Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1891-08-09
VHYVRGRQW ORDONT
ONE OF TIE INTERESTING PROBLENS OF
HUMAN LITL
Ia Mechanism Of Increase in DinsnIcns-Ein-
d9sd and Perverted Nstrifon-Gianh,
Dwars and Living Skeletons"


Why do we attain a certain size and
weight Of body and then cease to grow?
Why is one person limited in stature to
few inches while another stretches up
several feet? Why is it that one at ma
turity weighs not above fifty pounds
and another attains weight ten times
as great? These are all questions Of
growth, and some marvellous examples
are recorded.
Nearly every nation has produced its
celebrated giant, and most nations more
than one. James Toller, born at st.
NeotS, Huntington, England, cat the
age OF ten years had attained the sur
priSing height OF feet and upward; az
She age OF eighteen years he had reached
the height Of upward Of feet ~
inches, and was still in progress Of
growth" There is no record Of his
having attained a greater height, how
ever, though he was exhibited for con-
siderable period in Kirby's museum as
"The Greatest English Giant"
Two separate men, each of whom was
s feet in height, claimed the cOgnOmen
Of The Irish Giant O'Brien" at the
same time. The skeleton Of one OF
these is 70 be found in the Museum OF
the College of Surgeons, London. 1t
was bought by the celebrated surgeon,
John Hunter, who paid $500 for the
body for the purpose of dissection.
This O'Brien died from debauch at the
age OF twenty-five. The other O'Brien,
whose real name was Patrick COtter,
earned fortune by exhibiting himself,
and attained the extreme limits OF
giants hfe-fOrty-six years. lie took
the precautiOn 10 have his grave CHS
eled out of the solid rock twelve feet
deep, and provided that Il should be
kept locked and constantly watched.
This O'Brien used to amuSe himself by
lighting his pipe at the street lamps,
and he quite terrified a highwayman
who on one occasion had stopped
O'Brien's carriage, by simply putting
his head out OF the window aud stretch
ing himself up to his full height.
The skeleton OF another Irish giant
20 be found in the anatomical room Of
Trinity College, Dublin, is : feet s In
ches in height, and constituted the
framework Of McGrath, born in Tippe-
the "ProdiglOus Irish Giant" His enor-
nous growth was said TO have been the
result Of an experiment make by the
celebrated Bishop Berkely, who put the
boy, an unfortunate OTphan-thrOugh a
fattening process with this result. Drs.
Musgrave and MOlyReux have given &C
counts Of still another Irish giant-Ed-
ward MalOne-whO measured feet 7
inches in his stockings when he was
nineteen.
Bernardo Glgli, an italian, attained
the height Of feet when only eighteen
years OF age. Big Sam, the Prince OF
Wales porter, who was nearly S feet in
height, is the tallest SCOtchman, IN
less we credit the account given by NJ.
lie Cat, who tells OF the Scotch giant
"Funnum, who lived in the time OF
Eugene H., King Of Scotland" and
who measured 1115 feet in height. The
giant of Utrecht, Holland, described by
DR.. DiemerbrOck, the anatomiSt, stood
81 seet in height. The king Of giants,
however, was Christof Munster, born
at Erlosen, near Munden, in June, 1880,
who, according to authentic records,
attained height Of o. feet, inches
taller than GOliah Of Gath. He served
in the body guards OF the Elector and
lived fOrty-iour years.
John Laws Milton, an English writer
and author, states that in his youthful
days he wanted 70 be giant, land sew
eral times thought he had discovered an
iniallble method Of attaining the object
OF his ambition, such rs overlooking,
stretching by dint Of violent jerks from
beams, &c, 70 the great amazement OF
ais relatives and friends" Mr.. Milton
nay we'll congratulate himself that he
sid not succeed, as giants are seldom
bright in intellect, rarely In good health
and universally short lived. Rapid de-
cay seems TO naturally follow rapid and
excessive development.
A remarkable Illustration Of this is
shown in an account given by DR..
Dawkes, a surgeon OF st. Ives, who
published, To 1774, "An Account Of the
Gigantic Boy Of Wilhngham." This
boy was Thomas Hall, who, when two
years and eleven months old, was feet
8 inches In height, and at the age or
four years one month was feet Inches
In height, so, had he grown 70 manhood
at'this rate, be would have attained 9
or 10 feet. When be died In his fifth
year he had a thick pair Of whiSkers
and weighed about eighty pounds.
That the period Of growth is not lin
tied to the legal age Of maturity is true.
A gentleman thirty years OF age, con-
nected with q literary journal Of this
city, two years ago was feet inches
IN height, and BIO Is now feet 4. Hefs
imperfect health and presents q remark
ably youthful appearance.
Investigations Of recent years, chief
among the scientists OF Germany,
France, England sad our own country,
have gone far t6ward solving the mYs-
tery of human growth. First OF ali,
qfowth seems TO be depeudent upon the
law OF equilibrium In nature law uni
versal in extent and illustrated In the
tendencies of gases to difuse, OF liquids
70 seek a common level, and exhibited
IN all chemical affinitieS and changes.
Much seems TO be dependent upon the
nature Of the chemical elements, espe-
cially OF the four principal ones winch
makeup the body suostance-tne con-
seryative character OF carbon, the eX-
panslye tendencies OF hydrogen, the
exDlosive character Of nitrogen, and the
eonalizine character Of oxygen. These
four In combination with each other
and some ten other elements, are
thought to retain their properties the
same as when separate. The rapid per
meability Of those substances OF which
the animal tissues and membranes are
chiefly composed by crystsiloids' IN
which form the food Is presented Ior