The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1880-07-29
Complete and l,arsIal starvation.

NNA-s tAtfDf eStAe- SLtlh fsJAlA tGttULl
! DIR. Tanners fast ia corluonlys sun
lposOd to have demonstrated that life cal
be sustained Ia the absence of an lttFi
meht for G emuch longer period than p iin,
Hitherto been supposed TO be possible
THIS Is an error. It has demopstroteC
that there is greater sustaining ppwel
In mere water THAN was before delihitAi,
known TO naeaicial sciences Dr.. Tanhei
may DO said to- have proved Dir. Ham.
imond's assertions and his own IS we'll
Ite former. speaking from ell previous
esperience, declared that the duration 81
human life when totally deprived Of ma.
tfiment, which isiofudsd water, yarfey
from nlue TO twelve daya, and he ex-
pressed grave doubt whether Il could be
longer Sustained under this condition
however favorable the SURROUNDINGS
should ba. DR. Tanners fast has proved
as certainly as amy event can be proved
which has not happened thsti this view
was correct. 1t has shown that under
favorable conditions, Involving but slight
neTToil5 waste, q mafi cannot be oKpacteti
20 hold gut oyer the twelfth day Ia cir
cnmstances OF complete starvation; and
that even with the free use of y ater ex.
aeFnally,'.and the frequent drinking of
very small quantities, about sixteen days
will produce 50 charming q loss Of vitality
as TO make fatal termination Of the
fast near probability. - - :
When Or. Tanner asserted his ability
to fast for forty days he contemplated q
sreeq drinking Of water. Nevertheless.
when he began his task, he determined
to abstain from drinking, merely using
water externally and TO rlnae his month,
on which occasions he usually absorbed
about dracsm, He adhered 10 his res,
olution for sixteen days. except that he
phce, after great nervous excitement,
drank four ounces. During this period
ne grew more and more into the condi.
tion OF. fever patient i His ereving for
water became inceasant and of growing
Intensity, Night and day he rinsed his
mouth at inter Ivais, which steadily be-
came shorter; he kept his head wet With
soWesi; he saturated bic pillow; he
eponged bis neck and face Constantly i:
ne Kept vet eponge in his hand always !;
hls sleep became short, broken mud rest
less; his mind was SO affected that he
grew morose, client nnd fevarishly iyrl-
table TO a degree that made attendance
upon him q severe trial Of patience and
temper; Water, waterP was his: cry
night and dhy. Yet no amount Of mouth
flnsing nor of external application suf.
iced to f:sisfy the burning thirst whieh
seemed 80 be consuming shis whola avs.
tenn. at last, on the sixteenth dav. The
chief. physician in attendance. seeing
that tho man must break dowri utterly
in two or three days, urged him to drinE.
others, who were alec closely watching
fhss nhrn0s.a fuktnr- ,,tn r.
DR., Gum that the end Vas near al hnnd.
DIR. Tanner could hold out5no longar.
He began 60 drink, and 10 drink fTeelv,
On the day named he drank forty.fonr
ounces, or two pounds and three. Quarters
of water, and IL was then that the was
found to weigh'a pound aud Al half
heavier at night than be had weighed if
the morning: But the increase iri WEIGHT
is the ,leagt surprising, of tho, chance
which The water drinking has infIec,ttsd in
the. man. IL has operated "a stimuiant
Of wonderful energy both TO mind and
body. Very soon the, ,.noroseness end
irriiability disappeared,s and the Doctor
has become cheerful and almost ieyia,;Y
his heavy lapguor- has gone he again
ienjoys chat with those about him.:7 his
daily rides give him keen pleasure; he
has discarded sponges and wet towels ;,
his sleep i'd profound. and, restsul. In,
fact, with the frse drinking, of water he.
became o changed man. &, al j ~ = is
How long the estimulating. effect of thisJ
will last The attending physiciana do not
pretend to gueas at The turn will be
seen when the fasting man again begins
TO lege in t7eight. Whether he will last
the Elrty dava Is doubtful. ii1 Hia suffer.
ings during the firssi sixteen muAt have
seEi9nsly wasted his vital energy, Had
he been cut of from fheusaj Of Water. an
any form from tha first day not q man Of
those wso haya been most close In .theif
attendance upon him believes that he
would have been alive or sane OF. sho end
OF twelve days. That hek could have
gone twenty days using water externally
and only very small Quantities internally
is considered improbable by many, and
those whose opinions are most entitled to
weight, But with fTeely drinking ali the
Rsstor hs feels inclined 20, he tEay per-,
haps complete his seif-imposea DISK. he
will, in that event, have demonstrated
that there IL o great and hitherto 'i.n,,i
known degree OF; nGtfiElent in water. bit
not that life can 'be sustained tnder con.
yditions of complete starvation for a
longer period than rfeviohs experiences
has shown 70 be posslble.-- Neao York
-'ss"' til ts.t5fl r. 81 e ~ s,.ss5e II