Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-14
FAMOUS FASTERS.
Feats of People Who Have Gone With
out Food for Months

Firm Tit Bits.
How long is it possible for man to MAIN
tain life without food of any description,
liquid or solid? AT the moment of writing
a Vienna champion faster is trying the eN-
pertinent for three weeks: but this period
falls so far short Of existing records that
the feat scarcely reaches the dignity of
fast At the Aquarium two ''hurg ger art
lists" sig Succi and NJ Alexandra Jacquez.
some years ago tied for premier honors IN
II gland by abstainug from food for forty
two days. and In the SOS man named
Mera;ti maintained health and spirits for
fifty days on Spartan diet limited 10 sips
of water.
But even such feats as these are mere
pauses between meals compared with some
OF the fasts of past generations. ii we are
TO believe contemporary records. Thus We
learn that young French girl. Christina
MiChelOt. after an attack of fever was ut
terly unable 20 swallow any form of food,
and from November. 1T51, TO July 17JJ,
swallowed nothing at all more sustaining
than water. Remarkable to say. after near
y four years of this starvation diet she
gradually recovered her health and lived
long In the land. For year and three
quarters, II is said, a Ross-shire woman
named Katherine Mcleod actually lived
without partaking of any form Of susie
nance. once during this period attempt
was made 10 force food down her throat,
but the woman narrowly escaped sunoca-
ton, and the attempt had 10 be abandoned.
Harrogute girl of twelve. one Ann
Walsh. lived for eighteen months on a daily
glass OF wine and water-a dietary on
which she somehow managed to preserve
health and good looks. Monica Mutcheteria
SWIbian. spent whole year without
swallowing either food or drink and for
three years she never slept: while DR.. VIII
Han. an elghteeuth-century physician. had
among his patients a monOmdniac who for
SiNtF-one days refused to touch food of
any description About the same time. too.
We are informed that French peasant
boy of Chateaurouy was never known to
partake OF food during twelve months and
yet was able 10 do a good days work on
lis fathers farm.
DR.. Plot in his Natural History of stat
fOrdshire," tells a remarkable story of
woman. one Mary Waughtou OF Wigginton.
Nho appears To have reduced the problem
of living 20 it's lowest material limits. Thus
says her historian, "She does not eat In
day piece above the size of half a crown
In bread and butter, OF. If meat not above
Inc quantity of "A pigeons egg at most"
while her only beverage was a spoonful OF
milk and water daily And yet. although
this was M3ry's modest fare year after
year. she us described as "a maiden Of
fresh complexion and healthy enough" An
other Stanordshre worthy Of the elgh-
ttrUth century. one John Adams, lived for
thirty years II IS said. ON a daily crust Of
famed for his muscular strength and his
Tlowirg performances. Unfortunately we
do not know what John ate when nobody
was looking.
In the Two cases which follow we get on
20 more reliable ground. since the feats
described are little more remarkable than
tHuS" OF our own time. In 1TTl STAN
ford man made wager of $40 that he
would touch neither food nor drink for
Htty-one days. and ne won his bet hand
somely. The records. however. are silent
as 10 the price Ire afterward paid for his
defiance of nature
The second of these oId-time faseers was
the famous John Scott Of Teviotdale,
whose fasjs have survived to our own day
ershned lu border verse. Johns first ex-
pertinent as "A faster was when ne was in
Carcerated for not paving his creditors. SO
Indignant was he that not mouthful OF
prison fare passed his lips for thirty-two
days. The fame Of this feat got abroad
AMI the king curious to test the man under
stringent conditions. had him locked up
with "A loaf Of bread and a jug of water.
in room in Edinburgh Castle
When the door was opened at the end Of
tEirty-two days the bread and water were
quite untouched. and John seemed none the
worse for his abstention. In later years
Scott exhibited his powers as a modest
eater TO the pope. and his fame became
great throughout Europe; while. To crown
his fasting performances, when he was
thrown Into prison for railing against one
or Henry Wits divorces he threw all his
own records into the shade by going with
out bite or sup" for fifty days