The evening times., 1896-08-21
sENILE At EIGHT MONTHS
Remarkable Case Of an Infant
in ST. Louis.
HEAD ABNORMALLY LARGE
Eyes Glowed With singular Light
and Face Had Mustache and StraR-
CLING Besrd-Body Shrunken and
Emaciated andat Death Bones We're
Hard Like an Old Persons.

st. Louis. Aug. Fisherman Robert
Burch died of senle debility at the a ge of
eight MONTHS
That is the note made by DR.. Edward
Randall. of 1921 North Eleventh street,
as record OF the passing of the most
singular case that ever came under the
observation OF any physician with whose
works DIR. Randall is acquainted. The
child was born last December, and Mon
day he died of old age.
- He had passed through all the intel
lectual phases thatare comm ON TO mankind.
but so rapidly that he had DOtthe time nor
opportunity TO gather the knowledge that
comes OF experience and precept or the
wisdom born OF thought. His brain de-
yeloped and then withcred with a rapidity
comparable only to the growth and decay
OF JOnah's gourd.
The Child first came under DR.. Randail's
observation two weeks ago, when it was
brought to him at the North Side DispeDs-
AIRY for attention by its mother.
DR.. Randall said IL was the most remark
able freak of nature that ever came under
his observation in the years he had been
prac;icing medicine He had never seen
anything like it, nor in any of the medical
books had read any accounts OF similar
case.
. ~ only regret" said the physi clan,
"that did not get to see the case sooner.
When / first saw the child il had a fully de-
yeloped though not an abnormally large
head and the body OF an infant. 1t was
clear that the body of the child-if may
- l,aa els -
was two days old 1t was about eighteen
inches long and woefully emaciated and
shrunken. There was scarcely an ounce
of flesh Oh its tiny bones.
EYES LIKE a LUNATIc's. /
t.But the face and head made the strik-
ing feature. The head was wedge-shaped,
broad at the top and taperiDg to point
at. the chin. IL was surmoUnted by
crop OF dark-brown hair, rather scant, but
strong, and of full size. IL was not such
hair as grows on the head OF an S-months'
old babe. 1t was strong, and as coarse as
that Of u man OF mature age. The brow
was broad and wriDkled, and the crows
feet always seen around the eyes of aged
persons were plainly visible. The cbarac-
ter lines, on either side of the nose, were
plain and deep The cheeks were suEken
and pinched, giving to the child a weird,
haggard look The lips were thin and COM
pressed, and the skin Of the jowi hung down
as in the case Of an emaciated old per-
son.
r.The eyes We're startling They were
small and black and were set deep in
the sockets, and they sparkled with
strange, unnatural light. They We're the
nfa ft,lIt
one sees in certain phases OF Insanity. The
expression was, at times, one OF cunnin &.
Then change would suddenly be observed,
and the direst fear would lie reflected fr ON
them. Atalitimes, however, The eyes were
| restless and the expression shifty. on the
upper lip was slight mustache plainly
outlined, while all over the face a stra &
ling beard was discerniblc.
| There were no teeth in the gums; in fact
the abnormal development seemed TO be
confined to the brain and skull, the facial
expression having been formed by mental
process The anterior and posterior fon-
tella were as fully developed as in u person
seventy-fivc 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 filled
slightly below the line of formation. The
plate covering the cavity where they had
been was perfectly solid. In fact, all the
bones in tie child's head, and especially in
the upper part, were extremely hard, and
from the appearance and touch, l should
say brittle and chalky as an aged persons.
HEAD GREW TOO oRAPIDLY.
When the strange being first entered
the dispepsary and / saw the expression
OF the eyes i thought the child was in
sane. Since have learned the full history
| of the case i am convinced that my hasty
| diagnosis was partially correct. The child
was insane. though it was not the idiocy Of
| the infant. but the imbecility Of old age.
| The head had developed so rapidly thatthe
gray matter in the brain had no tim. 10
| perform its functioHs- If the body had af'
| forded enough sustenance am inclined to
think that the child's mind would have
| cleared and it might have become phenom.
| enalIy briptt, though that is speculation
| that will hardly stand analysis. HoweyS,
| the child is dead and we can only class ii
| as one of the freaks that nature puts forth
| in an experimental mood
| The parents told of the birth of Sherman
| Robert without reserve. He was one OF
twins; the other was a girl. born dead.
| sherman Robert was born witn caul, or
veil, which in many countries is supposed
TO give a child the gift of prophecy and
| in others Is believed 10 be guarantee
of immunity from death by drowning.
| UNUSUALLY BRIGHT AT BIRTH
"The baby was unusually bright" said
the father HE began to notice almost as
| soon as he was born, and by the time he
| was a week old he seemed to know al
much as his older brother, who was about
yeor old He didn't try to talk, but h'
would look at you as though he knew What
YOU were thinking about. he never die
hook like a child nor act like one. He
was like little old woman.
He was sickly from the first, and we
tried everything we could to bring him
out, but 1t was OF TO use. About Two
months ago his mind began to fail ana ne
was never right after that one doc'or
said he had consumption, and there was
consumption in my wife's famiiS' SO
.ucss that was the trouble
DR.. Randall is positive that The chiid o'u
not have consumption. II did not congh
and had no other indication of pulmonary
direction. There will he no autopsy on
the child who died of old age The doctors
who know OF the case say that whiie u
would be interesting it wonld not serve
| any good purpose. The case was freak
| interesting because of its rarity and al
rordins food for speculation as to why
Mother Nature departs from her fixed and
settled rules.