Helena weekly herald., 1889-06-13
TRAVELS OF A NEEDLE.
The Extraordinary Case of E. p. ST.
mons, a Connecticut Toll.
Gate Keeper.

E. P. Simons, toll l-gats keeper, some
forty three years ago was walking in his
stocking feet in his room, says Middle
Hadam Conn letter to the New York
Sun, when he felt an intensely sharp pain
in his left foot. An examination showed
only small puncture from which q few
drops of blood flowed. On the floor he
found the point of a broken needle.
Thirty y-eight years ago Mr.. Simons felt q
sharp pain in his left knee. It was much
swollen and he was lame for several
months. 1t grew less and less painful, and
| finally he felt no pain.
Thirty three years ago Mr.. Slmons was
greatly troubled with shooting pains under
the fifth rib on the left side. He con-
suited local physicians, but could get NO
relief. The pains required at frequent in.
tervals
Twenty nine years ago Mr. Simons be-
came greatly distressed by severe pains in
the nape of his neck. They continued for
several weeks, but finally disappeared en-
tirely.
twenty-five years ago Mr.. Simons expe-
rienced sharp, prickiDg sensation in the
region OF the quadratus lumbrorum. He
was treated for lumbago and belladonna
plasters gave him much relief Finally the
pain disappeared.
Eighteen years ago Mr. Simons felt a
stinging pain in the psoas magnus, which
was driven away by warm lamentations of
camOmile flower after he had suffered for
four weeks and five days.
Fifteen years ago Mr. Simons became
afflicted with painful twitchings, the point
of irritation of which was located at the
head of the right sartorius muscle. For six
months a we'll defined point of irritation
kept travelling down this muscle as shown
by external palpation, finally giving him a
stiff knee joint, which laid him up for four
were greatly puzzled, as, while displaying
all the symptoms of rheumatism, it was
confined to only one joint. 1t eventually
ceased to trouble him.
For five years Mr.. Simons enjoyed per-
feet health, bnt just nine years ago last
January he was troubled by neuralgia of
the scalp, the first symptoms of which
were soon followed by alopecia areata, to
cure which the most celebrated hair re-
storers proved OF no avail. He has been
quite bald ever since.
The neuralgia finally went away, but
just exactly seven years ago Mr.. Simons
noticed peculiar tingling sensation in the
skin of the middle, third and little fingers
of his left hand and half of the index
finger. A total paralysis of the left arm
followed, for which he was treated by
without any good result. At
length when the doctors were about to tre-
phine his skull and search for a tumor at
the base of the brain as the cause of the
paralysis, Mr.. Simons suddenly recovered
the use of his arm.
Mr.. SimOns continued in good health
until month ago when he felt sharp
shooting pain running longitudinally
through his tongue. A hard lump soon
developed at the base of his oral cavity.
Upon seeking the advice of physicians Mr..
SimOns was told that he was suffering
from a cancer and that an operation would
be necessary. Last Friday the pain be-
came very intense, his tongue became
rigid and protruded, the surgeons were
sent for. Upon examination they dis
covered the broken point of needle pro-
truding from the end of his tongue. With
a small pair of pliers they attempted to
greater force it was discovered that the
ucCulC W dS tuICducu Win DluC Sllh uls
Simons was placed in an upright position
and firmly strapped to a board. A stout
piece of twine was tied to the needle and
run over a pulley above his head. To the
end of the twine was fastened small bag
of shot At the end of an hour drachm
Of shot was dropped into the bag.
Mr.. Simons at once experienced great
pain in the fingers of his left hand, then in
his scalp, next in his knee joint The pain
staid here until more shot was poured into
the bag when severe pricking sensation
ran up the sartorius muscle. Thence it
Jumped to the psoas magnus and then passed
to the quardratus lumbrorum. 1t ran up
his back to the nape of his neck and thence
to his fifth rib on his left side. Finally it
got to his right knee and into his left foot
The pain soon left the foot, then the
knee, then the fifth rib, then the nape of
the neck, then the quadratus lumbrorum,
then the psoas maximus. then the sartO-
RUS muscle, then the knee joint then the
scalp, then the fingers of his left hand, then
The left arm, and finally the tongue.
He was entirely free from pain and one
Ind one quarter inches of broken needle |
threaded with nine feet seven and one
half inches of blue silk had been drawn |
rom his tongue The needle was bright |
" hen extracted, but on exposure to the air |
loon oxidised. Since then Mr.. Simon's |
,air has begun to grow.