The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1870-01-13
TEzE vasTsRG sEExDLss.

The case Of "the Welsh fasting girl.' re-
gently watched to death by four nurses frcm
Guys Hospital, is but one Of 4 long series
of similar examples of apparent abstinence
from food beyond possible limits. There
was chTonicled in the sixfcenth century "a
Notable and PrJtigiuus Historic mayden IN
Holland. y 40 for sundry yPeres Eujthsr cat
eth. drinketh nor slecpeth.' Her Abnormal
condition commenced With q loss nf appetite
, for warm meats, which laEtei for fre years,
at the ex oiratinu Of which time even "cold
victuals" sPeTn TO hare rAjied upnn her. as,
for the seven yeafs yet following. There
could neither meat or dirk gre doVyn iier
throtc." In tie reign Of EiwaT3 III. the
Tower Chronicles reisue thst ono Ciccir
RidgeTay, Sho 1ss condemned ~ death i1r
the ynurdsr df her hubbard. remained FoT
forty days without food OF drink. 10 conEc-
guence OF which sappoScf miracle the King
pardonod her. 10 the beginning of the
eighteenth csncaty two eases arc recorded in
England-ope of woB?nn who for s1Ue
mouths FersGS6@i her HetEh5Ors that no
uourishmeEt passed hsT Gps, hRt who snOso-
qnently confessed her decgit the other of
young lady whose grief st her fs:lqer's death
threw her into prolonged spasrs, lasting on
one occasion for sishty four daye, and Cn an
=
RODS she vsR iucspsble Of swallowing. At
about the san1o time an instance os gennIDe
fasting happeeed u the PcTsan cf a woman
in Cambridgosni1e. who survived twelve days
imprisoned 10 s1aov-lJ!ft. Oi3 CCntTnent-
al writers uleIltiors3 vsgaelT several cases
Of persistent fasting, caduriDg from few
weeks to over nfteeu gears. 4 Won sn
named Moore. Prabsnsfs, IA 1913 TO hare
existed for sfx years f,iGboGt nouTishmaut
and, slthrDEh she gyss detected ia iHdulsiDE
3 in an "occagjonal draughI Of 0etcr, :" no
suspicion aeer3g to have bccn arcuEcl tbst
she might also suTTeptIticusiy ohtsin solid
food. The Philosophical G'ran7GCtioHs add
two more eases 10 tie category f9a frZt
that Of a young nan who having checked =
pr,fgse rer,pi5at;0n by fnr7uf,en1ly 6yiuE
ing cold wa-er, threw himself into s. fsveT
which 70 permanently Destroyed h's appe-
tite that for eighteen years he took nothing
out water; the second. a woman named
Janet McLeop, WHO. after tuu:teea epjept c
years Of occasional bTiaf fagts coTeTiEg 8 tsF7
months at time, fnaIly. az the age OF %.
gave up eating ana drinking altogether,
and pursued this eooncTnic7l system -yithous
losing any OF the rouadueSS Of Ger bugt and
limbs.
Iu more irnmeiiatcly modern tines NJ
-lyercns cases of this sort have bcgn rporteJ,
prominent Among which IL America viii be
remembered Mrs. Siueon HAYS, who wss
Fcputel 10 have lived for more than two
years without visible means of sostonarce,
end an "authcutic narrative" Of whose cor
6ition AMI circumstances vaB Cet}tell
throughout the country by q creduloas cioT
ical gentleman, who tpok her unieT his
special protection. Co,umtta Comfy also
furnished, some years ago, G fastins girl
whose imposture was exposed by rleiical
sxamira alton aud several other instances
hsve been more recently reported, tie places
sGd dates Of which VIC cannot now recall
Although all such stories Ct absolute ab
st.nenCe for periods exceeding two OF three
n-eks may be safely SGT down to the scme
of deceit aad triCkery, there are undnabted-
~ certain disordeTed states Of tha system
wherein the waste Of the tissues ia So re.;uc-
ed that an almost incredibly small amoant
of nourishment sufices 10 maintain life
Thus Curnaro, who died in 1865. at the age
of over a hundred years. states in his work
on Health and Life.'' written Z hen he ras
81, that for fifty Eight years he had tsken
daily but twelve ounces Of food. principally
vegetable. Furthermore. while total priva-
tjUa Of food and drink VIII canse death in
from eight to twelve days, life may he pro
lUnged for much greater period If only
water be occasionally taken. Hystericai
women have mere than once been Known TO
abstain from solid food for as long as three
weeks. The meaus By which Imposition
has been caTrie'! on for longer periods are
curious aud Ingenious. OF coursa. 10 the
nAjorty of instances, opportunities we're
efored during the absence of witnesses for
Surreptitious indulgence in usual forms OF
food ; but even where continual watch has
been instituted the vigilance Of the atteud>
ants has been circum7cntea--in one case bY
sucking the starch from haEdkarchiefs With
which the patient was literally supplied by
her mother in another by aPoOsiug the
body with strong beel-tea. under the pre-
tence Of simple a5.ution.-N Y IYoyld