The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1881-12-24
A Man Who Can Unhinge Every Joint
In His Body.

III EhAS DUuJs
The announcement that Mr.. Charles
III. Warren, the celebrated contortion.
list, would give an exhibition before the
students at the Erie-Street Medical Col
Iege yesterday morning found a Herald
reporter in the amphitheater at the APP
pointed hour. The affair was certainly
a marvellous exhibition of muscular ac-
fivity and change. Mr.. Warren is a
surgical. physiological and an.tonical
phenomenon. The display which he
made of dislocations and displacements
of internal organs suggested continual
ly the question, is he human?
Mr. Warren is in his line, undoubt-
edly. the greatest wonder ever brought
before the medical profession. The fact
that DR.. Hamilton has devoted several
pages to his case in his "New Surgery"
is ample guarantee that his contortions
are really phenomenal and worthy the
consideration of medical science. Con-
corning him, DIR. Hamilton says:
81 think it may be safely said that if
Mr.. Warren does not dislocate his hips,
then none of those seven or eight cases
hitherto reported, and referred to by
me in my Treatise on Fractures and
Dislocatiens, were veritable dislocations.
No case has yet, so far as | know, been
verified by an autopsy. And it is to be
hoped that, in the interest of science,
MIR. Warren will leave a request that
upon bis death careful dissection of
his hip joints shall be made by compe-
tent persons"
DIR. Agnew. surgeon of scarcely less
an individual who presented such a re-
markable symmetrical development of
the muscular system"
Nearly all of the other eminent phvsi-
clans and surgeons of the age have seen
him, and unite in pronouncing him the
most wonderful muscular specimen on
record.
His exhibition Wednesday morning
was q most remarkable one, notwith- |
standing that he professed himself ham
pered by q temporary attack of rheuma-
tism. He began by displaying dislo-
cation of the thumb, which was perfect.
The students were permitted to exam
inc with the sense of touch this peculiar
phenomenon. The subject then exhib-
tied disloeation of the wrist, equally
remarkable. Next, he produced by
contraction partial subgle-
mold dislocation of both shoulders.
which Dr. Kitchen pronounced most
feat. This was followed by
a dsloeation of the scapula upwards.
and partial dislocation of the tarsal
bones.
But the most remarkable feat, that
which brings the greatest CONSERVATION
to the medical profession, was COM
plete luxation of both hips upwards and |
backwards. This accomplishment, which
has been made the subject of most care /
full study by DR.. Hamilton. was COM
mented upon by DIR. Kitchen at some
length.
Mr.. Warren also twisted his ankles as
if his feet hung upon a swivel, and pro-
duced sub-luxation of the lower Jaw.
Another performance of his was the |
withdrawal of the viscera from the alb |
'domen and forcing of them into the
chest. This feat he performed with |
alternate efforts, producing an effect so
unnatural as to call forth most enthusi-
:astic applause from the students.
DR.. Kitchen then measured the chest |
expansion of the subject. stating that
the customary limit is about three !
inches. The result was two measure
ments, 309 inches in state of contrac-
ton, and SO inches in a state of expan-
sion; making q difference of 81 inches.
This difference has been as high as II |
inches. On q former occasion, when
DIR. Kitchen measured the exhibitor,
the difference amounted to II inches.
This falling off. coupled with cough
of Mr.. Warren's, suggested the fear,
which was afterwards corroborated by
testimony, that the gentleman is can
didate for the grip of that prince of dis
eases, consumption. The exposure of
such an exhibition as that of Wednes-
day morning. together with the abnor-
NAL nature Of his work, cannot be very
conducive to longevity. I.i.t.
Mr.. Warren concluded his perform
ance by wiggling his ears, and then
performing u series of gyrations and
contortions which are simply indescriba-
BILE. During all the exhibition the dis
play of muscles and surface markings of
The body was most instructive to those
Interested in the study of anatomy. The
anomaly of Mr.. Warren's case is the
fact that he is able to produce by mus
cular action a voluntary dislocation of
nearly every joint in the body.
Mr.. Warren is now travelling and ex-
hibiting his physical versatility to the
medical profession at the leading med
ical colleges in the land. He has been
in former years connected with differ
ent organizations as an athlete, but now
devotes all his time to the cause of med
cal science. Cleveland Herald.
The Things People Leave in Railway