Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-01-31
rHE NAN WHO SHEDS HIS SKIN.
He Wears His CASTOR Hands for Gloves
and His Feet for Moccaxins.

He Wear. Bis CASTOR Hand. for Glove.
and His Feet for Moccasins.
From the Chicago Tribune.
| The only man who was ever literally skinned
alive in this city Is now in . Montana mining
camp and he left his skin behind him. His
name is not for publication for the reason that
he is the most curious natural freak in exist
ence, and being q modest man he objects to the
| unpleasant notoriety which would unayoiiably
follow. A rough experience two years ago I'M
| doub.edly had something TO do with his desire
| to avoid publicity. He was in a mining camp
when his queer disease paid its annual vista
ton. and he went out Of his head through fear
and excitement He was unable to leave the
| camp for treatment, and when the miners saw
his condition they thought be was q leper and
| and decided TO shoot him. The mob advanced
on him, but his brother. with his revolver
cooked, stood over the afflicted man and drove
| them of by threatening to shoot the first man
who drew his weapon.
In one of the Office rooms Of st. El;zabeth's
Hospital hangs the stranges. picture that can
be seen in Chicago or in the United States for
that matter. Within the frame are four photo
graphs representing a man in the act of she'd
| ding his skin. The most characteristic parts
| Of the skin are in the frame also-both hands
perfect, With the exception of the finger nails.
u
| of the upper portion-in fact perfect pair Of
| gloves and @ pair of moccasins In the center
| of the picture are half dozen perfect nails
l which formerly belonged to this skiR-sledding
| man. Then there are several large plates OF the
| cuticle taken from various parts of the body.
One OF the photographs shows this strange
| human being with his arms outstre.ehed. the
old skin peeling of and hanging from his body
| IN shreds like u tattered shirt while The new
| skin can be detected By the whiteness of the
photograph. All the skin has bsea oiled. and
| some of the pieces are perforated. while others
| could be used as gour6 without u drop OF
| water escaping. The hands and fee. are Of a
| yellow tint from being handled professionally
ana from being used as gloves and slippers by
| the former owner, the rest Of the skin being OF
| o milky hue.
| The man who once wore this skin for natural
purposes is now at work in full possession OF
| new skin, which will leave him next summer.
He has been peolIng of his skin from the crown
| OF his head to the soies of his feet for thirty
three years, the slime day of each year. and il
was only on the last occasion that publicity
followed and the medical profession became
aware OF this phenomenon Of nature.
| He is the second eldest child Of q family Of
| thirteen, all of whom are living, and his grand
mother is ninety seven years old. In the winter
Of 1857 the home of his parents in Franklin,
No., WAS burnt down during the Kansas-Mis-
! souri, troubles. His father was away and his
| mother escaped to the banks Of the Meredensen
| river. where this remarkable man was born
exposed 20 the open air. This may may not
| have had something to do with his skin she'd
ding Al any rate at six months CT age his first
crop of new skin appeared all over his body
At that time and for several years aftervard
| his mother thought it was only the eruDtiye
| fever OF childhood and paid little attention to
| the yearly event. He remembers distinctly
| shedding his skin at five years of age while
| playing around Eis old home He has always
been healthy in other respects
photograph which taken of him lust
before he shed his skin in this city shows tall
well-propornoned man of splendid physique
his muscles standing out like those OF a prize
! tighter. He has an intelligent countcnauce
| wears small light mustache and is without
| spot or blemish. Last July he left his home at
Ph,liips5urg. Mont. intending to so to Fhiia-
deil hia. He arrived IN CHI. ego the latter part
Of the month, and as his skin-peeling spell of
sickness always begins July 10 OF each year he
| decided to use a letter OF introduction from
Montana friend to DIR. Jacob Frank, Il Lincoln
avenue.
When he quietly informed DR.. Frank that he
| wanted to be admitted TO hospital, SO that be
| could shed his skim the physician was incredu-
lous, but when the Montana miner went on to
say that IN three days, between the hours of IL
| noon and pm. he would 5e taken sick with fe-
yer and vomiting and would be sick all that night
| ana within a DAY or two an eruption resembling
scarlatina would appear, that the skin OF the
hands and feet would come of frs. like gloves
and moccasins. that his hair would fall away
anu tudt all DlS nhllS WO..lQ come oil, Dr.
Frank mentally decided that the man was
either lunatic or a practical joker. But the
doctor arranged for the patient to be given q
room at st. EliZabeths Hospital and invited
Drs. Montgomery, Newburg Macarthur. HYDE
Sanford. Anthony and other skin specialists to
observe the case.
As p-edicted-and this is the most remarka-
BILE feature OF a remarkable case-at 3 O'Clock
| On the afternoon of July % the patient had to
be put to bed. Then came a fever, followed
INV
came as red as lobster. 1t took two days for
the cid skin to resume its normal color. After
| the sickness the old skin began to loosen and a
whole new skin took its place within two weeks
! 1t takes between two and thee weeks for the
nails TO come of. lie is able to be up and
about after the first days sickness and as his
feet and hands are tender he uses the old slin
for protection. The minute that he takes sick
he stops perspiring and no medicine can make
him perspire except between the old skin and
| the new one which is forming. He returned to
| another mining camp in Montana before all his
| old nails had come of. ard when they did he
| forwarded them by mail to DR.. Frank.
His case Is the second OF its kind which is
known to exist in the world, aud in respect 10
its occurring the same day every year it stands
| alone. The medical name it has been given is
| yearly Recurrent Desquamative Erythema,
| scaratina Forlne."
In 1876 French physician reported to the
| Academy OF Paris a case of skin shedding
| which occurred three or four times in one wear
| in another year seven times. The only similar
| case to the American one is that reported by
| Prof Besner, professor Of dermatology in the
University OF Paris. Between March and MAY
| of every year this patient throws of the whole
OF his skin, but he was not attacked until six
| teen or seventeen years old and his skin doesn't
| come off in as large plates. Personal idiosyn-
| Grassy is the only reason the profession can
give for this mysterious visitation, and infu-
ence OF the mind is the only way the professors of
medical iurispru aence can account Tor its yearly
| recurrence in the American case.
How Ice IL Formed.
From the Pit.sourg Dispatch.