The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-11-06
A Woman's Remains Swollen to
Enormous Size
IT IS TO BE INVESTIGATED
Gases In Some Manner Impregnatsd
All Of the Tissues
The Case 10 One Of the Host Unusual That
HAS Occurred In the City, and PLY.
siclans Are Dumbfounded

What is probably one OF the moss Pc
culiar deaths that has ever occurred on
the coast will be investigated by Coroner
Campbell this morning.
30 strange, inueed, are the symptoms
that a mum Der Of the most prominent
physicians have been asked to assist at
the post mortem examination which will
be held at the undertaking rooms Of Orr
e. Hines.
The case is that Of Mrs. Mary A.Esans,
q woman 26 years of age. Her sickness
lasted only about forty hours. She was
taken i'll on Sunday and died yesterday.
Internal hcmorrhags is the i'm me diate
cause OF her death. but what caused that
and the results of the sickness nre what
puzzle the physicians ana causes them
ali to look forward with considerable in
terest to the post mortsm this morning.
These results are nothing moro or less
than the tissues of the woman's body be-
coming charged with gases, causing it to
swell to an enormous size.
An excellent idea OF the extent to
which the action'oi these gases went can
be gained when It is known that the
weight Of the deceased normally was 124
pounds, and that her body swelled to
the size OF a woman who would weigh at
least 240 or 260 pounds.
When Mrs. Evans was taken sick the
family physician, DR.. G. W. Parker. was
called. At first he thought the indisposi-
ton was nothing serious and that she
would recover in snort time. but as her
sickness took an unusual change he de-
cided TO call in several other physicians
in consultation. Drs. Cole and Buell. we're
sum moned and all three did " hat was
possibs for the woman, but she expired.
She did not apparently seem to be in any
pain and death was peaceful. What
aroused the physicians and caused them
to refuse to give any certificate and to de-
eide that the case should be Investigated
by the coroner was the enormous swelling
Of tho body. They were unable to deter.
mine Just what had caused this strange
condition nor could they learn what the
woman had eaten that would have been
likely to have resulted so terribly.
When the body was removed to the I'M
dertakinG parlors. Mr.. b. F. Orr, who is
one OF the oldest EN- balmers in the city,
At once pronounced it to be the stranpest
case that had aver come to his notice and
he was forced to confess that during bis
career nothing similar had bsen brought
to his notice.
|: From the soles Of the feet clear up to
the ears the tissues were swollen enor-
mously, being charged with air or gas OF
some sort. 1t was possible to take hold
OF any part of the body and ,ress IL and
cause the flesh to crackle and make o
noise.
Quite a number OF physicians were
called in to look at the remains, and all
said 1t was q very remarkable insta nee
and mono could positively assign the
cause for such condition.
DR.. Lashsr gave q reasonable solution
OF the case, but even he eaid he could not
positively assert what had been the cause
Of death. He stated that it was possible
that the woman had eaten some food
which hal contained a microbe In which
was quantity of gas. The result IL easy
to imagine, for this miciobe wac the
germ and the gas within it worked
through the body, impregnating all of
the tissues and resulting in the body be-
coming charged and swollen as it was.
} There may be something else that
nothing was suggested yesterday ny any
OF those who called and viewed the re-
mains.
Dr.. Parker was seen at his house las t
night and asked regarding the sym ptoms
of the case. He said be did not know
what caused the body to swell as it had
done. and for that reason had had the
coroner notified.