The autobiography of Elizabeth Squirrell of Shottisham, and selections from her writings : together with an examination and defence of her statements relative to her sufferings, blindness, deafness, entire abstinence from food and drink during twenty-five weeks, and other extraordinary phenomena: also facts and opinions illustrative and suggestive / by one of her watchers.

  • Squirrell, Elizabeth, 1838-
Date:
1853
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The autobiography of Elizabeth Squirrell of Shottisham, and selections from her writings : together with an examination and defence of her statements relative to her sufferings, blindness, deafness, entire abstinence from food and drink during twenty-five weeks, and other extraordinary phenomena: also facts and opinions illustrative and suggestive / by one of her watchers. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    solid food; and as I could not receive it into my stomach freely, I took only fluid, and only one kind—milk. New milk, boiled and sweetened with sugar, became my only food. As summer advanced I revived very much, so as to converse for an hour without sinking. ‘ I was very much paralyzed, and subject to violent spasmodic contractions, and palpitation of the heart; so convulsive as to heave me from the bed. My disease was then in its embryo state, as will presently be seen. My communication with my friends was, of consequence, very limited. I received words from them by their writing upon my hand or forehead. This was my only medium to receive ideas for several months, till, one day, a young friend introduced in the following way a far better process. He wrote thus : “ Have you ever learned the finger-alphabet, or manual of signs ? ” I replied, “I knew something of it at school.” “ Shall I teach it you? ” “I should be most happy to learn, but persons would not be likely to know it sufficiently to communicate by it.” “Oh! but they would soon learn.” I agreed to learn it, and did so in a quarter- of-an-hour. He made the sign, and wrote the letter it expressed upon my hand. I was now possessed of an invaluable means of enjoyment, and a much quicker, and much less perplexing and fatiguing method, by which to receive anything those around me wished to convey. It has been an invaluable acquisition, and an exhaustlcss source of pleasure; for how many gems of genius, and some from those similiarly situated to myself, should I remain without, but for these precious signs. ‘But I must now mention some facts which will look astounding, and their veracity will, doubtless, be