Volume 1
Descriptive catalogue of the pathological specimens contained in the museum of the Royal College of Surgeons of England.
- Royal College of Surgeons of England. Museum.
- Date:
- 1846-9
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Descriptive catalogue of the pathological specimens contained in the museum of the Royal College of Surgeons of England. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.
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![her ; and all the medicines that could be imagined were employed now, as at all times before, in vain. In December, 1810, she remained insensible, with her body covered by sweat, with cold extremities, and death-like paleness, for seven days. No obstruc- tion of the breath could rouse her for more than the time during which suffocation was imminent; and for six days she was believed to have complete suppression of urine. After these days she awoke spontaneously, had several rigors which were followed by feverish- ness, and in nine days all her former signs of illness ceased. For the next eight years her good health was interrupted only by attacks of measles, and other incidental ill- nesses; and it may be here remarked tliat, during all her former illness, there was nothing whatever in her conduct to lead to a suspicion that she either feigned or volun- tarily exaggerated her flisease. On the 8th of January, 1819, she was seized with the most acute pain and tenderness of the abdomen, which continued unabated for several days, and was attended by dis- charge of blood from the stomach and intestines. On the 2nd of February a tumour like a deep-seated abscess was felt below the umbilicus; and ten days after this, the patient being extremely reduced, and apparently at the point of death, Professor Herholdt made an exploratory incision into the tumour. No pus, but a little blood, flowed ; and he extracted a sewing-needle from the wound. The patient was relieved, but only for a time; for, three days after, a tumour appeared in the left lumbar region, and, on being opened, another needle was extracted from it. Between the 12tli of February, 1819, and the 10th of August, 1820, two hundred and seventy-three needles, of different sizes, were extracted through incisions from various parts of the body, from one to seventeen being extracted at each time, and from one day to five months inter- vening between the operations. They were all blackened by oxydation, and many were broken. Whenever needles came to the surface, the patient used to Iiave vomiting of blood and hiccup. She often complained of extreme pain in the part at which needles were afterwards extracted for some time before they appeared ; and whenever this hap- pened, the Professor used to search for the needles by separating considerable portions of the skin of the part from the subjacent muscles. About this time the patient's mother had an attack of apoplexy, and became paralytic ; and shortly after, the patient herself had paralysis of both arms and aphonia. After the 10th of August no needles appeared for some time, and the patient gradually lost her paralytic symptoms, and completely recovered her health and strength; but her whole abdomen was so marked with scars [of the wounds from wliich needles had been extracted] that it was like a map. In May, 1821, a very large tumour appeared in the light axilla; and between this montli and July, 1822, more than one hundred more needles were extracted from about the shoulder. The patient had also now retention of urine, like that in 1810. After tins, diabetes irtsipidus came on; and soon after, a copious discharge of tiuid like urine from tlie vagina. At length, however, after these discharges had con- tinued a long time, both these and a frequent discharge of air by the urethra, as well as a paralysis of the right arm, and complete inability to leave her bed, were discovered t(j be feigned ; for the patient Ijeing M'atched through a hole made in her door, was seen moving about in her room, writing with her paralytic arm, and injecting air with an enema pipe and bladder through her urethra. The history, however, does not give any](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b24758139_0001_0045.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
