Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-05-05
SOME ABNORMAL APPETiTES.
Hair. Glass, Matches and Sand Pre-.
ferred Diet by Queer People.


Extraordinary eceentricities of diet
We're recorded by Mr.. w. Soltau Fen
wick NJ. D.. in an address delivered
at the institute of Hygiene yesterday
to q select audience of doctors nurses
and other experts.
Various odd devices. he said. Were
| resorted to IN former days To stimu-
late q tagging appetite, such as the
drinking of spiced wines, the dropping
of coins Of cold metal down the back.
or sometimes a little exercise or gentle
alteration was INDUCED in between
the courses to settle the food in the
stomach" 1t became the habit at &
latter period to scratch or fondle the
lobe OF the right ear To stimulate the
HoW Of gastric juice as the nerve
which supplies this part of the skin
has a direct connection with the great
nerve Of the stomach.
Every one was said to possess the
stomach he deserved, and there could
he TO doubt that. within certain linn
its. our digestions were Of Our own
making. The stomach was the most
educahle organ OF the body, and one
could reduce its activities to a degree
which was only just compatible with
the preservation of life, or one could
train it to perform twice the~amount
of work which nature ever intended
it to do. An average man at The age
of 80 had consumed about % tons Of
food, hut some people easily con-
sumed three times that amount. They
never knew when they had had enough
There was an authentic ease of a little
Girl who mad to have a keeper to pre-
vent her from eating the household
goods. one day she consumed a raw
Goldfish, several pounds of candles and
4 quantity of butter before she was
caught. \ 10y, when placed under OBJ
servation, got through 100 pounds OF
raw meat in "a hours. Attempts to
cure this Unsuitable hunger invariably
failed Another lad who was shut up
and kept without food was found to
have eaten practically all his clothing.
MANY people" continued DR.. Fen
wick possess an extraordinary rel
ish for common salt. This often has
the curious effect of increasing per-
sons weight. one young lady who de-
voured immense quantities of salt
would increase as much as 10 pounds
in twenty-four hours. II YOU can per-
suade these people not to take salt
so much they get we'll; il not they
die of dropsy. Many girls viii devour
slate pencils, chalk and vinegar be-
cause nearly all these have at some
time or other identifying properties.
Through eating meat on which flies
or other insects had laid their eggs.
or, similarly, green stuff which might
l. Of IiuY h,.Y-
larvae in their stomachs. A wire
screen was no real protection for meat.
as flies dropped their eggs through it,,
Early examples were recorded in which
strange insects and animals had been
eaten and lived afterward. These in
Guided beetles. frogs, snakes. salaman-
dcrs, leechcs and the common garden
clug.
Young children often acquire abnor-
NAL tastes and one of the most COM
mon of these is paper eating. Hair
eating is confined to girls. and mum
Der of instances are on record in which
death resulted from the formation Of
a great ball of hair in the stomach.
Balls of thread. flock, tow or mating
fiber We're sometimes found in tho
stomachs of those who worked With
these materials.
Substances, too, which were often
taken. in the first instance, fer amuse-
mont hy frequent repetition led to in
satable desire. Thus sword sWallaW-
ers, knife-oaters. glass-ehewers and
the like not only continued their plac-
ticos for years, but actually got To rel
isl them. The speaker mentioned the
case OF a seaman who could not re-
sist the temptation to chew up and
swallow tumble after he had drums
it's contents; and those of two boys,
one of when ate sand when he could
set il, while the other begged Dor
rowed or stole watches in order to
swallow them.-London Daily News.