ABNORMAL EATERS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1013, 31 December 1910, Page 9

ABNORMAL EATERS.

HAIR, glass, watches, and SAND AS FOOD. BOT WHO ATE 100LB. OF MEAT-iU : ■ ' • 24 HOUIiS. "Extraordinary eccentricities"ofdiet were ' recorded by, Mr. W. , Soltau I-'enwick, M.D., in an address delivered at the Institute of Hygiene in London in November, to a select ; audience , of - doctors, nurses, and other experts. '■ Various odd devices, h? said, - were resot ted to in former days to stimulate a flagging appotite,- such as the drinking j'of mllti rl l lfles ' dropping of coins or .cold - a - back; ;0r sometimes "a ? T . E en 'l° altercation "was indulged m between. the courses .'to . A® 'W in :'Stomach/' . " /It. ibecame .the habit'at a later .period' to |cratch or fondle, the lobe- of .the right'ear to stimulate.tho,flow/of gastrio juice; ;a3 tho nervo which supplies this part.of-the ; skiu . has a. direct connection with",'tbe gieat nervo of the'stomach. ; - .;, . .liveryoue was said to possess the stomach 1 he deserved, and there-could bo no doubt -that, witbm certain limits, our digestions n ' ak "iS-- The'stomach was the most educable' organs of -tho body, ;t^uca , its activities -to -*■ wlfh H = '■ ,ra i- y Just compatible. ?''.h.'no preservation of life, or one could tram it-to perform twice the .amount of work which nature ever intended it to do. An average man at the' ago of 50 had consumed about 25; tons of food, but some people easily .consumed: three times that amount. :: ibey never knew, when they hadhad enougli. :. There, was. ah authentic c,.se ,ot a littlo girl 'who. had to have a keeper to prevent her from eating tho nouseliold.goods. One day she'consumed a raw codhsh, several pounds, of candiesy anct a quantity of butter before she Vaa caught. A. boy,; when plaiced nntlcr'observation, got,through, 1001b. of raw. iheat m i- tt ? rs -. Attempts .to .euro :this-.in-sat-iable hunger; invariably, failed. - Another lad ■ who was shut- up and kept :with--; out- found -to have eaiten practically all his clothing. - "Many . people," continued Dr. Femvick, -, possess an,extraordinary relish ■ for common salt, - This often has'the' curious' ef--feet of -.increasing., a person's wei/At.-- One young .lady who:devoured.-.immense'; quanrtitles .of;, salt-would increase as-ranch .us ten pounds in- weight :" in ' twenty-four hours.,. If you;caii .persuade these:people nofc,\to tako'salt so much they' get well;' •n i of , ; "girls /will devour-slato pencils, chalk;'and vine--gar'bwausc-.ncarly-all these".hare.attorn? time or. other beautifying ■Through; eating meat-biv which flies :oVother insects had*laid their-eggs, or,:siiui-V---larl)V green-stuff. sects, people often,* harboured larvae- ia." their stomachs... A. wire'.-screen was Vno* real protection for meat, : as flies-dropped their, eggs- through' it.' Eighty-'ezam'plcs, were .recorded in '.which strange' iiisecta; and annnals had been- eaten and lived afterwards. .. These; include beetles, frogs,- ■ snakes, salamanders,; leeches,-' and .thecommon garden slug. > ' ",T° un S children. ofter acquire" abnormal tastes, and' one -of the; niost commojiof••these is paper, eating. .Hair eating is confined. to girls; .and a number .of .. instances are. on record in which , death -'resulted'from the formation-of a great bali' of. hair,in the..stomach."- Balls of thread,:, "flock, tow, or matting: fibre were.'some-; times found in the. stomachs of; those who worked, with these materials. ' ' ' '•'Shbstances, loo,' were' often. taken,. in - the first instance, -- for. amusement by frequent-repetition led to insatiable ■ de-' : sire. Thus sword-swallowers,; knife-eaters, glass-chewers, 'and the like .'not only coii--tinued their practices,for years; but ; actu-"' ally got. to relish them.- :The';speaker. mentioned the case of. ii- seaman; who .-could not resist the; temptation to chew up and swallow, a tumbler ■ after' : lib T had. driink its contents; and .those of .two; boys,; ouo : of whom.'ate sand when he .could get. it,'' while, the other begged,- borrowed, or stole, watches in order to swallow them; ' - -jsiiX. -' " -v- - :;■ io -fy...