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food, whenever it was offered to her; and when the bread was put into her left hand, and the hand raised by another person to her mouth, she immediately began to eat slowly, but unremittingly, munching like a rabbit, till it was finished. It was remarked, that if it happened to be a slice of loaf which she was eating, she turned the crust when she came to it, so as to introduce it more easily into her mouth, as if she had been fully sensible of what she was doing. But when she had ceased to eat, her hand dropped upon her chin or under lip, and rested there, till it was replaced by her side, or upon her breast. She took medicine, when it was administered, as readily as food, without any indication of disgust; and, in this way, by means of castor oil and aloetic pills, her bowels were kept open; but no evacuation ever took place without the use of a laxative. It was observed, that she always gave a signal, by pushing down the bed-clothes, when she had occasion to make any evacuation. The eye-lids were uniformly shut, and, when forced open, the ball of the eye appeared turned upwards, so as to shew only the white part of it. Her friends shewed considerable reluctance to allow any medical means to be used for her recovery; but, about the middle of July, her head was shaved, and a large blister applied, which remained nineteen hours, and produced an abundant issue, yet without exciting the smallest symptom of uneasiness in the patient. Sinapisms were also applied to her feet, and her legs were moved from hot water into cold, and vice versa, without any appearance of sensation. In this state she remained, without any apparent alteration, till Tuesday the 8th day of August, precisely six weeks from the time when she was first seized with her lethargy, and without ever appearing to be awake, except, as mentioned, on the afternoon of Friday the 30th of June. During the whole of this period, her colour was generally that of health; but her complexion rather more delicate than iusual, and occasionally changing, sometimes to paleness, and at other times to a feverish flush. The heat of her body was natural; but, when lifted out of bed, she generally became remarkably cold. The state of her pulse was not regularly marked; but, during the first two weeks, it was generally at 50; during the third and fourth week, about 60; and, on the day before her recovery, at 70 or 72; whether its increase was gradual, was not ascertained. She continued, during the whole period, to breathe in the same soft and almost imperceptible manner as at first; but was observed occasionally, during the night time, to draw her breath more strongly, like a person who had fallen asleep. She discovered no symptoms of hearing, till about four days before her recovery; when, upon being requested (as she had often been before, without effect) to give a sign if she heard what was said to her, she made a slight motion with her left hand, but soon ceased again to shew any sense of hearing. On Tuesday forenoon, the day of her recovery, she shewed evident signs of hearing; and by moving her left hand, intimated her assent or dissent in a tolerably intelligent manner; yet, in the afternoon of the same day, she seemed to have again entirely lost all sense of hearing. About eight o'clock on Tuesday evening, her father, a shrewd intelligent man, and of a most respectable character, anxious to avail himself of her recovered sense of hearing, and hoping to rouse her faculties by alarming her fears,[1] sat down at her bed-side, and told her that he had now given consent, (as was in fact the case,) that she should be removed to the Montrose Infirmary; that, as her case was remarkable, the doctors would naturally try every kind of experiment for her recovery; that he was very much distressed, by being obliged to put her entirely into their hands; and would "fain hope" that this measure might still be rendered unnecessary, by her getting better before the time fixed for her removal. She gave evident signs of hearing him, and assented to his proposal of having the usual family-worship in her bedroom. After this was over, she was lifted into a chair till her bed should be
- ↑ Lest it might be supposed, that this procedure of the father implied a suspicion on his part of some deception being practised by the young woman, it may be proper to state, that it was suggested by his own experience in the case of another daughter, who had been affected many years before in a very extraordinary degree with St Vitus's dance, or, as it is termed in this country, "The louping ague;" and who was almost instantaneously cured by the application of terror.