anomalies and curiosities of medicine-第101部分

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d　all　food　and　continued　to　do　so　for　thirty…three　days；　when　she　died。　She　was　delirious　throughout　this　fast　and　slept　daily　seven　or　eight　hours。　As　a　rule；　she　drank　about　a　wineglassful　of　water　each　day　and　her　urine　was　scanty　and　almost　of　the　consistency　of　her　feces。　There　is　a　remarkable　case　of　a　girl　of　seventeen　who；　suffering　with　typhoid　fever　associated　with　engorgement　of　the　abdomen　and　suppression　of　the　functions　of　assimilation；　fasted　for　four　months　without　visible　diminution　in　weight。　Pierce　reports　the　history　of　a　woman　of　twenty…six　who　fasted　for　three　months　and　made　an　excellent　recovery。

Grant　describes　the　〃Market　Harborough　fasting…girl；〃　a　maiden　of　nineteen；　who　abstained　from　food　from　April；　1874；　until　December；　1877；　although　continually　using　morphia。　Throughout　her　fast　she　had　periodic　convulsions；　and　voided　no　urine　or　feces　for　twelve　months　before　her　death。　There　was　a　middle…aged　woman　in　England　in　1860　who　for　two　years　lived　on　opium；　gin；　and　water。　Her　chief　symptoms　were　almost　daily　sickness　and　epileptic　fits　three　times　a　week。　She　was　absolutely　constipated；　and　at　her　death　her　abdomen　was　so　distended　as　to　present　the　appearance　of　ascites。　After　death；　the　distention　of　the　abdomen　was　found　to　be　due　to　a　coating　of　fat；　four　inches　thick；　in　the　parietes。　There　was　no　obstruction　to　the　intestinal　canal　and　no　fecal　or　other　accumulation　within　it。　Christina　Marshall；　a　girl　of　fourteen；　went　fifteen　and　one…half　months　without　taking　solid　nourishment。　She　slept　very　little；　seldom　spoke；　but　occasionally　asked　the　time　of　day。　She　took　sweets　and　water；　with　beef　tea　at　intervals；　and　occasionally　a　small　piece　of　orange。　She　died　April　18；　1882；　after　having　been　confined　to　her　bed　for　a　long　while。

King；　a　surgeon；　U。S。A。；　gives　an　account　of　the　deprivation　of　a　squad　of　cavalry　numbering　40。　While　scouting　for　Indians　on　the　plains　they　went　for　eighty…six　hours　without　water；　when　relieved　their　mouths　and　throats　were　so　dry　that　even　brown　sugar　would　not　dissolve　on　their　tongues。　Many　were　delirious；　and　all　had　drawn　fresh　blood　from　their　horses。　Despite　repeated　vomiting；　some　drank　their　own　urine。　They　were　nearly　all　suffering　from　overpowering　dyspnea；　two　were　dead；　and　two　were　missing。　The　suffering　was　increased　by　the　acrid　atmosphere　of　the　dry　plains；　the　slightest　exercise　in　this　climate　provoked　a　thirst。　MacLoughlin；　the　surgeon　in　charge　of　the　S。S。　City　of　Chester；　speaks　of　a　young　stowaway　found　by　the　stevedores　in　an　insensible　condition　after　a　voyage　of　eleven　days。　The　man　was　brought　on　deck　and　revived　sufficiently　to　be　sent　to　St。　Vincent's　Hospital；　N。Y。；　about　one　and　one…half　hours　after　discovery；　in　an　extremely　emaciated；　cold；　and　nearly　pulseless　condition。　He　gave　his　name　as　John　Donnelly；　aged　twenty；　of　Dumbarton；　Scotland。　On　the　whole　voyage　he　had　nothing　to　eat　or　drink。　He　had　found　some　salt；　of　which　he　ate　two　handfuls；　and　he　had　in　his　pocket　a　small　flask；　empty。　Into　this　flask　he　voided　his　urine；　and　afterward　drank　it。　Until　the　second　day　he　was　intensely　hungry；　but　after　that　time　was　consumed　by　a　burning　thirst；　he　shouted　four　or　five　hours　every　day；　hoping　that　he　might　be　heard。　After　this　he　became　insensible　and　remembered　nothing　until　he　awakened　in　the　hospital　where；　under　careful　treatment；　he　finally　recovered。

Fodere　mentions　some　workmen　who　were　buried　alive　fourteen　days　in　a　cold；　damp　cavern　under　a　ruin；　and　yet　all　lived。　There　is　a　modern　instance　of　a　person　being　buried　thirty…two　days　beneath　snow；　without　food。　The　Lancet　notes　that　a　pig　fell　off　Dover　Cliff　and　was　picked　up　alive　one　hundred　and　sixty　days　after；　having　been　partially　imbedded　in　debris。　It　was　so　surrounded　by　the　chalk　of　the　cliff　that　little　motion　was　possible；　and　warmth　was　secured　by　the　enclosing　material。　This　animal　had　therefore　lived　on　its　own　fat　during　the　entire　period。

Among　the　modern　exhibitionists　may　be　mentioned　Merlatti；　the　fasting　Italian；　and　Succi；　both　of　whom　fasted　in　Paris；　Alexander　Jacques；　who　fasted　fifty　days；　and　the　American；　Dr。　Tanner；　who　achieved　great　notoriety　by　a　fast　of　forty　days；　during　which　time　he　exhibited　progressive　emaciation。　Merlatti；　who　fasted　in　Paris　in　1886；　lost　22　pounds　in　a　month；　during　his　fast　of　fifty　days　he　drank　only　pure　filtered　water。　Prior　to　the　fast　his　farewell　meal　consisted　of　a　whole　fat　goose；　including　the　bones；　two　pounds　of　roast　beef；　vegetables　for　two；　and　a　plate　of　walnuts；　the　latter　eaten　whole。　Alexander　Jacques　fasted　fifty　days　and　Succi　fasted　forty　days。　Jacques　lost　28　pounds　and　4　ounces　（from　142　pounds；　8　ounces　to　114　pounds；　4　ounces）；　while　Succi's　loss　was　34　pounds　and　3　ounces。　Succi　diminished　in　height　from　65　3/4　to　64　1/2　inches；　while　Jacques　increased　from　64　1/2　to　65　1/2　inches。　Jacques　smoked　cigarettes　incessantly；　using　700　in　the　fifty　days；　although；　by　professional　advice；　he　stopped　the　habit　on　the　forty…second　day。　Three　or　four　times　a　day　he　took　a　powder　made　of　herbs　to　which　he　naturally　attributed　his　power　of　prolonging　life　without　food。　Succi　remained　in　a　room　in　which　he　kept　the　temperature　at　a　very　high　point。　In　speaking　of　Succi's　latest　feat　a　recent　report　says：　〃It　has　come　to　light　in　his　latest　attempt　to　go　for　fifty　days　without　food　that　he　privately　regaled　himself　on　soup；　beefsteak；　chocolate；　and　eggs。　It　was　also　discovered　that　one　of　the　'committee；'　who　were　supposed　to　watch　and　see　that　the　experiment　was　conducted　in　a　bona　fide　manner；　'stood　in'　with　the　faster　and　helped　him　deceive　the　others。　The　result　of　the　Vienna　experiment　is　bound　to　cast　suspicion　on　all　previous　fasting　accomplishments　of　Signor　Succi；　if　not　upon　those　of　his　predecessors。〃

Although　all　these　modern　fasters　have　been　accused　of　being　jugglers　and　deceivers；　throughout　their　fasts　they　showed　constant　decrease　in　weight；　and　inspection　by　visitors　was　welcomed　at　all　times。　They　invariably　invited　medical　attention；　and　some　were　under　the　closest　surveillance；　although　we　may　not　implicitly　believe　that　the　fasts　were　in　every　respect　bona　fide；　yet　we　must　acknowledge　that　these　men　displayed　great　endurance　in　their　apparent　indifference　for　food；　the　deprivation　of　which　in　a　normal　individual　for　one　day　only　causes　intense　suffering。

Anomalies　of　Temperature。In　reviewing　the　reports　of　the　highest　recorded　temperatures　of　the　human　body；　it　must　be　remembered　that　no　matter　how　good　the　evidence　or　how　authentic　the　reference　there　is　always　chance　for　malingering。　It　is　possible　to　send　the　index　of　an　ordinary　thermometer　up　to　the　top　in　ten　or　fifteen　seconds　by　rubbing　it　between　the　slightly　moistened　thumb　and　the　finger；　exerting　considerable　pressure　at　the　time。　There　are　several　other　means　of　artificially　producing　enormous　temperatures　with　little　risk　of　detection；　and　as　the　sensitiveness　of　the　thermometer　becomes　greater　the　easier　is　the　deception。

Mackenzie　reports　the　temperature…range　of　a　woman　of　forty…two　who　suffered　with　erysipelatous　inflammation　of　a　stump　of　the　leg。　Throughout　a　somewhat　protracted　illness；　lasting　from　February　20　to　April　22；　1879；　the　temperature　many　times　registered　between　108　degrees　and　111　degrees　F。　About　a　year　later　she　was　again　troubled　with　the　stump；　and　this　time　the　temperature　reached　as　high　as　114　degrees。　Although　under　the　circumstances；　as　any　rational　physician　would；　Mackenzie　suspected　fraud；　he　could　not　detect　any　method　of　deception。　Finally　the　woman　confessed　that　she　had　produced　the　temperature　artificially　by　means　of　hot…water　bottles；　poultices；　etc。

MacNab　records　a　case　of　rheumatic　fever　in　which　the　temperature　was　111。4　degrees　F。　as　indicated　by　two　thermometers；　one　in　the　axilla　and　the　other　in　the　groin。　This　high　degree　of　temperature　was　maintained　after　death。　Before　the　Clinical　Society　of　London；　Teale　reported　a　case　in　which；　at　different　times；　there　were　recorded　temperatures　from　110　degrees　to　120　degrees　F。in　the　mouth；　rectum；　and　axilla。　According　to　a　comment　in　the　Lancet；　there　was　no　way　that　the　patient　could　have　artificially　produced　this　temperature；　and　during　convalescence　the　thermometer　used　registered　normal　as　well　as　subnormal　temperatures。　Caesar　speaks　of　a　girl　of　fifteen　with　enteric　fever；　whose　temperature；　on　two　occasions　110　degrees　F。；　reached　the　limit　of　the　mercury　in　the　thermometer。

There　have　been　instances　mentioned　in　which；　in　order　to　escape　duties；　prisoners　have　artificially　produced　high　temperatures；　and　the　same　has　occasionally　been　observed　among　conscripts　in　the　army　or　navy。　There　is　an　account　of　a　habit　of　prisoners　of　introducing　tobacco　into　the　rectum；　thereby　reducing　the　pulse　to　an　alarming　degree　and　insuring　their　exemption　from　labor。　In　the　Adelaide　Hospital　in　Dublin　there　was　a　case　in　which　the　temperature　in　the　vagina　and　groin　registered　from　120　degrees　to　130　degrees；　and　one　day　it　reached　130。8　degrees　F。；　the　patient　recovered。　Ormerod　mentions　a　nervous　and　hysteric　woman　of　thirty…two；　a　sufferer　with　acute　rheumatism；　whose　temperature　rose　to　115。8　degrees　F。　She　insisted　on　leaving　the　hospital　when　her　temperature　was　still　104　degrees。

Wunderlich　mentions　a　case　of　tetanus　in　which　the　temperature　rose　to　46。40　degrees　C。　（115。5　degrees　F。）；　and　before　death　it　was　as　high　as　44。75　degrees　C。　Obernier　mentions　108　degrees　F。　in　typhoid　fever。　Kartulus　speaks　of　a　child　of　five；　with　typhoid　fever；　who　at　different　times　had　temperatures　of　107　degrees；　108　degrees；　and　108。2　degrees　F。；　it　finally　recovered。　He　also　quotes　a　case　of　pyemia　in　a　boy　of　seven；　whose　temperature　rose　to　107。6　degrees　F。　He　also　speaks　of　Wunderlich's　case　of　remittent　fever；　in　which　the　temperature　reached　107。8　degrees　F。　Wilson　Fox；　in　mentioning　a　case　of　rheumatic　fever；　says　the　temperature　reached　110　degrees　F。

Philipson　gives　an　account　of　a　female　servant　of　twenty…three　who　suffered　from　a　neurosis　which　influenced　the　vasomotor　nervous　system；　and　caused　hysteria　associated　with　abnormal　temperatures。　On　the　evening　of　July　9th　her　temperature　was　112　degrees