The Oskaloosa herald., 1904-11-24
WAS LIVING MONSTER.
Creature Removed From Weston
Child Was Sea Animal.

Des Moines, Nov. 23.-The remark
able case of Stella Weston, the young
girl who died from an operation for
the removal of a strange object from
her stomach is thus officially summar-
lied by the attending physician:
Correct statement as regards the
peculiar specimen taken from the
stomach of Stella Weston, by surgical
operation performed by DR.. Joseph
H. Drake, assisted by Drs. A. M. Linn
and G. e. Holloway.
Stella Weston was fourteen years
old and small for her age, lived with
her parents at 22O4 School street. The
child, while bright in mind has never
been strong and her parents have
known that she had stomach trouble
during the last eight years, and from
the history Of the case it is suspicion
ed that the specimen in her stomach
existed when she was born and has
gradually grown as she has grown,un-
til the last six months it has grown
rapidly, and the weight gave her
more distress, especially while walk
ing.
"She has been treated by many ply
sicians for catarrh of the stomach, DR..
w, G. Condit being the first to dis
cover the tumification in her stomach,
about one year ago. and advised an
operation, but on account of diversion
in opinion Of physicians her parents
did not have the operation performed.
"On July "a, 1904, the child was TAX
en- to DR.. Joseph H. Drake, 2201 Cot
tage Grove avenue, who, after a care
full examination, X-ray and otherwise,
decided that here was a foreign body
in her stomach and advised an explo-
ratory incision to positively prove the
diagnosis, and through the persistent
insistence of the child to have the op-
Grafton performed, the parents con.
scented, and during the preparatory
stage of the treatment by DR.. Drake,
the attending physician, as a result OF
a cathartic, she passed, pei bowels,
immense quantities of hair, similar to
her own, very light in color. This
al accounted for by the ravenous
hunger of the child at all times. She
was discovered. eating her hair during
the night, her hair being very light,
and the hair on the specimen very
dark brown, not resembling each 9TH
err in the least.
ION Monday morning, November Z,
DR.. Drake called to his assistance Drs.
Linn and Holloway and the explora-
tory incision was made into the stom.
ach and the foreign body found. The
incision was enlarged and the speci.
men removed. The inner walls of the
stomach were found thick and spongy
and very dark in color. The stomach
and abdominal cavities were cleanset
with saline solution and carefully
closed. The child revived from the
operation and was bright and cheerful
for about thirty hours when the heart
began to fail from collapse of the
over-distended stomach, and at the
end of thirty-four hours she died.
Description Of the foreign body
found: Weight two pounds and two
ounces; length Of shell, twelve and one
half inches las hard as a turtle shell) +;
circumference, eight ana one-half
inches; hair all over; short hair Gov
ering major portion of body; hair like
a buffalo, extnding from the snout the
entire length of back to tail, averag-
ing three to four inches in length.
Body curved the shape Of the stom.
ach.
November IL, 1904, specimen exam
ined internally. We find coarse, mat
ted hair, dark brown, through the
body; hair imbedded in a hard glutin-
u matter; size of tube in body about
ive-eighIhs of an inch in diameter, on
the principals, of a crane. I have de-
cided that here must have been some
vegetable or other life. The hair be-
ing very coarse on the interior, much
more so than or the exterior, but no
sign Of having accumulated any hair
swallowed by the child since its first
formation but has apparently grown
rapidly in the last eight years and
has attracted largely from the vitality
of the child. 1t is positively certain
that this specimen is not an accumu,
lation Of Stella Weston's hair. Facts
existing show it."
The girl was ~passionately fond OF
raw oysters. She ate them in great
quantities when a mere child. She be.
lieved herself that she had taken into
her stomach in an oyster, the germ
of some strange sea monster, which
grew in comparison with herself
This seems as plausible as any theory,
as it certainly was alive, and was un'
like any creature of the land.
Joseph M. Drake, NJ. D."