New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-08-02
PRICE FOUR CENTS.
DIR. TANNERS FAST.

| FASTING MANS PAST AND PRESENT
HOW THE STATISTICS IN REGARD TO HIM ARs
OBTAINED.
DR.. Tanner passed quiet day yesterday,
seeming somewhat weaker. Last evening,
however, he suffered from repeated attacks
of sickness. The last of these, at 1915, was
the most severe that he has had, and the
attendant physicians were greatly alarmed al
the exhaustion and feebleness which followed
the attack. The Doctor was not weighed
yesterday. A sketch of DR.. Tanner as he
was and as he is, together with his present
surroundings and description Of the manner
in which the statistics concerning him are
taken, is given herewith.
QUIET DAY ENDING WITH SICKNESS.
THE DOCTOR UNWILLING TO RECEIVE VISITORS
TROUBLED WITH NAUSEA AND vOSfrTING-THE
PHYSICIANS GREATLY ALARMED.
After his sickness Saturday evening Dr. Tanner
seemed exhausted, and retired at an early hour.
During the early part Of the night he frequently
uttered his old complaint of a lack Of fresh
air, and seemed decidedly restless. After
midnight he slept until about 4 a. m. Then
he spoke of feeling Ill, and soon yomited some mu-
Gus mixed with bile Dressing about o o'clock he
concluded to remain quietly in the hall without his
usual morning ride. The forenoon was uneyentfu
Ii was supposed that visitors to be admit
ted but a few found their way ill., to the doctors
great discontinue.
please 90 away now" he exclaimed 20 some
people who had stood half an hour by his cot, Il
don't want nybOdy here on Sunday"
The visitors reluctantly departed, although ono
of them grumbled over her shoulder You ought
not to take our money them" The doctor called
for wet towels to be put his head IN the of
the forenoon. Toward noon lie took long nap.
and lie remained throughout the day in the south
gallery. At 230p p IN. his pulse was IS, the sphyg-
mographic tracngs being better than on Saturdays,
temperature, 9S25o; respiration, ID dynamometer
hight So left 81. He tried to dress at o'clock
but found himself too weak Shortly after he was
again nauseated Recovering, he wrote little for
his intended biography. He siezed with a
fit of nervous trembling, which soon passed away.
A long nap followed, but waking about $40, the
doctor was again taken sick and vomited half an
ounce of mucus and bile. Then he fell asleep again.
At $50 he vomted again, throwing up about two
ounces.
The physicians who came on watch at pronounced
him weaker than at any time before. They sand
"The nausea is certainly an unfavorable symptom,
and as it occurs after drinking considerable quanti-
ties of water it shows the stomach to be in highly
irritable state"
The doctor moved once twice In the evening,
seeming restless but weaker. He acknow lodged
that it was hard to find anything to please him. His
sense Of smelling did not seem sharp, according
to one of the watchers. At 1918 he was taken
scker than he has ever been before, and threw up
L" one ounce of visod tluid looking like
weak tea. with detached portions Of It's
sue, having the appearance of dsintegrated
mucous membrane, floating on the surface"
This fluid emitted unpleasant odor The effort
of in IN
svely. He requested that a mustard plaster be
sent for and applied to his stomach. This was
done and he then fell asleep. At little past IL he
was sleeping quietly, but the physicians watch,
expressed themselves greatly alarmed at his con-
dltion. They spoke Of his last sickness as having
been unusually severe, and watched the sleeper
with constant apprehensOns. One of the watchers
said, ominously shaking his head: There will be
plenty of work for the doctors here before the week
is out Why he has half acknowledged bis weak
ness himself several times to-day
Last evening DR.. Tanner looked weaker and moved
more feebly and at IL o'clock as he lay his cot.
his haggard, worn look seemed to prove the i'm
possibility of his gong week longer without food.
The doctor was not weighed yesterday, remaining
as quiet possible all day.
THE FASTER AND HIS SURROUNDINGS.
WHAT THE DOCTOR wAs-HIs PRESENT CONDITION
SKETCH OF CLARENDON HALL-How STATS
TICS ARE GATHERED.
1t will be five weeks this noon since robust COM
pactly built man strobe sturdiIy up the steps Of
Clarendon Hail. and with quietly confident smla
submitted himself TO the inspection of the physt-
clans who awaited him. Those who we've yet igBo-
rant speedily learned the little there TO know
about hinl-that he was born in Tunbridge Wells,
England in 1881 came TO this country at the age Of
seventeen, and going to Wisconsin, soon began the
study of medicine, afterward removingto Mnneap-
oils Mimi, and practising there an eclectic
physician. They knew, too. that the Stranger
whom many of them then saw for TIE first time. was
a firm believer the virtues of abstinence from
food as tending to health and the curing Of disease
and also held that life could be prolonged without
food for longer period than. had ever come under
the direct observation of physiologists. Moreover.
tho doctors had read or been told that the man
before them claimed to have subsiantatod his
views by an experiment upon himself; that he
claimed to have tasted for fortvtwo days at Mime
apolis in July and August 1877. under the partial
of DR.. A. Meyer, and had thereby cured
rheumatism of the heart and Inflammation of tho
stomach with which he had previously been
affected. Understanding this, the doctors knew
too that the Minnesota doctor had offered himself AZ
the subject of an experiment TO prove that his
former statements were true, and to do publicly
something Of which no authenticated record has
been handed down from the past.
Naturally the assembled doctors watched this
man with interest and curiosity, though probably
none of them believed he would accomplish the task
he had voluntarily undertaken. They saw a man
whose hair had been whitened by the passage
Of forty nine years, but whose body was almost
that of IN athlete. About medium height, with
broad square shoulders, deep full chest ard still
elastic step. his appearance gave color to his boast
that he could have gained athletic renown had he
chosen that field OF distinction. HIS weight, 157ia
pounds, came from bard aud solid flesh. When