Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1895-12-06
HIS FATAL GROWTH.
The Boy Grew So Fast That 1t Killed
Him.
The Medical Profession Was Great
" Puzzled by the Case of Pa rick
Casey, But His Family Would Not
Listen to a Post MOrtem Exam
nation.

Bridgeport, Conn, December 5.-Af-
ter having astonished the medical pro-
fession by growing 10 inches in less
than two months, 17-year-old Patrick
Casey, Of East Bridgeport, has died.
His constitution, strong and sturdy as
it was, could not bear up under the
strain of such startling growth.
At the time of his death, Patsey, as
he was called. was feet inches in
height. He had reached that height
after having started to grow from feet
in the latter part Of August.
Although he had a rayenOus appe-
tite, he could not supply the demands
OF a frame growing at such rate as
this, which, it was shown would make
him 10 feet tall in April if he had con-
tinued TO live.
The abnormal growth also seemed
to cause general break down of the
system by draining nuriment from
many organs. Thus Patrick had sud-
denly lost the power of speech.
This was more than month before
he died, and he never recovered his
voice. although he could hear and see
quite well. He acquired the faculty of
making his needs known by the SYM
bOls of the deaf and dumb, and when
lying in bed could thus communicate
with those about him.
The physicians who studied the case
of this astonishing growing boy, how
ever, were more puzzled by the uneven
ness of his growth than by the surpris-
ing rate of the growth itself. Patrick
grew faster on one side Of his body
than on the other.
On his left side he was three inches
longer than on his right. Both his
right leg and arm were, compared to
his left, too short.
This was somewhat cOunteracted by
the fact that. his bones becoming soft
and pliable. his left leg bowed in walk
ing. Thus he could put both feet upon
the ground at once, although one leg
was straight and the other crooked.
But perhaps the most surprising and
unaccOuntable feature Of this strange
case was that short time previous to
his death Patrick c. sey's hair turned
from red to black. Where it had been
of an auburn tint il becarle as black
as a ravens wing was ct DlacK at
the time of his death
Physicians who had y9mine1 his case
could account for this surprising and
UNPARALLELED change only on the theory
that the tincture of iron which was given
the boy as tonic, got into his blood
and so changed the color of his hair.
Liberal quantities Of this drug were ad-
ministered to him by DR.. O'Hara, his
attending physician, who now believes
that it caused the change Of color.
Equally surprising was the growth Of
the bows hair. His hair during his
sickness and while his growth contin-
ued steady and alarming, grew at an
abnormal rate. 1t had to be cut twice
a week.
His body grew at the rate of quarter
of an inch per day, but his hair grew
much faster. A week before Patrick
died his hair stopped growing.
But Immediately upon his death 1t
commenced 10 grow at an alarming rate.
Several Of the physicians who had been
watching his case desired in the interest
of science that his body be preserved
for the purpose Of observing this strange
phenomenon.
It is known, for instance, that the hair
on everybody grows more or less after
death, especially the beard of adult
men. But Patrick Casey's hair grew
so fast that a short time after he died
the attention of the undertakers was
called to it, The family of the boy,
however. objected to his body being
kept as the physicians desired.
He required an unusually long coffin.
Undertaken John Ford, of Bridgeport,
who acted for the family, said that the
boy required one Of the largest cofiins
he had ever handled.
So great was the interest of the med
ical profession in this case that DR.. f.
B. Downs. the city medical examiner Of
Bridgeport. proposed to hold an autop-
sy for the purpose of ascertaining, if
possible. the cause of the boys abnormal
growth and strange sickness. This,
however, was interfered with by the
sickness of DR.. Downs, and the family
would not allow any other physicians
to hold an autopsy.
The remains were buried in St Mich
aers cemetery, and the Connecticut
physicians have not ceased to marvel
at the strange case. In August last
Patrick was a strong and healthy boy,
unusually active and vigorous, and
weighing about 130 pounds. Then he
began suddenly to grow, his weight ran
up TO 100 pounds, and then began to rap
idly decline.
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