Spiritualism
and
Allied Causes and Conditions
of
Nervous Derangement
by
William A. Hammond, M.D.
Professor of Diseases of the Mind and Nervous System in the Medical
Department of the University of the City of New York, etc.
"Ratio quasi quaedam lux lumenque vitae." - Cicero
New York
G. P. Putnam's Sons
182 Fifth Avenue
1876
FASTING GIRLS.
ANOTHER remarkable class of deceptions occasionally induced by hysteria
is that embracing the "fasting girls " as they are called. They have
existed
for many years.
Görres gives a number of examples occurring among male and
female saints and
other holy persons, but the records of profane history contain far more
remarkable
instances. Some of these may appropriately be considered in the present
chapter,
while others will find their proper place in that which follows. As
"fasting girls " are a
kind of periodical phenomenon in our own day, I shall enter at some
length into the
consideration of a few remarkable cases, and of the rationale of their
existence.
Among these, is that of Margaret Weiss. a young girl ten years of age,
who lived at
Rode, a small village near Spires. and whose history has come down to
us through
various channels, but principally from Geraldus Bucoldianus.* who had
the medical
| *
"De puella quae sine cibo et potu vitam transigit." Parisiis Ann.
MDXLII. |
charge of her, and who wrote a little book describing his patient.
Margaret is said to have abstained from all food and drink for three
years, in the mean
time growing, walking about, laughing, and talking like other children
of her age.
During the first year, however. she suffered greatly from pains on her
head and abdomen,
and, a common condition in hysteria - all four of her limbs were
contracted. She passed neither urine nor faeces. Margaret, though
only ten years old - hysteria develops the secretive faculties- played
her part so well that, after being watched by the priest of the parish
and Dr.
Bucoldianus, she was considered free from all juggling, and was sent
home to her
friends by order of the King, " not," the doctor adds, "without great
admiration
and princely gifts." Although fully accepting the fact of Margaret's
abstinence, Dr.
Bucoldianus appears to have been somewhat staggered, for he asks very
pertinently :
" Whence comes the animal heat, since she neither eats nor drinks, and
why does the
body grow when nothing goes into it ?'
Schenckius* quotes from Paulus Lentulus the "Wonderful History of the
Fasting of
| *
"Ilacarnchoewv (original undecipherable), sive observationum medicarum,
novarum, admirabilium et monstrasarum volumen: tomis septem de toto
homine institutum." Lugduni 1606, p. 306. These cases are cited by
Wanley in his "Wonders of the Little World,"
but I have taken care in most instances to refer to the originals,
several of
which are in my library. |
Appolonia Schreira, a virgin in Berne." Lentulus states that he was
with this maid on three occasions, and that, by order of the magistrate
of Berne, she was
taken to that city and a strict guard kept upon her. All kinds of means
were set in
operation to detect imposture if any existed. but none was discovered,
and she was
set at liberty as a genuine case of ability to live without food. In
the first year of
her fasting she scarcely slept, and in the second year never closed her
eyes in sleep;
and so she continued for a long while after.
Schenckius also advances the case of Katharine Binder, of the
Palatinate, who was closely watched by a clergyman, a statesman, and
two doctors of
medicine, without the detection of fraud on her part. She was said to
have taken nothing
but air into her system for nine years and more, as Lentulus reported
on the
authority of Fabricius. This last-named physician told Lentulus of
another case,
that of a girl fourteen years old, who certainly had taken neither food
nor drink for
at least three years.
But," says Dr. Hakewel,* " the strangest that I have met with of this
kind, is the
|
*" Wonders of the Little World." London, 1806, p. 375.
|
history of Eve Fliegen, out of Dutch translated into English, and
printed at London, Anno 1611, who, being born at Meurs, is said to have
taken no kind of
sustenance for the space of fourteen years together; that is, from the
year of her
age, twenty-two to thirty-six, and from the year of our Lord 1567 (sic)
to 1611 ; and
this we have confirmed by the testimony of the magistrates of the town
of Meurs. as
also by the minister who made trial of her in his house thirteen days
together by
all the means he could devise, but could detect no imposture." Over the
picture of
this maid, set in front of the Dutch copy, stand these Latin verses
"Meursae haec quam cernis decies ter, sexque peregit, Annos, bis septem
prorsus non viscitur annis Nec potat, sic sola sedet, sic pallida vitam
Ducit, et exigui se oblectat floribus horti."
Thus rendered in the English copy:
"This maid of Meurs thirty and six years spent, Fourteen of which she
took no nourishment;
Thus pale and wan she sits sad and alone, A garden's all she loves to
look upon."
Franciscus Citesius,* physician to the King of France and to Cardinal
Richelieu,
|
* Opuscula Medica. Parislis, 1639, pp. 64, 65, 66.
|
devotes a good deal of space and attention to the case of Joan Balaam,
a native of the city of Constance. She was well grown, but of bad
manners. About
the eleventh year of her age she was attacked with a fever, and among
other symptoms
vomited for twenty days. Then she became speechless and so continued
for
twenty-four days. Then she talked, but her speech was raving and
incoherent.
Finally she lost all power of motion and of sensibility in the parts
below the head and
could not swallow. From thenceforth she could not be persuaded to take
food. Six
months afterwards she regained the use of her limbs, but the inability
to
swallow remained and she acquired a great loathing for all kinds of
meat and drink. The
secretions and excretions appeared to be arrested. Nevertheless she was
very
industrious, employing her time in running errands, sweeping the house,
spinning,
and such like. This maid continued thus fasting for the space of nearly
three years,
and then by degrees took to eating and drinking again.
Before coming to more recent cases, there is one other to which I
desire to refer for the reason mainly that in it there was probably
organic disease in
addition to fraud and hysteria. It is cited by Fabricius* and by
Wanley. Anno
Dom., a maid of about
|
Observationum et curationum chirurgicae, centuria secunda. Geneva,
1611, p.116. |
thirteen years was brought out of the dukedom of Juliers to Cologne,
and there in a broad street at the sign of the White Horse exposed to
the sight of as many as desired to see her. The parents of
this maid affirmed that she had lived without any kind of food or drink
for the
space of three whole years; and this they confirmed by the testimony of
divers
persons, such as are worthy of credit. Fabricius observed her with
great care. She was
of a sad and melancholy countenance; her whole body was sufficiently
fleshy except
only her belly, which was compressed so as that it seemed to cleave to
her
back-bone. Her liver and the rest of her bowels were perceived to be
hard by laying
the hand on the belly. As for excrements, she voided none; and did so
far abhor all
kinds of food, that when one, who came to see her privately, put a
little sugar in her
mouth she immediately swooned away. But what was most wonderful was,
that this
maid walked up and down, played with other girls, danced, and did all
other
things that were done by girls of her age; neither had she any
difficulty of
breathing, speaking or crying out. Her parents declared that she had
been in this condition
for three years.
A great many more to the same effect might be adduced, but the
foregoing are sufficient to indicate the fact that belief in the
possibility of such
occurrences was quite general, and that if doubt did exist in regard to
their real
nature, it was not so strong as not readily to be overcome by the
tricks and devices of
hysterical women. In the following instances of more modern date the
reader will perceive
the view which is taken of them by physicians of the present day, and
will
doubtless discover their real nature.
About sixty-five years ago, a woman of Sudbury, in Staffordshire,
England, named Ann Moore, declared that she did not eat, and a number
of persons
volunteered to watch her, in order to ascertain whether or not she was
speaking the
truth. The watch was continued for three weeks and then the watchers,
as in other
instances, reported that Ann Moore was a real case of abstinence from
food of all
kinds. The Bible was always kept open on Ann's bed. Her emaciation was
so extreme
that it was said her vertebral column could be felt through the
abdominal
walls. This sad condition was asserted to have been caused by her
washing the linen of
a person affected with ulcers. From that time she experienced a dislike
for
food, and even nausea at the sight or mention of it.
As soon as the watchers reported in favor of the genuineness of Ann's
pretensions her notoriety increased, and visitors came from all parts
of the
country, leaving donations to the extent of two hundred and fifty
pounds in the course
of two years. Doubts, however, again arose, and, bold from the immunity
she had
experienced from the first investigation, Ann in an evil moment, for
the
continuance of her fraud, consented to a second watching. This
committee was composed of notable
persons. among them being Sir Oswald Moslev. Bart., Rev. Legh Richmond,
Dr. Fox,
and his son, and many other gentlemen of the country. Two of them were
always
in her room night and day. At the suggestion of Mr. Francis Fox, the
bedstead,
bedding, and the woman in it were placed on a weighing machine, and
thus it was ascertained that she regularly lost weight daily. At the
expiration of
the ninth day of this strict watching, Dr. Fox found her evidently
sinking and told her
she would soon die unless she took food. After a little prevarication,
the woman
signed a written confession that she was an impostor, and had "
occasionally taken
sustenance for the last six years." She also stated that during the
first watch of
three weeks her daughter had contrived, when washing her face, to feed
her every
morning, by using towels made very wet with gravy, milk, or strong
arrowroot gruel, and
had also conveyed food from mouth to mouth in kissing her, which it is
presumed
she did very often.*
|
* Wonderful Characters : By Henry Wilson and James Caulfield. London.
|
In a clinical lecture delivered at St. George's Hospital,* Dr. John W.
Ogle calls
| *
British Medical Journal |
attention to the simulation of fasting as. a manifestation of hysteria,
and relates the following amusing case:
A girl strongly hysterical, aged twenty, in spite of all persuasion and
medical treatment, refused every kind of food, or if made to eat, soon
vomited
the contents of the stomach. On November 6th. 1869, whilst the girl was
apparently
suffering in the same manner, the Queen passed the hospital on her way
to open
Blackfriars bridge. She arose in bed so as to look out of the window,
although up
to this time declaring that every movement of her body caused intense
pain. On
December 29, the following letter in the girl's handwriting, addressed
to another
patient in the same ward, was picked up from the floor:
'My Dear Mrs. Evens, I was very sorry you should take the trouble of
cutting me such a nice piece of bread and butter, yesterday. I would of
taken it
but all of them saw you send it, and then they would have made enough
to have talked
about. But I should be very glad if you would cut inc a nice piece of
crust and put it in a
piece of paper and send it, or else bring it, so that they do not see
it, for they all
watch me very much, and I should like to be your friend and you to be
mine. Mrs. Winslow,
(the nurse) is going to chapel. I will make it up with you when I can
go as far. Do
not send it if you cannot spare it. Good bye, and God bless you.'
Although she
prevaricated about this letter, she appears to have gradually improved
from this time on,
and one day walked out of the hospital and left it altogether. She
subsequently
wrote a letter to the authorities expressing her regret at having gone
on as she did.
One of the most remarkable instances of the kind, is that of Sarah
Jacob, known as the "Welsh Fasting Girl," and whose history and
tragical death excited
a great deal of comment in the medical and lay press in Great Britain a
few years
ago. The following account of the case is mainly derived from Dr.
Fowlers*
interesting work.
| *
A
complete History of the Welsh Fasting Girl (Sarah Jacob,) with Comments
thereon, and Observations on Death from Starvation. London, 1871 |
Sarah Jacob was born May 12th, 1857. Her parents were farmers and were
uneducated, simple minded, and ignorant persons. In her earlier years
she had been healthy, was intelligent, given to religious reading, and
was said
to have written poetry of her own composition. She was a very pretty
child and
was, according to the testimony of the vicar, the Rev. Evan Jones, a
"good
girl."
About February 15th, 1867, when she was not quite ten years of age, she
complained of pain in the pit of the stomach, and one morning on
getting up, she told her mother that she had found her mouth full of
bloody froth. The
pain continued, and medical attendance was obtained. Soon afterwards
she had
strong convulsions of an epileptiform character and then other spasms
of a
clearly hysterical form, during which her body was bent in the form of
a bow as
in tetanus, the head and heels only touching the bed. Then the muscular
spasm
ceased and she fell at full length on the bed. For a whole month she
continued in
a state of unconsciousness, suffering from frequent repetitions of
severe
convulsive attacks, during which time she took little food. Mr. Davies.
the surgeon, said
in his evidence, that she was for a whole month, in a kind of permanent
fit, living on
her back, with rigidity of all the muscles. For some time her life was
despaired of,
then her fits ceased to be convulsive and consisted of short periods of
loss of
consciousness with sudden awakings. For the next two or three months
(till August,
1867) she took daily, from six, gradually decreasing to four,
teacupfuls of rice and
milk, or oatmeal and milk, which, according to her father's account,
was cast up again
immediately and blood and froth with it. During this time the bowels
were only
acted on once in six or nine days. "Up to this time," said her father,
"she could move
both arms and one leg, but the other leg was rigid."
By the beginning of October, 1867, her quantity of daily food had. it
was affirmed. dwindled down to nothing but a little apple about the
size of a pill,
which she took from a tea-spoon. At this time she made water about
every other day;
she looked very bad in the face, but was not thin. On the tenth day of
October, it
was solemnly declared that she ceased to take any food whatever, and so
continued
till the day of her death, December 17th, 1869, a period of two years,
two months, and
one week.
"Of the veracity of the assertion in respect of the one week," says Dr.
Fowler, "there is unfortunately plenty of evidence. To the absurdity of
believing in
the barest possibility of twenty-six months absolute abstinence, it is
sufficient
to reply that when to our knowledge, she was completely deprived of
food, the girl
died The parents most persistently impressed upon every private as well
as
official visitor, both before and during the last fatal watching, that
the girl did not
take food that she could not swallow that whenever food was mentioned
to her she became as
it were, excited that when it was offered to her she would have a fit,
or the
offer would make her ill. The sworn testimony of the vicar, the Rev.
Wm. Thomas, Sister
Clinch, Anne Jones, and the other nurses, is sufficiently confirmative
on this
point. Furthermore, the parents went so far as to expressly forbid the
mere mention of food
in the girl's presence."
Towards the end of October, 1867, the case had attracted so much
attention that the inhabitants in the neighborhood first began visiting
the marvellous
little girl.
"In the beginning of November of the same year, the Rev. Evan Jones,
B,D., the vicar of the Parish, was sent for by the parents to visit
Sarah Jacob.
He was at once -by the mother told of the girl's wonderful fasting
powers; it was
admitted she took water occasionally. He was also informed of the
extraordinary
perversion of her natural functions (the suppression of urine and
faecal evacuations.) He
found her lying on her back in bed, which was covered with books. There
was
nothing then remarkable about her dress. The girl looked weak and
delicate, though
not pale, and answered only in monosyllables. 'The mother said her
child was very
anxious about the state of her soul, that it had such an effect upon
her mind
that she could not sleep. I asked her myself if she had a desire to
become a member of
the Church of England? She said 'Yes!' She continued to express that
wish
until July, 1869. At this time the reverend gentleman did not believe
in the
statements relative to the girl's abstinence. " Every time" he says,
"that I had a
conversation with her up to the end of 1868, the parents both persisted
that she lived without
food, and continued their statements in January and February, 1869. I
remonstrated with them and dwelt upon the apparent impossibility of the
thing. They still
persisted that it was a fact."
"Even as late as September, 1869, the vicar reiterated his ministerial
remonstrances. When, in the beginning of the spring of 1869, he
observed the fantastical changes the parents made in the girl's daily
attire, he
told them about the remarks made in the papers about this dressing and
dwelt upon the
impropriety of it. They replied, 'She had no other pleasure they did
not like denying it
to her.' During the following summer, finding that the girl looked more
plump in the
face and that her general improvement was more conspicuous, he said,
'Sarah is
evidently improving and gaining, and you say she takes no food ; you
are
certainly imposing on the public.' I then dwelt on the sinfulness of
continuing the fraud.
on the public. I said there were on record several cases of alleged
fasting,
some of which had been put to the test and had been discovered to be
impositions;
that those families would ever be held in execration by posterity, and
such would
be the case with them whenever this imposture was found out. The mother
then
assured me no imposition would be discovered in that house, because
there was none."
The father and mother both said that the Lord provided for her in a
most natural way, and that it was a miracle. The father always talked
about the "
Doctor Mawr," meaning God Almighty; that she was supported by that "Big
Doctor."
Then soon began the custom of leaving money or other presents with the
child, till at last every one who visited her, was expected to give
something. Open
house was kept and pilgrims came from near and far to see the wonderful
girl who
lived without food.
When money was not forthcoming, presents of clothes, finery, books, or
flowers, appear to have been substituted. Advantage was taken of these
presents
to bedeck the child in every variety of smartness, At one time she had
a
victorine about her neck and a wreath about her hair, then again,
ornaments and a jacket
on, and her hair neatly dressed with ribbons. At another time she had a
silk shawl
a victorine around her neck, a small crucifix attached to a necklace,
and little
ribbons above the wrists. She had drab gloves on and her bed was nearly
covered with
books.
Notwithstanding the alleged fasting, Sarah Jacob continued to improve
in health.
And now comes an astounding feature of this most remarkable case. The
vicar became convinced that the instance was one of real abstinence. A
little
hysterical girl twelve years of age, by her perseverance in lying, had
actually
succeeded in inducing an educated gentleman to accept the truth of her
statements!
The following letter which was published on the 19th of February, 1869,
speaks for
itself:-
"A STRANGE CASE.
"To the Editor of the Welshman.
"Sir: Allow me to invite the attention of your readers to a most
extraordinary case. Sarah Jacob, a little girl twelve years of age, and
daughter of
Mr. Evan Jacob. Lletherneuadd, in this parish, has not partaken of a
single grain of
any kind of food whatever, during the last sixteen months. She did
occasionally swallow
a few drops of water during the first few months of this period; but
now she does
not even do that. She still looks pretty well in the face and continues
in the
possession of all her mental faculties. She is in this and several
other respects, a
wonderful little girl.
"Medical men persist in saying that the thing is quite impossible, but
all the nearest neighbors, who are thoroughly acquainted with the
circumstances
of the case, entertain no doubt whatever of the subject. and I am
myself of
the same opinion.
"'Would it not be worth their while for medical men to make an
investigation into the nature of this strange case? Mr. Evan Jacob
would readily
admit into his house any respectable person who might be anxious to
watch it and to
see for himself.
"I may add, that Lletherneuadd is a farm-house about a mile from New
Inn, in this parish.
"Yours
faithfully, "THE VICAR OF LLANFIHANGEL-AR-ARTH."
The suggestions of the vicar relative to an investigation, were soon
after afterwards acted upon by certain gentlemen of the neighborhood. A
public meeting
was called and a committee of watchers was appointed to be constantly
in
attendance in the room with Sarah Jacob, and to observe to the best of
their ability,
whether or not she took any food during the investigation. It was
agreed that the
watching was to continue for a fortnight.
Prior to the beginning of this watching, no precautions were taken
against food being conveyed into the room and concealed there. The
parents actually
debarred the watchers from touching the child's bed. The very first
element of
success was therefore denied, and no wonder that the whole affair was
subsequently
regarded as an absurdity. The watching consisted in two different men
taking
alternate watches from eight till eight. The watching to see whether
the child partook of
food, commenced on March 22d, and ended April 5th, 1869 - a period of
fourteen days.
"During the above fortnight, one of the watchers, in turn, was always
close to her bed, and in her sight day and night, and at the time the
bed was being
made, which was generally every other morning, the four persons were
always present
and had every article thoroughly examined. The parents were allowed to
go near
the bed, as also was the little sister, six years old, who had been
Sarah's
constant companion and bedfellow.
"On Wednesday, April 7th, 1869, a public meeting was held at the Eagle
Inn, Llandyfeil, to hear the statements of the parents and of the
several
persons who had watched the child during the fourteen days. The parents
briefly
detailed the condition and symptoms of their daughter from the
commencement of her
illness. At no time during the whole fourteen days did the pulse ever
reach above
ninety per minute, although exceedingly changeable, as it always had
been. The
following evidence was received from the watchers, and it is said that
their
statements were duly verified on oath before a magistrate:-
Watcher No. 1 said: I, Evan Edward Smith, watched Sarah Jacob for two
consecutive nights, (i.e., nights 22d and 23d of March) at the request
of Mr. H. H. Davies, surgeon. The parents gave every facility to
investigate the
matter. I watched her with all possible care, and found nothing to
suspect that food or
drink was given her by foul means. I am quite sure she had nothing
during my watch. I
was dismissed on account of being suspected to doze on the second
night.
Watcher No. 2. This watcher watched Sarah Jacob for a whole fortnight,
and found no indications that the child had anything to eat or drink.
He was a
college student, Daniel Harris Davies. Watcher No. 3. John Jones, a
shopkeeper, gave similar evidence. He was a decided sceptic before he
began watching, but after twelve days was
thoroughly convinced of the fact that nothing in the shape of
nourishment was
given to the poor child. He watched every movement of all the inmates,
and found nothing
that would lead him to suspect that any nourishment was given to the
little girl.
Watcher No. 4. James Harris Davies, a medical student, spoke in like
manner, and was perfectly positive that nothing had been given to her
during the
fortnight he had watched there, with the exception of three drops of
water, once, to
moisten her lips with. He was as great a sceptic as any one before he
began watching,
but as he saw nothing to confirm his suspicions, he could
conscientiously say
that nothing had been given her during his watch.
Watcher No. 5. Evan Davies, of Powel Castle, who only watched her for
one day, gave similar evidence, but as he was a neighbor he was
dismissed for a
stranger.
Watcher No. 6. Herbert Jones, watched only one day, and spoke in a
similar manner, and was dismissed on account of his credulity.
Watcher No. 7. Thomas Davies, who had been the greatest sceptic of all,
was strongly convinced. He watched Sarah Jacob twelve days, and was
quite
positive that nothing could have been given her during his watch. He
watched her
with all possible care, and was very cautious to be in a prominent
place, where
Sarah Jacob's mouth was always in sight.
Evidence, however, was given which went to show that the watching was
very imperfectly performed; that occasionally the watchers left before
their
time had expired ; that intoxicating liquors were taken by them to the
house,
and that one of them was drunk while there. It was also shown that the
father and
mother had free access to the bed, while the watchers were absolutely
prohibited from
examining it. It is therefore with entire justification that Dr. Fowler
states that
the watching "was the greatest possible farce and mockery."
After the report of the watchers the notoriety of Sarah Jacob of course
became still greater; crowds came to visit her, and among others the
Rev. Frederic
Rowland Young went to see her, and made an unsuccessful effort to cure
her by
laying on of hands. When Dr. Fowler visited her, August 30th, 1869, on
getting out
at the nearest railway station, he was met by little boys bearing
placards
with the words " Fasting Girl," and "This is the shortest way to
Llethernoryadd-ucha,"
on them. In his letter to the Times, giving an account of his visit,
Dr. Fowler says:
"The first impression was most unfavorable, and to a medical man the
appearances
were most suspicious. The child was lying on a bed decorated as a
bride,
having around her head a wreath of flowers, from which was suspended a
smart ribbon,
the ends of which were joined by a small bunch of flowers, after the
present
fashion of ladies bonnet strings. Before her, at proper reading
distance, was an open
Welsh book, supported by two other books on her body. The blanket
covering was
clean, tidy, and perfectly smooth. Across the fire-place, which was
nearly opposite
the foot of her bed, was an arrangement of shelves, well stocked with
English and
Welsh books, the gifts of various visitors to the house. The child is
thirteen years of age, and is undoubtedly very pretty. Her face was
plump, and her cheeks and
lips of a beautiful rosy color. Her eyes were bright and sparkling, the
pupils
were very dilated, in a measure explicable by the fact of the child's
head and
face being shaded from the window-light by the projecting side of the
cupboard
bedstead. There was that restless movement and frequent looking out at
the
corners of the eyes so characteristic of simulative disease.
Considering the
lengthened inactivity of the girl, her muscular development was very
good, and the amount of fat
layer not inconsiderable. My friend stated that she looked even better
than she did about a twelvemonth ago. There was a slight perspiration
over the surface of
the body. The pulse was perfectly natural, as were also the sounds of
the lungs and
heart, so far as I was enabled to make a stethoscopic examination.
Having received
permission to do this, I proceeded to make the necessary derangement of
dress,
when the girl went off into what the mother called a fainting fit. This
consisted of
nothing but a little and momentary hysterical crying and sobbing. The
color never
left the lips or cheeks. The pulse remained of the same power.
Consciousness could have
been but slightly diminished, inasmuch as on my then opening the
eyelids I
perceived a distinct upward and other movement of the eyeballs. Each
percussion
stroke of my examination, and even the pressure of the stethoscope,
produced an
expression of pain, which elicited a natural sympathy from the mother,
and an
assertion that a continuance of such examination would bring on further
fits. On
percussing the region of the stomach, I most distinctly perceived tile
sound of
gurgling, which we know to be caused by the admixture of air and fluid
in motion. The most
positive assertion of the parents was subsequently made that saving a
fortnightly moistening of her lips with cold water, the child had
neither ate nor drank
anything for the last twenty-three months. The whole region of the
belly was tympanitic, and
the muscular walls of this cavity were tense and drum-like a condition
not
infrequently concomitant of a well-known class of nervous disorders.
The child's
intellectual faculties and special senses were perfectly healthy.
Before her illness
she was very much devoted to religious reading. This devotion has
lately
considerably increased. She is a member of the Church of England, and
has been confirmed."
Dr. Fowler then adds some other interesting particulars, all going to
show the impossibility of the girl's being the subject of any
exhausting
disease, or of even having been continuously in bed, as her parents
asserted, for nearly
two years; and then says:
"The whole case is in fact one of simulative hysteria, in a young girl
having the propensity to deceive very strongly developed. Therewith may
be probably associated the power or habit of prolonged fasting. Both
patient and
mother admitted the occasional occurrence of the choking sensation
called
globus hystericus.
This letter excited renewed discussion in the newspapers, and a second
public meeting was called to make arrangements for a second watching.
At this
meeting it was decided to bring down from Guy's Hospital, London,
several trained
nurses, who were to conduct the watching; and the following resolutions
were
adopted, as expressing the terms under which the inquiry was to be
conducted
1. It would be advisable, before taking any steps in the matter, to
obtain a written legal guarantee from the father of Sarah Jacob
sanctioning the
necessary proceedings. 2. That the duty of the nurses shall be to watch
Sarah
Jacob with a view to ascertain whether she partakes of any kind of
food, and at the
end of a fortnight to report upon the case before the local committee
in
Carmarthenshire, and, if required, at Guy's Hospital. 3. That two
nurses shall be
constantly awake and on the watch in the girl's room, night and day. 4.
It would be
advisable for the nearest medical practitioner to watch the progress of
the case; and it
will be absolutely necessary for him to be prepared against any serious
symptoms of exhaustion, super-veiling on the strict enforcement of the
watching,
and to act according to his judgment. 5. That the room in which the
girl sleeps
shall be bared of all unnecessary furniture, and all possible places in
the room for the
concealment of food shall be closed and kept under the continual
scrutiny of the
watchers. 6. That if considered desirable by the local medical
practitioner, or by the
nurses, the bedstead on which the girl now lies shall be replaced by a
single iron
one. 7. That the bed on which the parents now sleep, in Sarah Jacob's
room, shall be
given up absolutely to the nurses. 8. That the parents be not allowed
to sleep
in the same room as the girl; that if they cannot at all times be
prevented from
approaching her, they should be previously searched (their pockets and
other recesses of
clothing as well as the interior of their mouths); and that no wetted
towels or
other such articles be allowed to be used about the girl by the
parents, or any other
person save the nurses; that the children of the family, and in fact
every other person
whatever (except the nurses), have similar restraints put upon them. 9.
That the
nurses have the sole management of preparing the room, bed, and
patient, prior to
the commencement of the watching. 10. That, as it is asserted the
action of
the bowels and bladder is entirely suspended, special attention must be
directed
to these organs.
Four experienced women nurses were accordingly deputed from Guy's
Hospital to take the entire charge of Sarah Jacob, and to watch her for
fourteen
days. They were instructed not to prevent her having food if she asked
for it, but
they were to see that she got none without their knowledge. On the 9th
of December,
1869, at 4 p.m., the room was cleared of people and the watching began.
In the first place it was ascertained that the girl had repeated
evacuations of urine, and once, at least, of faeces.
Gradually evidences of mental and physical disturbance began to appear.
The watch was so closely kept that no food or drink reached the child,
and
she did not ask for any.
"At 10 P. M.," to quote the language of the journal kept by the sister
nurse, " she was restless and threw her arms about. She was very cold,
and the
nurses put warm flannels on her. This was the last day on which she
passed urine.
Thursday, December 16, 3 A. M, She was rolling from one side of the bed
to the other. At half-past three she wished the bed made, and they made
it.
She was looking very pale and anxious. Her eyes were sunk and her nose
pinched,
and the cheek bones were prominent. Her arms and hands were cold, her
feet and
legs were the same. Ann Jones, one of the nurses, says in her
memoranda,
"She was very restless and appeared to me to he sinking. Her lips were
very dry,
and her mouth seemed parched." The peculiar smell (the starvation
smell) about
the bed was so strong as to make the sister nurse quite ill.
At 11 A. M., the vicar saw her and told the parents that the child was
gradually failing, and suggested to them the propriety of sending the
nurses away
and giving her a chance to obtain food, but they refused, saying that
there was
nothing to do but what the nurses were doing, and that they had seen
her quite as
weak before. The parents were urged by others to give up the fight by
sending the
nurses away, but they refused on the ground that want of food had
nothing to do with
the symptoms, and that she would not eat whether the nurses were there
or
not. Ann Jones subsequently testified before the coroner: "Before one
and
two o clock on Thursday afternoon (Dec. 16), she kept talking to
herself. I could
not understand whether she was speaking Welsh or English. Up to that
time I could
understand her. She pointed her fingers at some books ; I gave her one,
but she took no
notice of it ; she was not able to read it. Both parents were then told
the girl was
dying."
Repeatedly they were begged to withdraw the nurses, and again and again
they refused, saving there was no occasion that she had often been in
that
way, that it was not from want of food, etc. The girl became weaker and
weaker; low,
muttering delirium ensued, and on the 17th of December, 1869, at about
half-past
three o'clock, P.M., the "Welsh Fasting Girl died, actually starved to
death,
in the middle of the nineteenth century and in one of the most
Christian and
civilized countries of the world!
But this was not the end. Public opinion was much excited both against
those who had sanctioned and conducted what appeared to have been a
senseless and
cruel experiment, and against the father and mother who had wilfully
and
persistently refused to allow food to be given to the dying child. A
coroner's
inquest was held, and the coroner appears to have made a very
satisfactory charge to the
jury after the rendition of the testimony. He said there could be no
doubt of the
child having died of starvation, and that the responsibility rested
with the father,
who had knowingly and designedly failed to cause his child to take
food. The
mother was not responsible unless it could be shown that she had been
given food for
the child by the father, and had withheld it from her. It was
marvellous, he said,
how the father could have made out such a story such a hideous mass of
nonsense, as he
had under oath attempted to impose on the jury.
The jury deliberated for a quarter of an hour, and then returned a
verdict of "Died from starvation, caused by negligence to induce the
child to take food
on the part of the father;" which constituted manslaughter.
Evan Jacob was therefore arrested. But the Secretary of State for the
Home Department took the matter up and determined that the proceedings
should go farther than the local authorities intended. At first it was
contemplated to indict the members of the General Committee for
conspiracy, but it was finally
concluded to include only the medical gentlemen who had accepted the
responsibility
of superintending the watching, as well as both parents of the deceased
child.
The initial proceeding took place before a full bench of magistrates,
and continued eight days. The Crown and the accused had eminent
counsel, and many
witnesses were examined. At the conclusion of the inquiry the presiding
magistrate announced that it had been determined by the court that no
case had been made out
against the physicians, who had not been shown to have undertaken any
other
duty than that of advising the nurses, and that it did not appear that
their
advice had been asked. As to the father and mother the court had
decided to send them
both for trial for manslaughter, at the next assizes. In due time they
were arraigned,
they pleaded not guilty, but after being defended by able counsel, the
jury, after
an absence of about half an hour, returned with a verdict of guilty
against both the
prisoners, but with a recommendation of the mother to the merciful
consideration of
the court, on the ground that she was under the control of her husband.
The man
protested his innocence, and the woman, buried her face in her shawl
and wept
bitterly."
His Lordship, in passing sentence, said: " Prisoners at the bar, you
have been found guilty of a most aggravated offence. I entirely concur
with the verdict
which the jury have given, and I shall act upon the recommendation
which they have
presented in favor of the female prisoner, the mother, though, I must
say, that I
cannot but feel that it is a greater crime in the mother than the
father, since it is
more contrary to the common nature of mothers, to neglect their
children in the manner in
womb you have treated this unfortunate child. It is contrary to the
nature,
even, of a father. But I shall act upon the recommendation of the jury,
upon the ground they
have put forward, that you have been subject to the control of your
husband more
than has appeared from the evidence of the case. But the offence is, as
I have
said, a serious one, on this ground; that there can be no doubt that
both of you have persisted in this fraudulent deception, upon your
neighbors, and upon
the public, and that in order to carry out that fraudulent deception
and to
preserve yourselves from detection you were willing to risk the life of
that child. The
life of that child has been lost in that wicked experiment which you
tried. Therefore, the
sentence that I shall inflict on you, Evan Jacob, is, .that you be
imprisoned and kept
at hard labor for twelve calendar months; and that upon you, Hannah
Jacob, will be
more lenient in consideration of the recommendation of the jury, and it
is, that you
be imprisoned and kept to hard labor for the period of six calendar
months."
Thus ended one of the most remarkable and interesting histories of
human folly, credulity, and criminality which the present day has
produced. Comment
upon its teaching is scarcely necessary; but the thoughtful reader will
not fail
to perceive how important a bearing it has upon the whole subject of
belief without
full and free inquiry, and that how all the facts which science has
gathered during
ages of painful labor, go for naught, even with educated persons, when
brought face to
face with the false assertions of a hysterical girl, and of two
ignorant and
deceitful peasants. If there is any one thing we know, it is that there
can be no force
without the metamorphosis of matter of some kind. Here was a girl
maintaining her
weight actually growing her animal heat kept at its due standard, her
mind
active, her heart beating, her lungs respiring, her skin exhaling, her
limbs moving
whenever she wished them to move, and all, as very many persons
supposed, without the ingestion of the material by which alone such
things could be. And yet
such is the tendency of the average human mind to be deceived, that it
would be
perfectly possible to re-enact in the city of New York the whole
tragedy of Sarah
Jacob, should ever a hysterical girl take it into head to do so; and
there
would not be wanting, even from among those who might read this
history, individuals
who would credit any monstrous declarations she might make. Even now in
a little
town in Belgium, an ecstatic girl is going through the same performance
with
extraordinary additions, and books are written by learned physicians
and theologians,
with the object of establishing the truth of her pretensions. To this
most
remarkable instance the attention of the reader will presently be
invited. But in view of
these things one is almost tempted to say with Cardinal Carrafa, "Quandoquidem
populus decipi vult, decipiatur."
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