Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1882-08-02
LIVING SKELETONS DEATH.

Martin 7. Avery, who as living skel-
etOn has been one of the curiosities at
BunnelPs Broadway Museum, died last
evening, He was about 46 years old,
and was a native Of Chenango County,
New York. In early life he was gro
Ger in town near his native place and
continued that business successfully un-
til his health failed about eight years
ago. He was man ofsmall stature, be-
ing little more than five feet in height,
and his weight was formely about 115
pounds. When his health began to fail
he complained Of dyspepsia. The small
amount of food he could retain did not
appear to be properly assmiIated and he
rapidly lost flesh. He wore a full sandy
beard and mustache, aud with his deep
sunken cheeks and fair complexion was
more deathiike and cadaverous in ap-
pearance than most living skeletons.
DIR. Franklyn Smith, of No. 1S2 Grand
street, who attended HIM, said last even
ing: Il was called to see Avery on Sat
urday evening and found him suffering
great pain in the epigastric region. He
was really dying from want of nourish-
ment. He has suffered frequently from
these painful dyspeptic attacks, but he
appears to have usually treated himself,
as / found opium and bismuth powders
by his side. He told me that he had
been treated many times for his dyspep-
sia. He said he had lived on milk ex-
clusively for many years, but that dur
ing Friday and Saturday he had not been
able to retain that, even in very small
quantities. His habit was to take a few
spOonfuls of milk at short intervals. He
complained that for two or three days
past he had not been able to get good
milk, but that was probably a notion on
his part due to depraved taste, the sign
of the attack of dyspepsia which follow
ed, for there had been no ascertainabe g
change in the milk furnished him, and
he was given the best hat could be got.
| gave him pepsine aud bismuth. and f.
nally had to add little opium to salts
fly him. tried to get him to omit the
opium, owing to the severe reaction OF
that drug, but he insisted on having it.
| gave him ouly about two grains alto
gether This morning his pulse had fall
len to a hundred, and he seemed much
improved. During the afternoon he said
that he wanted to be taken to the New
York Hospital, and it was arranged to
have him s9nt there this evening: but he
died before the ambulance arrived. His
disease was, in my opinion, due to a fail
ure of the pancreatic secretion or an ell
tire oblteration OF the thoracic duct, or
both. There was at any rate, no bowel
digestion. No fatty matter was absorb-
ed into the system, and the result was
slow starvation. There were no evil
dences of consumption His weight at
the time vi bis death was about forty
five pounds. Avery did not suffer from
the heat, and when I went to him Sat
urday evening he had thick fannels on.
Heat had to be supplied to him altogeth-
er externally. His room was on the cor
ner Of Broadway and Ninth street, Oh
the third story. 1t was an airy, comfort
able room, neatly furnished He pre-
ferred not to live with the other human
curiosities. He talked to-day about his
life and showed that he had an unimpair-
ed memory and rather bright intellect.
He appears to haYe taken much interest
in himself as a curiosity 1t was his busi-
ness, and the only thing he seemed to
have any enthusiasm about was himself
as professional skeleton. I tried to get
him to take spoonful OF brandy occa-
sionally with his milk, but he refused,
saying that he had frequently tried that,
but it did him no good. He took no
stimulants, nor did he use tobacco, and
[ found that he was in no sense of the
term addicted to the use Of opium"
Mr.. Bunnell and his agent, Mr. Geo.
O.. Starr, were both at Coney Istand yes
terday, and did not return until late at
night, and it could not be learned wheth-
er an autopsy would be held or not, or
what disposition would be made of the
body.-NeaO York World.