The story of Ellen Sadler from the small village of Turville in England has fascinated physicians and researchers for over a century. The young girl spent more than nine years in a mysterious state resembling a coma, not reacting to the world around her. Her extraordinary case became the subject of intense medical debates and aroused enormous interest from the press and society.
Mysterious Illness of an Eleven-Year-Old
The girl came into the world in 1859 in Buckinghamshire county as daughter of Thomas and Mary Sadler. In 1871, she suddenly stopped communicating with her surroundings, and subsequently fell into a state close to coma. She did not respond to any external stimuli, including pain or hunger.
The only nourishment she accepted were small portions of milk and occasionally carbonated beverages administered through a tube. Independent eating or drinking became impossible for her. The family and local doctors stood helpless before such an unusual affliction.
Medical Consultations and Public Interest
Numerous specialists and clergy regularly visited the Sadler home, attempting to diagnose the cause of Ellen’s illness. In 1873, a procedure was performed to remove a minor developmental defect on the patient’s leg, despite her remaining unconscious. The operation took place without any reaction from the girl.
A year later, the family received special blessing during the British monarch’s visit to the region. Local newspapers printed numerous articles describing the case, and doctors published their hypotheses regarding Ellen’s condition. Some publications speculated about „clinical death with preserved vital functions.”
Minimal Signs of Inner Life
Throughout all years of the illness, Ellen did not open her eyes, though doctors noticed subtle signs of activity. Delicate eyelid trembling suggesting a certain level of consciousness was documented. In 1879, specific reactions to facial touch were recorded.
Toward the end of the decade, the first noticeable changes in the patient’s condition appeared. She raised her arms, which constituted a breakthrough after years of complete immobility. Subsequently, minimal reactions to sounds were observed, though speech still remained beyond her capabilities.
Slow Return to Consciousness
In 1880, at twenty-one years old, Ellen slowly began regaining contact with reality. The state of bodily exhaustion made normal functioning typical for persons of her age impossible. A year later, she returned to partial activity, though far from full strength.
In 1885, she undertook care of her mother in the family home, still struggling with poor health. Five years later, a deterioration of her mental state resembling depression symptoms was recorded. The local community still knew her as „the sleeping girl from Turville.”
Enduring Legacy of a Medical Mystery
In 1901, Ellen ended her life at forty-two years of age. Her case remained the subject of analysis in scientific and popular publications for subsequent decades. Medical documentation became valuable material for research on coma-like states.
The story of the girl from Turville also inspired literature and science fiction articles exploring the boundaries of human consciousness. To this day, it remains one of the most thoroughly documented cases of prolonged unconsciousness in medical history.
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY:
- https://brightside.me/articles/a-girl-who-slept-for-9-years-and-nobody-knew-why-813998/
- https://vocal.media/psyche/the-mysteries-of-sleep-from-prolonged-slumber-to-sleeplessness
- https://www.grunge.com/1070802/meet-ellen-sadler-the-girl-who-allegedly-went-to-sleep-and-didnt-wake-up-until-almost-a-decade-later/
- https://www.amusingplanet.com/2022/01/ellen-sadler-sleeping-girl-of-turville.html
Margot Cleverly
Margot's journey into women's history began with a box of forgotten letters in a Cambridge archive – suffragettes whose voices had been silenced for over a century. Since then, she's been on a mission to uncover the stories history overlooked.
What she writes about: Queens who ruled from the shadows. Scientists whose male colleagues took credit. Revolutionaries who risked everything. But also ordinary women – those who survived wars, raised families through upheaval, and shaped their communities in ways no one bothered to record.
Margot turns historical figures into real people. She writes with warmth and detail, making centuries-old stories feel surprisingly relevant. Rigorous research meets accessible storytelling – no dusty academic jargon, just compelling narratives backed by solid facts.
When she's not writing, you'll find her in regional archives, collecting oral histories, or visiting sites connected to the women she writes about.