The sympathetic irritation of the uterus, in some females produces extraordinary phenomena of this kind, from simple desire to the most furious craving, and from mere caprice to actual insanity. There is no doubt but that many of these unusual desires, or _longings_ as they are called, are either produced or much aggravated by the imagination of the patient, and frequently would never be experienced at all, if the idea was not suggested by other people having had the same. Custom and imitation are very powerful in such cases, particularly when the nervous sensibility is much exalted. Still the most singular aberrations of this kind will often arise without any such adventitious aid, and the fact should be borne in mind, so that these temporary vagaries may be regarded with proper charity and forbearance. Some females will entirely change in their dispositions at these times, the most amiable and mild becoming positively ill-natured and malicious;--the gentle will turn headstrong, the haughty and proud will become humble, and the gay will become melancholy, or the sad will madly seek every kind of gaiety. Such things however should never be remembered, nor be brought up against them afterwards, for truly at such times _they know not what they do_! Women have been known while in this state, to become thievish, or to have an irresistible propensity to burn or kill. Some have even been known to exhibit great talents for music or poetry, though ordinarily without any capacity for such things. Some will suddenly exhibit a most extraordinary intellect, while others will become quite silly. A medical writer tells us an instance of one female who always had an excellent sound judgment while pregnant, but _no memory_, while in her ordinary state she had a poor judgment but _a most extraordinary good memory_. The celebrated Baudelocque gives an account of another who could scarcely eat anything but what she _stole_, while going to market; and another writer mentions a lady who longed till she was almost delirious to bite a piece out of a baker's shoulder, who worked opposite her window. There is even an account of one who longed to eat some of her husband, whom she dearly loved, and who actually killed him to satisfy her appetite, and then salted pieces of the body to keep for future use. A writer named Vives also tells us of a female whose husband paid a large sum of money for her to be allowed to bite a young man's neck, it being evident that she would be nearly certain to miscarry unless so gratified. In the year 1816, at Mons, in France, an unfortunate woman in this condition was seized with an irresistible impulse to destroy her children, and actually drowned three of them, and herself afterwards. She had previously sent a poisoned cake also to one at school, but fortunately it was not eaten.