The Savannah morning news., 1903-06-21
SLEPT TWENTY YEARS.
This Woman Rip Van Wrinkle Final
ly Awakened by Pains of Abscess
and Phthisis.
From the Pittsburg Dispatch.

From the Pittsburg Dispatch.
The extraordinary case of Marguerite
Boyenval, who awoke after a trance
of twenty years. only to die almost
Immediately, is one that has attracted
the attention of the medical world
throughout Europe. Indeed, the case
is so extraordinary as to be without
a precedent in the history of pathol-
ogy.
Twenty years ago Mile. Marguerite
Boyenval, a not uncomely young wom-
an of %, who worked as a dressmaker
in the little industrial village Of The
nelles. near st. Quentin, was clandes-
timely confined. The child died, and
it was rumored in the village that
Marguerite had killed her babe. The
rumor was untrue, but the young
woman was of a nervous and hysteri-
cal disposition and the report that got
about greatly distressed her.
The authorities heard of the affair
and sent gendarmes to the village to
hold an inquiry On May II, 1888,
Marguerite was engaged in ironing
linen in the garden in front of her
mothers cottage, when a neighbor see
ing two gendarmeS approaching, called
out, Marguerite, the gendarmes have
come to arrest Youa" Immediately
the young woman uttered a loud
scream and fell into a violent fit of
Mysteries. She was lifted up and car
ried into the house, and the doctor
was sent for.
This was DR.. Cltarlier then a young
man practicing in the adjoining town
ship of Origny. The doctor, who is now
the Mayor of Origny, has never ceased
during the whole twenty years to at
tend his interesting patient.
The Treatment Begun.
He started by administering ener-
getic remedies, but the young woman no
sooner recovered from one fit than she
had another. This continued for TWEEN
ty-four hours, at the end of which time
she fell into a calm, cataleptic sleep.
This went on for days, the only sign
of life being occasional violent nerv-
Gus contractions of the hands
At the end of fortnight condition
of corpse-like rigidity set in and the
jaws became firmly locked together. DR..
Charlier proceeded to apply subcuta-
neous injections of sulphate of atropine
in infinitesimal doses. This had the
effect of restoring sensibility to the feet
and to the lower part of the legs. The
injections were continued daily and
sensibility gradually returned to all
parts of the body, moving upward I'M
till the neck was reached.
Here, however, the effects ceased, the
head maintaining its rigid insensibility.
The eyeballs were turned up and only
the whites were visible.
Seeing that he made no further prog
ress the doctor discontinued his injec-
tions. He reported the case to the
French Academy of Medicine and the
late Prof. Charcot came down from
Paris to see her. This eminent medi-
cal authority tried various methods Of
restoring the woman 10 life. including
the application OF electricity. but with
out result.
The Doctors PuzzIed.
The case aroused the utmost curios-
lily and Prof. Charcots visit was fol-
lowed az intervals by others from such
able scientists az DR. Lemendy. Prof
Yoisin Of the Saltpetiers Hospital ana
many American. British and German
specialists, but none Of these doctors
were able 10 arouse the "dormouse
Or sleeper OF Thenelles. as shs had
come % be called.
Medical science confessed itsslf 20 be
fairly puzzled. the more 20 as the WON.
ans respiration Remained perfectly
nounaL though her quotations BeFs