Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1895-12-03
SUFFERER FROM AcRoMycALlA.

| W.T. FnS" SNSUS"s S'N~''-'
John Molansky, the New York Polish
jew who Is victim Of the rare disease
of scromygalis, does not improve under
the treatment given him. He has left
the hospital for his home In an East Side
tenement, where he may have to end his
days. He tells this story Of his case
SIN the fall of 1889 began to suffer
from headaches. Gradually the head
aches got worse. / took the medici-e
the druggists gave me, but finally these
would not even ease the pain, much less
cure 1t, and lost all hope. My voice
began TO change, and my features altered
so that my friends could not recognize
me. In the fall Of 1891 | went TO
specialist, and he gave me some powders,
but my teeth soon began to trouble me.
A dentist said he could do nothing for
me, as my Jaw had grown so misshapen.
could not eat solid food, and gradu-
ally got weaker and weaker. About this
time | felt my eyes growing farther
apart, and the bridge of my hose widen
ing. NV forehead seemed to be getting
lower, and nv beard and the hair on my
head became coarser aud stronger. My
lips grew thicker. and as my jaws pro-
truded they got broader and my mouth
wider. MY eyebrows became heavier,
and my cheek bones more prominent,
and altogether | could feel my face
changing. But this was not all. My
hands began TO enlarge, and are still
growing bigger and bigger"
The mans hands are almost twice the
sire of those of an ordinary person, and
the fingers are more than once again AS
large as they should be. Even the little
finger il nearly twice as large as his
thumb used To be.
IL find II difficult 10 pick up or catch
hold of anything" Molansky continued,
land nv hands feel so full and strong
that am afraid 10 take hold OF anything.
Nv feet. which were the last 10 become
distorted. are now so big and such a
peculiar shape that have 10 get special
shoes TO fit them, and even then the
shoes hurt me whenever | have them on.
Although my mind is not quite as clear
as formerly, which the doctors say
comes from continual worrying, still II
do, o. trouble me much, and can think
almost as well "a | ever could. Since
my features really began 10 change the
pains in nv head have gradually died
away. until now do not suffer as used
to. Nv friends who como in can not be-
lieve that am the same person, so great
ly am altered, and have but little hope
of the physicians being able TO do any
thing for me-"
The people In the neighborhood where
Molansky lives look upon his aillietion "a
something supernatural, and speak OF his
case with awe. A physician who has
seen Molansky aud studied his case thor
oughly said;
The aimcnt from which the man Is
suffering Is the first actual case that
has been heard OF in America. For
wears physicians have claimed that such
a thing was impossible, and the records
Of such cases In England have always
been looked upon with a great deal OF
incredulity. As far as the records go
there Is no other person in the world
now suffering with the disease. Twen-
" cases have been so far reported, al
though 1t il probable that some OF these
were not the real disease at all, but
something OF a similar and less wonder
ful nature. All OF the persons are now
dead, and no cure has ever been found
for the complaint, owing largely To the
fact that II has never been properly de-
fined