The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1884-12-31
STARVATION.
It's Moral and Physical Effects.
UhS horrible State OF Lsthargy which
ENDS IN n Sleep From which There
Is no Awakening

. WALTON simply means wasting OF the body,
q horrible agony, an increasing weakness, q
aethargic state Of the brain, and sleep from
which there is no awakening; but is this all
that il means? While this is going on let
ns consider whether OF not the intellectual
Faculty, and with 1t the power Of distinguish
ing right from wrong, is not also undergoing
q process Of wasting and death, even before
1hat OF the material part, for however dan
gerous it may be to received opinions to as
Eociate the material nature Of the brain with
moral nature of our being. we are bound to
do so to eludicate some OF the facts con-
neoted with this case.
Reasoning by analogy, we find that. iu
many cases of bodily disease, the state of til
mind is the first indicator of the mischief 20.
ing on in the system Take even such a
simple thing as Indigestion, which, as every
one must know, is only a manifestation of a
deranged stomach, and what do we find?
That the lowness OF spirits induced by this
affection may vary from slight detection aud
HEhumoI to the most extreme melancholy,
sometimes inducing even a disposition to
snicide- The sufferer misconceives every act
of friendship, and aggregates slight ailments
into heavy grievances. So in starvation, the
power of reason seems paralyzed and the in
zellectual faculty dazed really before the
functions of the body suffer, OF even the
wasting of its tissue becomes extreme. Such
being the case, the unfortunate individual
Is not accountable for his actions, even III
they be criminal in character, long before
death puts an end 70 his sufferings.
The most deep-rooted and powerful feel.
angs OF human natUre-the love of mother
Tor her Ofspring-are perverted in cases of
stsrvation, for We read in Josephus that dur
1Dg the siege of Jerusalem, under Titus,
mothers ate their own children. A similar
case Is mentioned in Scripture as occurring
duriz : the famine in Samaria q Kings. vi,
29); #, in such case, the intellectual facul-
~ was not utterly disorganized, no amount
OF human sgony would account for such
complete perYersion OF nature.
Referring 20 this state, Aiken observes:
. "a depression OF the nervous state is very
early manifested in the impaired energy Of
all the vital functions, the weakened cOndi-
tior Of the intellectual faculties and moral
Feelings, and dimiEUtion of lie general
feasibility" AS vital activity and mentai
power are simply the manifestation OF con-
sumption OF material, and, unless the sup.
ply Of that material, in the shape of food is
kept up, progressive waste OF both must
necessarily ensue; and that which depends
Tor Its manifestation on the material-that
xs, fsOd-must De first to go, that being in
this case the intellectual faculty-the power
OF distinguishing right from wrong.
an ord writer lGuisnerius) says: "Au-
cEorite-. monks. aud the rest OF that super.
stitious rank, Il rough mmoderEte fasting,
have been frequently mad" showing that
even in early times the fact Was known and
believed that want of food perverted the
higher attributes Of the mind before ii de-
stToyed life.
What are the symptoms OF death from
want OF food, and how long can man subsiSt
without solid or liquid nourishmeDt2 Ac-
oording to the experiments of Chossss death
fakes place in from eight 10 eleven days, and
after 80 per cent OF The weight of the body
Is consumed. Row, as this means more II
certain tissues than others, il may be inCer-
esting to mention those that suffer most.
The fat wastes SO per cent OF its weight; the
blood, 70; the spleen Il; the liver a; the
beart, a; the bowels, AZ; and the muscles,
~. On the other hand. the following parts
waste much less: thus the bones waste Is
per cent; the eyes, 10: the skin, 80; the
LUNGS, %; and the nervous system, /. g., the
nerves only per cent The point worthy
of attention is the almost total consumption
of IA, before death takes place; in fact, death
by starvation is really death by cold. AS
Noon ga the fat of the body goes-and fat is
the principle t1at keeps up the boat death
takes place; the temperature OF the body
Pdiminishes bat little until the tat Is con-
sumed, then il rapidly falls.
Cboesat-whose experiments on dumb ami
u mails are most painful to reads Of opinion
that death from exposure to intensecoId and
6lu lTOQl 6LhIFhtlOu are OuS Anu Tue duic,
Yes, in the torpor of death from waTft)ttI
the application of warmth to the body i'm
snediately restores consciousness, showing
that heat is closely related to the principle
OF life. as manifested through the nervous
eystem in its more subtle sense.
The symptoms Of starvation from want of
food are-severe pain at the pit Of the stom-
ech, which Is relieved on pressures; shis sub
sides after day or two, but 10 succeeded by
q feeling of weakness and sinking" In the
Same region, then an Unsuitable thirst super
veness which, IL water be withheld, thence
forth becomes the most distressing symptom.
Ihe counteHance becomes pale and cadave-
GUS, the eyes acquire peculiarly Wild and
| glisteningstare and general emaciatlon' ION
msnifests itself The body then exhales a
| peculiar fOetor and the skin is covered with
bfownish. dirty-l0oking and offensive &c
cretion- The bodily strength rapidly ds-
Ciines. the sufferer totters walking,
voice becomes weak, and he is incapable
least exertien. The mental powers exhibit
q similar prostration; at first there Is usu-
| ally state Of stupidity, which gradually
| increases 10 imbeclity, 80 that il Is difficult
! 10 induce the suff erer to make sny effort for
hIs own benefit, and on this state of mani
heal delirium fre0neDtly superyenes.
Before death takes place the body appears
10 De undergoing putrefact ton, so that,
though il seems to waste in one way, the
power Of the system TO eliminate the effete
prods<cts is paragyzed, and these, insts ad OF
being burned of "a they are when the proper
noUrishment of the tissues Is going on, re-
41ain and decompose; in no other way can
the fHter during life be accounted for, and
the rapid decomposition after death. This
accounts also tor the fact that cholera, fever.
and blood poisoning are so much more fatal
in the badly fed than they are in the well.
TODD; the low state of the vitality induced
4 prevents the elimination of the poison, and
fhe sufferer dies. not By the virulence OF the
disease, but by his inability, through weak.
nese, to throw il o. Pestilential diseases
always follow In the ware of famine, and
destroy more than perish from actual star.
walton.
To show how long life may be carried on
with very little food. the following case
may Dc interesting: In February, 1862, a
man thirTy-six years of age was discovered
IN stack near Morpeth dying from statva
ton. All attempts TO rally him failed, and
he ultimately died. Ae was an intelligent
man, and had been editor aud proprietor OF
a penny journal called the Fslkirk Liberal
A diary was found In bis possession contain
ing entries of bis condition from Februa }
3 to %, from which IL appeared that during
1he seventeen days he had twice tasted Q
piece Of bread, but that for the last thirteen
be had been entirely without food. Durins