The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1880-09-08
HEADS WITHOUT BODIES.
The Strange Addiction Of Two Brothe
Victims Of q Strange Diseaae.

The Strange AmIctlom Of Two Brother
Victims of a Strange Disease.
A Columbus (Ohio) correspondent
was shown q strange sight at the Frank
lin county infirmary. Seated in an arm
chair was boy of nineteen, Of the ordl-
nary height Of boys of that age. The
head and face were first looked at OF
course. The head was large and crowned
magnifcently with intense black hair.
The face was unusually round and full,
the complexion sallow, the eyes were
very large, black, brilliant and intelli-
gent. Altogether the face denoted ex.
IRENE good health. But leave the head
and face and look at the body, and
limbs. There were none, almost liter
ally. The large healthy head was the
living head of q shadow body, an ac-
tual skeleton. His thin shirt and pants
did net hide the bones. Drawing up his
shirt sleeve the shadow OF an arm was
revealed. Every bone could be dis
tinctly seen. The transparent skin was
drawn around them perfectly tight.
The largest part of the arm, the blceps,
were scarcely as large rs the writer's
two smallest fingers. The skin also adj
hered closely to the joints at the elbows
and shoulders. Passing the hand over
the body of the shirt the chest bones,
ribs and other parts of the frame could
be felt plainly. The same condition was
observed elsewhere. His thigh was
spanned by the writer's thumb and fore
finger. His feet, which were encased IN
loose cotton stockings, were alike devoid
of muscles or flesh. There was a faint
trace Of muscle on the inside OF his
ankles, and this muscle pulled the foot
in as though he was club-footed. The
toes were entirely beyond his control,
and the marvellous anatomical mechan'
ism OF the human foot was clea. per
ceptible to the naked eye.
There was not a vestige Of color in
either the body or limbs, excepting the
blue tracing Of the veins, and in the
shades cast by the vital parts. All
these parts were plainly discernible with
the aid Of the ~spectroscope.
Passing through a door which led
from the porch o small room was Ell
tered. There were two small beds in
this room. Lying upon n Of them
was an exact counterpart of the living
head aud skeleton above described;
The same large head, black hair, full
round face, sallow complexion, black,
brilliant, intelligent eyes, the same fea"
lures precisely, the same skeleton. In
deed, it was hard to realize that it was
not the creature seen on the porch.
The two boys arc brothers, named
Charles and Frank Mohlbach, and are
aged twenty-one and nineteen years re-
spectively. Their parents are German.
Their mother went insane when the
boys were both quite yourg, and was
brought to the infrmity, where she died.
Their father is still living, and is and
has been for years very dis.ipated. The
boys were brought to the infirmary
seven years since, but nothing has ever
appeared in print about them.
Both boys lived and grew like ordi-
ma. y boys until they were eight years OF
age, when tie first symptoms OF the dis
ease with which they are afflicted were
developed. The progress Of the disease
was precisely alike with both boys, and
the description of either is the descrip-
ton of the other. DR.. Drury, in de-
scribing them, spoke of Frank, the
Younger one, because he has observed
him through all stages OF the disease
thus far developed. The first symptom
VI CllC utSCtlSS 10 oa'PSotoJ5 "NSSR
by muscular weakness.
When Frank came to the infrmary he
was plump and fat, and looked ex-
tremely healthy, much like tat boys
seen in side shows. He played with
the other children about the house and
ward, but he would fall down constantly
He was very sway backed, and would
waddle about like a duck. His falls be-
came more and more frequent, and in
about q year he became bed-ridden.
Then the flesh and muscles degenerated,
and began to grow thinner. until now
thew are mere shred, and he has no
strength whatever. The muscles about
the mouth of Charlie are already ab-
sorbed, and there are great hollows on
each side OF the mouth. DR.. Drury
thinks it is q mere question OF time
when the muscles and flesh of the face
will disappear, and eventually the
muscles of the chest, when the boys will
die because of inability to keep the
respiratory organs in motion for want
Of muscles to raise the chest.
The disease is regarded by physicians
as being three stages. The first, muscu-
lar weakness; inc second, muscular
neutrality-suspicious. and third, atrophy,
or decay of the muscles. 1t is called
"pseudo-muscular hypcrthropy." The
distinguished scientist, Hammond, in
his Diseases of the Nervous System"
says that but seven cases Of this kind
are upon record. The origin of the dis
ease is rs yet unknown. Physicians,
however, have two theories, but neither
has been satisfactorily established. One
is that it is q disease of the muscles, while
the other is that it is q disease OF the
spinal chord. Certain it is, however. that
the disease originates from q weakness
or abuse of the nervous system, rs in
the case of these boys, their father being
a dissipated man, and their mother
having died insane. The disease seems
to run in families, although tie cases
are so rare that it cannot be determined
hereditary. It is confined entirely to
boys and, in these cases, never develops
until the boys are sever or eight year ci
age, and in the majority of cases tic
victims to this most terrible disease
have been the children Of well-to'do
parents. The brain and organic func-
lions are never affected. These two
boys eat regularly three times q day,
and their appetite is good. They cat
about the same quantity as other boys
A Queer Lake.
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