THE GATHERER.

Marlborough Daily Times, Volume II, Issue 170, 5 November 1880, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE GATHERER.

MOD BUN PASTING CASES,

The following letters appear in the ‘ Lancet ’ on this subject : —Sir, —It may interest some of your readers to know that some five years ago f. attended a lady, over sixvy years of age, who suddenly refused food in every shape and form. 1 never found out the reason why she did so, but I. fancy it was owing to some family trouble. J3e that as it may, she lived for exactly seven weeks, and died on the forty-ninth or fiftieth day, during the whole of which time she took nothing hut cold water at first freely, hut gradually in smaller quantities—with the exception of a dessert spoonful of brandy and water, which was never repeated. All offers on my part to force food with the stomach pump or enema was steadily refused by patient and friends. They were people in a .good position, and there was no reason for deception of any kind ; in fact, most of the friends are still alive, and if any member of the profession would like to sift this case I shall be happy to give him every facility for so doing. I may mention that the lady in question was always remarkably quiet in manners and very taciturn, seldom, a a hen quite well, speaking unless in reply to some question. She was also very stout, and some few yc-rs earlier I had operated upon her for strangulated umbilical hernia, from which she recovered without a bad symptom ; and at the time of her death, although her levs and arms had become very thin, her body had retained much of its previous stoutness. —M. D. July -7, ISSO. -Sir,As considerable amount of attention is just now called to the possibility of protracting life for a lengthened period without food, perhaps the following case may be worth notice :—II. G a man of spare 4 build, very recently deceased, had been under my care for the last three years. For some time past his occupation was that of a gardener, until eonstantly recurring pains and weakness obliged him to relinquish all work. "W ithout going into particulars, I may state that his disease was cancer of the stomach. I’or 41 days before his death he took no food of any kind, either liquid or solid, merely moistening his lips from time to time with water. For foulmonths previously the amount of nourishment in any shape of which he partook might ho contained in .an ordinary breakfast cup. llis wife assures me—and I have no reason to doubt the truth of her statement—that during the previous twelve months he would only take a morsel of food once in every two or three days, as the agony he suffered after receiving anything into his stomach made him so dread its renewal that he would o remain ■without food till forced by sinking anil weakness to take some further nourishment. There was great emaciation for a considerable time before his death, but he -was perfectly sensible to within twelve hours of his decease, could speak in a whisper, and knew those around nim. (<• Stanley Murray, M. I).—Meadowsidc, l’utuey, July Ai.

An Ani'iknt ani> Fatal Fasti st; Fkat. — A correspondent scuds the following information In the beautiful church of St. Mary, at Bury. St. Edmunds, is an altartomb, surmounted by a recumbent figure of a starved man, the details of which are well executed and ghastly enough. I t was erected to the memory of John Barct, who (lieu ot starvation in 14(53, while attempting to last 40 days and 40 nights. ’ A Don Story.—Mr. W. Brankston Richardson writes, from <»l Sutherland Wardens, J[aida Vale ‘ Concurrently with the 40 days’ fast of the misguided American doctor, another fast has been in progress in our own country, for tho truth of which I myself can vouch. A friend of mine who lives m Devonshire left home some weeks since ou a series of visits to his friends in distant parts of tho country. A few days after he left, his servants wrote him that a favourite Skye terrier was missing. My friend, after every search had proved fruitless, considered that the dog had been stoler . On his return home, after an absence f one montn and five days, he unlocked the library, the doors and windows of which had been bolted and barred during his absence, and to his astonishment the missing dog crept out into tho light, a living skeleton and totally blind. He was well cared for, and has recovered his health and sight. existence was wonderful. He had haa no food and no water, and had not gnawed the books or obtained sustenance from any source whatever.’.