The Birkenhead News and Wirral General Advertiser. — 1880-07-24 (Birkenhead, Merseyside, England)

EXPZEIMENT.  In New York a man called Dr. Tanner is endeavouring to prove to the world that he can live for forty days on nothing but water. As might be expected he is the sensation of the moment. Instead of being treated as a fit subject for a straight jacket he is regarded as an individual who is making a series of interesting scientific experiments. He is surrounded by duly qualified physicians and regular practitioners day and night, and it would seem that no attempt is being made to palm an imposture off on ' a too credulous public. The Neu, York Times thus writes about him :—" The doctor has passed through a woeful change in appearance since the beginning of the week, and he now presents symptoms of starving which even Dr. Hammond could not gainsay. His face, which was fall and pleasant-featured at the beginning of his fast, is now emacited and haggard. His eyes are sunk deep in their sockets, and added to their sleepy depression is a bright glitter which is terrible to look at. The man is not delirious, and no symptoms of insanity have yet been noticed by the physicians, but a timid person would hardly care to be shut up alone with that glittering eye for •ompany. His walks are less frequent day by day, and, when on his feet, though he does not stagger, his step shows a lack of firmness which all his skill and pains cannot conceal. His tremendous will-power 411ables him to make exhibition spurts at times, and he rats up the stairs loading to the balcony at a pace which astonishes his visitors, but these spurts are forced, and he lies down on his nartow cot completely exhausted after them. Unless all signs fail, he will very soon, if he lives, be unable to walk at all, and this will aid him in his task, as every unnecessary motion which he makes is an unnecessary waste of force, which increases the consumption of tissue, and thus shortens the time which he can hcld out. The doctor, however, cannot be brought to take this view of the case. He has a theory that exercise does him good, and that he possesses some power which he does not himself understand, , which retards the consumption of his body. He makes no claim that there is anything supernatural about this power. He says that it is a natural force which preserves vitality, and that all men are endowed with it to a greater or lesser extent. Dr. Tanner's mouth is parched and dry, and he is obliged to use water to rinse it now oftener than at the beginning of his fast, but the peculiar " starvation odour'l.which precedes dissolution from want of food has not yet been detected in his breath. This is wonderful, considering that he has now passed nearly twelve days of abstinence, so far as is known, and the doctors are at a loss to account for the phenomenon. The "regulars," however, and many of the "irregulars," predict that the fatal odour will soon manifest itself, and they , say that when it dose the end is not far off. He must be treated for starvation then, or die ft martyr to his peculiar theories." Of course, a number of physicians have been "interviewed" by enterprising reporters in connection with him. One doctor is reported to have said in an I Ewer to the query, "How much longer do you think this man can live and take nothing to sustain him ?""Well, that's i difficult question to answer at this stage of the experiment. He has already lived a long time, and, BO far as I can see, he is perfectly rational, though very nervous and irritable at times. He is failing, though, very rapidly, and if it were not for the water he is taking, I would not give him three days. He drinks nothing, it is true, but he is eonstantly using water. He rinses his mouth frequently, bathes, applies wet towels to his head, and holds wet sponges in his hands. From all these sources water, which is a greater sustainer of life than ordinary people I imagine, is introduced into his system by absorption, end this is aiding him in the struggle throup which he is passing. But even with this in his favour, I do not believe that the man can live fire days longer without food of BOOM kind. He complained of nausea to-night when I had the thermometer in his mouth to measure his temperature. That is a very bad symptom, and to my mind shows that the end is approaching very steadily. He told me that he had experienced this feeling off and on since the beginning of his fast. I don't know how that may be, but certainly he has never complained of it before." It remains to be seen whether the ghastly farce will be permitted to have a fatal termination. Fortunately, one of his watchers has declared :—" We don't intend to let him commit suicide under our eyes. As soon as he shows serious symptoms of a collapse we shall warn him of his danger. If he refuses to take the necessary stimulants, then I for one shall be in favour of forcing them down him just as I would force the knife from a man whom I found trying to cut his throat. It might be dangerous to attempt this on a man so weakened from long abstinence, but it will be the only possible way to save his life if he proves obstinately bent on self-destruction. Of course, if we can't get the proper remedies down his throat he must die, but in that event I hardly think that his watchers can be held responsible. Two gentlemen who we had on our committee retired from fear of a fatal termination to the experiment, but I think there is little danger of any such ending." The "experimenter" has now been twenty-seven days without food. In that time he has lost about twentyfive pounds weight. The exhibition seems to no a peculiarly revolting one. It shows what dangerous absurdities a morbid taste and an unhealthy love of notoriety will induce men to commit. The latest telegrams to hand report that a change for the worse has taken place in the misguided man.