The Butte inter mountain., 1903-07-29
LIVES 40 DAYS
WITHOUT FOOD
NEW YORK PROFESSOR TRIES THE
PECULIAR EXPERIMENT DOWN
IN NEW MEXICO.
GETS NEAR THE DANGER LINE
Starvation Is Undertaken, the Man
Says, in the Interest Of
Science.

Silver City, n. NJ, July ao.--To exist 40
days without food and to live TO tell it,
such is the interesting experience Of Prof.
Wellington Putnam, late professor of elo-
cution in Columbia university, author of
The Art OF Expression" and well known
platform reader
Prof. Putnam left Silver City last even
ing for his home in New York. His face
was cmacated and covered with several
weeks growth OF beard, so that even his
intimate friends i'll the city did not recog-
nize the once fullfaced and portly form of
the clocutionist
Unlike DR.. Tanner. who performed a
similar feat several years ago, just to see
'if it could be DONE" Prof Putnam did
not choose to deprive his system OF soil
food for 30 days for the notoriety to be
gained from il, but TO test the efficacy of
the fasting cure for a troublesome kid
ney disease.
Prof Putnam claims he has been COM
pletely cured by his long abstinence from
food and is highly elated over the result
Il did not start out to fast 10 days"
said the professor in speaking Of his re
markabc feat, but TO hold out as long Is
| could without permanently cndangcrins
my health Finally when the danger sig
nal loomed up so large that could no
longer afford TO pass il unheeded, | de-
cided to again resume the feeding habit
just 40 days after | started in"
The fast was made a, the Gila Hot
springs. 90 miles northeast of Silver City.
and noted summer resort for people of
this vicinity. Prof. Putnam left the
springs early in May. and Immediately
started TO put his theory to test.
During the first 80 days the professor
says he spent the time in the open air near
his tent. studying and working on his book,
a technical work on elocuton. which is
now in the hands Of the publishers, and
the concluding chapters OF which he wrote
upon what may be truly styled IAN empty
stomach"
During that time he drank great guam
titles OF hot water from the spring and
took hot baths. During the next five days
he refraincd from mental or physical la
Dor OF amy kind, and lay quietly on his
back.
During the last five days the effects of
his long fast began to tell upon his system,
and he had TO be attended by a nurse. He
grew so weak that he could not raise an
arm and had 10 be fed and waited on like
q child
At intervals during inns time he was IN
comatose condition, while his eyesight
| became so weak that he could not recog.
nize the nurse at distance of several
| feet.
Finally, on the morning of the 4Ist day
he felt that it would be dangerous to con-
tinue the fast longer, although he says he
| experienced no sensation of hunger, and
so far as that sense was concerned could
| have gone on 10 days more without de-
veloping an appetite.
His first meal consisted OF plasma, {
condensed food said to be pure proteid
and it was only with the first mouthfu
of this soup did the sense OF hunger re
turn. and he became rayenous.
However, he limited the meal to soup
cereal food and lettuce, gradually increas
ing the amount with each succeeding meal
For FIVE days he lay in bed scarcely abl
to move himself, but fast recovering hi
lost strength. After the fifth day he wa
able to move around, and two weeks late
left for Silver City.