Year: 1875

A REMARKABLE CASE OF oBEsIrY-AN INTER
EsTINa LAD-HIs RECEPTION IN HOSPITAL
SUCCESSFUL TREATMENT.


DUBLIN. Dec, a, 1878
A has lately been brought under the considera
ton OF the Dublin College OF Physicians which is
markable in many ways to to deserve q wider
notice than that OF the purely professional circle II
a rapid and extraordinary development OF fatness
boy


HISTORY OF THE CASH


The patent-for patient he really was-was the
son of poor parents His father stonecutter and
the boy to be brought up to the fathers trade At
the date the medical OF the case he was
about years Of age only four feet five inches
in height and his weight 12sk pounds His dimin-
utive stature gave him the appearance OF
being literally broad he long His
cheeks norid. and bursting with fat over
tapping his and well nigh burying his blue eyes
which yet seemed to be bursting from their sockets
His under chin fell on the front Of his chest and thick
brawny folds lay between the back Of the head bis
shoulders quite oblteratng all appearance Of neck.
There marked accumulation OF Eat the
chest the belly las he lay in bed) spread on
either side Of him, and projected beyond his knees
The thighs and legs not in proportion 10 the upper
parts and il visible that tho fat predomnated in
the head and neck and front OF the trunk. The pos
terror regions wero small by comparison; the
responding muscles were both small and inefficient
and much Of the difficulty which he experienced in
standing sitting was, doubt owing TO the condi
ton OF those muscles.


BERN PEpf


He never had the means OF pampering his appetite
had he been so inclined His food consisted chiefly Of
potatoes, cake bread and tea He not fond of
sugar. He was not OF lazy indolent disposition,
although since the development OF his obesity he had
not unnaturally, passed much OF his time in sleep
His father short and stout but could not at all be
described as over fat Neither was his mother. He
was of thirteen children, none Of whom had mani
tested any tendency TO obesity.


APPLICATION TREATMENT


In January 1874, he was first brought by his mother
for medical advice She stated that for the preceding
three four months he had been getting fat that
he had not been able to do any work Practising the
paternal trade-"stone cuttingi-when he stopped he
got "caught the chest" and could not give second
blow the chiseL HIS remarkable appearance elected
such lively saies from the students that neither
treaties nor commands could persuade him to remain
and submit himself to treatment month later he
was again taken by his mother, and was locked up in
the of Of the resident pupils to protect him
from the nqusitive gaze and sarcastic remarks OF
curious crowd -Four and twenty days after his admis-
sion 70 hospital he found the means OF escape Al this
time he could fairly move about Last April he had
himself become alarmed at his condition, and he prom
sed HIS mother that If admitted into hospital he would
remain, or, as he put IL, he would not run away
again"-a snperfuous promise, since he was quite
able TO stand, much less Except on three or four
occasions he had not len his bed for ming months He
was conveyed to the hospital in cart lying on his
side on bundle OF straw. The cart "backed" TO
the hospital steps the "taboard removed, the shafs
raised aud he was slid down tho inclined plane into the
arms OF two OF the hospital attendants, who carried
him TO bed.


EXTERNAL APPEARANCES


The general color Of his skin was reddish but the
feet and legs were Of purpsh hue passing INTO blue
On pressure those lvid parts became quite pale and
very slowly recovered their blush tinge


HIS MENTAL CONDITION


He had none OF the amabity with which fat persons
are usually credited; on the contrary he was very
irritable aud subject violent fits OF passion lie was


SENSITIVE TO COLD
though fat and suffered much In frosty weather The
extremities becoming quite lvid
The abundance OF volatile fatty acids given of from,
his skin made his vicinity unpleasant aud proved a
serious obstacle to leech traainan 10 this