far from 1S0 pounds. The tooth was a double one, far back in the jaw, firm and fast and very troublesome from a cavity. Undoubtedly the pain and an- noyance she had experienced from it excited her nervous system to that de- gree that it took but little to produce a decided shock. The tooth was extracted with much difficulty, and produced in- tense pain. Mrs. Ingram became great ly excited, which eliminated in a ner- ous shock. A hack was called and was taken to her home in prostrated con> dition, and was immediately after seized with severe pain in the bowels, which has continued night and day ever since, accompanied by sickness and nausea. She repeatedly attempted to take food to sustain life, but it only produced a loathing and deathly sickness, and was at length given up. These spasms oc- cur, however, whether she is given food or not.
 { &,,x N~ physician that all attempts to keep her alive by introducing food into her stom- ach were useless, he began giving her injections, thereby sustaining life by a process of absorption by the walls or the intestines. Life has also been sustained by baths of beef tea, milk and such highly nutritious liquids, with an oc- casional 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 1S0 to less than eighty pounds, but, although her body is so much reduced, her face still preserves quite healthy appearance, and would not strike one as belonging to a person who has been obliged to go without food and who has suffered such excruciating pains. Her nerves are at such high tension that she is unable to sleep more than two hours in twenty four.
 This sort of rest is generally taken to- ward mornings, when the vitality of her body is very low. With the returning activity of the senses she begins the retchings, which spasmodic efforts of Nature continues through the day, until her system is completely exhausted and she falls into the unsatisfactory sleep described. Within the last few days, owing to the strain on her throat by the frequent contortions of the muscles dur ing retching, she has substantially lost her voice, and is unable to speak above low whisper. A constant fever attends her, accompanied by an inordinate thirst: but she cannot drink any more than eat. The case has excited uncommon inter- est in the medical fraternity throughout the State, and many have come to see her. It IS curious to see hunger appeas- ed and thirst quenched by outward ap- plicalions.