Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1880-08-03
Far Ahead of DR.. Tanner.

c. Pearson, NJ. d. of Washing City
writes rs follows to the Eoentng Star:
As the long fWt of Dr. Tanner seems
to be elcitlng good deal Of comment
and there is u manifest disposition to re.
fer 10 every recorded case Of starvation
the following statement, which appcar'
hitherto to have escaped the observation
Of every one, and which ! clipped some
twenty years ago from the 0skaloosu
(lowa) Herald may be Of interest:
DEATH FROM srARvATIon--A WOMAN
LIVES sIXrY-EidHr DAYS WITH
ROOD.
The wife of Mr. Harvey Cruzcn, OF
Madison township, In this county, had
been deranged for about three years--so
much so some of the time that she had
70 be confined by her friends On the
18th of September last she declared her
determination to commit suicide by star
vallon. A night or two previous she
had taken from her husbands pocket
she was going to start for Ohio. FOilcd
some forty dollars In money, and said
IN this, she said she would either cut her
throat or drown herself. Not permitted
to do either one OF these, she determined
TO starye herself, aud so told The family.
She rcsolutely persisted In this determi-
nation for sirty-eight days, when death
came to her relief on Sunday evening the
20th Of Nov.
We were we'll acquainted with some
members of Mr. C's. family, und have
made the most careful inqnlry In regard
to this remarkable ease. Mrs. &. was
closely watched and attended the whole
time, and those who were with her are
satisfied that, beside the water She drank
she had not taken tBo ounces of noursh-
mcnt during the entire sixty-eight days.
Mrs. &. was 40 years Of age at the be-
ginning Of her abstinence from food, In
very vigorous physical health She was
large, aud her flesh was very solid.
During the last three weeks Of her starry
Ing period she suffered Intensely. She
could seldom bo raised IN bed without
iaintlng. Her stomach became irritable
10 that she could scarcely retain the wa
ter that she drank, During The whole
time there was but little action Of the
other dlgcAtlye organs. There was no
movement of the bowels, except on two
or three occasions, when she was pre-
vailed on to take some cathartlc pills.
She would not have taken any medicine
had her attend ants not given her dOz-
en- pills NJ n time SHE thought that
quantity would klll her. She did mo-
know that al but the requisite number
were made of dough. She retained Der
rcsolute dctermlunlen 10 die, until three
or -four days before ncr death.
II will be observed that this woman
wns described no being "lurgc aud her
flesh very solid" aud this undoubtedly
had much TO do with prolonglng her life.
Not that those who have supembund-
nncc Of flesh have greater powers or en-
durhncc than others, but IN an expert
mcnt of This kind euccces depends much
on the amount Of ftty matter or carbon
IN the system. Dr. Tanner is said not
to be- u large man, lie weight on con-
mcnclng his fast was less than 100
pounds. What proportion Of This was
mt, ~ 6tscid, and What bone or muscle,
the doctors, with all their science, have
not thought u necessary ~ Inform ~.
" he be q lean. spare man NJ ibis weight
his chances for failure are much great
cr The reason OF this il very obvious
There 10 IN ilie human subject, as we'll
~ IN many of the lower animnla, innc-
dlaiuly undrr The lnicgiiueni or skin n
layer of fli called by anatoniiit the "sli-
pcrncial fnacia.' Asa rule this IL thick
er IN The female than IN n male Of equal
weight hence y Female, everything else
Icing cqml, Will live lo1gpr without
food. Animals such as The bear, rae
coon, hog aud the reptiles have this m
erin very thlrkly developed ind they
will live for IN incredible Nnuh NJ time
without any nouflshment, The carbon
which this NJ c0ntalna u hhfnfbel, hnl
i' union in The hung. with The oxygen