St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-12-03

gilist Selected and Shipped to
South acknowledgements Ex-
perience on Living Subjects.
NETANTED-A man who will be willing for
w a consideration OF $1,000 to submit 10
an experimental surgical operation that may
possibly prove fatal. Address. etc.
The above advertisement was inserted
in New York paper recently, says the
New York World, and most people will
be surprised to know that the answers
numbered 142. To be sure, not all the
repl lies we're in good faith, some of the
writers evidently regarding the whole
affair as hoax. and replying accord
iDgly. Others gave fictitious addresses,
but the great majority of the replies re-
ceiyed showed evident bona fides.
The advertisement was inserted by
Prof. E. T.Osbaldeston,a surgeon living
at rs West FortySiXth street, not for
himself, but on behalf of two physi-
clans resident at Quay aquil, Ecuador,
South America. One is an American,
anative of Boston, the other being an
Ecuadorean, and graduate of the
Lima university.
1O1. Od1o lIldO VII tNO
former occasions he furnished subjects
on whom these doctors experimental.
The first was in 1888, when only twenty
three replies were received; the second
in 1890, when 12z-peeple declared them
selves willing to risk life in the interest
of science and their own financial adj
yancement. The.ma chosen in 1883
survived and received his reward. but
the second died, as was fully expected
by himself and the eXperimenters. 1t
was at the time when the bacillus craze
was at its height He was inoculated
with the germs of some. tw0-score dis
eases. and he died a frightful death.
The experiment contemplated In the
present instance is the cutting of a hole
in the stomach. of the subject, the object
beng to closely observe the action of
the gastric juices and the process of di-
gestion. An opportunity for similar IN
vestigation was afforded by the St.
Martin case in Michigan seventy years
ago, but since then increaS ed knowledge
of dietetics has propoun ded hundreds
of questions which were unthought of
at that time. Answers to these ques-
tons can only be obtained by expert
ments OH living subject, and in the in
IcIeSt VI luSulCdl duNduCGlncllI lnG Two
South American doctors have collected
fund out of which $1,000 is to be dis
burSed as indicated in the advertise
ment.
A PUGILIsT HAS BEEN CHOSEN.
Four days after the publication of the
advertisement Prof. OSbaldeSton called
for the replies. They came from long
distance IN some cases, and were writ.
ten by all classes of men-merchants,
tradeSmen, artists, mechanics, profess
Sional men, nurses and laborers. Many
of the applicants were evidently men of
good education and social standing. For
the comparatively trifling sum of $4,000
these men were willing to submit to a
terrible surgical operation that must
cause great bodily suffering, and posi-
bly, be followed by crippled body, an
impaired constitution, or even death
itself.
The professor, in talking subsequent
ly 10 World reporter, said he had
been able to make selection which he
regarded as entirely satisfactory. He
paid no attention to replies seut by
married men, for the reason that the
chances of the patient surviving are
only about even. and he did not care to
risk the death of a man who had a
family dependent upon him. The sub
ject chosen is man who has figured as
a pugiliSt for number of years.
The professor refused to give any hint
as to the mans identity beyond saying
that articles on sporting subjects from
his pen had appeared in daily papers
from time to time. He is feet ia
inches tall, is more than usually mus.
cular, and, having an oVermastering
ambition to own gymnasium and Sa-
loon, took the risk Of dying under the
surgeons knife in hopes of gaining suf.
ficient capital for the fulfillment of his
dream. He is practically without rela
tives, and, being in all respects just such
a man as the Guayaquil doctors wanted
was at once engaged and shipped tC
South America. After being thoroughly
accllmated there he will undergo the
experiment which has been mapped oui
for him.
The professor had no objection Il
showing some of the letters received
and placed huge bundle of them in the
reporters hands. As has already beer
said, some of the writers regarded the
advertisement as hoax, but most Of
them were in dead earnest. Some were
willing to take up with the offer at al
risks, others were cautious and wished
to know something about the nature Of
the operation. and especially as t
whether it would be likely TO leave the
subject manned in mind or body. The
fear of insanity seemed to be dreaded
most of all. A number of the note,
were none committed, land merely request
ing an interview and chance for furth
er information.
ODDITIES AMONG THE REPLIES.
One man, who wrote from Brooklyn
said he took great interest in medica
science, ''the object OF which is tn
benefit Of humanity" He described
himself as young, strong and healthy
aud ''Not at all alarmed at the outcom