The Arizona sentinel. [volume] (Arizona City [Yuma], Yuma County, A.T. [Ariz.]) 1872-1911, 1888-11-17

| Ol DOufDOn, Wnon ne SuppOS6d nlmSe1
to be a plant, reasoned justly when he
insisted upon being watered with the
rest of the plants every day. In like
manner, the hypochondriac who sup
poses himself to be dead reasons
with the same correctness when
he stretches his body and limbs
on the bed or a board and assumes the
stiffness and silence of dead man.
The same doctor is authority for a
number of cases of this kind. Some of
these, he says, have been people who
believed that they had consumption;
others that they had cancers; others
who supposed themselves to be poi
soned, or that their constitution had
been ruined by mercury, or that the
seeds of hydrophobia were floating in
their systems. There were others who
had come under his observation who
believed that they had living animals
in their bodies.
One case like this was that of a sea
captain, formerly of Philadelphia, who
believed for many years that he had a
wolf in his liver. And many persons
in this DOCTORS experience fancied that
they were gradually dying from ami
mails preying upon different parts of
their body. There were others who
imagined themselves changed to an
animal or fowl, such as dog, cat, a
| hare, COW, a goose or a cock, and
they would adopt the noise and move
ments of these animals. There were
others who believed that by TRANSMIT
grafton they were possessed of the soul
of some fellow creature, but much
oftener that of a brute animal. The
doctor instanced a case of a man who
was some time in the hospital, who
believed that he was once calf and
who readily gave the name of the
on which his flesh was sold previous to
his animating his present body.
Another belief is on the part of such
people that they have no soul. The
case is known of dissenting minister
of England who believed that God had
annihilated his soul as a punishment
for his having killed highwayman
who attempted to rob him. His mind
was clear and intelligent on all other
subjects.
A highly-intelligent lady known to
one doctor related to him that one day
she was walking past public institu-
tiOn and observed a child, in whom she
was particularly interested, coming
out through an iron gate. She saw
that he let go the gate after opening it
and that it seemed likely to close upon
him and eonclu dod that II would 40 so
with such force as to crush his ankles;
however, this did not happen. 'It
was impossible" she said, ''by word
or act to be quick enough to meet the
supposed emergency; and, in fact, 1
found / could not move, for such in
tense pain came on in the ankle, cor
responding to the one which l
thought the boy would have injured,
that l could only put my hand
on it to lesson It's extreme painfulness.
am sure l did not move so as to strain
or sprain it. The walk home, dis
tance of about quarter of a mile, was
very laborious, aud on taking off my
stocking | found a circle round the |
ankle, as if it-had been painted with |
red currant juice, with large spot of |
the same on the outer part. By morn
ing the whole foot was inhamed, and l |
was a prisoner to my bed many days"
A lady who was watching her little |
child at play saw heavy window sash |
fall upon its hand, cutting off three of
the fingers. She was so much over
come by fright and distress as to be un-
able to render any assistance. A sur
geon was speedily obtained. who, hav-
ing dressed the wounds, turned him
self to the mother, whom he found |
seated, moaning and complaining of
pain in her hand. On examination,
three fingers, corresponding to those
injured in the child, were discovered
to be swollen and infiamed, although
they had not allied prior to the acci-
dent. In twenty-four hours, incisions
had to be made into them, and it was
some days before the wounds ultimate
ly healed.
One doctor related two noteworthy
cases. He said:
ga clergyman told me that some
time ago suspicious were entertained
in his parish of a woman who was sup
posed to have poisoned her newly
born infant. The coffin was exhumed,
and the officer who attended with the
medical man to examine the body, de-
clared that he already perceived the
Odor of decomposition, which made
him feel faint and in consequence he
withdrew. But on opening the coffi n
it was found to be empty, and it was
ascertained that no child
had been born, and consequently no
murder committed. The other case
was that of butcher who was brought
into the shop of druggist, from the
opposite, laboring under
4 terrible accident. The man, on try
ing to hook up heavy piece of meat
over his head, slipped, and the sharp
hook penetrated his arm, so that he
himself was suspended. On being ex-
amined he was pale, almost pulseless,
and expressed himself as suffering
acute agony. The arm could not be
moved without causing excessive pain,
and in cutting off the sleeve he fire.
luently cried out. But when the arm
was exposed, it was found to be quite
mi i,1,,nd tho