Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-08-22

he has been practicing medicine. He
had never seen anything Ike II, nor
I'm any OF the medical books had he read
any accounts OF similar case. Only
regret" said the physician, that ulI
not get 10 see the case sooner. Mneh L
first saw the child IL had fuliy DE-
veloped, though not an abnormally large.
head and the body Of an infant: IL
was clear that the body OF the child
II | may call IL chlld-had not deyei-
oped since Il was two days old. IL was
about eighteen inches long, and woluIly
emancated and shrunken. There was
scarcely an ounce Of flesh on its tiny
AN AGED INFANT.
But the face and head made thc
striking feature. The head WAS wedges
shaped, broad az the top, and tapering 10
a point at the chin. IL was surmount-
ed by a crop Of dark-brown hair, rather
scsnt. but strong, and OF full size. ~
was not such hair as grows on the head
OF an S-months-old babe. IL was strong
and as coarse as that OF a man Of mature
'The brow was broad and wrinkied, and
the crows feet always seen around the
eyes OF aged persons were plainly visible.
The character lines, on either side OF the
nose were plain and deep.
The cheeks were sunken and pinchod,
giving to the child a weird. haggard
look The lips were thin and compressed,
and the skin OF the towl hung down as
"The ewes were startling. They were
small and black and were set deep in
the sockets, and they sparkled with a
strange unnatural light. They were the
eyes OF a fully-natured person, such as
one sees In certain phases OF insanity.
The expression was, at times, one OF cum
ming. Then a change would suddenly be
observed, and the direst fear would Do
reflected from them. At all times. how
ever. the eyes were restless, and the ex-
preston shifty.
ION the upper lip was a slight mus
/ tache plainly outlined, while all over the
/ face a struggling beard was discernible.
There were 10 teeth In the gums; in
fact the abnormal development seemed
| 10 be confined To- the brain and skull.
/ the facial expression having been FORM
/ ed by mental process. The anterior and
/ posterlor fontelle were as fully developed
/ az In a person 70 years old. l examined
/ these carefully. and could detect where
! the cavities had been, and could see that
| they had not been filled naturally. They
were filed slightly below the line OF for
nation. The plate covering the cavity
where they had been was perfectly solid.
/ In fact all the bones in the chlld's head.
/ and especially in the upper part, were
| extremely hard. and from the appearance
and touch. l should say brittle and chalky
| when the strange being first entered
! the dspensary and | saw the expression
| Of the eyes. | thought the child was In
| sane Since I have learned the full his
| tory Of the case ] am convinced that my
/ hasty diagnosis was partially correct
! THE child was insane. though II was
/ not the idlocy OF the infant. but the i'm
| becility OF old age The head had devel-
| oped so rapidly that the gray matter in
| the brain had no time 10 perform Its
! functions. II the body had afforded
cough 'sustenance l am inclined to
! think that the child's mind would have
cleared. and It might have become phe-
nomenally bright. though that is a spec
ulatlon that will hardly stand analysis.
! However. the child is dead. ard we can
! only class IL as one OF the freaks that
nature puts forth I'm an experimental
| mood -