The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-09-07
WILLING TO CHANCE IT.
More Than 400 Men Off,r to Die
in the Interest Of
Scienca
Answers to a Singular Advertise
ment In q New York
Newspaper.
alton fer the sum of IS, O00-Life
Ii Cheap.

In hard times sven human life is cheap
Witness the fact that 10 less than 143 an
bwers were received to the following adver
tisement, which appeared in the New Iorl
World of July so:
Wanted-A mar who will be willing for
consideration of S5,00 to submit to an expert
mental surgical operation that may possihl,
prove fatal. Address Surgeon, Uptown Worll
Office.
This advertisement was inserted by Pro
fessor Edwin I. Osbaldeston, surgeon ant
Instructor in massage at Is West Forty
sixth street. He did not insert 1t for him
self, but on behalf of two physicians living
in G%uayaquil, Ecuador, South America
One is an American, formerly a resident OF
Boston; the other a native E%cuadorean and
. graduate of the Lima university.
''rwice BEFORE" said the professor to {
reporter, have I been called upon to fur
nish a subject on whom these doctors coulC
experiment. The first occasion was som,
time in the latter part of 1883, when only 8,
applied. The second was in 1890, when la
letters We're received from people willin.
to sacrifice themselves in the interests o
science and their own financial advance
ment."
And how did these experiments turr
out?"
1.-THE first man survived; the second died
1t was at the time when the bacillus craze
was at it's height. He was inoculated with
the germs of some woscore diseases, and he
died a frightful death"
And what is the nature Of the present
experiment."
ut is simply to cut a hole in the stomach
of the subject, through which the action of
the gastric juices and the processes of di-
gestion may be watched"
"Why, that is the Alexis St. Martin case
all over again" interjected the reporter.
Precisely. But that happened consider
ably more thar half a century ago, and
since then the advance in our knowledge of
dietetics has been enormous. With the
growth In our knowledge, as must always
Happen, comes an increased recognition of
our ignorance. A hundred and one ques-
tions that would never have occurred to
DR.. Beaumont when he was experimenting
on St. Martin clamor today for an answer.
That answer can only be obtained by cx-
periments on the living subject. In the in
terests of medical advancement the doctors
of whom l speak have collected a fund.
and $1,000 Of this fund is to be given to
any man who will agree to submit to the
necessary operation"
"Any did you get many answers"
eyes, sir; | waited four days, and then I
walked to the uptown Office of The World
and found 142 answers awaiting me. They
were from all parts of the country and from
all classes of men-merchants, tradesmep,
artists, mechanics, professional men, nurses
and laborers. Many of the applicants were
evidently men of good education and social
standing. For tile comparatively trihing
sum Of $1,000 these men were willing to
submit to.a terrible surgical operation that
must cause great bodily suffering and DOS
sibly be followed by a crippled body or
even death itself. Indeed, l think the
chances of the patient surviving only about
even"
And did you make a satisfactory selec.
tom"
ENTIRELY. l wanted a strong, healthy
man, with a constitution that would give
him a fighting chance for his life. | paid no
attention to the married men, for l did not
want a man with the responsibility of u
family upon his shoulders. l wanted him
to have as few relatives as possible. | sue
ceeded in finding a man who had no rela-
tions whatever and who otherwise fulfilled
all the requirements"
VIII was he?"
II do not care to give his name, for one
OF the conditions he made was that abso-
lutte secrecy should be maintained. But
may say this much: He was a fighting
man, a pugilist by profession, 25 years of
age. He Isl feet III inches high. He is all
muscle and can easily lift 204 pounds with
out bending his knees. He has a fierce
bulldog expression. lie is well known in
newspaper circles, for he furnishes sporting
news every now and then TO the papers. In
sunmer he tends bar at a popular resort.
his ambition is to have a lager beer sa-
loon in connection with a boxing gymna-
sum. I asked him how it was that a man
of such varied accomplishments was not
able to raise so trifling a sun as 5000.
why, professor he said, our way of liv-
ing is very expensive. If we earn 81.
we have to spend IS cents among our
chummies, or we would be unnopu-
lar Have you no fearf' I next asked
Fear! What do you mean? Am no rc]i-
gIous man. don't mind death if it comes
easy, and | guess thosedoctor fellows know
how to let you down easy if they find YOU
must go Yes said l, but suppose YOU
come out of the ordeal with q ruined cor.
stitution?' Well replied he, lam willing
to take the risk. Five thousand dollars
will set me up nicely in business, and / can
get somebody else to tend to the hare part
OF the work even if | am disabled.'
well, the long and short of it is" con
tinued the professor, Il accepted the man
and shipped him off to South America. If
the operation were performed in New York,
he would not be the only person who would
run a risk III the matter. Here, if the man
We're to die under thcsurgeon's knife. there |
Is little doubt that the doctors would bcin.
dlcted for manSlaughter in the second de
gree. The laws of Ecuador, however, do
seem TO take cognizance Of the offense."
New York World.