Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1878-06-21
A Rare Case for Doctors.

In the year 1s4S boy then eighteen
years old by the name of Jonathan II. Bass
one evening while on his way to pasture
field above High street for the cows was
taken with "a severe pain in the bottom OF
his right foot. Ho supposed at first that
a nail i'll his shoe was hurting him, but
upon examination he could fhd nothing.
That night and for number OF days his
foot was swollen very badly and was ex-
ceedingly 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 did not improve. That winter
he attended school at our union school,
and IN The spring went to Buffalo Tor a
time, mealw lille getting a little worse.
For few months Of the following. sum-
mer he was able to act AS captain OF a
canal boat. He did no work, however.
After that he went to G.. w. Eastman 8
commercial school at Waterville. Oneida
county, and in 1853 kept books for Hall Y
Co.. of Buffalo, but continuing to grow
worse had TO give up his place and come
to his home in Cambria. In 1866 he did
writing for parties in Lockport, and III
1856 was very bad and suffered very much
all the joints OF the body and limbs becom-
ing more or less affected by this time.
In 1862 he was put on all invalid bed,
from which he has never been removed.
He could manage, however. with good
deal Ut difficulty, to feed himself for eight
years after that since that time he has
been fed with spoon. which is quite diff
f1cult TASK. rs his jaws are firmly set and
nothing tn cker than d knife blade can pass
them. YET he eats everything that others
do, and is very hearty. Fat pork, fat beef,
baked beans. potatoes, and milk are his
favorites. Being very much interested in
the war, reading everything 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 CONVEX
ses freely upon any subject that he has had
an opportunity to study up.
The writer OF this article called upon
Mr.. Bass few days since and made a care
full examin; ton OF his physical condition,
and found every joint entirely anchylosed
or grown into solid bone, with the fingers
and toes. The bones of the fingers Of the
right hand have been nearly absorbed, and
the flesh remaining is puffy and flaccid. In
the left hand not only the bones of the
fingers but the toneA of the whole hand
1dtO uuUcISOuc CIllo SdulC pIOC6SS VI dU-
sorption. The finger nails on this hand
are grown out beyond the ends of the fing
ers three and >one-half inches, giving a
weird and inhuman appearance TO the
hand. The arms are straight down by his
sides and fixed in this condition, and in
the middle of the arm and forearm
measure 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 flaccid toes droop and hang down
like fringe. The spinal column is also
perfectly consolidated; thus rendering the
body capable of icing lifted by ones hands
under his head and heels without yielding
or bending. The muscles are not paralyzed
but their action seems perfectly under mis-
control rs seen by the action of the ten
dOnS and chords.
The pulse is regular, beating seventy to
the minute, strong and full. All the vital
organs are sound and in active condition,
thus rendering him capable of living many
years longer. On the whole, this is proba-
bly, one of the most remarkable cases on
record in this or any other countrys-LocE-
port, N. Y, Journal, May -.