Ottumwa weekly courier., 1878-12-11
The Man Fish Of Tennessee,

AVin balc AOulnylii6 6SUullcr-dOufNAI, DeC. q.
DR.. L. p. Yandell was among the
medical men who took look at the
man fish Of Mr.. Whallen, mentioned
some time since in the Courier-Jour-
nal. He gives in the Medical Ne,cs
the following interesting statement
In regard to the wonder:
"A short time since the Tennessee
and Kentucky newspapers contained a
startling account of q wild man lately
captured, with great difficulty, in the
Cumberland Mountains. He was
six feet ten inches high, extraordina.
rily fleet of foot and excessively saw
age. He fed chiefly on raw fish
which he captured without artificial
aid. He spent much Of his time in
the water, and after being captured
he had to be frequently bathed. He
He was covered with shining scales,
like those Of fish. His hands and
feet were webbed like the feet of q
water-fowl-so the newspaper ac-
counts, with many embellishments,
ran. 1t is scarcely necessary to say
that much of this story was only
sh0wman's talk, uttered to attract the
attention of the curious and credu-
lous public.
"The physicians of Louisville were
invited to visit the monster upon HE
arrival in the city prior to his general
exhibition. Among others visited the
norman; but before seeing the case
had diagnosed it "a one of ichthyosis,
and single glance was sufficient to
verify the correctness of my conject-
ure. The man-fish presents a most
magnificent example of the form OF
ichthy osis, or fish-skin disease, called
ichthy0si serpentine, or serpent skin,
and his general effect is more that OF
. serpent than a fish. But upon the
different parts of his body may be
found nearly all the varieties of ich.
thyosis. The resemblance OF this
mans skin to the shed skin of . boa
constructor lately brought me by q
friend from the Geological Garden
in London, is almost perfect. Abou,
his joints the skin is loose and wrin-
kled, hanging in folds, and the scales
are large, suggesting the skin Of the
lizard or alligator about their limbs
and belly. His arms and legs remind
one Of the skin of the buffalo perch,
the carp or other large fish. The Gu
ticle everywhere Is dry and harsh,
and never perspires. There seems to
be IN absolute absence of fat, and the
man 10 shruken and withered, Of a
dead ashen gray appearance, except
here and there, where he is bro ownish
or blsckish. Though only about fifty
years OF age, he impresses one as a
very old man. The skin Of the face
10 red aud shining, and tightly drawn
about the cheeks, pulling the lower
lids down to such an extent as to
perfectly avert them, making o horrid
case Of ectropium. In come cases
his scales are silvery, in others dark
and again in others are small and
branny. His hair is thin and dead
looking. The backs OF his hands are
fissured, and on his palms and soles
tho cuticle Is greatly thickened. The
fingers and toes seem shorter than
natural, and the skin is drawn tightly
back oyer both feet and hands. The
Septum between the fingers aud toes
seem to extend much further down
than usual, thus suggesting the web
bed appearance before alluded to. He
10 considerably over six feet In hight,
and . man Of low order Of intelli.
gence. He is married and the father
Of several children, none Of whom,
fortunately, inherit his malady, and
as ichthyosis is almost If not oil ways a
congenital disease, they are not likely
ever to have it. The fish-man fails ia
present but single variety of ich.
thyosis, and that is the porcupiDe die.
ease, as 1t is called. In this spines
formed by hardened sebacceous ms.
terial, protrude from the skin, closely
packed together. Wilson states thai
he has observed them . quarter of sn
inch long. william reports having en-
countered them Of an inch in length
I have never seen them longer than
an eighth of an inch. Many years
ago two brothers in England having
this form Of disease were exhibited
In shows as porcupine men.
"Ichthyosis is one of the rgrest o.
skin diseases. l am under the i'm.
preston that it is more frequen. in
Europe than in this country. Ia ten
years have seen less than a dozen
cases. Its cause, as stated in my re.
port to the American Dermatological
Association in 1877, is scrofula, &C
cording to my observation and expe
rience. 1t is found in all the walks
of life. have encountered ii with
equal frequency among the rich an6
the poor. 1t is commonly considered
incurable, and only temporarily an6
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