The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1895-12-12

| further apart and the bridge of my nose
widening. My forehead seemed to be
getting lower and the hair in both my
beard and on my head became coarser and
stronger.
My lips grew thicker and as my jaw
protruded they got broader and my mouth
wider
My eyebrows became heavier and nv
cheek bones more prominent, and alto
gether | could feel my face changing.
But this was not all. My hands be-
gan to- enlarge, and are still growing bigger
and bigger"
This is a fact. The mans hands are
almost twice the size of those of good
sized person, and the fingers are more than
once again as large as those of an ordinary
human being. Even the little finger is
nearly twice as large around as his thumb
used to be.
Il find it difficult to pick up or catch
hold of anything" Molansky continued.
'and my hands feel so full and strong that
| am afraid to take hold of anything
My feet, which were the last to become
distortioned, are now so big and such
peculiar shape that l have to get special
shoes to fit them, and even then the shoes
hurt ME whenever l have them on.
Although my mind is not quite as clear
as formerly, which the doctors say comes
from continual worrying, still it doesn't
trouble me much, and | can think almost
as well as | ever could.
Since my features really began to
change the pains in my head have grad
ually died away, until now l don't suffer
at all as l used to.
My friends who come can't believe that
am the same person, so terribly am |
altered, and | have but little hope of the
physicians being able to do anything for
me-"
The people in the neighborhood where
Molansky lives look upon his afflicton as
something supernatural and speak of his
case with awe.
DR.. Weise absolutely refuses to talk
about the matter, except to say that he
considered it a shame that such a remark
able case should be given publicity while
his colleagues were still trying to accu-
rately find out what disease, if any, the
man was suffering from.
Although he refused to say anything
about it, or give an opinion, DR.. Weise
would not deny that it was the most mys-
FERROUS case he had ever attended.
DIR: Starr also declined to be seen re-
garding. the matter, but another physi-
clan, who has seen Molansky and studied
his case thoroughly, said:
The ailment from which the man is
suffering is the strangest known to med
zeal science. This is the first actual case
that has ever been heard of in America.
For years physicians have claimed that
such thing was impossible, and the rec
ords of such cases in England have al
ways been looked upon with great deal
of incredulity.
1T is about 10 years ago that the first
case was reported and that was when DR.,
L. Marie of Paris discovered it, 1t was
at that time named after him and called
'larie's disease.
AS Tar as the records go there is no
other person in the world now suffering
with 1t. Twenty cases Have been, so far.
reported, although it is probable that some
of these were not the real disease at all,
but something of Il similar and less won
derful nature.
'All of the persons are now dead. and
no cure has ever been found for the COM
plalnt, owing largely to the fact that it
has never been properly defined.
The cases of acromygalia that have
been reported have all been attended with
the enlargement of the jaw. In some of
them the lips, ears and nose also changed
shape. and in others the hands and feet
NO other case has ever been known, how
ever where all of these members were
enlarged and transformed at once as in
Molanskys case.
The lower jaw usually becomes en-
larged, the nose massive and dattened.
and the slpraorbital ridge over the eyes
project
The disease, if such it may be called. is
supposed to be allied to the enlargement
OF the thyroid gland of the neck, which
produces gOitre, and it is upon this theory
that the physicians are going to treat Mo
lansky: Already they have given him
thyroid extract, taken from the thyroid
body OF animals and this novel treatment |
will be watched with interest"