The Indianapolis leader. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1879-1890, 1880-09-18
From White to Black.
philadelphia Press. ]

For over sixteen months past an uptown
physician has been attending case Of dis
ease that is so rare that the like of it has
never been known, or, at least, recorded in
medical works. 1t is a case of real melano-
sis or fermentation, where the pigment OF
mslanin, as it is technically called, which
gives color to the hair and eyes, pervades
the whole body. A boy born OF white par
ents, and perfectly natural in color at h;a
birth, turned under the disease as black as
full blooded negro. 1t is certainly one OF
the most remarkable freaks of nature ever
brought to light, and it will attract the atteu
tion OF the entire medical fraternity of the
world.
The parents live at No. 1907 Lemon
street, the father, John Salter. being a
mechanic. They were married in Decem-
Der 1876, the woman at that time twenty
years ofage, and the husband twenty-eight.-
They are both of American birth, the wife
being of English descent, and the husband
of Irish extraction. Ten months after ii g
union of the couple, there was born to them
a fine and apparently healthy baby boy.
The infant thrived and promised to develop
into robust boy. He was beautiful child,
with fair complexion, dark eyes, and silky,
dark brown hair, which grew in profusion.
When two weeks old he was taken to a
priest and christened, and all friends atten-
ing that interesting ceremony complimented
the happy parents upon the beauty and
promise of the youngster. But in few
days the parents were alarmed at remark
| able change that was coming over the child.
He gradually grew dark. At first his skin be-
came pale yellow, then deepened into a
saffron hue, and then, to the terror of the pa
rents, grew darker yet. They thought the
baby was attacked with iaundice and
turned to the priest for advice. The
good father was astonished when
| told that the dark-skinned child before
him was the beautiful, fair boy he had christ.
ened but two weeks before. He saw that
the trouble was something worse than jaun-
| dice, and advised the afflicted parents to
consult physician at once. This was done
and various doctors prescribed for the child
| but the disease was not checked. The child
grew darker and darker. The color was
uniform all over the body, except at the
| joints, where it was little darker, and al
| the palms of the hands where it was lighter.
| The once fine, brown hair grew stiff and
| jet black, and the eyes also grew darker, sc
that the line between the pupils and the
iris could not be distinguished. In spite Of
medical treatment the boy grew worse, and
became very weak, all the time the color Of
the skin deepening. At last he became a.
black as a full. blooded negro. Then he was
attacked by convulsions, which grew mere
frequent and violent until they threatened
the child's life. 1t was in one {
these that DR.. Reyno olds, of Eigf
teenth and Poplar streets, wa
called in. He succeeded in curing the spasm
and then devoted his attention to the strang,
disease which afflicted the child. He a
once recognized it as melanosis or pigmen
tation, which is mentioned in the books in
general way, but there is no case giver
where it had developed all through tn,
body. This was over sixteen months ago
the child being thirteen months old. Sine,
that time the boy has greatly improved, b.
degrees becoming lighter until he is now o
light chestnut-brown color. The hair ha
once more become brown and soft, and tn
eyes have regained their natural appearance
The parents of the boy are perfectly healthy
and the mother now carries at her breast
robust infant aged six months. The fathe
is muscular man, of medium height, witt
black hair and dark complexion. Th
mother is of fair complexion, and has BROW
hair.
Since DIR. Reynolds has had the case il
charge the child has been visited by owe
two hundred physicians, who all agreed ths
it was truly remarkable case.