The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-09-16
KATE sMuLsRY,s LONG rAsr.

Prominent Physician Says 1t Is Impossi-
bic That She Has Lived Witheut Feed.
Fort Plain en-. " Special.
MISS Kate Smusey the nov famous faster
lies In the same condition to night DR. Darwin
Potter, having been employed to investigate the
case, writes as follows.
Miss Kate SmuIsey is about twenty years of
age, Her parents ara Germans and they both
possess strong emotional temperaments and an
exeltable state OF the nervous system; so that by
the law of inheritance, the lady had from birth
predisposition to encourage and develop what
any exciting cause may call into action and what
she is now suffering FROM Her disease is, a case
of pure, simple and uneompEcated chorea which
is commonly called and recognized by the term
of St Vituss dance. This is a disease chsrae-
teFized by involnntary cOntr7ckions of the mus
eles Of the body without loss of consciousness,
and without complete loss of will power. The
interior muscles of the mouth may participate in
the morbid aetion-the tongue is rolled out be-
tween the bps the patient staFnnlers or hesi-
tates in speaking, and even degutition is per
formed with great difficulty. In some eases
the patient loses the power of standing or sit
ting, and is compelled to He in bed as in tho
case Of Miss SFnulsey.
On Aug 81, through the courtesy of DR. ZoE-
Ter, her present medical attendant was permit
ted TO see Miss Smulsey. She was lying on a
cot IN a darkened room, ostensibly kept so to
prevent the light from distressing her eyes
which at the same time were entirely shaded by
close sitting green glasses Her general appear
bodily nutrition, and her corntenance exhibited
no paIor or other indications of long on wasting
disease-on the contrary, had the look and APP
pearanee Of more than average good health. I
could not see her tongue. or touch the pulse: tho
former by reason of darkness, and the latter by
reason of her incessant motions. kept up while
was IN the room Her arms, body, and extremi-
ties, by touch, showed firm, natural muscular
development. by no means soft or ffabby, and
by the same test. discovered the whole body to
be we'll nourishe6 and not IN the least lean or
wasted, as has heretofore been reported so that
casual inspection of her w0uld reveal nothing
abnormal While was in the room her whole
body was in motion, sway7ng from side to side
her head making the same movements, and the
extremities all participating in the generally con-
vulsiEe motions which motioHs were greatly in
creased by my presence ON entering the ROOM
but CORRESPONDENCE decreased upon my retiring
AS has heretofore been announced at different
times, her difficulty began a little over two years
ago, and has been said to have steadily increased
up to the present time I attribute the causes
of her disease to ovePworI, want of sunlight and
good fresh air. and Gvertaxing the vital forces
at a time when most Of all they were needed. IN
her transition period, and when the entire neFv-
Gus system is put to q fearful strain in estab-
fishing the menstrual functions, and upon which
the normal development of the whole future life
Of the individual depends for health and hapri
ness
1t is claimed aud confidently asserted by the
family that since the 10th of March last not a
norsef of food and but very little water has been
taken by her. have no disposition, in what
am about to say, 70 irnpugR the motives Of the
family. or to tmpeach their honesty or veracity
for they ara people Of character and respectable
ityt but, as medical man. Enthusiastically pEo-
nounce the above statement an unmitfgated
humbug, a stupendous fraud and a physiologi-
cal lmpossibiEty- Amy one qualified to know
the human system. It's composition, its coustruc-
ton. Its method of waste and repair, knows that
such a statement of necessity must be untfuth-
full and unreliable II is entirely impossible for