Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1885-05-29
THE FASTING GIRL PROBLEM

THE FASTING GIRL PROBLEM. |
Facts Showing Tha. Science Il Wrong
When 1t Declares That One Must Eat
to Live.
Tho modern fasting girl is tie oppro-
brilm of science. The la,tr insists
that she can not live without eat NJ AMI
driaking. She as stub5)rnly persist, in
living without eating and drinking.
When DR.. Timer made his eXrcr mont
sci, nee was staggered, but that It'll,
episode was a tr.he to the feat OF Ka.e
Smllsey, who is said to have lived tar
teen months " thOut eating, and most
OF the time without drinking either. In
eases OF this kind the usual and much
he easiest method of explanation is by
ia. den al of the alleged facts, and tn 5
is facilitated by making sundry import
ant assumptions, a that such and such
a thing Is OPP osed to natural laws and
therefore cOull not b.. Thus it is an
axiom of medical science that life can
not be sustained beyond Il few days
without Authorization, and certainly ii
physiology alone is concerned in the
matter the soundness Of this view must
he adm tied. 1t is true that there arc Il
few well-atlestGd cases in which life
was sustained without the possibility OF
Authorization, the most notable being
that of the Indian fakir who was walled
up in vault at Lahore, and who two
weeks afterward was disintcrred and
r1und alivol In that case. however,
there was a min mum Of waste of vitali-
ty, the subject beng in trance. Kate
Smulsey was not euiranced, and during
the g.cater part OF her feat her body
was in inCcsSaat motion, according to
! the reports. so tat there must nave
been IN abnormal expenditure OF vital
energy.
TIC physicians who attended her d T.
feroI widely ~ TO the nature OF her
complaint, but we believe they agreed
that she really did not eat or drink.
Her parents and friends maintain most
earnestly thrt deception in the case was
impo5sibl,. This assertion VIII not pre-
vent contrary statements being mace,
but when there is a consensus of belict
in certain facts among numjer of in.
telligent and reputable people, ant
when these have taken pains to sub
stantiate their belief and TO exclude error
it is difficult to regard tho usual dcnia
of the facts as IN adequate explanation
Ii the laws OF physiology were as fully
and m.nutaly understood us might b,
inferred from the Gogmatsm of men o
science, there would BE- no excuse fo
the tecming failures OF medicine. TIT
verilicaton OF one such case a. that o
Kate Smulsec, however. would neces
state the admission OF psychologist
hypothesis in such cases, since it is evi
dent that physiology does not furn.sl
the solution of them. Considering TIN
extent to which the study of menta
conditions. and Their influence upo
; physical processes, is Icing carried a
, present, moreover, the rJadening q
tho scope OF inquiry here Suggested
should not seem either inalmissible o
irrational. In practice, every succeSsfu
physician acts opon this vioH, and Their
| can be no sound therapeutics vitnou
, recognition of the interaction OF mn
and body.
In the fasting girl cases the old-fasl
Toned AleAandr.an fashion OF SEVERN
the Gord,an knot is falling into di5fayol
! because it is felt to be an evasion an
not determination. In the effect til
indications are that some venerable til,
cries regarding the conditions of VT
I acton may have to be discarded. III
facts appear too stubborn to be dea
! with Otherwise than scientifically,
| short, and when this is realized it
I quite possible that medical science ma
l lind itself upon the thresh Id Of ne
and important discovaries.-N T. Trt