Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-06-21
ON MILK AND FRUIT DIET.
A Young Girl Who Has Lived for FOu
Months without Solid Food.

A Young Girl Who Has Lived for Four
Months without Solid Food.
The little village of East River, on the
Shore Line Road, between Guillord and
Madison, and about fifteen miles east of
this city, says a New Haven special to
the New York World, is the latest claim
ant to the possession of that no loRger in
frequent phenomenon, person who lives
without eating. Prof. WestbTOOk, of New
York, who recently attempted to live
wholly on milk, and gave up the expert
ment after a four days trial, is put en-
tirelv in the shade by Miss Lizzie Knowles,
of East River, who has partaken of moth
inE but a little fruit and drank nothing
but milk since the first week in February
of this year. She preserves her health
and strength on this simple diet,
and is not only the sensation of the
hour for the residents of East River and
all the towns within a radius of ten miles,
but is also much sought after by the
young swains who are hunting for wife
whose board bill is not likely to be an
item worthy of consideration in the dOmes-
tic expenditures. Miss Knowles is the
sixteen-year-Old adopted daughter of Mr..
Henry ID. Knowles, prosperous and we'll
known resident of East River. She is of
medium height and her form shows no
sign of emaciatiOn. She is very pretty,
yiyaciOus and an entertaining cOnversa-
tionalist, and is greatly admired by all
who know her. She was formerly an in
mate of the House for the Friendless in
East Thirtieth street, your city. Her foster
parents adopted her from the institution
and gave her good home and an excellent
education. Two years ago she was at
tackled with a disease that has baffied the
skill Of many doctors. When first taken
i'll she became numb and all her nerves
were paralyZed. She lost her voice and
was very weak, but her muscles were un-
affected and she retained all her powers
of motion. Her prostratiOn continued for
nearly three months, when she gradually
recovered strength, and is now able to
attend to domestic duties. Her voice has
not wholly returned, and, although every
thing she says is perfectly distinct, it is
uttered in low but peculiarly pleasant
whisper.
The strange part of Miss Knowles case,
however, is that as her strength returned
her appetite failed. At first she lost all
desire for meat and finally her stomach
refused to retain il. Then her desire to
eat anything at all grew gradually less,
and during the latter part of last and the
early portion Of this year she rarely ate
more than one or two meals week. For
some time her food, what little she ate,
comprised several kinds, but she took a
dislike to one article after another, until
nothing remained that would tempt her
appetite except fruit and milk, land on
these two articles of diet alone she has
been living since last February. Her
principal nOurishment is milk. She par
takes but sparingly of fruit, and it seems
probable that she will abandon it entirely.
That she does not do this of her own free
will is evident from the fact that twice
since last February she has attempted to
retain food OF other descriptions, but her
stomach rejected it. About two weeks
AGO she swallowed an oyster, but her
stomach would not retain it,
4 reporter visited her at her residence
to-day, and after obtaining from Mrs.
Knowles, the young lady's foster mother,
the facts above narrated, asked the young
lady, as a special favor to him, to swallow
a teaspoOnful OF beef broth in his pres
ence. Miss Knowles complied with the
request. but hardly had she taken the
spOOn from her lips when the stomach re-
iected the LIQUID. Mrs. Knowles assured
the reporter that her adopted daughter s
health was good aside from an occasional
slight recurrence OF the numbness with
which she was 6rss attacked. She added
that Lizzie was strong and assisted her in
household duties. Another curious
feature about the Young lady's con-
dition is that her loathing for
fooe Es so great that she cannot
aid in preparing the daily meals, nor can
She be present in the dining-rOOm when
the family are at table. The mere sight
OF food is sufficient to produce the most
riolent nausea. She has been under the
care of a number of eminent physicians,
Including DR.. Griswold, of New York.
They have watched her symptoms from
- nrH hoUn Rnn-4.1tpd with one
another regarding this strange case, but
are unable to explain it, except under the
mead Of nervous disease of the stomach.
They all pronounce her aversion to food
perfectly genuine ana cay that 1t IS abso-
iuteIy beyOnd her control. The young
lady herself is very modest and retiring
in her manner and feels very much en-
barrassed by the attention she is attract
ing.