Uncle Dick and Lisa's Old Time Animal Tales

Mrs. Hanson, the wife of Samuel B. Hanson, of this town, aged about 23 was found eight months since to be in a declining state of health, in consequence of what was considered a deranged state of the abdominal and thoracic viscera, originating from Leucorrhoea. The symptoms were such as to warrant the presumption, and she was treated accordingly by several scientific physicians, for something like six months, during which time she gradually declined in health until the system became extremely exhausted and emaciated. About five weeks since it was ascertained that a living creature of some kind, and of considerable magnitude, actually existed in the stomach. this was ascertained by placing the hand on the gastric region, when a vigorous squirming motion was felt through the emaciated integuments, as well as from her own repeated and positive declarations. It was a question in the mind of her physician, whether in the then existing state of exhaustion, the system could sustain the action of medicine of sufficient power to destroy the animal. After some deliberation and consultation with the urgent solicitations of the patient, it was determined to make an effort, which resulted on the fourth day, in the evacuation of an Eel, ten inches long, of the usual thickness. The skin and flesh were denuded considerably by partial digestion, but the form was sufficiently entire to convince the most incredulous of its identity. She is now in a very low state, under all the symptoms of ulceration of the stomach and bowels.
She is supposed to have taken it some years since in drinking from a spring in the evening, at which time she was sensible of swallowing some solid substance of very small dimensions.
[Belfast [Maine] Journal.