Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-11-25
DEAD BRAIN IN LIVING BODY.
Strange Case That Has Puzzled thu
Physicians of California.


From the San Francisco Bulletin.
When Miss E,iida Wilbur ceased to be one
of the bellies of San Francisco and became
"a case without precedent in medical his
tory, her condition attracted the attention,
not only of physicians and subscribers to
medical Journals but of newspaper readers
generally.
For Miss Wilbur will not live. And yet
she does not die.
Not a day of the eight months and more
that Miss Wilbur has passed, open-eyed,
yet without consciousness, but has brought
to the physician in charge and to the i'm
mediate family, inquiries, suggestions, and
even reproofs The world has heard of this
unique case. The world knows that a wo-
man has lived for the better part of a year
| in a trance, or sleep, and that nothing can
| awaken her The world, therefore, being
| meddlesome and sympathetic, sends sug
! gestions, absurd and otherwise, waits for a
| tine to see whether the dead has come to
| life again, reads an exaggerated notice of
| improvement, and speedy, authoritative
! denial, and then scolds somebody roundly
| becaus the day of miracles IS past
If GU could see MISS W llbur as she lies
! III an airy sunny, southwest room on the
| topmost iioor of her mothers house you
| would sympathiZe with people at large in
| their Impotence of the present state OF af-
fairs. You would long, as does everybody
| back to life. Ic'''c
| This girl was one, of the beauties in Vo-
| gus series of the Fair Women of Ameri-
| ca" But the face of the Miss Wilbur So
! clety knew is far less interdesting than
| that of the case the physicians know This
Sleeping beauty is IN perfect physical
health. AT the first, glance you would say
| tall strong, fair woman, whose dark blue
| eyes, slightly suffused had just opened af-
| ter nights sound sleep. The face is thin
ner than when l first saw it. but it is still
| warmly colored, and the)mysterious power
| that stands between Miss Wilbur and con-
| sclous life has stamped this face with an
| austerity, a nobility, a nunlike sweetness
, which has all the beautiful serenity of
| death without its repulsion
Before the medical journals had heard of
| Miss Wilbur, before the world knew of her,
| save as her name wgS printed in connection
| with some society affair, Miss Wilbur was
| engaged to marry James \. Dunphy 1t
| was a long engagement; 1t lasted four
| years. Once the wedding day was set but
notices of postponement were sent to the
guests and the original invitations were
never seconded. Mr.. Dunphy is a Catholic
| Mr.. Dunphy is divorced, and his divorced
| wife still lives And nothing but a dispen-
| sation from the pope could have made the
| way smooth before these two; this or
something as hard to obtain, the consent Of
| Mr. Dunphy's deeply. religious and very
| wealthy mother, who might disinherit her
| son should he marry without her consent.
| The last time that Mr.. ~Dunphy called upon
| his fiancee misunderstanding occurred be-
| tween them. The following morning when
say gocd-bye-he was going out Of town
| that day-Mfss Wilbur ceased to be herself
and became a case.
, Whether the girl had lost hope and heart.
whether she despaired Of happy terminal
ton 10 this unequal struggle between mere