DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.70302#0405
ANIMALS, &C. IN THE HUMAN STOMACH.
363
inclosed in the coffin, when a person wishing to examine
the wound, removed the lid, and found beside the body a
serpent of the length of a man’s arm, and as thick as two
fingers. It had crept out of the wound, and lived four
days afterwards.
The length of time which such reptiles are capable of
remaining inclosed in the human body, will doubtless
appear still more surprising. Reinesius relates, that in
the spring of 1647, a woman, named Catharine Geilerin,
about 30 years of age, was attacked with pains in the
abdomen, accompanied by extraordinary movements,
and a disgust of every kind of liquid excepting water
and milk, of which she was extremely fond. Her
pains continued to increase till the 26th of June, when
she vomited four young toads of the size of humble-bees,
two larger ones, and two lizards of the thickness of a quill,
and about the length of a finger. Reinesius was sent
for: he administered medicines, which considerably re-
lieved her, but on the 12th of July, she again felt new
pains, and new movements, on which she discharged
a young live toad, and after an interval of two hours
another young one, and a larger, but both dead. By
the administration of proper remedies, she recovered a
little, till on the 24th of March the following year, she
again felt the former symptoms. On the 29th, she dis-
charged a living frog, and three lizards. The fourth of
April, she vomited two living green frogs, and a week
afterwards discharged a large dead toad with very sharp
claws. The woman assured Dr. Reinesius, that she had
been attacked by the same complaint at the same season
of the year, for five years successively, and this she at-
tributed to her having been so imprudent, six years be-
fore, as to drink putrid water, full of the spawn of
frogs and other animals. From the period of the last
mentioned evacuation, she enjoyed tolerable health, and
3 a 2 in
363
inclosed in the coffin, when a person wishing to examine
the wound, removed the lid, and found beside the body a
serpent of the length of a man’s arm, and as thick as two
fingers. It had crept out of the wound, and lived four
days afterwards.
The length of time which such reptiles are capable of
remaining inclosed in the human body, will doubtless
appear still more surprising. Reinesius relates, that in
the spring of 1647, a woman, named Catharine Geilerin,
about 30 years of age, was attacked with pains in the
abdomen, accompanied by extraordinary movements,
and a disgust of every kind of liquid excepting water
and milk, of which she was extremely fond. Her
pains continued to increase till the 26th of June, when
she vomited four young toads of the size of humble-bees,
two larger ones, and two lizards of the thickness of a quill,
and about the length of a finger. Reinesius was sent
for: he administered medicines, which considerably re-
lieved her, but on the 12th of July, she again felt new
pains, and new movements, on which she discharged
a young live toad, and after an interval of two hours
another young one, and a larger, but both dead. By
the administration of proper remedies, she recovered a
little, till on the 24th of March the following year, she
again felt the former symptoms. On the 29th, she dis-
charged a living frog, and three lizards. The fourth of
April, she vomited two living green frogs, and a week
afterwards discharged a large dead toad with very sharp
claws. The woman assured Dr. Reinesius, that she had
been attacked by the same complaint at the same season
of the year, for five years successively, and this she at-
tributed to her having been so imprudent, six years be-
fore, as to drink putrid water, full of the spawn of
frogs and other animals. From the period of the last
mentioned evacuation, she enjoyed tolerable health, and
3 a 2 in