physicians as to the reliability of the fast that he determined to
undergo a longer one under such surveillance as would enforce
conviction. He was mainly actuated, however, to go through the ordeal in
the interests of science.
Again I had trouble with him on the water question, wishing him to drink
only as thirst incited. He was differently advised by an eminent Boston
physician, who, taking a great interest in the case, wrote him that he
should have great care to drink certain definite amounts for the
necessary fluidity of the blood. I had to respond that thirst would duly
indicate this need; that in my cases of protracted fasts from acute
sicknesses not one had been advised to take even a teaspoonful of water
for such reasons; that at the closing days before recovery of such cases
there was only the least desire for water, and this with no indication
of need from the blood. Mr. Rathbun did not escape some trouble from
overworked kidneys, and he became convinced that my theory and practice
were more in line with physiology.
This fast was made a matter of daily record by the leading New York
journals, and he became such a subject of general interest that in
addition to his ordinary business he was greatly overtaxed, and was
compelled to give up the fast on the thirty-fifth day, in part from the
exhaustion of over-excitement.
This case was summed up as follows by the _New York Press_, February 27,
1900:
"Milton Rathbun has ended his long fast.
"After thirty-five days, in which solid food or any liquid other
than water was a stranger to his palate, he became extremely
hungry on Sunday night. At first he resisted the longing to eat
and tried to sleep it off. But he awoke in a few hours hungrier
than ever, and then he decided he had fasted as long as was good
for him.
"He ate a modest, light meal and went back to bed, only to awake
still hungry. Then he ate an orange, and was asleep again in a
jiffy. A bowl of milk and cream and crackers sufficed for his
breakfast, and at noon yesterday he enjoyed his first hearty
meal.
"As he walked around the parlor of his home in Mount Vernon,
lighter by forty-three pounds than he was on January 21, this
man of fifty-five years and iron will said:
"'I feel like a boy again. I think I could vault over a six-foot
fence.'
"Mrs. Rathbun herself knows what it is to fast. For five years
such a thing as breakfast has been an unknown quantity in her
house, save when guests were present or for the servants. To
this abstinence Mrs. Rathbun attributes the curing of catarrh,
from which she had suffered previously. And as she and her
husband do, so do their two sons.
"After the first few days of abstinence he had felt no desire to
eat until Sunday evening. Then he became hungry--ravenously so.
His first fast of a year ago--it was twenty-eight days then--had
taught him that sleep took away the longing for food, and, too,
he had said he would make his fast last forty days this time. So
he went to bed and to sleep.
"But he awoke at 11 o'clock; he was hungrier than ever, and he
decided not to resist his inclination for food. Calling his wife
he asked her for an orange, and ate it; then he took another.
His next demand was for oysters, and a dozen large, juicy ones
disappeared rapidly, to the accompaniment of five soda crackers.
Then he drank about two-thirds of a cup of beef-tea, and some
Oolong tea. His appetite was not sated by any means, but he knew
the danger of overloading his stomach, so he stopped.
"He soon was slumbering again, but he was wide awake at 2
o'clock in the morning. And his hunger was with him still. He
ate an orange to appease the craving, and again sought his
pillow. He slept again until 6 o'clock, and then, breaking some
crackers in a bowl of milk and cream, he ate again.
"At noon a meal was served to the still hungry man. He began
with a little clam-broth; then came half a dozen steamed clams,
followed by a small portion of mock-turtle soup. Of a squab he
ate one-half, and with it some canned pease and fried potatoes;
while for dessert he had a little lemon ice.
"'That was good,' he exclaimed, as he finished. The remark was
unnecessary; the relish with which he had eaten was convincing
testimony of his enjoyment. Asked why he had decided not to fast
for the full forty days, he said:
"'I ate just because I was hungry.'
"Asked how the weather affected him, he said:
"'When I began there was a spell of cold weather, and I found
it rather hard to keep warm at night. But it soon passed away,
and I made it a point to wear the same underclothing and outer
garments as usual. Oh, yes; I did wear a different pair of
trousers. I had them made five years ago, but they were so tight
around the waist I could never wear them. They are as loose as
can be now, however.'
"'From a scientific standpoint,' said Professor R. Ogden Doremus
yesterday, 'it is the most interesting and valuable experiment I
have known. Mr. Rathbun is a man of great nerve force. The very
fact that he attended to his business was what saved him, in
keeping his mind away from the thought of food. He could not
have done it had he been on exhibition or if he had remained at
home. If he had been at sea, in an open boat, he could not have
lasted more than ten days. He would have had nothing to think of
but his hunger.'
"Dr. George J. Helmer, who has given no little attention to Mr.
Rathbun, said:
"'I have examined him several times; I did so when his thirty
days were up. Well, it was remarkable. It's a wonderful
exhibition, that will attract the attention of the medical
world. His heart is as clear as a bell and his kidneys are
perfect. He is in absolutely rugged health. His temperature was
normal, his eye clear, and to-day, upon examination, any
insurance company would rate him as an A1 risk.'
"Following is from the diary kept during his fast, and furnished
by Milton Rathbun to _The Press_:
"_First Day_, Jan. 22, 8.45 A. M.--Weight, 207 pounds; height, 5
ft. 6-1/2 inches; chest measure, 43-1/2 inches; waist measure,
43-1/2 inches; hip measure, 46-1/2 inches; calf measure, 17
inches; biceps measure, 14 inches; forearm, 12 inches. 3 P. M.,
feels well, but hungry. In the evening felt well, not being
hungry or thirsty. Have taken no water.
"_Tuesday_, Jan. 23.--Slept well until 6 A. M. Rested a while,
then took sponge bath and rubdown. At 8.45 weighed 200 pounds.
Feel good, but a little weak. 12 o'clock M., no appetite and
feverish. 4 P. M., weighed 199 pounds; went home; drank one pint
of water during the evening.
"_Wednesday_, Jan. 24.--Slept well for nine hours. Got up at 6
A. M., drank one glass of water and took train to the city. 8.30
A. M., weighed 198-1/2 pounds; only half pound lost, which
shows how greedily the tissues absorb moisture and add to
weight. 12 o'clock M., have no appetite nor thirst, and no
fever. Retired at 9 o'clock, feeling comfortable but a little
feverish.
"_Thursday_, Jan. 25.--After having slept seven and one-half
hours took a sponge bath and brisk rubdown. Came to the city,
and at 8.25 A. M. weighed 195 pounds. Feeling good, with no
fever nor appetite. 4.45 P. M., weighed 193 pounds. At home
during the evening drank two and one-half glasses of water.
"_Friday_, Jan. 26.--Slept eight hours. No appetite and feeling
stronger. Examined by Professor Doremus and Dr. Carpenter.
Retired at 9 o'clock, feeling first class.
"_Saturday_, Jan. 27.--Came to the city on the 7.45 A. M. train.
Weighed 191 pounds. Feeling good. No fever and no appetite.
"_Sunday_, Jan. 28.--Drank one glass of water when I got up.
During the day and evening drank three more glasses of water.
Retired feeling first class.
"_Monday_, Jan. 29.--Slept eight hours last night, and came to
the city on the 7.45 A. M. train. At 8.25 weighed 189 pounds. 4
P. M., was examined by Dr. F. B. Carpenter, who found the
temperature 98-1/2 deg. F., pulse regular, tongue clean.
Measurements were: waist, 41 inches; chest, 41 inches; hip, 45
inches; calf, 16 inches; biceps, 13-1/2 inches; forearm, 11-1/2
inches. 5.15 P. M., weighed 188 pounds.
"_Tuesday_, Jan. 30.--Slept eight hours; weighed 188 pounds,
same as the night before; feeling good. 5.30 P. M., weighed
185-1/2 pounds.
"_Wednesday_, Jan. 31.--Slept 7-1/2 hours, drank one and
one-half glasses of water; weighed at 8.25 A. M. 187 pounds; Dr.
Carpenter found temperature 98 deg. F., and pulse 88; Professor
Doremus called a little later; weighed 184-1/2 pounds.
"_Thursday_, Feb. 1.--Rested quietly when not asleep; drank only
one and three-quarters glasses of water all day; weighed 184
pounds; retired feeling good.
"_Friday_, Feb. 2.--Not feeling any hunger; was examined by F.
B. Carpenter; temperature, 98 deg. F.; pulse, 84; weighed 183
pounds; retired feeling well, but tired.
"_Saturday_, Feb. 3.--Somewhat wakeful during the night. 5.45 P. M.,
weighed 182 pounds.
"_Sunday_, Feb. 4.--Read all day and felt well.
"_Monday_, Feb. 5.--2 P. M., temperature, 98.4 deg. F.; pulse, 82;
tongue clean. Measurements were: waist, 41 inches; chest, 41
inches; hip, 43 inches; calf, 14-1/2 inches; biceps, 13-1/2
inches; forearm, 11-1/2 inches; went to bed feeling a trifle
feverish.
"_Tuesday_, Feb. 6.--Wakeful during the night. 11 A. M., had my
eyes examined by Dr. L. H. Matthez, oculist, and found a marked
improvement in my sight over same tests of two months previous,
being 7 degrees stronger; felt a little weak, but no fever or
appetite; weighed 180 pounds; feeling somewhat exhausted from
the day's labor and in entertaining guests.
"_Wednesday_, Feb. 7.--Slept about seven hours during the night;
when I awoke felt rested; temperature, 98.2 deg. F.; pulse, 80; have
felt well all day; went to bed at 9.30; some fever.
"_Thursday_, Feb. 8.--Woke up two or three times during the
night. Drank water during the night and first thing this morning
when I got up. Came to the city, and at 9 o'clock weighed 182
pounds, showing a gain of two pounds over last night. Not
feeling so well owing to the amount of water I drank last night,
which was induced by feverishness.
"_Friday_, Feb. 9.--Feeling first rate. At 8.25 A. M. weighed
180 pounds. Heart action normal. No enlargement of the spleen or
liver.
"_Saturday_, Feb. 10.--Lost nothing in weight during the day and
have felt well all the while.
"_Sunday_, Feb. 11.--Passed the day in reading and drank
frequently of water.
"_Monday_, Feb. 12.--This being a holiday, did not go to the
city. Passed the day in entertaining callers. Have not felt
quite so well owing to a slight cold settling in my left kidney.
"_Tuesday_, Feb. 13.--Measurements: waist, 38-1/2 inches; chest,
40 inches; hip, 43 inches; calf, 14-1/2 inches; biceps, 12-1/2
inches; forearm, 11 inches; weight, 177-1/2 pounds.
"_Wednesday_, Feb. 14.--I attribute the cause of loss of sleep
to a hard day's work and in reading too long last evening.
"_Thursday_, Feb. 15.--Somewhat wakeful during the night.
Retired at 7.30 o'clock, after a hard day's work.
"_Friday_, Feb. 16.--3.30 P. M., temperature, 98.5 deg. F.; pulse,
74; tongue clean; weighed 172-1/2 pounds. During the evening
drank one cup of hot water.
"_Saturday_, Feb. 17.--After a restful night felt well all day.
"_Sunday_, Feb. 18.--Retired at 9 o'clock and have rested a good
deal during the day.
"_Monday_, Feb. 19.--Weighed 169-1/2 pounds, and retired feeling
well.
"_Tuesday_, Feb. 20.--Weighed 168-1/2 pounds; was examined by
Dr. Helmer, who found me in excellent condition; 4.30 P. M.,
weighed 169-1/2 pounds, a gain of one pound during the day, on
account of drinking a little more water than usual.
"_Wednesday_, Feb. 21.--Temperature, 98.5 deg. F.; pulse, 69; 4 P. M.,
weighed 168-1/2 pounds; have not felt quite so well during
the day.
"_Thursday_, Feb. 22.--Occupied the day--holiday--in reading and
reclining, and went to bed feeling pretty well.
"_Friday_, Feb. 23.--At 8.30 A. M. weighed 166 pounds; 3.30 P. M.,
temperature, 99 deg. F.; pulse, 98; lung expansion, 2-3/4
inches; went home and to bed, feeling considerably exhausted
owing to a hard day's work and too many callers.
"_Saturday_, Feb. 24.--Did not rest very well from overtaxing
the brain yesterday. Do not feel quite so well this morning
owing to that fact and from drinking too much water during the
past twenty-four hours. At 8.25 A. M. weighed 166 pounds; went
home not feeling well to-day on account of some stomach
disturbance, which probably comes from drinking too much water;
did not drink any water during the evening; feeling quite tired
at bedtime.
"_Sunday_, Feb. 25.--Slept nine hours and rested well, and did
not drink any water during the night. Kept quiet all day, lying
down most of the time, and felt the coming of hunger about 6
o'clock.
12 o'clock noon, pulse regular; tongue clean; temperature,
98.2 deg.F.; weighed 164 pounds. Measurements were: waist, 36-1/2
inches; chest, 38 inches; hip, 40-1/2 inches; calf, 14 inches;
biceps, 11 inches; forearm, 10 inches.
Was in bed at 8 o'clock, still feeling hungry, and after a short
sleep woke up at 11 o'clock with a sharp appetite, and ate a
dozen raw oysters, two oranges, two-thirds cup of beef-tea, five
crackers, and part of a cup of Oolong tea.
I insert a photograph of Mr. Rathbun taken shortly after his
second fast. There had been five years' trial of the No-Breakfast
Plan before these fasting demonstrations."
One of the hardest things on earth as a mental operation is to be fair
to the opposition. Now lest I have beguiled my readers overmuch by the
force of my convictions even to the point of danger, I will give an
estimate of the danger of fasting by one of the most eminent physicians
of New York City, Dr. George F. Shrady. I quote from an interview
reported in the New York _Sun_:
"The strange case of Milton Rathbun, of Mt. Vernon, who, to
reduce his flesh and generally tone up his system, is said to
have gone without food of any sort for thirty-six days, still
continues to be the subject of more or less discussion among the
medical men of the city. Dr. George F. Shrady, in speaking last
evening of Mr. Rathbun's remarkable exploit, said:
[Illustration: MR. MILTON RATHBUN,
SHORTLY AFTER HIS FAST.]
"'There are three things to say about it. In the first place,
the fact, if it be a fact, as it seems to be, is astonishing;
secondly, it was very foolish; and thirdly, it would be a very
unfortunate and dangerous thing to popularize such experiments.
Now as to whether the gentleman in question actually did go
thirty-six days without taking nourishment of any sort is a
matter I will not discuss. If he were a professional faster, I
would hardly hesitate to say his claim was fraudulent, for I am
fully convinced that all the professional fasters are frauds.
They are simply adept sleight-of-hand men. They work out some
adroit trick by which they may get nourishment into their
systems in spite of the always more or less negligent or
suspicious watchers, and then advertise for a forty days' or
sixty days' 'fast.'
* * * * *
"'Now, mind you, I do not say this Mt. Vernon case is anything
of this sort. I only say that if it is true it is most
astounding. It is in flat contradiction of all the authorities
on the subject of a human being's ability to do without food.
The extreme limit of all well-authenticated cases of total
abstinence from nourishment is from nine to ten days. Imprisoned
miners have been known to go that time and survive.
* * * * *
"'But at all events it was a very foolish thing for Mr. Rathbun
to do. About that there can be no manner of doubt. What will be
the future effect upon him--upon his heart action, upon his
impoverished blood, upon his nervous system, upon his organs of
nutrition, necessarily paralyzed for days? These are grave
questions, the answers to which may be unpleasant to Mr. Rathbun
as they reveal themselves to him in the future. You cannot fly
in the face of Nature and ignore all her laws in that way with
impunity. She exacts her penalties and there is no court of
appeals in her realm.
"'When I say that the extreme limits of abstinence from
nourishment in clearly authenticated cases is from nine to ten
days, you must not get the impression that all persons can last
that long.
* * * * *
"'It is a question of environment, of mental condition--whether
buoyed by hope or stimulated by ambition to do a great feat--and
above all, of course, of the physical condition of the faster.
Without food the body absorbs its own tissues. Mr. Rathbun, I am
told, was a very heavy man with a superabundance of tissue.
Naturally he could go longer without nourishment than a weak,
attenuated, thin-blooded man.
* * * * *
"'Yet Mr. Rathbun was exercising daily and about his usual
avocations, and he abstained from food for thirty-six days!
Well, it's remarkable!
* * * * *
"'But I sincerely hope Mr. Rathbun will have no imitators. It
would be a very unfortunate thing, fraught with grave
possibilities, if the newspaper accounts of his reduction in
weight and general improvement in health were to move others to
follow his example. Many persons would be injured for life,
physically wrecked, and perhaps actually killed if they
conscientiously did the fifth part of what he is said to have
done.
* * * * *
"'And right here it may be said that there is a great deal of
exaggeration in the sweeping statements made about people eating
too much. If a man sleeps well, goes about his business in a
cheerful frame of mind, and does not get what is called
"out-of-sorts," he may be pretty sure he is not eating too much,
even though he eat a good deal. My observation is that the
average man who works and gets a proper amount of exercise does
not eat too much. If you want to get work done by the engine,
you have got to stoke up the furnace. If a man wants to keep his
vital energies up to par he has got to put in the fuel--that is,
the food.
"'Of course, there are those who lead sedentary lives who get
too much absorbed in the pleasures of the table and overfeed.
There are a sufficient number of these, to be sure, but I think
they are the exception. But it will be a sad mistake if even
they seek a road to health by Mr. Rathbun's starvation
methods.'"
The doctor is astonished, and so am I that he is astonished. This would
seem to imply that he has never had cases of acute sickness in which the
amount of food taken during many days or even weeks was too small to
play any part as a life-prolonging factor.
"It was a foolish, even dangerous experiment." How foolish or dangerous?
What vital organs suffered? Was there evidence of a loss of anything but
fat? What organs were "necessarily paralyzed" during the fast? Evidently
not the brain, else longer days of labor would not have been possible;
and the grave future possibilities in heart action, impoverished blood,
nervous system, upon organs of nutrition "necessarily paralyzed" for
days; and the extreme limit of nine or ten days before death from
starvation; and that without food the _body_ lives on its own tissues!
One can easily see that the earnest doctor is full of strong impressions
that have little of the flavor of science: truth that is not
self-evident should have the instant logic in easy reach. I may here say
that my hygienic scheme has from the first been subject to similar
attacks by physicians from the standpoint of impressions, but no
physician has ventured into print against it after becoming aware of its
physiologic basis.
I am happy to assure all readers that in all the involuntary fasts of my
cases of acute sickness or in the voluntary fasts in chronic disease,
has there been any other than improved general health as the result.
Notably was this the case in a man who fasted ten years ago for forty
days for an ulcer of the stomach, and who had been troubled with
indigestion for more than forty years. He had become nearly a mental and
physical wreck when he took to his bed with an abolished appetite. There
have since been some ten years of nearly perfect health, and now in his
seventy-seventh year he is the youngest-looking man for his age I have
ever seen. He walks the streets with the gait of a youth of twenty. To
do without food without hunger does not tax any vital power, as Dr.
Shrady may yet become aware.
XII.
The next fast to have a brief notoriety as the "most remarkable on
record" occurred in Philadelphia, the medical center of America, and
beneath the very shadow of its great medical schools; in Philadelphia, a
city that surpasses all other cities for the wisest conservatism, for
all-around level-headedness. Its journals are rarely equalled for their
clean, winnowed columns; there is no "yellow" journalism in that great,
fair city, known as the "Quaker City."
Miss Estella Kuenzel, a lady of twenty-two years, of acutest, finest
sensibilities, born to live in June and not in March, lost her mental
health to a degree that death became the final object of desire.
She had a friend in a bright young man of the name of Henry Ritter,
chemist and photographer at the Drexel Institute, a born scientist, and
who possesses the very genius of the pains and persistence of science.
Well versed in the science of the morning fast, he believed that a fast
which would merely end with hunger would result in all-around
improvement. A fast was instituted which he thought would not last more
than a few days, but went on until the days merged into weeks: it went
on because only general improvement attended it.
I first heard of it in a letter written by him on the thirty-eighth day
of the fast, during which there had been a walk of seven miles. On the
forty-second day of the fast I had a brief letter from Miss K., in which
every line was radiant with cheer.
At the Asylum five feedings per day were ordered, and at first were
rejected; but finally she accepted them as a means to end her unhappy
life; took them in bed, and in the last weeks seemed to be fleshing up,
as there was a gain of seventeen pounds above the normal, of water--she
had become dropsical. The last professional expert in her case advised a
half-gallon of milk daily in addition to the three regular meals--making
a five-meal plan.
To carry out an unopposed fast it was necessary to take her to a home
where the parents would be ignorant of this radical means to a cure.
The following is from Mr. Ritter's letters:
"I had made my views known to the parents and daughter when the
case commenced, and after the failure of these methods they
decided to let me have charge of the case, which was on Sept.
30, 1899. I at once requested them to send her to the house of
some friends to whom I made my views known. We then discharged
the nurse who had gone with her. With doctor and nurse gone
there was free room for Nature's victory (the young lady being
as deeply interested as any). We put her upon the rest, which
was the only needed sign since her first signs of breakdown
appeared Oct. 2, at the supper table, being the last meal she
has taken up to to-day, Nov. 9, this being, as you will see, the
thirty-eighth day of her fast, with cheerfulness and strength
holding full sway. I put her to bed on the first day, to which
she kept, with an occasional day in the rocker, until the
eleventh day, when she took a walk of about one mile. Then she
rested indoors until the twentieth day, when we went to church,
walking a little over two miles, with no fatigue or tired
feelings. I forgot to mention that we had been out driving in
the bracing air for over three hours in the afternoon. On the
twenty-first and twenty-second days, indoors, walking and
working around the house, reading, etc. On the twenty-third day
walked through the country for three miles, stopping at friends
to enlighten them upon 'Nature's Laws;' twenty-fourth day, eight
miles, no fatigue; twenty-fifth day, between seven and eight
miles, no fatigue; twenty-sixth day, walked one and a half
hours; twenty-ninth day, rainy, no walks; thirtieth day, walked
in the evening for two and a half hours; thirty-first day,
walked seven miles, no fatigue; thirty-second day, rainy, no
walks; thirty-third day, went to the Exposition, walked all day
from 2 P. M. until 11.30 P. M. (with rest while at the
performance we attended of not over one and a quarter hours),
this being the only resting, possibly two hours, during the
whole time.