The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1889-08-16
MAN WITH TWO HEARTS.
Also Two Sets Of Ribs, and He Can MoVe
the Complicated Machinery at Whi' ,

SETS of ribs, an | kin stop eeder
heart-jes' as easy"
The foregoing was the startling
announcement Of short, heavy
set negro who strode into The Dis
patch editorial rooms last night.
The colored gentleman took off his
coat, mopped his brow with ban
dana, and dropped into chair.
He then raised the only remaining
upper garment and proceeded to
roll about his abdomen, which con-
sisted of a great soft bulb, in most
ludicrous manner. Suddenly the
workings of The muscles ceased,
and when The city editors and the
reporters put their hands on The
negro, where formerly there had
only been a soft bulb there was
now a hard, resistant, bony cage.
In other words, The ribs appeared
to extend from the neck to the
legs.
With the hands Of the spectators
still on these false ribs, the latter
were gradually allowed to recede.
and apparently telescoped up be-
hind the true ribs.
AT the request of Mr.. King the
city editor put a hand on each side
of The negrO's chest, and was sur
prised to find a distinct impulse or
thud on each side, just below the
nipple, as though two hearts were
beating against The ribs. Next the
negro, after a sort of cOnvulsion OF
the abdominal muscles, produced
a violently throbbing internal OBJ
iect down below his ribs ON his left
side; then, allowing this 10 recede
to It's place, he pulled down what
he called his other heart, which
could be seen and felt pulsating
4 low down on the right side. With
one hand on this pulsating mass
and the other on the left breast,
both hearts could be felt distinctly
beating.
Here il was thought advisable TO
call in a physician TO explain the
. | phenomenon. II ulSsoCISSl woo
sent out and soon returned with
DR.. Chevalier Q. jackson. The
Doctor proceeded to make a thor
ough examination and soon report
ed the results, substantially as fol
lows:
The man has two distinct hearts,
connected only by the large blood
vessels and probably a very elastic
pericardium. He has the power OF
moving these two hearts indepen-
IDENTIFY, and can place them one at
a time down in his groins, when
they can be seen and felt pulsating.
) He can stop one or both from beat.
ing tor a period of a minute, and
probably longer, if would let him
The stopping of either heart stops
the pulse beat on the correspond
) ing side. If both hearts are stop.
ped no pulsalion can be detected
over the heart, at the wrist, tenn
piles. nor anywhere else in the body
. Tie lelt heart is the larger being
as big as a cocOanut, which is
l large heart for this sized man
: The right heart is smdller-aboul
, as big as a goose egg. When one
heart is down in the flank and the
other in its natural place the two
2 organs are separated about four
teen inches.
/, His pulsatlon is about normal
1 but he has a murmur in his right
heart which may be from drinking
He has an alcoholic pulse, ano
probably if he doesn't give uI
= whiskey he will turn up some Tn'
morning on the dissecting table
lie will be worth more dead thai
living-that Is, more financially
for any anatomiSt will give $1,000
I for his body. As 10 the phen0me
non OF stopping his heart, that ]
/ not an absolutely new thing; ther
have been three similar case
known to science one who, hav
. ing stopped his heart for exhibl
tion, failed tn get it going again
= and died in consequence. None Q
" the three cases | refer 10 could sto
U their hearts for as great a length {
time as this man. | have warne
e mm TO be careful, for he alread
% has a murmur in his right hear
p and with his alcoholic habit 1t wi
y be no surprise to me 10 hear of hir
li some day not be able tO start h
II heart alter stopping it.
The most peculiar thing about
is the fact that each heart appeal
to be complete and to furnish bloc
ID each to its own side of the bod
: in some species of the lower an
n. mails there are two distinct heart
A. but in them the right side sen'
!, blood in the lungs, and the lett SIC
: 10 the general circulation throus
n the whole body.
:, Aslo his second set Of ribs The
be seem to be there, but the gre
,st thickness and rigidity of his mu
- cles make a positive examinaue
:, impossible; ceriam il iss howeye
=, he has some sort OF boz
~ ~ formatiDn which he has Il
:. mower 10 bring down so as 10 GOV
y his bowels and his entlrs belly,
As 10 make his trunk resemble
Il bony barrel. I will make mo
ss Thorough examination Of him VIII