Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-01-28
AN AMPHsBscsrs Yex,Nss WOMAN
How a Pennsyisassia Girl Went Crazy
ON Bathing. and How She Was

| How "a Pennsylvania ssiri Went Crazy
on Bathing, and How She was
Cured.
DR. P. Gardner in Medical and Surgical Reporter
I lay the following item before my profession
al brethren. as much for the sake of professional
variety as for that OF information. Neverthe-
less, it may serve for a proroker Of deductions:
While practising medicine near Mount Airy.
Md. I was called to see Miss f. s. residing
west of ClashtOwn Pa. on the Chambersburg
turnpike. near the foot of South Mountain. /
had previously been informed of the amphibious
character Of the case by a lady from that neigh
borhood, who was sojOurning at a friends near
Mount Airy. and whom l happened to be at
tending at the time. On nv way to the patient q
Carpenter. within two miles of the place ard
invited him TO visit the case with me- This I
| did because DR.. Carpenter was a man of sterl-
ing integrity and. hence: could feel confident
of any statement he might testify to as to SO
peculiar and strange pathology.
We arrived a few minutes after our patient
had left her bath. and while her nurse was
arranging her hair and placing the bladder of ice
| on her head, which had ever to be there when
she was on dry land" When | commenced
trouble. in consequence Of her charming intel
ligence and conversational qualities. | found
no organic lesion. and very little if any func-
tional disturbance. The appetite and functions
bath fixtures found pool of cold water in an
adjoining room: fed by spring at the foot of
the mountain. And one feature of her idiOsyn-
Grassy was that this pool must have ice in it the
year round. Upon inquiry as to the amphibious
nature Of the whole thing, found that about
nine years before she had been advised by
friend to battle once day for some slight ner-
vous trouble. She conceived the idea that
twice day might facilitate the cure, and so she
went to thrice day, and go on. till she had for
y hxlnn 6<.r,f had
had actually been going under the water about
20 to 25 times a day.
Here is her ''mOdus Opcrand" She would
take four or five bathing spells day, and would
be thrown (not slid down quietly, into the
water four to five times at each spell. | must
confess that the allowance which | had pre-
vlously made for exaggeration and my incre-
dulity both vanished at the sight of facts and Dr.
Carpenter, their family physician for number
OF years, said it could not well be exaggerated.
He asked me how l accounted for it, took
my tobacco out of my pocket, and asked him
how he accounted for my ability to chew that
''Oh! yes" replied the old gentleman. II see
see force of habit, force of habit" He requested
me to name the disease. laughingly remarked
that if he would allow me to coin nv terms I
would do so. He agreed, and called it case
OF nphibiO-nervO-p psychological nonsense He
said he did not think my dictionary could be inn
proved.
She was anxious to be cured. drew heavily
on her reasoning faculties, and finally con
vinced her that strategem alone could relieve
her, and at once proposed my plan of treatment
She was much pleased and appeared to feel
hope revive Here was my method: Com
pose here to sleep awhile before the morning
bath was demanded. and so continue to cheat
her out of one bath the first week, two baths
the second week, aud so on till done She was
delighted with the idea, and proposed as |
resided about fifty miles away. that DR. Carpen-
ter superintend the treatment. This was salts
factory, and left him to decide the sleep pro-
ducer, only advising no preparation of opium.
brain and nerve food diet was also decided
on, and the choice of that left to Dr. Carpenter.
|. heard casually of her some time after. until
| removed to the Mississippi valley; and while
there heard she had got out of her amphibious
mode of life, and was enjoying good health,
though not very strong.