The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1897-08-06
ONLY BEER HIS FOOD.
FOR NINETEEN YEARS HE TOOK NO
OTHER NOURlSHMENT.
Surgical Operation That Cured
Case of Arrested Development - The
Ailment Puzzled Doctors and Was the
Only Instance of the Kind Known.

Sdee VI Arrested DeVelopneuG - Lie
Ailment Puzzled Doctors and Was the
Only Instance of the Kind Known.
One Of the most remarkable cases in
medical history, say physicians, is that
of Joseph Beschlagengaul, young Ger
man matchmaker living at $50 Sedg-
wick street, Chicago. 1t is asserted by
some that his ailment is the only in
stance of its kind ever known.
For 10 years this young man was
compelled to live on beer alone, and
during that time his body experienced
only as much growth as it should have
had in four years. Two surgical opera
tions have resulted in an almost COM
plete cure, and Beschlagengaul is now
on the high road to health. The re-
markable effectiveness of the operations
was shown in phenomenal growth of
6 inches in two months and in gain
in weight of over so pounds.
A little over year ago an emaciated
boy was sent one day to the German
hospital on the North Side and asked if
something could not be done for him.
The boy was chiefly skin and bones. He
weighed 721a pounds, was ~ feet in
height and appeared to the doctors to be
about II years of age. They We're as
founded when the diminutive youth
told them he was 26 years old. The in
terest of the physicians then in
creased materially, and Beschlagengaul
was given an unusually careful exami-
nation. After thorough investigation
DR.. G. Fenger diagnosed the trouble as
a contraction of the pyloric orifice, su-
perinduced by chronic inflammation
of the stomach.
The surgeon, it is said, noticed an IN
dulating motion on the surface of the
abdomen, apparently indicating an
effort of the stomach to force it's con-
tents through its lower opening, the
pyloric orifce, and this confirmed him
in the belief that his diagnosis was cor
rect. An operation was decided upon.
The boy was placed upon an operating
table and put under the influence of an
an8sthetic. Vivisection was then begun
by DR.. Fenger, assisted by DR.. H. ].
Haiselden and others.
An opening over a foot long was
made in the front of the body. The
stomach was opened, and it was found
that the orifice, which should be almost
as large as ones little finger, was scarce
ly big enough to permit the insertion
of match. No effort was made to en-
large the opening. Instead hole was
cut in the stomach near this point
Then another hole was cut in a near
loop of the intestine, and the edges of
the two incisions were brought together
and fastened by metallic Murphy but
ton, through the middle of which runs
tube. Thus an entirely new opening
for the passage of food from the stom-
ach was made.
The effect of this first operation was
almost magical. The natural effort of
the body to assimilate food and to grow,
which had been retarded for almost two
decades, exerted itself with marvellous
force. For period the appetite of the
boy was ravenous. Day after day he ate
like starved animal. For several
weeks he gained flesh at the rate Of ~
pounds a day. His growth in height
was even more remarkable. In two
months he measured 8 feet, an i'll
crease of half a foot over his stature
when the operation was performed.
His growth continued, but more slowly,
until at present he is almost feet 2
inches tall.
A reaction from the first effects set in
after a few months, and the boys
weight, which had gone up from 721a
to 1870 pounds, fell off until he weighed
only 108 pounds. A second operation
was determined upon and made. 1t was
most beneficial, and the boy was soon
almost as heavy as he had been former
ly. The young man is now in the best
of health and suffers only occasionally
from pains in the locality of the metal
button, which has not yet been removed.
A brief resume of the interesting fea-
lures of the history of the case may best
be given in the words of the young Ger.
man.
II am matchmaker by profession
and can assure you am badly in need
of work these hard times" said Bosch
lagengaul. Il am native of Bavaria,
where I lived with my family until I
was 81 years old. When I was years
of age, was attacked by inflammation
of the stomach and then my trouble be-
gan. Three years later was kicked in
the stomach by an OK and 1 remained
unconscious for two whole days, but so
far as I knew this had no effect on my
stomach trouble. Of course it seems
that this accident might have aggravat-
ed my trouble, but I detected no differ
ence. Almost Immediately after the in
aammation began it became impossible
for me to retain solid food in my stom-
ach. No matter how simple or digest
Ible the food, if it was solid the stomach
1T once rejected it. For 10 years. from
he time I was z until 1 was 26 years of
age, practically lived on beer and moth
ng else.
"Of course in beer alone there is not
much for person to live on, so was
little more than skin and bones for years
and years. Chicago Times-Herald.
Judge Scrubbed the Bible.