Year: 1871

A correspondent DR.. J. M. Hughes)
of the Meridian Gazette, furnishes a
horror in the shape of an account Of a
woman being devoured alive by worms.
The woman lives in Newton county.
The Doctor is treating the case. OF it
he says


Symptoms-I3h first sensation is a
creeping feeling under the skin, pro-
ducing very unpleasant tickling.
They commence at any portion of the
whenever one is felt to move there is
no rest for the worm or patient until it
makes it's way through the skin, and
when it gets through, only lives long
enough to prove that it is an animal,
making few efforts to crawl after it
gets through the skin, and in few mo-
ments there is no evidence of life, CIV
ing us no chance to find out the best
plan for killing the animal while under
the skin. While in the flesh it seews to
be very strong, with great locomotive
power, travelling from place to place
under the skin at the rate of from four
to six inches per hour, at all times
seeming to be hunting a place to get
through to the surface. Whenever it
makes an effort to come through it pro-
duces very keen pain, like the sting of
q poisonous insect. It very often makes
the effort to come through, and after
giving considerable pain he removes to
some other part, as though it was hunt
ing an easier place for it's exit. They
can be felt to crawl under the skin as
they go from place to place, as sensibly
as fly can be felt to crawl over the
face = whenever they come, or attempt
to come, through the skin, they produce
intense pain, redness and swelling, and
a tumor forms from the size of hens
egg to that of a teacup, and in the
course of from four to six hours, it
either comes out or removes to some
other part. Some of the places
suppurate and it comes out covered with
flesh; others make their appearance
covered in blood, the latter giving the
most pain; they have visited almost
every part of the body aa7S;H .gails7a
/ q And nothing that has been done as
yet seems to give any relief, or to STOP
their propagation.


The places where they come through
the skin seem to be obstinate in heal
ing. The first one came through about
twelve days. ago, and the place is not
we'll yet, each place discharging from
five to ten drops of unhealthy-lookine
pus per day. The worm leaves a hole
where he comes out as if a com
mon sized pegging- -awl had been thrust
through piece of solid leather, retain
ing it's roundness for several days
There have been about ten that have
made their way through the skin.
attempted to kill them under the Skin
by dividing it with my lancet, and fail
ing to get out but one half of the worm
the part infamed very much, and pre-
sented the appearance of erysipelas
inflammation; the others killed by
pressure, resulted about as the former
but both yielding to the common
treatment of local Inflammation; poul
i tices, &c.


/ In being more particular in descrlb
ing this animal, Twill tell you how on'
of them came to the surface it com
menced at the external ear, giving mos
, intense pain, so much so was compel


ed to use large doses of morphine; Il
the course of six hours it left this plac


and travelled along III the direction
. the forehead, passing over the tempora


artery near the eye, then it gave grea


pain; finally making its way under th


scalp, not far from the edge of the hair


it made its appearance in tumor sbou
the size of a hens egg, covered wit
blood and pus.


; The worm is about one inch to on
and quarter inches long, and abou
! the size of a Large broom straw, lookin
very much like the fish bait, commonl


callen sawyer, that we find under firr


bark of decayed trees.


The patient is lady about twenty
, three years old, fair complexion, moth
: of three children, constituted yer
good, no scrofuIous tumor in the family
l If treatment proves successful, Wi
give it to you soon.