The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-08-10
TIE FAST OF DR.. TANNER
Lived Forty Days Without Food
and Still Exists.
He Recounts His Experiences of Liv-
ing Long without Sustenance-In
Excellent Health. Though Beyond
Mans Average Age-A Feat That
Years Ago Surprised Everybody.


forgotten that he ever existed Not only
was he a substantial entity score or more
years age, but he is today alive, well, and
vigorous. although past middle life, He is
now a resident of Detroit, where he is
engaged in the practice of medicine. When
a newspaper man called at his residence
the other day he found hearty welcome.
Firmness and determination were indicated
in the set of the doctors jaw, and in the
keen blue eyes topped by bushy brows the
observer caught an occasionally humorous
twinkle And there was a heartiness in
his chuckIe that showed his thorough en-
joyment o: a welI-applied joke. The NUT
t0n-chop whiskers and suit OF broadcloth
gave a clerical touch TO his personality,
Clear headed. aggressive, shrewd, and
humor- lovirg-these are apt to be the first
impression OF DR.. H. S. Tanner, who, twen-
ty years ago, astonished the world and dis
turbed the accepted doctrines of his fell
low physicians in the face Of the harshest
criticism from pulpit. press, and the medl-
cal fraternity Reviied and ridiculed, the
doctor lived to have the laugh on the skep-
teal ones. and those that were free 10
abuse him.
Dr. Tanners long fast was not his first
experiment in abstinence from food He
was q practicing physician in Duluth,
MINI, in 1877, when he was obliged 10
Telinquish active work in his profession
because of a severe attack Of rheumatism
of the heart. He went 10 Minneapolis Tor
treatment. No less than seven doctors
gave him up. They told him he could not
live
I had given some attention" said Dr..
Tanner TO the fasting habits of the lower
order of animals. The bear, for instance,
retres for four months in the year, alb
staining from food and drink. Now. as
man is the superior animal OF all | cOuldn
see why he should not be able to practice
the same habits of abstinence. With death
staring me in the face according to the
doctorsl, and realizing that l had nothing
10 loss, l resolved 10 Try the experiment
OF starving out the disease. After a six
days fast there was A peTCeptible improve
ment in my condition. and on the tenth
/ night l was able TO lie down for The first
tine in many months. | had been in much
/ the same condition as a person afflicted
with chronic asthma. At this period in my
abstinence I went TO see the last doctor
/ that had abandoned my case. lie was a
/ very surprised man He facetiously OBJ
served that, according TO his view of the
/ case when he last saw me. ought to be
/ in the hands of the undertaken. He was
decidedly & materialist this doctor. and
/ he was inclined to scout Biblical authority
| as to the facts Of Jesus Moses, and Elijah,
| who each denied themselves food for forty
/ days. Being member Of the CHRISTIAN
/ Church and 4 stanch adherent of its doe
| trines. I resented his statements. and we
/ had very warm discussion, which led 10
! my determination to still further test the
| efficacy of fasting as therapeutic
agency, and TO demonstrate, if possible,
| that the seIf-deniaIs ascribed to Jesus,
Moses, ard Elijah might not be imagt-
! native as unbelievers have tried TO make
them appear Ny fast was wholly success,
| full 1t lasted forty-two days, at the end
! of which time my old trouble had entirely
disappeared - ana its disappearance, I
might say here-has been permanent Of
| course l lost considerably in weight, but I
soon picked up, and have had excellent
| health ever since.
The Case of HoIIie Fnncher.
In the spring of 1850 the case of Miss
MolHe Fancher. of Brooklyn. came into
public notice. She had lain for ten weeks
in a state of suspended animation and her
case was a matter Of great discussion
among the medical fraternity, In my hum
bic opinion It was simply q case OF human
! Information The newspapers interviewed
/ prominent physicians upon the subject,
among them DR.. ". 4. Hammond ex-Sur-
! gecn General of the United States Army.
/ who said he could readily dispose of the
subject He promptly pronounced Mrs
! Fancher a fraud When his cruelty blunt
! statement came into the newspapers DR..
Hammond found himself uncomfortable
close TO a hornests' nest. and the hornets
were pursuing him business end first. Mss
| FaDcher. it so happened was well known
| in the circles OF uppeT-tendOm and she had
a legion Of friends. who spiritedly resented
| the Doctors assertion. Then he came
forward with an offer of 81, geo if she would
abstain from food for thirty days. The
young lady being in afiuent circums tances
and already weary Of the unsought noto-
riety she had gained, ignored the offer.
Il had been a deeply interested reader
of the case and when Miss Fancher refused
/ saw an opportunity TO relieve myself OF
| the odium growing out of the general in
credulity of the genuineness Of my fast
and at the same time contribute an in
teresting experiment to science. l wrote
to Miss Fancher. who had then entirely re-
covered, and asked if she would have any
| objection to my acting as her substitute
She promptly replied that she would be
| very glad TO turn the fasting business over
| 10 me I then wrote to DR. Hammond
proposing to be watched by the Kew York
Neurological Society, because of the in
teresting scientific facts that would come
to light He ignored my letter and treated
a second one in the same way.
| Challenge to DR.. Hammond
Then I requested friend of mine
Prof. J. R. Buchanan, of New York. to Sc.
DIR. Hammond He was unable to obtain
an audience with him. and the letter from
the professor received not the sIightes
! attention. Then. through the medium o
| the New YORK Tribune, Times. anC
| Herald, fsfssued challenge to DR. Ham
| mond He denied ever having made hi!
| 81 0O0 proposition. I wrote the Herald
asking them TO republish the doctors state
ment, which they did Then he said h
had never denied. Finding himself in
box with only one means of exit he I'M
| graciously said to tell that Minneapolis
medical tramp he could come on. Afte
much dfIly- dalIying during which Ham
mond insisted that / should go through tn,
fast at Bellevue Hospital for the benefi
of q lot of students, arrangements wer,
finally made for the experiment to occu
before the United States Medical College
There were present sixty physicians. a
| many students, and horde of newspape
| men.
Yes, I was target for much abuse a
| the start. The press took its cue from tn
medical men and described my undertaking
as a foolhardy experiment. 1 was referee
TO as the boss idiot Of the age but to
ward the end of the fast the newspaper
had changd this to the boss hero of tn
| age. This shows upon what a films
thread public sentiment hangs and hoy
quickly it viii change. The clergy ais
Il S IL II. 80 "