anomalies and curiosities of medicine-第108部分

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age。

〃The　child　is　strumous；　however；　and　may　die　young。　His　exhibitors；　who　are　coining　him　into　money；　should　seek　the　best　medical　care　for　him　and　avoid　surcharging　his　memory　with　rubbish。　Proper　cultivation　of　his　special　senses；　especially　the　tactile；　by　competent　teachers；　will　give　Oscar　the　best　chance　of　developing　intellectually　and　acquiring　an　education　in　the　proper　sense　of　the　word。〃

By　long　custom　many　men　of　letters　have　developed　wonderful　feats　of　memory；　and　among　illiterate　persons；　by　means　of　points　of　association；　the　power　of　memory　has　been　little　short　of　marvelous。　At　a　large　hotel　in　Saratoga　there　was　at　one　time　a　negro　whose　duty　was　to　take　charge　of　the　hats　and　coats　of　the　guests　as　they　entered　the　dining…room　and　return　to　each　his　hat　after　the　meal。　It　was　said　that；　without　checks　or　the　assistance　of　the　owners；　he　invariably　returned　the　right　articles　to　the　right　persons　on　request；　and　no　matter　how　large　the　crowd；　his　limit　of　memory　never　seemed　to　be　reached。　Many　persons　have　seen　expert　players　at　draughts　and　chess　who；　blindfolded；　could　carry　on　numerous　games　with　many　competitors　and　win　most　of　the　matches。　To　realize　what　a　wonderful　feat　of　memory　this　performance　is；　one　need　only　see　the　absolute　exhaustion　of　one　of　these　men　after　a　match。　In　whist；　some　experts　have　been　able　to　detail　the　succession　of　the　play　of　the　cards　so　many　hands　back　that　their　competitors　had　long　since　forgotten　it。

There　is　reported　to　be　in　Johnson　County；　Missouri；　a　mathematical　wonder　by　the　name　of　Rube　Fields。　At　the　present　day　he　is　between　forty　and　fifty　years　of　age；　and　his　external　appearance　indicates　poverty　as　well　as　indifference。　His　temperament　is　most　sluggish；　he　rarely　speaks　unless　spoken　to；　and　his　replies　are　erratic。

The　boyhood　of　this　strange　character　was　that　of　an　overgrown　country　lout　with　boorish　manners　and　silly　mind。　He　did　not　and　would　not　go　to　school；　and　he　asserts　now　that　if　he　had　done　so　he　〃would　have　become　as　big　a　fool　as　other　people。〃　A　shiftless　fellow；　left　to　his　own　devices；　he　performed　some　wonderful　feats；　and　among　the　many　stories　connected　with　this　period　of　his　life　is　one　which　describes　how　he　actually　ate　up　a　good…sized　patch　of　sugar　cane；　simply　because　he　found　it　good　to　his　taste。

Yet　from　this　clouded；　illiterate　mind　a　wonderful　mathematical　gift　shines。　Just　when　he　began　to　assert　his　powers　is　not　known；　but　his　feats　have　been　remembered　for　twenty　years　by　his　neighbors。　A　report　says：

〃Give　Rube　Fields　the　distance　by　rail　between　any　two　points；　and　the　dimensions　of　a　car…wheel；　and　almost　as　soon　as　the　statement　has　left　your　lips　he　will　tell　you　the　number　of　revolutions　the　wheel　will　make　in　traveling　over　the　track。　Call　four　or　five　or　any　number　of　columns　of　figures　down　a　page；　and　when　you　have　reached　the　bottom　he　will　announce　the　sum。　Given　the　number　of　yards　or　pounds　of　articles　and　the　price；　and　at　once　he　will　return　the　total　costand　this　he　will　do　all　day　long；　without　apparent　effort　or　fatigue。

〃A　gentleman　relates　an　instance　of　Fields'　knowledge　of　figures。　After　having　called　several　columns　of　figures　for　addition；　he　went　back　to　the　first　column；　saying　that　it　was　wrong；　and　repeating　it；　purposely　miscalling　the　next　to　the　last　figure。　At　once　Fields　threw　up　his　hand；　exclaiming：　'You　didn't　call　it　that　way　before。'

〃Fields'　answers　come　quick　and　sharp；　seemingly　by　intuition。　Calculations　which　would　require　hours　to　perform　are　made　in　less　time　than　it　takes　to　state　the　question。　The　size　of　the　computations　seems　to　offer　no　bar　to　their　rapid　solution；　and　answers　in　which　long　lines　of　figures　are　reeled　off　come　with　perfect　ease。　In　watching　the　effort　put　forth　in　reaching　an　answer；　there　would　seem　to　be　some　process　going　on　in　the　mind；　and　an　incoherent　mumbling　is　often　indulged　in；　but　it　is　highly　probable　that　Fields　does　not　himself　know　how　he　derives　his　answers。　Certain　it　is　that　he　is　unable　to　explain　the　process；　nor　has　any　one　ever　been　able　to　draw　from　him　anything　concerning　it。　Almost　the　only　thing　he　knows　about　the　power　is　that　he　possesses　it；　and；　while　he　is　not　altogether　averse　to　receiving　money　for　his　work；　he　has　steadily　refused　to　allow　himself　to　be　exhibited。〃　In　reviewing　the　peculiar　endowment　of　Fields；　the　Chicago　Record　says：

〃How　this　feat　is　performed　is　as　much　a　mystery　as　the　process　by　which　he　solves　a　problem　in　arithmetic。　He　answers　no　questions。　Rapid　mathematicians；　men　of　study；　who　by　intense　application　and　short　methods　have　become　expert；　have　sought　to　probe　these　two　mysteries；　but　without　results。　Indeed；　the　man's　intelligence　is　of　so　low　an　order　as　to　prevent　him　from　aiding　those　who　seek　to　know。　With　age；　too；　he　grows　more　surly。　Of　what　vast　value　this　'gift'　might　be　to　the　world　of　science；　if　coupled　with　average　intelligence；　is　readily　imagined。　That　it　will　ever　be　understood　is　unlikely。　As　it　is；　the　power　staggers　belief　and　makes　modern　psychology；　with　its　study　of　brain…cells；　stand　aghast。　As　to　poor　Fields　himself；　he　excites　only　sympathy。　Homeless；　unkempt；　and　uncouth；　traveling　aimlessly　on　a　journey　which　he　does　not　understand；　he　hugs　to　his　heart　a　marvelous　power；　which　he　declares　to　be　a　gift　from　God。　To　his　weak　mind　it　lifts　him　above　his　fellow…men；　and　yet　it　is　as　useless　to　the　world　as　a　diamond　in　a　dead　man's　hand。〃

Wolf…Children。It　is　interesting　to　know　to　what　degree　a　human　being　will　resemble　a　beast　when　deprived　of　the　association　with　man。　We　seem　to　get　some　insight　to　this　question　in　the　investigation　of　so　called　cases　of　〃wolf…children。〃

Saxo　Grammaticus　speaks　of　a　bear　that　kidnapped　a　child　and　kept　it　a　long　time　in　his　den。　The　tale　of　the　Roman　she…wolf　is　well　known；　and　may　have　been　something　more　than　a　myth；　as　there　have　been　several　apparently　authentic　cases　reported　in　which　a　child　has　been　rescued　from　its　associations　with　a　wolf　who　had　stolen　it　some　time　previously。　Most　of　the　stories　of　wolf…children　come　from　India。　According　to　Oswald　in　Ball's　〃Jungle　Life　in　India；〃　there　is　the　following　curious　account　of　two　children　in　the　Orphanage　of　Sekandra；　near　Agra；　who　had　been　discovered　among　wolves：　〃A　trooper　sent　by　a　native　Governor　of　Chandaur　to　demand　payment　of　some　revenue　was　passing　along　the　bank　of　the　river　about　noon　when　he　saw　a　large　female　wolf　leave　her　den；　followed　by　three　whelps　and　a　little　boy。　The　boy　went　on　all…fours；　and　when　the　trooper　tried　to　catch　him　he　ran　as　fast　as　the　whelps；　and　kept　up　with　the　old　one。　They　all　entered　the　den；　but　were　dug　out　by　the　people　and　the　boy　was　secured。　He　struggled　hard　to　rush　into　every　hole　or　gully　they　came　near。　When　he　saw　a　grown…up　person　he　became　alarmed；　but　tried　to　fly　at　children　and　bite　them。　He　rejected　cooked　meat　with　disgust；　but　delighted　in　raw　flesh　and　bones；　putting　them　under　his　paws　like　a　dog。〃　The　other　case　occurred　at　Chupra；　in　the　Presidency　of　Bengal。　In　March；　1843；　a　Hindoo　mother　went　out　to　help　her　husband　in　the　field；　and　while　she　was　cutting　rice　her　little　boy　was　carried　off　by　a　wolf。　About　a　year　afterward　a　wolf；　followed　by　several　cubs　and　a　strange；　ape…like　creature；　was　seen　about　ten　miles　from　Chupra。　After　a　lively　chase　the　nondescript　was　caught　and　recognized　（by　the　mark　of　a　burn　on　his　knee）　as　the　Hindoo　boy　that　had　disappeared　in　the　rice…field。　This　boy　would　not　eat　anything　but　raw　flesh；　and　could　never　be　taught　to　speak；　but　expressed　his　emotions　in　an　inarticulate　mutter。　His　elbows　and　the　pans　of　his　knees　had　become　horny　from　going　on　all…fours　with　his　foster　mother。　In　the　winter　of　1850　this　boy　made　several　attempts　to　regain　his　freedom；　and　in　the　following　spring　he　escaped　for　good　and　disappeared　in　the　jungle…forest　of　Bhangapore。

The　Zoologist　for　March；　1888；　reproduced　a　remarkable　pamphlet　printed　at　Plymouth　in　1852；　which　had　been　epitomized　in　the　Lancet。　This　interesting　paper　gives　an　account　of　wolves　nurturing　small　children　in　their　dens。　Six　cases　are　given　of　boys　who　have　been　rescued　from　the　maternal　care　of　wolves。　In　one　instance　the　lad　was　traced　from　the　moment　of　his　being　carried　off　by　a　lurking　wolf　while　his　parents　were　working　in　the　field；　to　the　time　when；　after　having　been　recovered　by　his　mother　six　years　later；　he　escaped　from　her　into　the　jungle。　In　all　these　cases　certain　marked　features　reappear。　In　the　first；　the　boy　was　very　inoffensive；　except　when　teased；　and　then　he　growled　surlily。　He　would　eat　anything　thrown　to　him；　but　preferred　meat；　which　he　devoured　with　canine　voracity。　He　drank　a　pitcher　of　buttermilk　at　one　gulp；　and　could　not　be　induced　to　wear　clothing　even　in　the　coldest　weather。　He　showed　the　greatest　fondness　for　bones；　and　gnawed　them　contentedly；　after　the　manner　of　his　adopted　parents。　This　child　had　coarse　features；　a　repulsive　countenance；　was　filthy　in　his　habits；　and　could　not　articulate　a　word。

In　another　case　the　child　was　kidnapped　at　three　and　recovered　at　nine。　He　muttered；　but　could　not　articulate。　As　in　the　other　case；　he　could　not　be　enticed　to　wear　clothes。　From　constantly　being　on　all…fours　the　front　of　this　child's　knees　and　his　elbows　had　become　hardened。　In　the　third　case　the　father　identified　a　son　who　had　been　carried　away　at　the　age　of　six；　and　was　found　four　years　afterward。　The　intellectual　deterioration　was　not　so　marked。　The　boy　understood　signs；　and　his　hearing　was　exceedingly　acute；　when　directed　by　movements　of　the　hands　to　assist　the　cultivators　in　turning　out　cattle；　he　readily　comprehended　what　was　asked　of　him；　yet　this　lad；　whose　vulpine　career　was　so　short；　could　neither　talk　nor　utter　any　decidedly　articulate　sound。

The　author　of　the　pamphlet　expressed　some　surprise　that　there　was　no　case　on　record　in　which　a　grown　man　had　been　found　in　such　association。　This　curious　collection　of　cases　of　wolf…children　is　attributed　to　Colonel　Sleeman；　a　well…known　officer；　who　is　known　to　have　been　greatly　interested　in　the　subject；　and　who　for　a　long　time　resided　in　the　forests　of　India。　A　copy；　now　a　rarity；　is　in　the　South　Kensington　Museum。