Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1878-06-13
Helena, Montana, Thursday, June 3, 1878.
LIFE OF TORTURE.
One OF the Most Remarkable Cases of
AMchylOsiS Oh Record.

One OF the Most Remarkable Cases Of
AMchylOsis Oh Record.
[From the Lockport On. W Journall
In the year 1848, boy then eighteen years
of age, by the name of Jonathan 4. Bass,
lived with George w. Rogers, of this city,
in "a house on the ground now occupied by
the Lockport Journal building. One even
while on his way to pasture field above
High street, for the COWS, he was taken with
a severe pain in the bottom of his right foot
He supposed nail was hurting him, but
upon examination he could find nothing.
That night and for number of days his
foot was swollen very badly and was exceed
ingly painful. and then got better, but was
more or less troublesome after that. In the
fall of 1S49 he went to Avon four months
but got no better. That winter he attended
school at our Union School, and in the spring
went to Buffalo for time, all meanwhile
getting little worse. For few months of
the following summer he was able to act as
captain of :, canal boat, which he run be-
tween Buffalo and Rochester. He did no
work, however. After that he went to G.
W. Eastman's commercial school at Water
vile, Oneida county, anu in 1858 kept books
tor Hall s. Co., of Buffalo, but continuing
to grow worse had to give up his place, and
came to his home in Cambria. In 1866 he
did little writing for parties in Lockport,
and in '56 was very bad and suffered very
much, all the joints of the body and limbs
becoming more or less effected by this time.
In 1862 he was put on an invalid bed, made
by Moore & Glass, of this city, from which
he has never been moved. He could man.
age, however, with great difficulty, to feed
himself for eight years after that; since
which time he has been fed with a spoon,
which is quite difficult task, as bis jaws are
firmly set and nothing thicker than d knife
blade can pass them. Yet he eats almost
everything that other people do, and is very
hearty. Fat pork, fat beef, baked beans, po-
tatoes and milk are his favorites. Being very
much interested in the war, reading every
thing that came in his reach, which he could
do by having it placed on rack before him,
he so injured his eyes that in 1869 he became
blind, and has remained so since. He talks
without difficulty, is very intelligent, and con-
verses freely upon any subject that he has
had an opportunity to study up
.s The writer of this article called upon MIR.
Bass few days since and made careful ex-
animation of his physical condition, and
found every joint entirely anchylosed, or
grown into solid bone, with the exception of
bis fingers and toes. The bones of the fingers
of the right hand have been nearly absorbed,
and the flesh remaining is puffy and placid.
In the left hand not only the bones of the
fingers. but the bones of the whole hand,
have undergone this same process of absorp-
tion. The fnger-nails on this were grown out
beyond the ends of the fingers three and one
half inches, giving weird and inhuman ap-
pearance to the hand. The arms are straight
down by his sides. and fixed in this condi-
ton, and in the middle of the arm and fore
arm measured only five inches in circumfer-
ence.
The limbs are straight-with dislocation
of the right hip Joint-but all firm and solid
bone, the thigh measuring only eight and
one.half inches around.
The bones Of the toes are absorbed the
same as the hands, and the placid toes droop
and hang down like fringe. The spinal COL
umn is also perfectly consolidated, thus rend-
ering the body capable of being lifted by
ones hands under his head and heels without
yielding or bending the slightest whatever.
The muscles are not paralyzed, but their ac-
ton seems perfectly under his control as seen
by the action of the tendons and cords.
The pulse Is regular. beating seventy to the
minute, strong and full. All the vital organs
are sound and in active condition, thus rend-
ering him capable of living many years long
er. On the whole, this is probably one of
the most remarkable cases on record in this
or any other country.