The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-07-06
The Human Slate.
Peculiar Disese of Young Woman in
PHILADELPHIA

There is young woman in Philadelphia
who is deeply interesting the medical
men there. and who is known as the
Human Slate.
She has a most remarkable distinction.
for she possesses the rare writing skin
II any hard substance is rubbed against
her flesh white ridge arises like wells
made by a lash
Physicians have written on her skin
with a toothpick, watch guard in fact
anything that could be used as stylus.
the writing can always be plainly read.
The victim OF this strange maiady. for
IL is skin disease. is Miss Msher, and
she has suffered with it for about year.
She first sought the German Hospital.
but no relief was afforded her As a
matter OF fact she could find no physician
who had had experience in treating her
maIady.
There are 70 be found recorded In all
the thousands Of medical books but one
or two cases of the disease. which is
known scientifically as urtiearia factitl.
In the descriptive care which DR.. Thomas
E. Eldredge of No. 10S Logan square,
Philadelphia, made out. he wrote: "Urti-
CARA factiti-writing skin-human slate. -
because that he realized that few would
recognize the technical name.
Miss Maher sought Or. Eidredge who
is a specialist IN Therapeutics. af-
ter she found that she was receiving no
benefit at the hospital
Miss Maher is twenty-five years old
and weighs Us pounds. She was born IN
Philadelphia and has lived there ali her
life Her general health is excellent. al
though she suffers somewhat from melan-
ehoIia as a result CT her strange anlic-
ton
Neither she nor her parents can explain
the cause of the trouble. and the most
skilled physicians are equally ignorant.
She has never had serious illness from
which the action could have developed
nor Is there and known hereditary trait
that could account for il
Possibly she may have had the writing
skin much longer than year She dis
covered il herself ore day while c5mbing
her hair When the teeth OF the comb
come in contact with the forehead weits
were raised She became frightened ard
drew the comb ever her arms. The welts
appeared there. She found that the en-
tire surface OF her body was subject 70
the same conditions.
Several marks on the left arm we're
made by Dr. El6redge with Al ordinary
wooden toothpick and with the same
pressure that one would use 81 writing
with lead pencil The word write"
vas made by yDr. EldreGgs with the geld
bar Of his watch charm. pressing more
heavily than with the tootnpics. while
the initials T z e we're made WIKI
an ordinary match
The hrst manifestation OF the tracing
was q red line, which disappeared within
I've seconds leaving rot the slightest sign /
Even with the aid n powerful magnify F
ing glass neither Dr. Elaredse nor his
confrere. Dr. smith. could discover any
marx The skin appeared 70 be perfectly /
normal.
But when q minute AID twenty seconds +
had elapsed a faint trace q the marks !
could he seen. the blood apparently Isav- f
IL the SKIN On the lines vhsre ths Or
5ecfs had beer drawn Gradually the weIt
L raised q sixteenth ~ an
iach Of mora frcn the skin and became 4
hard
Mas Mahsr suffered 70 pain although f
the appearances q the weits ~as arccn- 4
panied b slight burning sensation 4
ne size q The weits and the ls1Eth q, 4
time tkey are visible are determined 4
b. TIRE pressure PLACED ur-c1 TIE ctseet 4
Esd as 8 stylus The Wrisi-z ca ire i
zecS- where TIE greatest pressure vas
made = order 20 secure q successful pho
egrzph. Vas Tlsibie FOR nearly fEo hozrs
oosh7ick disaPpearet in hftesn ns1utss-
The PHYSICIANS are not certain about
Re treatment becars@ q tAe lack =
,reoe1szsz- A 6ezl q sxpsrtHneztlaS ~sll
,e necessary. hEs II Elzresxe Il sza-
s1lns q e-1aSszs sbout a ezrz