Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1880-07-09
DR.. Tanner Still Living without
Eating or Drinking.

d. ..
tie With the laws of nature in Clarendon
Hall, and Yesterday at noon he concluded the
eighth day of his long fast, just one-ffth OF
the task which he has set himself to accom-
ulieh. His abstinence from food has natur-
ally made him extremely nervous. and the
nervousness il increased by the persons
around him. Scores of medical men have
visited him daily. and all want to talk to the
subject of the most Interesting experiment
ever presented TO them for study. Dr. Tan
ner. in his present condition, is very irritable,
and cannot easily bear contradiction. The
result is that while the possibility of success
in his task depends upon absolute quiet and
freedom from care, he has been drawn into
discussions by the spectators. which have ex-
cited and worried him. Prof. Wark last
evening determined that this should not hap
pen again. and in the future nobody but the
watchers and reporters will be admitted to
the Doctors room, unless on the special III
vitation of the fasting man himself. During
the first days of his trial he was allowed TO
read the daily papers, but the remarks OF Dr.
Hammond and some comments upon his ex-
pertinent excited him. that for the three
DAYS he has not been shown newspaper. In
diyidual members of the Neurological So
ciety are now beginning to take an interest
in the long fast and movement Is on foot
TO have a committee of that body join with
the irregular physicians in watching the
progress of the experiment.
When the noise of the celebration of the
9TH of July ended, at about l o'clock yester-
dav morning DIR. Tanner sank into quiet
sleep. which lasted for four hours. Drs.
Gum and Griswold were on duty as watch
ers from midnight TO in the morning, and
certify that during that time he took neither
food nor water into his stomach. He gargled
and rinsed his mouth eight times, returning
the water TO the glass, and at no time was
more than two drains lost by absorption. He
does not perspire much, bu. his flesh so far
has been moist. At five o'clock he arose,
washed and dressed himself, his clothes be-
ing carefully searched before he put them on.
His pulse was then beating at the rate of IS
per minute. and was soft and full. His
temperature was about normal at 9S de-
grees. He insisted on taking morning
walk, although his physicians strongly
objected. They hold that whatever ex-
ponds power or wastes tissue should be
avoided, but DIR. Tanner said that the
walk would DO him good, and was obsti-
nate in the matter. Accompanied by his
watchers, he walked up Fourth-avenue to
Sixteenth street, through Union square, and
back again to the hall, being absent about
% minutes. He was bright and cheerful,
not so nervous as on the day before and the
watchers certify that his physical and men,
tai condition was ''really wonderful" He
expressed himself at this time as perfectly
confident of success in his undertaking, and
when asked if he was not suffering from him.
ger said eff wanted to feel hungry could
feel hungry enough. But / have the will
power to keep it down, and | am keeping it
down"
Upon his return to the hall he lay down on
his cot again, face downward, with his head
partially out of the window. and all through
the day crowd Of men and boys stood on
the opposite side of Thirteenth street. watch
ing his white hairs, which were the only thing
visible from the street. During the morn
ing he snatched at intervals few minutes of
| uneasy sleep but most of the time he twist
ed and turned in his cot, sitting up but little.
| He made no complaint of suffering, but &C.
| casionally deep, hollow groan issued from
| his mouth, like the growing of famished
beast. At 80 his pulse had fallen to Il
| beats a minute, and his temperature had
| slightly risen, being registered at 9S $40 de-
| grees His pulse is noted in the record kept
| by the watching physician. DIR. Charles f.
| Griswold, as ''small and compressble, but
as firm as can be expected" His respiration
was recorded as II a minute. At noon he
expressed satisfaction at having passed so east
| " through the first eight days of his trial and
| declared that he was feeling much better than
| he had expected to feel. He rinsed his
mouth, turned over on his face, and rested in
| comparative quiet until in the afternoon,
when he arose and was shaved, sitting in a
| chair. At about this time the DOCTORS real
| or protested, began to pour in upon him. and
he engaged in discussions with them, which
| excited and irritated him. At 3, under the
| influence of the excitement and the oppres-
sive air, caused by the crowd. his pulse had
i N l.
ature to 80 degrees. He was irritable and
complained bitterly of the noise and bad air
which encompassed him. Finally, in fit of
| temporary passion, he ordered the room
| cleared. and all but the watchers and two or
three reporters withdrew. He then rested
| comparatively easy in his cot drinking in the
air from the open window at which he lay.
All o'clock DIR. Tanner sat upright and
| bathed his feet in pail of ran-W alter, which
| had been caught for him during the after
noon shower. His face was haggard, and
| his eyes looked as though he had not slept
| for a month, but there was no other Indication
| of the terrible ordeal through which he is
| passing. He rested for few minutes.
lying on his face, and then expressed de-
| sire to take an esening walk He left the
hall at SO. accompanied by Prof Wark.
DIR. Tuttle and Times reporter. He walked
with a light cane in his right hand, but he
made no use of it for support, and, as he
passed up Fourth avenue he attracted no
| special attention. Although weak from his
long fast, Ms step was firm and his gate
natural. He walked to Sixteenth-street and
entering Union Square seated himself on one
| of the benches in the park. He sat Is min
utes with his hands clasped on the cane, and
his head resting on his hands Then he
arose and walked steadily back to a liquor
saloon at the corner of Thirteenth-street and
Fourth-avenue where he was weighed He
turned the scale at l4Ia showing loss of
but IL pounds since the last time he was
weighed, two days before. In the first seven
days he lost two pounds day. and this de-
crease in his consumption of tissue encour-
aged him greatly. He returned to the hall
and ran up stairs as nimbly as a Tamany pol
titan searching for beer. Some person had
smoked in his room during his absence,
| and he detected the odor in an instant and
angrily ordered everybody from his room ex-
cept his watchers. Then he lay down on his
cot and prepared for the weary hours of the
long night before him. If living at noon to-
day, and there is no Indication of his diving
he will have subsisted nine days without food