The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1907-09-19
GIANT PUZZLES Them.
Capital Physicians Study Patient 7
Feet 3 Inches Tall.
Especial to Baltimore SUM-

Washington, D. C.-Unusual in
terest has been aroused among med
ical and surgical men of Washington
in the case of John Turner, a giant,
of 25 N. street southeast, who has
just been ordered discharged from
the public ward of Providence Hos
pital. This is his last night at the
institution.
Although Turner was undoubted-
ly the tallest man in Washington and
ranked with the giants of the land he
spent over four months in the public
ward of the hospital without the pub
lie obtaining the slightest inkling
that he was undergoing treatment.
By reason of Turner's recluse sort of
life, few persons, even in his own
neighborhood, seem to have ever
known of his existence.
Turner is a native of Prince
Georges county, Maryland, and his
true height, as calculated by physi-
clans at the hospital, is z feet 8 inch
es. His head bumps against the wall
Of the ordinary dwelling ceiling, and
he had to stoop to pass through many
Of the hospital doors. Turner is only
80 years old, and the physicians do
not know whether he has finished
growing.
An interesting discussion has arisen
among the fraternity as to whether
Turner's case is one of true giantism
or one of abnormal enlargement of
the bones. Some physicians say it is
case of true giantism. Others de-
clare just as firmly that it is not
giantism, but acremegly. The for
mer group is headed by DIR. Charles
C. Marbury, of 1121 Fourteenth
street northwest, who was in charge
of the patient. The other group is
headed by DR.. D. Percy Hickling, of
14O3 Rhode Island avenue.
Included in the latter group is DR..
William S. Thayer, of 406 Cathedral
street, Baltimore, an associate pro-
fessor of Johns Hopkins University.
DR.. Thayer is understood to believe
the case to be one of "acremegly-"
This case was brought to his atten-
ton by DR.. Marbury, and he became
deeply interested.
The case, in spite of the fact that
nothing has been made public about
his existence, is we'll known to the
leading medical and surgical men of
Washington, and will be the subject
of both monograph and discussion be-
fore the local medical society during
it's weekly sessions. Splendid X-ray
photographs of the bones in Turner's
body were taken while he was at
Providence Hospital. Similar pic
lures, in addition to a number of
other photographs of varying kinds,
were taken by the War Departments
surgeons in the Army Medical
Museum, to which institution Tur-
ner was taken for observation and
scientific purposes.
Many physicians contend that there
is no reason why a giant should not
be just as healthy and normal as a
man of normal height. They contend,
too, that there is no reason why a
dwarf should be necessarily abnor-
NAL in it's bodily functions. Others
are inclined to believe that giantism
has a baneful effect upon certain
bodily organs and that it weakens
them. Most of the neurologists be-
lieve Turner's case to be one of plain
acremegly; that is, an abnormal
growth of the bones after the man
has attained the age of an adult.
Sometimes the bones become larger
from end to end, but in most cases
that have been studied the enlarge
ment generally occurs near the
joints.