The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1880-07-30
THE FASTER FEEBLE.
DR.. TANNER TAKEN SUDDENLY SICK.
Great Pain and Much Vomiting.
Alarm Felt for His Recovery-Va.
por Baths Resorted To He
Takes Mineral Water a gainst
the Advice OF His Physi.
clan - Parallel Cases
Biblical Fasts.

ahc huNtct Ot Ihls Enybs
clan = Parallel Cases
Biblical Fasts.
New York, July 29.--At 1880 last night
DR.. Tnnerawas taken suddenly sick. He
complained Of great pain in his stomach, and
nausea, and threw up some thick mueus
fluid. Much alarm was felt at first for fear
the sickness would prove too much for the
doctor in his feeble condition. An alcoholic
vapor bath was ordered by his physicians, to
quicken the circulation and secure, ifpossible,
free Precipitation. After taking the bath, he
spoke of feeling better, and after few min
utes lay down and fell asleep. AT night he
was once more resting quietly, being very
closely watched. AT half.past O'Clock this
morning DR.. Tanner was sleeping quietly,
with his condition in no way changed When
last taken his temperature was 92o. His
pulse was "a, ami his respiration l6. AT
$3.50 p. m. DR.. Tanner drank eight ounces of
mineral water, much against the advice of
DR.. Miller, under whose care he was at that
time. He was very impatient and restless.
de refused to take his bath until the arrival
of DR.. Gum.
NIGHT DISPATCH.
There was a decided change for the worse
in DR.. Tanners condition to-day. He was
weaker than at any time during the fast, and
his eyes are dull and heavy. At noon he was
suffering pain, though denied it. II was
evident that he was fatigued. The symptoms
were so alarming during the morning that
the physicians decided 10 have beef extract,
warm water and brandy ready for an emer-
gency. The doctor is much troubled with
wind on the stomach, but while making
light of the symptoms, he says if his cough
ing sets in he will at once break the fast. At
7 o'clock this morning three ounces of warm
water was given him to relieve the
pain. Four hours later he again
complained and asked for a few drops of
peppermint, but it was refused. He sought
relief by pounding on his ribs. After his re-
turn from the usual morning walk he was
given little ice-water and small piece OF
ice. He soon after vomited nearly one and
half ounces of mucus, tiDged with bile. He
was weak and helpless nearly an hour after
wards. At one time he took warm foot
bath to relieve congestion of the stomach by
increasing activity in blood circulation, vet
he thinks he has caught slight cold. He
was asleep when the thlrty.second day was
entered on at noon.
PARALLEL CASES.
The prolonged fast of DR.. Tanner in the
interest of science has attracted public atten-
ton to the whole subject of abstinence from
food, and such facts concerning it as are to
be gathered from the records Of the past will
not be without interest TO the general reader.
This matter of fasting is one OF physiology,
and is best explained by an examination into
the nature of those animals that indulge in
Information, as 1t is formed, almost, as il
would seem, by instinct. The term means
"wiptering," but Information is practiced by
certain creatures as much in summer as in
winter. 1t would appear to be q plan de-
vised by nature to enable animals that can
not change their locale readily with the
changing seasons to exist without food during
the periods unproptious to their obtaining
it. Bears. bats, hedgehogs, the dormouse,
water-rats, and certain insects are all addict
ed to this practice, but not alone in winter.
The bat hibernates once in every twenty
four hours, exhibiting all the customary
phenomena of the condition. Not to be too
scientific, 1t may be said that these include
lessened respiration and augmented irritabil-
ity as attendant factors. Birds have high
respiration and little irritability; reptiles are
the reverse in this. In structural changes
as from the egg to the bird, the tadpole to
the batrachian, and the larva to the chrysalis
and insect-respiration is augmented; in
physiological changes, as in sleep and biber.
nation, it is lessened. Says lady writer of
the water-rat:
And when cold winter comes and the water
plants die,
And the little brooks yield him no longer
supply,
And quirtIy through the long winter time
sleeps.
In the winter the swallow and bat migrate
to warm regions. while the insects-their
natural prey-sipk into deep sleep through
the season Of cold and famine. With those
animals that hibernate the question of
fasting IL necessarily involved with that of
sleep. Yet there have been instances in which
the latter condition was not certainly promi.
nent. The writer Of this has seen live toad
which had been taken from the midst of
coal seam at twenty-eight feet distance
from the surface. 1t was somewhat
uCufo hniulouihtoiy hlsor Uellg OK
posed, and lived several years there
after, dying at last from being exposed to q
frost. It, food during its surface life con-
sisted only of water, which 1t absorbed by
being placed IN vessel filled with it. It's
mouth was Theoretically sealed, but its eyes
were black and sparkling. An anecdote is re-
lated that fat pig that was buried beneath
q mass of earth and lived one hundred and
sixty days without food. When it was re-
lieved it was found to have lost one hundred
and twenty pounds in weight. The capac-
ity for existing without food would appear
to depend on the ability of the heart to carry
on the circulation of the blood without re-
gard to the arteries. The blood in that case
& venous and not oxygenated. In hyberna-
ton disintegration and waste Of the It's
sues progress very slowly, and the animal is
snabled to live on the slow consumption of
It's own tissues. Bears that come out after
iibernation are found to be wasted greatly
rom this cause, and II is considered posi-.
i've evidence against the faster in cases OF
ong abstinence from food being pretended,
t he do not display this waste of his supera-
,undant fat. II is, therefore, obvious that q
condition of inactivity and that Of q high
emperature are of advantage TO the volun-
ary faster. The consumption of tissue goes
IN less rapidly under those circumstances,
md he is enabled to utalize the waste for the
ustenance Of his own life.
BIBLICAL rAsTs.
A. a. -. o. y