The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1880-05-07

Town Physician has been attending u case
of disease that is so rare that the like Of
il has never been known. or at least re-
corded in the medical works. 1t is u
case of real melanOsis or augmentation,
where the pigment or melanin, as il is
technically called, which gives color 10
the hair and eyes, pelvadcs The whole
body A boy born of white parents and
perfectly natural in color at birth, turned
under the disease as black full-blooded
negro. 1t is certainly one of the most
remarkable freaks of nature ever brought
to light, and it will attract the attention
of the entire medical world. Every eff
fort was made to suppress the facts, ow-
ing 10 the natural sensitiveness of the
parents, who did not wish to make their
child the object of vulgar curiosity, but
as the case is of such scientific interest
they yesterday consented to give the
particulars TO Press reporter, and also
referred him to the physician in attend
ance for further information.
THE PARTICULARS OF THE CASE.
The parents live at No. 1907 Lemon
street, the father, John Salter, being II
mechanic. They were married in De-
cember, 1876, the woman at that time be-
ing twenty years of age, and the husband
twenty-eight They are both of Ameri-
can birth, the wife being of English de-
scent and the husband of Irish extrac-
ton. Ten months after the union of the
couple there was born to them a fine and
apparently healthy boy baby The in
FAINT thrived and promised Ia develop in
to u robust boy. He was IA beautiful
child, with fair complexion, dark eyes
and silky, dark-brown hair, which grew
in profusion. When two weeks old
he was taken To priest and christened,
and all the friends attending that
interesting ceremony complimented
the happy parents upon the beauty
and promise of the youugster. But i'll IL
few days the parents were alarmed
at Il remarkable change that was coming
over the child. He gradually grew dark.
AT first his skin became pale yellow,
then deepened into saffron hue. and
then, to the terror of the parents, grew
darker yet. They thought the baby was
attacked with jaundlce, and turned TO
the priest for advice. The good father
was astonished when told that the dark
skinned child before him was the beau
tiful, fair boy he had christened but two
weeks before. He saw at once that the
trouble was something worse than jaun-
dice, and advised the afflicted parents to
consult physicians at once. This was
done, and various doctors prescribed for
the child, but the disease was not check
ed. The child grew darker and dan ker.
The color was uniform all overthe body,
except at the joints, where it was little
darker, and at tire palm of the hands,
where it was lighter.
THE HAIR BECOMES STIFF AND BLACK.
The once fine brown hair grew stiff
and jet black, and the eyes also grew
darker, so that the line between the pu-
pills and the iris could not be distin-
! guished. In spite of medical treatment
the bow grew worse and grew very weak,
| all the time the color of his skin deepen
ing. Al last he became as black as a
| full-blooded negro. Then he WINS at
tackled by Commissions, which grew more
| frequent and violent until they threatened
| the child's life. 1t was in one these that
| Dr. Reynold, OF Eighteenth and Poplar
streets, was called in. He succeeded in
| curing the spasms, and then devoted his
| attention To the strange disease which
afflicted the child He at once recog
niZed it as melanosis or augmentation
which is mentioned in the books in Il
| general way, but there is no case given
where il developed all through the
! body. This was over sixteen months
ago, the child being then
thirteen months old. Since that
time the boy has greatly improved, by
degrees becoming lighter, until now be
is of light chestnut brown color. The
hair has once more become brown and
soft, and the eyes have regIined their
natural appearance. The parents of the
child are perfectly healthy, and the
mother now carries at her breast a 70
bust infant aged six months. The father
| is a muscular man of medium height
| with black hair and dark complexion
| Phe mother is of fair complexion and
and has brown hair. They have KEEP
their afflicted child within doors for feal
of attracting attention, and only few OF
the immediate neighbOrs know of tho
strange being in their midst. The boy
however, is not strong, being barely able
to walk, and could not stand any rough
play with his little neighbors. Since
| Dr. Reynolds has had the case in charge
the child has been visited by over two
hundred physicians, who all agreed thai
it was a truly remarkable case.
WHAT THE DOCTOR HAS TO SAY.
DIR. Reynolds was visiting last night
! by IA Press reporter. The doctor said
the case was difficult one to explain, as
there is SD little medical literature ON til,
subject. 1t is, he SAID, case of what hC
| would call true mclanOsis, or over pro
duction of pigment. Mciunin, rs tn,
pigment giving color To the hair ant
eyes, and which gives the boys skin it.
| UaTh COiOT, Is Gdlltu, Is ElnDu8HI III Dt
produced in the brain, the nerve centre
of the body. In this case there is a grea
over production. The opposite state o
affairs is where a negro turns white OF
where portions of white person turn
even whittier. This is caused by lacl
of production of pigment, and is termed
leucoderma. 1t is produced by nerve af
fiction. Colored persons with whit,
| spots upon them are not rare neither arr
cases of white people having parts o
their body whittier than the rest
The doctor said that the case under con
sideration was the first known where TIN
whole body had become black. II frs
saw the boy" said he, when he wa
thirteen months old He was then "a
black rs any negro, but he is now grow
ing lighter. The change came by de
grees. AS the boy improved in genera
health he grew darker again; but on tn
whole he has gradually lost his dark col
or, and will eventually be whlte. thinl
the over production is now checked, anC
the pigment will gradually be absorbe'
as he becomes stronger. He has two NJ
per and two lower teeth, but no signs o
any others. He is very back ward for
child of his years, and has preternatu
raj look of age He is Il very beautiful
boy, however, and was so even when Ia
was BLACKLIST
DIR. Reynolds intends writing an eA
haustive paper on this strange case, an
has been noting every stage of the di.
ease for that purpose.
|