The evening times., 1900-03-26

NEW YORK, March 26.-How long can
human being exist without food? The
question has been raised anew in the light
of Milton Rathbun's fast of thirty-fve days
for the sake OF his health. attending the
while to his business and seeking neither
gain nor notoriety
Then there is Dr. Emmanuel Pfeiffer, Of
North Adams, Mass, who began on March
s a fast of twenty-one days with the inten-
tion of prolonging it TO fifty days if he
finds he can stand the strain.
He is proceeding on scientific principles,
being weighed, photographed. and having
medical observations taken each day.
Fasting plays an important part in an
cieRt religious chronicles. The fathers OF
the church narrate numerous instances of
pious vutaries being sustained for aston
ishing periods by the Holy Eucharist alone.
DR.. Tanner was the pioneer of profess
sional fasteTs. He with his forty days Of
starvation, was outdone by Succi, with
forty five. Succi in turn was outdone by
Jacques. who in London ten years ago alb
stained from food for fifty days. There is
no authentic record of jacques feat being
equaled by any professional faster.
But a still more wonderful effort of alb
stinence was that of Guillaume Granie.
French murderer who refused food in the
hope OF escaping the guillotine. This was
in the jail at Toulouse, and the circum-
stances were such that no deception was
possible.
At first the officials made efforts to feed
the recalcitrant prisoner by force, but so
violent did he resist that this was aban
doned. and the mans keepers confined
themselves to persuasion and temptation.
They would cause the most inviting
dishes to be cooked and placed steaming
in his cell. Their aroma must have been
maddening to the starving man, but he
gritted his teeth shut his eyes, and mas
tered his craving. 1t was all in vain. The
murderer would swallow nothing but a few
drops of water every day. He tasted for
siXty-three DAYS during which time he
drank Cnly eight or ten pints of water.
Then ne died.
The Wuchter Case.
Far more wonderful, if it were only per-
fectly authentic. would be the case of Mrs.
Adam wuchter. of Easton. Pa. a hopeless
invalid. who died after having eaten moth
ing-so she her husband. her doctor. and
others asserted-for six months or more.
The details were published far and wide,
and more than fifty doctors visited her
during her period of starvation. Not all of
them were convinced that she took no
nourishment. although her own physician
entertained no doubt of it. All agreed.
however that it was a remarkable case.
There seemed to be no motive for de-
ception for Adam Wuchter, although
poor man. would not accept aid from the
visitors who thronged his home daily. and
the patient herself suffered so frightfully
from the nature of her disease that she
could hardly have had a thought TO spare
for the impression she might make on 9th
ers Owing TO a cancer of the pharynX
she was unable TO swallow-or so 1t ap-
peared-and her religious prejudices for
bade her to take nourishment by artificial
means.
Among perfectly authentic cases observed
in medical practice is that of an English
lady who died of starvation after Nolunta-
rily eQualing jacques record. She was
not in search of a record however. Family
troubles unhinged her reason. and she
made up her mind to take no food With
the exception of two teaspoonfuls of bran
dy on one occasion, she swallowed nothing
but water for fifty days. and then died of
exhaustion.
OF a very different character were the
events leading up to Nine Zelie Bour-
rion's death. All France talked about her
a few years ago as the fasting woman Of
BourdeHilles. The peasants OF Perlgord
believed that she was under divine inSpi
ration other visitors ventured the hy
pothesis that she was possessed by the
evil one At all events. Madame Bourbon
was credited by her neighbors with having
tasted for nine years after the death of
her husband The popular excitement made
il desirable that science should turn its
searchiight upon her. Not without reluc-
taace she agreed to undertake a fast of
sixty days under surveillance. At the end
of three weeks she was suffering greatly,
but rather than see her fame destroyed she
refused to eat. The effort cost her her
life on the thirty-third day-two days short
of the period of hunger which Mr., Rathbun
endured so easily.
sarah Jacobs Starves.
Similar to this was the case of the Welsh
fasting girl. Sarah Jacobs, which excited
a painful interest in 1868. With the con-
nivance Of her parents she pretended to
abstain from food for many months. and
the remarkable feature of the experiment
was that she did not lose flesh. A system
attic test was arranged. For the first few
days the girl was cheerful. Then il was
found that she could not be kept warm
She sank into a torpid state Those in
charge Of the test became alarmed and
advised Sarah's parents TO supply her with
food. They refused. saying that her con-
dition was not unusual. Meanwhile they
were being enriched by tips from the Wis
itors who focked to the house. On the
eighth day Sarah Jacobs died of acute
starvation. The father and mother were
arrested, tried for manslaughter, and con-
victed.
Among medical examples none is more