The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1870-04-29

nDmAR.
The pending investigation concerns
Ing the Welsh fasting girl reminds
sthe Pail Nell Gazette Of several Gu.
rious instances of long abstinence
ftom food in the sixteenth century.
It says:
In 1854 there was a case of girl
at Heidelberg, which caused so much
wonder that the Count Pala.ine ap.
pointed commission of five matrons
10 watch her, and they reported hel
abstinence both from food and drink
was complete, and i'm an account pub.
lished In Frankfort i'm 1857, there is
an advertisement to the effect that the
uirl remained i'm the same state.
"A few wears after, Jane Balon, the
daughter of locksmith i'm village
near Poietiers, became celebrated an.
der the title of the Maid Ct COMEDIANS
or of Poitou." In her eleventh year.
after violent attack of vomiting, she
remained speechless for nearly a
month, and thenccforth, though she
recovered all Ter faculties except the
complete use of one hip, she could
take neither meat nor drink, and even
declined the sucking of sweetIneats,
which the English narrator truly tells
us are agreeable to such young years.
At the time he tells the story she had
tasted nearly three years, but i'm all
other respects had returned 10 her
ordinary occupations-sleeping, spin
ming and marketing, and making her.
self in no way an object of compass
sion, although sometimes froai her
eyes issued n few tears.
"But fuller and more interesting
account is that of a boy named Code
an, given by Simeon de ProvenchGes
Mefdecin du Roy of which we have
before us The fourth edition, printed
at Sens i'm 1915. II consists of five
discourses, going very deliberately
into all the physical conditions of the
case, including the autopsy of the
youthful prodigy. We will not re-
produce the scientific productions of
the worthy Doctor, inas;nuch as very
few of his premises will stand the test
ofdnodern discovery; but the facts
respecting his patient are stated with
simplicity, without any apparent Gre
dulfty, and with no application toany
especial theory. The state of absti-
nence from food and drink lasted four
wears and eleven months. The first
essay was written before the child was
taken to Fontainebleau, TO be shown
to the King and Queen, and returned
home much exhausted with the Jour-
ney.
At that time the doctor had only
known the case by credible testimo-
nv, but he was then determined to
Judge for himself. GOdean was
brought into his house by his parents,
apparently without any difficulty, and
fully examined to his satisfaction. A
short time after he persuaded the IA
thcr 10 leave the child alone with him
for some DAYS, and he gives the most
complete details of its demeanOr and
condition. He was a pleasant, hand
some little fellow, rather farOuche at
first, but soon adapting hi2self to a
new life. lie slept comfortably alone,
said his PRAYERS devoutly, was easily
amused, and full of activity. The SUBJ
jcct of food Or drink was never men-
toned, as it seemed to annoy him,
but he made no difficulty in sitting at
table with those who were eating, and
would even say grace.
"Thc visit was repeated on two
other occasions, and at last the Doctor
found him stronger and firmer on his
legs, but not grown in height from the
time he first saw him. AT this time
his tongue was red, his breath pure.
and his teeth clean. About the end
of the second year of his fast he lost
the use of his legs, and was confined
to his bed for three months, having
before usually slept on paillasse
with his clothes on at the end of that
time he suddenly recovered his
strength, and went about1as before.
A short time after he was attacked
with smallpox, which he look light
", and the postules soon disappeared,
without injury to the skin. His usu-
al occupation was that of watching
the fields, and he was very adroit in
sharing and netting birds. One day,
having returned from Sens, and COM
planning of the heat, he asked his ia
Their 10 90 and see a surgeon who had
promised him a gun, and during his
absence fell into high fever.
"In this condition he put a pitcher
of water 10 his lips, and wetted them
but would not swallow drop, though
evidently enjoying the GOODNESS of his
face and hands. His father returning
without the gun, he seemed veyed,
but soon said: 1T would do me no
good now and after two days uncon-
sciousness. expired. The dissection
showed that the child died of infla-
nation of the lungs. The upper por-
ton of the esophagus was found 10 ,he
tightly compressed, but the lower
part open and full of thick phlegm.
There were several dead worms in the
body. NJ. de Provencheres' theories
on this prodigy excited much contrO-
vcrsy and objection, but there dees
not seem to have arisen in any quar-
ter any suspicion of imposture or col
fusion. In another account OF the
same child it is mentioned that Non
sieur Shy, another doctor, going TO
see him. could not get him to take his
hand from his face, which the mother
explained by his terror lest food
should he presented to him by any
one. Instances are not wanting of
these strange affections among the
higher classes of society.
"A certain Marquis dc Pizany, an
Italian diplOmatist, was never known
to drink and OH a visit of the King
and Queen of France to BlOis, in 1918,
gentleman from Provence was
presented 10 them who had the
peculiarly of living without food
or drink, with the exception of some
times rinsine his mouth with sugared
water. lie was apparently man of
condition, and was attended by two |
servants of fine person, liTely CONVEX
sation and good manners. Under the
pretence of not knowing where he |
came from but no doubt for the pur-
pose of testing his physical singulari-
ties, the magistrates kept him under
arrest for fortnight, but they could
not detect no fraud, and after having
borne his imprisonment with much
good humor, he was conducted back
TO his hotel, which he left to return
home.
Now. allowing every scope for
and every probability
of occasional deception, these stories
assuredly Indicate most singular
state of the human body i'm relation TO
its ordinary aliment. IL would be
well if the case under investigation at
this moment could be 80 thoroughly