A letter from Mr Ash to Mr Musgrave
Trin: Coll: the 10th of October 85
Honoured Sir
The account I here send you of the horny girl is much more imperfect, than I hop'd it would have been, both because it's Parents or Friends, who might give some information of the beginning & occasion of the growing out of these hornes are not to be found; that the owner of this monster would not be perswaded to let us take the figure thereof, which we design'd to present you. She is call'd Anne Jackson born in the City of Waterford of English Parents, who are both said to have been sound and healthy: this infirmity did not shew itself till she was about 3 years old, after which the Mother conceal'd her out of shame, & brought her up privately, but she soon dying & the Father becoming exceeding poor, the Child was left as a charge upon the Parish. She is now between 13 & 14 years of age, yet can scarce go, & is so little in stature that I have seen Children of 5 yeares old taller; She is very silly, speakes but little, & that not plainly, hastily, & with difficulty, her Voyce is low & rough, her complexion & face are well enough, except her Eyes, which look very dead, & seem to have a film or horne growing over 'em: so that she can hardly now perceive the difference of colours. The hornes abound chiefly about the joynts & flexures, & not on the brawny fleshy parts of her body, they are fasten'd to skin like warts, & about the roots resemble them much in substance, though towards the extremities they grow much larger & more horny: at the end of each finger & toe grows one as long as the finger or toe not strait forwards, but rising a little between the nail & the flesh (for near the roots of these excrescences is something like a nail) & bending again like a turkie's claw, which too it much resembles in colour. On the other joynts of her fingers & toes are smaller ones, which sometimes fall off, others growing in their places; The whole skin of her feet, legs, & armes is very hard & callous, & do's daily grow more & more so; on her knees & elbows & round about the joynts are many hornes, two more remarkable at the point of each elbow, which twist like Ram's horns: that on the left arm is about 1/2 and inch broad, & 4 inches long; on her buttocks grow's a great number, which are flatt by frequent sitting. At her Arm-pits & insydes of her breasts small hard substances shoot out much slender & whiter than the rest; at each ear also grows a horn; The skin of her neck do's of late begin to grow callous & horny like that of her hands & feet. She eates & drinkes heartily, sleeps soundly, & performs all the offices of nature like other healthy People, except she never had monthly emanations. This, Sir, is as particular an account as I can gather. Our Society has but just begun to meet since the vacation, so that I have hardly anything yet worth communicating to you. I am
(Honoured Sir)
Your very humble servant
St George Ashe
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