"During his sojourn in Washington in July, 1903, I saw much of Mr.----,
and in a very intimate way. The weather at that period was very
hot, sometimes near 100°, and very sultry. For ten days or two weeks
in the midst of this season he was busily engaged in constructive
writing, turning out on an average some eight thousand words on his
typewriter daily, which meant a close application for ten or fourteen
hours each day. He usually began his work at from two to five o'clock
in the morning, continuing often until three or four o'clock in the
afternoon, when we would commonly go together to a ball game, which he
enjoyed with the enthusiasm of a boy of twelve. Later in the evening
he would resume his work for from one to three hours, retiring at
from ten to about midnight. His food consisted of a glass of milk
with a trace of coffee, and corn 'gems,' four of which he consumed in
the twenty-four hours. Occasionally he would add in very hot weather
a glass of lemonade. There was at no time any evidence of mental or
physical fatigue. That such an amount of work, with the maintenance of
perfect health, could be accomplished on such a small quantity of food
can be accounted for only on the assumption of a complete assimilation
of the ingested material. As the degree of combustion is indicated by
the ashes left, so the completeness of digestion is to be measured
by the amount and character of the intestinal excreta. A conclusive
demonstration of thorough digestion in Mr. ----'s case was afforded
me. There had, under the _régime_ above mentioned, been no evacuation
of the bowels for eight days. At the end of this period he informed
me that there were indications that the rectum was about to evacuate,
though the material he was sure could not be of a large amount.
Squatting upon the floor of the room, without any perceptible effort
he passed into the hollow of his hand the contents of the rectum. This
was done to demonstrate human normal cleanliness and inoffensiveness;
neither stain nor odour remaining, either in the rectum or upon the
hand.[11] The excreta were in the form of nearly round balls, varying
in size from a small marble to a plum. These were greenish-brown in
colour, of firm consistence, and covered over with a thin layer of
mucus; _but there was no more odour to it than there is to a hot
biscuit_.
"The whole mass weighed 56 grams. The next day there was a further
deposit of the same kind of dry-waste, making 135 grams (about 4-3/4
ounces) for the nine days. It seems to me there could be no more
conclusive evidence of complete digestion and assimilation than this.
The existence of perfect nutrition is indicated by his ability to
continue, without fatigue and under trying conditions, work which could
only be accomplished in an ideal condition of health.
"WASHINGTON, D. C., July 31, 1903."
[Footnote 11: Similar specimens of digestion-ash have been kept for
five years without change other than drying to dust.]