The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-12-28

Special to New York Press: Forty
ave days without particle Of food and
complete recovery from q mental de-
rangement are the strange and unpre-
cedented experience Of Philadelphia
girl. Taken from an insane asylum
and out Of the care Of physicians, this
girl literally was starved that her mind
might be restored and her nerves
strengthened. Here is not only the
longest fast on record, but It is the
first instance Of starvation used as a,
cure for insanity. The young woman is
Stella Heating.
This remarkable case has tlngle Of
romance about 1t. The young man un-
der whose direction and at whose So
licltation Miss KeatlnE took the heroic
treatment is Henry Ritter Of No. 6S3
Montgomery avenue, Philadelphia. The
two met when both were students in
Drexel Institute. They became fast
friends and the opinion in the neigh
borhood OF the Ritter home is that the
bond which binds them now Is stron-
ger than friendship.
When MES -.eatlng's health first
gave way, just enc year ago, Ritter
was much disturbed. 1t was at his
suggestion that she was placed in the
Franktord Hospital for the Insane last
spring. He visited her here three or
four times week. It was Ritter who
urged her parents to remove her from
the institution and let her try travel.
On many Of these trips Ritter was in
the party.
Then, when Miss Heating did not i'm
prove, Ritter proposed the unusual
remedy Of starvation; but this time the
girls parents were not consulted. 1t
was not until the cure had been eject
ed that the secret was told.
The story of the starvation and the
feelings she experienced were told by
Miss Keating yesterday afternoon. She
was in the Ritter home for Christmas
dinner. and said she had just eaten
hearty meal.
IT don't care to pose as a martyr or
as heroine" she said, "but II my ex-
perience is of any aid to science, and
will be Of any benefit to the world, I
think 1 ought not to keep 1t secret. 1t
is absolutely true that for forty-hve
days did not taste food of any kind.
did not get hungry until that time, and
then ate something.
ION October 8 1 began to fast. I did
not think at first would go more than
four or 1--WE days without eating. but l
did not get hungry and SO just kept
ON / drank hot water the first two
weeks. My system had been used to
food, and at first 1t made me weak and
/ had to go to bed. Soon began to
Eet stronger and sat up and moved
about the house.
"For twenty-five days I was not out
of the house. Then Mr.. Ritter and 1
began to take short walks. grew
stronger every day and began feeling
better. My melancholy began to leave
me, and wanted to live. I knew
could eat, II I wanted to, but I had no
desire whatever for food.
ION the afternoon of December Is I
experienced my first sensation of hun
ger. It came as sort of a numb feel
ing in my stomach, and so ate plate
OF orange ice 1t quIeted the feeling
little, but 1t came back again. When
went home In the evening decided
that, II the feeling continued all night,
would eat some breakfast. So I ate
,oached egg and two slices of toast.
did not suffer any Ill effects from what
ate.
THE next morning felt hungry
again, and so ate some more. Since
then Ihave eaten only when hungry
and very little. / now eat two meals
day-dinner and supper. feel
healthier and stronger than ever be-
fore in my life. and 1 know that I am
entirely cured"