Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-12-28
HE CAN LIGHT HIS BREATH.
The Strange Case of William jackson of
MiddIebury, Vt.
IFrom the Albany journal. ]

From the Albany Journal-l
The strange case of William Jackson,
whose breath is infammable, excited
great deal of interest in medical and scien-
tifc circles few years ago. At that time
Mr.. Jackson was a photographer in Fay
etteyille, n. Y. More recently he has
been engaged in the same Business in Mid
dlebury, Vt. One evening at 10 o'clock he
lighted lamp with a match. Then with
a breath of air he sought to "blow out the
match" Instantly his breath took fire
with slight explosion. Jackson gasped
with fright, and the fame of the combusti-
bic air entered his mouth and blistered
his tongue. His lips and face also suffered,
and his mustache, eyebrows and the hair
above his eyebrows were singed to a
marked degree. The man was at first
badly frightened, and his wife, who was
a witness to the occurrence, screamed with
alarm.
After waiting an hour to see if there
would be a repetition of the phenomenon,
Jackson went to bed. The next morning
he consulted his physician, DR.. /. E
Quinby, who recognized the case as sing
ular one, and engaged the writer Of this
article to report it for the medical Jour-
nails. The truth of the report was at first
questioned on all sides, but after the mat
ter was thoroughly investigated ii was adj
mitted that such a case might possibly oc-
cur. Then in 1874 it was learned that a
European medical journal had published
a report of similar phenomenon, and
musty scientific tones were searched and
one item discovered that substantiated the
present Then Jackson discovered that
he could reproduce the phenomenon al
most at will, but as the experiment some
times resulted in unpleasant burns, he
would exhibit his popularity only on
special occasions. At last medical men
figured out theory to explain the freak
They came to the conclusion that it was
not the breath from Jackson's lungs, but
the air belched from his stomach, that
would take fire. The patient had never
been a drinking man, so the gas was not
rendered infammable by the presence Of
alcoholic vapor, but for years he had suf-
fered from peculiar kind of dyspepsia.
DR.. William Manlius Smith, professor 0.
chemistry in the Syracuse Medical Col
lege, after careful study concluded that
food in JaclIson's stomach underwent {
butyric acid fermentation, one of the pro
ducts OF winch was called marsh gas, Inc
''fredamp" of mines. Jackson understood
little about chemistry, and one day ht
and the writer went to an old, stagnan
pond and collected bottleful OF ''marsE
gas" When lighted it exploded, anl
burned precisely as did Jackson's breath
The gas was collected by holding the bot
tie under the surface of the pond stirrin.
up the mud in the bottom of the pond, an(
catching in the bottle the bubbles of gas a
they arose. Jackson is about 80 years ole
and a genuine Yankee. He is brigh
humorist, and as genial a fellow as on,
ever had the pleasure of meeting He ha
been newspaper man, Indian fighter
photographer, and half a dozen othe
things. He is also an artist of no meal
ability. His wife was formerly his schoo
teacher