Santa Fe weekly gazette. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1864-1869, 1869-05-08
Number 4S.
From Al ht Fear Rosal.
Odd Monsters.

pictures in Sehencks History Of Monster, =
little quarto book Of memorable human do
formties, published two hundred and sixty
years ago. The author was one Of the best
PHYSICIANS Of his time, volunminous writer
who has left US thick closely printed folio
Of the most interesting cases 10 had met with
in medicine and surgery, monsters included;
but tho monsters have also little volume
TO themselves Wo start with child all
body and no head, but having windows in
its breast for there were It's eyes. Then
comes the son of tailor Of Mecklenburg, who
had what seemed 10 DO the faint suggestion
Of face wrapped round with great Turkish
nightcap. As there seemed TO be face
under plastic mask, tho mask was removed
and below was revealed horribly great
mouth which began TO roar without tongue
and eyes without pupils, behind which '6re
seemed to shine; there was no BRAIN and there
were no bones to the skull, but the upper
part Of the head was twisted up like a tall
turban. The right hand of this child was
always open, the left always doubted into
hst Doctor schenck gives an ediHing pic
ture after the manner Of modern Valentine,
showing the child's head as Il tappeared before
the mask was lifted, You may lift tho mask
here for yourself, and see what you shall 500
mot cupid. 1t 10 hardly worth while to
mention children with cats heads or with
horns, and broad mouth like whales, or q
young sharks DO fore its teething; or with pig
tails actually growing, from their necks. That
latter form must In the days Of perwig, have
been looked upon as laudable effort on the
part Of nature, to keep pace with the fashions.
Ono child had goose's back and wings, an
other frogs head, another large erect hare's
ears. A little fellow at Stettin was born with
something like tortoiseshcll on tho top of
his head, and white mouse's tail peeping
out from under It. There was twas there!) q
child born at Basle, in fifteen hundred and
hAy-six, with such wide nostrils, that his brain
could be seen through them But then an
other had no nose ut all, nor eyes, nor ears,
only mouth, and the rest of tho face blank:
while another had so much room In his head
that full-sized arm grew out from whero one
Of his ears should DO. This monster had also
no elbows or knees.
From the commentaries Of Sigibert We arc
told Of the child born at Emmaus in the reign
Of Emperor Theodosius, single below the
chest, or chests, but with two chests, arms,
and heads. The two heads were not better
than one, for they were differently affected;
one might be crying while the other laughed,
one feeding, the other sleeping; sometimes
they Quarelled, and there was fight Of the
two pairs Of arms. This child Is said TO have
lived two years, one part dying four days be-
fore the other, which was killed by the decay
Of Us inseparable neighbor Cardan tells us
ofa Milanese girl with two heads, In oil other
respects single, except that she was found
after death to have two stomachs. II would
not have been bigamy To marry her. although
in fairness she would be entitled to husband
with two heads not the creature figured by
the side of her with two monkey legs and q
fox's brush, but possibly the sage two-headed
philosopher figured below her, one Of whose
heads looks very much startled at what his
other head is whispering into It's ear. There
are gentlemen living who would find II great
convenience, and whose friends would find 1t
great convenience, If they could indulge In
this manner their taste for conversation, and
yet keep their conversation to themselves.
Among the two-headed women was one In
Bavaria, aged twcnty-six, Of whose two faces
one was pretty the other ugly. In the time
of Francis the First of France, tEero was a
man with two heads, whose second head grow
out of the thrunk of his body, and was car
, ried under his waistcoat This head had q
secret hunger of It's own hat no food tax en-
by the visible month woal satisfy.
Ancestors Of Miss Bi.in We can more liter
. ally believe In. A man Of forty lived in
= Paris not long before Doctor Schenck made
his collection of cases, who being without
arms, could grasp an axe with his shoulders,
neck, and chin, and throw It as far as bis
neighbors or in the same way hold and crack
whip with the best Of them. Although he
had no hands to keep from picking and steal
: ing. he was eventually condemned for theft
and broken on tho wheel He used his toes
r It is said, for eating and drinking, Dion tell
that one Of the gifts sent TO Augustus from
II tho Indians was youth without arms, who
used his feet skilfully in shooting with the
bow. Schenck himself saw an armless woman
l. doing needle work with her feet, and 'ardar
saw an armless man throw a spear, stitch {
!. garment cat, drink, write, and thread needle
Twoyouths with the same defect played cardi
(but not together, one using his feet tho othsi
bis month and chin. An armless woman a,
Frank fort-on .thc.Maine in 1865 not only
painted letters elegantly with her feet, but
made with her toes very ingenious toys.
A famous armless humpback was Thoma'
Schweicker, Suabian, born In 1913, whose
If portrait we have at the age Of ilfty-three. HC
N was the Btiin of Schenck's time, in highes
,f repute for handwriting or shouldn't we say
,f footwriting!-with his toes, and for the elcg
ant designs which he drew round specimen,
le of bis penmanship. He cxcelled also in arith
!, metic and chess-playing, architectural cary
y ings, delicate cutting out, bookbinding. cross
'' bow shooting He cut for himself his slice
Of bread with his feet, carried food and drink
to his mouth, when, and with his feet ais,
mendcd bis own pen he wrote. A hundreC
years earlier there had been u man living /,
= old age, under the care Of his landlord, wh'
had learnt to be very helpful to himself
though he had no right hand, three finger
Joined together for q left hand, and no too
upon bis feet. He learnt to write we'll, ant
do many things with his misshapen and i'm
perfect left hand.
From the people without feet we pass \
the records Of joint. births like that Of th
Siameso Twins. Some have been Joined b
the neck, some by the forehead, some by III
Ghost, some BY the back; thore are plenty Q
all kinds. The most interesting Of these wa
man Of adult years, who, In l549, showo
himself In Switzerland with another an
smaller body hanging from bis breast, aliv
and complete in all parts from the mock down
A. wards; but the head, II there was any, seemo
as to DO contained within his chest. He bare
ct his chest and displayed what seemed To DO
ns living child, which had forced is head througl
th IT, The rest Of DR.. Schencks collection W,
nMe M will leave TO tho imagination Of any ono VIII
y y having brought himself into state Of tom
ea y ponry lunacy, will conane himself for 81