Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1895-11-14

Few Giants Of the Human Race.
wv York November 10. Mrs. Anna
Hensen. aged about 40 years, mas ,Le
largss. fea- and hands IN Ne" hoIN'
and they have net ceased TO grow MS
Hensen is an inmate Of the Monteilcfe
Home for Chronic Inyalids, on one Hun
dre1 and Thirty-eigh-h street.
9rrs. Hansen IS not iii, although she
has sharp pains IN her limbs ana Is
weak not from lack Of exercise, but
principally On account Of rapid grown.
She has been growing for twelve years
and ln that time has developed phenoIn-
eral Proportions. Medical history re-
cords very few such cases Gs Mrs. han
sens The doctors call this abnormal
growth acromegaly. The French pay-
s.can. Marie. MO in 1880 practically
Discovered this disease. as physicians
have decided il TO be, so called IL from
TWO Greek words meaning large eXtrem-
lies. Tic is not always @ growth OF the
ext-emities alone Chang. the Chinese
g.3nt. was o giant because he was aero
mCglly.
AN interview was Obtained with Mrs.
Hansen En- her pretty room at the Mon
afcre home She was sitting by the
window in wheel chair as the re-
porter entered. and turned a pleasant
face toward the visitor. Her weight
must be from $50 TO SEQ pounds as her
body quite lille the chair The devel-
ODment Of head. hands, feet and chest
IS wonderful An attendant is always
with Mrs. Hansen, as She is unable TO
walk. although she manages TO get
about in her wheel chair more than
migh be imagined. Her eyes are grey,
dcoD set and apparently small, owing 10
the development of the other features.
Her nose alone measures 41-3 inches in
length. Her face measures from fore
r-1l Jo chin. IL inches. The cccipitai
i,cr-rl measurement is 1875 inches;
-la OF the head 13 inches. Her tongue
IS -hick and covered with ridges or ifs
sures and IS almost as large rs that Of
calf The jaws are also broad and
heavy. The head is oval in shape and
as large as al ordinary pumpkin.
Her hands which are too large and
too heavy 20 lift about much, are battle
51rc-shaped. The fingers are five
inches long and 2-3 inches in tircum-
ference. The measurement about the
luuckles is 1882 inches and from wrist
20 finger lips about 9 inches. Owing
90 pains in the hands and a slight stiff
ness il The joints, she is unable to en-
p,0y them I'm knitting and sewing, and
hus often time, hangs heavily. She
IS fond of Wheeling her chair about the
corridors and out the verandes, where
She can observe other patients, and al
though she IS herself somewhat reserved
enjoys their company very much. She
IS o gre9. fav0Tite with the inmates.
Hr feet are always clad in wooden
stockings and knitted bath slippers. the
particular pair which she wore at the
tno being Of blue wool Mrs. Hansen's
feet originally required a AZ shoe; now
-lsre IS no shoe large enough Tor her.
Number 10, the largest size IN meme
shoes. are too short and TOO narrow.
The sol Of the bath slippers are es-
pec.9i'y emf. and at least two skeins Of
ycrn were required for each shoe. The
st.r o. the tee- is white and smooth as
.n~- of o Trlby. Twelve and one-half
'-c1es IS The length Of each foot, the
ue.-gremeL- ABOUT the ball being Il
When asked about herself Mrs Han
-.a said. "I- was about II years ago
T Noticed that my lower jaw and tongue
~-ra ercwing larger. The Jaws were
So sin 5hat I could not eat without
pain and [ consulted a physician. He
gave rae some medicine. bur it ala me
no good. / tried a number of doctors,
rr- 0-re of them seemed TO know what
allied me or 10 be able 70 help me. In
the meantime nay hands and feet had
begun to grow.
-lro-- of the medical men thought 1
had rheumatism and gave me remedie5
f7~ that disease. I'm a short time l was
unable 10 go about the house much anu
finally had to give up my homework
entirely. / was keeping house for my
.be~-in-law. my husband having died
~~- many years after our marriage.
rtrh- wears aEO I obtained admission
p, ~, home where the doctors pro-
rouncci nv disease acr0megaly. EN-
cent for the pains in my limbs do not
suffer and whom they trouble me the
doctor M once gives me something TO
ease the aching.
Il can move about my room and about
the halls I'm my wheel chair. Las;
week. for the first tine in six years,
went ont ard spent the day with a
friend. They wrapped me up carefully,
for I was very sensitive 90 cold, and
took me jokn stairs I'm my chair. From
r vas lifted into the carriage and
rolled away as comfortably as you
please
40. I have no recollection Of any
ueub ers of my family having been Of
abnormal size Ny father was an en-
eireer ana came TO this country from
Fc's.ei1. Germany. After our marriage
ny husband and I lived In New York
until his jc3.h.'
Acrcmeg7iy Is net necessarily fatal
disease end tlo D2-ie1t sometimes lives
0u- his allotted years almost rs COM
for6hly as people eff ordinary stature
The most tlci science can do is 10 allay
Jhe pains ana rc0xygclize the blood
She gets plenty OF pure air and sun
shine. and plain wholesome food Here
is an example of WHIST IS known as lat
i-u6.1al growth, although IL Is probable
hci measurements been taken twelve
yea-s aE3 on increase In heigh. would
have been Need.