=_ANATOMIE VIVANTE_; or, LIVING SKELETON!=]
Thou com’st in such a questionable shape,
That I will speak to thee.
_Shakspeare._
I have visited CLAUDE AMBROISE SEURAT. Some would call him an unhappy or
a miserable creature; he is neither unhappy nor miserable. “God tempers
the wind to the shorn limb.”
How little do they see what _is_, who frame
Their hasty judgment upon that which _seems_.
_Southey._
If Seurat had not seen men of firmer make, he would not know that the
infirmity peculiar to himself is unnatural. Were he dressed like other
persons, there is nothing in his countenance or speech to denote him
different from themselves; and yet the difference is so great, that it
is wonderful that he should “live, and move, and have his being.”
* * * * *
The “Interesting Account and Anatomical Description” of this
extraordinary individual, sold at the Chinese Saloon, where he is
exhibited, is to the following effect:--
Claude Ambroise Seurat was born at Troyes, in the department of
Champaigne, on the 10th of April, 1797, and is now therefore
twenty-eight years of age. His parents were respectable, but poor, and
neither of them presented any deformity, or uncommon appearance; on the
contrary, they are stated to have enjoyed robust health. The child on
coming into the world, presented the customary baby form, but in
proportion as the _infant_ grew, _the frame gradually wasted_ away, and
so continued to decrease until the attainment of its full stature, which
occurred at the usual term of life, at which period Claude had attained
his present height, while his frame had dwindled to the skeleton form
which it now so decidedly presents.
In France, where he ate very little of any animal food, a penny French
roll was enough for a day’s sustenance; but as he now partakes of a
small quantity of animal diet, his bread is reduced accordingly.
As regards his feeding, those dishes which afford most nourishment
satisfy him the quickest; and two or three ounces a day are quite
sufficient.
In France he was accustomed to drink the wine of his country; but in
England he partakes of wines greatly diluted with water, finding the
liquors here so much stronger, as the Champaigne he usually drank was
what is denominated _vin de pays_, or small wine, of which there is none
in this country. In eating, he masticates his victuals very much,
taking small pieces, as the passage to the stomach would not admit of
any great repletion, and in drinking the same precaution is required,
otherwise suffocation would ensue. His digestion is extremely good, and
the consequent functions of nature are regularly performed.
It is a singular fact, that such is the extreme sensitiveness of this
almost nondescript, or sport of nature, that when touched on the left
side with the finger, the surface of the body, to a certain extent, is
observed to manifest its sympathy, by an involuntary chill, which
contracts the pores, and produces that roughness of surface vulgarly
known by the denomination of goose’s skin. In raising either of his feet
from the floor, the limb appears to be distended uselessly from the
knee, and we cannot better illustrate the idea than by that sensation we
commonly experience upon allowing a limb to remain too long in one
position, thereby causing a temporary strangulation of the vessels,
known by the common term of the foot being asleep.
Previous to the arrival of Seurat in England, the French physicians who
had inspected him, gave it as their opinion, that his lungs were placed
in a different position to that usually occupied in the human frame.
Since his arrival, sir Astley Cooper, by whom he has been visited, finds
that his heart is placed so much out of the common region allotted to
it, that it is precisely its own length lower than if properly placed.
Many attempts were made to have Claude Ambroise Seurat presented to the
French king; but the father conceiving that he might be consigned to
some wretched asylum, there to subsist upon a miserable pension,
uniformly objected to it. From the statements made by the father, it
appears that the French gentlemen of the faculty, who visited his son,
handling him roughly, and pinching him in every direction, the son
refused to see them at all afterwards, and thus imbibed such a distaste
for his professional countrymen, that he determined not to show himself
to them any more. In consequence, the Parisian _Ecole de Medicine_ has
never been made acquainted with his existence.
Many proposals made to the father for the purchase of the body of his
son, Claude Ambroise Seurat, in the event of his demise, were uniformly
rejected. A medical gentleman particularly, in Burgundy, offered a
_carte blanche_, which the parent, with feelings highly honourable to
himself, refused, stating his determination, that in the event of his
son’s demise, he should be peaceably consigned to the cemetery of his
native city. While at Rouen, no less than one thousand five hundred
persons flocked in one day to see Seurat on his road to England.
The health of this singular being has been very good. His respiration is
somewhat confined, being the necessary result of a contraction of the
lungs; yet, upon the whole, he does not appear to be much inconvenienced
on that account, in consequence of the little exercise he takes, and the
quiescent state of the animal system.
The texture of the skin is of a dry, parchment-like appearance, which,
covering any other human form, would not answer the purposes of its
functions, but seems calculated alone to cover the slender, juiceless
body of the being arrayed with it.
The ribs are not only capable of being distinguished, but may be clearly
separated and counted one by one, and handled like so many pieces of
cane; and, together with the skin which covers them, resemble more the
hoops and outer covering of a small balloon, than any thing in the
ordinary course of nature.
If any thing can exceed the unearthly appearance displayed by this
wonderful phenomenon, it is that taken by profile; which, from the
projection of the shoulder, pursuing the same down through the extreme
hollow of the back, and then following the line to the front of the hip,
nearly forms a figure of 3. In the front appears the unnatural
projection of the chest, from the falling in of the abdomen; the
prominence of the left side of the body, in consequence of the position
of the heart; and the sudden protrusion of the posteriors.
The action produced by the effort of the lungs does not proceed from the
chest, as in ordinary cases, but from the lower extremity of the
abdomen, as though the organs of respiration, from excessive laxity,
had absolutely descended from their proper sphere, and that by a
tenacious effort of nature, unwilling to yield possession of her
functions, they had accommodated themselves, by time, to such an
unnatural and incredible a position.
Seurat is presented to view in a state of nudity, save a mere covering
of several inches deep round the loins, through which are cut large
holes to admit the hip bones to pass through, for the purpose of keeping
it in its place. His general appearance is that of a person almost
entirely devoid of muscular substance, and conveys to the mind the idea
of a being composed of bones, cellular substance and skin only on. It is
true, the appearances of the face, neck, fore-arm, and calves of the
legs, may, in some measure, form exceptions to this general assertion,
since in these situations there is something like flesh.
His height is about five feet seven inches and a half. The length of his
extremities proportionate to the height of his body. His head is small
rather than otherwise. The _cranium_, (or skull,) at the back part, over
the _occipital_ protuberance above the neck, is much flattened; the
cervical organs in this situation being very sparely developed. In other
respects the skull is tolerably well formed. Seurat’s countenance is by
no means displeasing; for though the cheek-bones are prominent, the
cheeks themselves sunk, and the other features of the face plain, still
there is a placid and contemplative expression, which indicates the
presence of a serene and thoughtful mind, claiming for itself from the
spectators, feelings of pity and regret.
The neck, on being examined from before, appears short, flat, and broad.
The shortness is principally owing to his inability to hold the face
properly elevated, in consequence of which the chin drops down, and
conceals the upper part of the neck. The flatness depends on the little
muscular and cellular substance present, and on the great breadth of the
neck, which takes from its natural rotundity. This great breadth is
caused by the peculiar form and situation of the _scapulæ_, (or
shoulder-blades,) the upper angles of which, instead of laying on the
posterior portions of the uppermost ribs, are turned over the shoulder,
and pass so far forward as nearly to reach the middle of the
_clavicles_, (the collar-bones,) where their situation may be easily
seen from before. Of course, the muscles called _levatores scapulæ_,
which arise from the upper vertebræ of the neck, and usually pass
downwards, and a very little outwards, in this case, pass very much
outwards, in a direction towards the shoulder-joint, and extend the neck
considerably in a lateral direction. These muscles, from their size and
turgidity, have the appearance of bones in Seurat.
The _larynx_, as far as can be judged of from an external examination,
is well formed, and that protuberance of the _thysoir cartilage_ called
_pomum adami_, or the apple of the throat, is prominent.
The formation of the upper extremities and chest, is one of the most
remarkable features of this man. The left _scapula_ is higher than the
right; both are remarkably prominent; so much so, that, when viewed
sideways, there appears to be a large tumour underneath the skin, over
the lower angle: this arises from the great projection of the lower
angle itself from the ribs. It has been already stated, that the upper
angle is placed unusually forwards, and at the bottom of the neck, from
this point, the _scapula_ proceeds backwards, and, to permit its closer
application to the upper and back part of the chest, its concave surface
is remarkably curved, but still not sufficiently so to prevent the lower
angle from projecting in an unseemly manner. This arrangement of the
component parts of the _scapula_ and its muscles, interferes very much
with the freedom of its movements, particularly the rotatory ones, which
in other subjects are so varied.
Seurat can raise his hands and arms from his side, in a lateral
direction, to a position nearly horizontal. He cannot, however, pass
them far forwards, when thus elevated. He can throw the _scapula_
backwards, so as to make them almost meet at their lower ends;
nevertheless, he is unable to lift his hands to his mouth, so as to feed
himself in the ordinary way. When eating, he places his elbow on the
table before him, then, by raising his hand, thus supported, and passing
his head downwards, so as to meet it half way as it were, he is able to
put his food into his mouth.
The _humerus_, or bone of the arm, from the elbow to the shoulder,
appears quite destitute of muscle, and as if it consisted of bone, skin,
vessels, and cellular membrane only. It may be remarked, however, that
at that part where the _biceps_ muscle is generally, there is a
trifling fulness, probably caused by a few fibres of that muscle.
The _piner_, the bone of the arm from the elbow to the wrist, seems at
the elbow joint considerably enlarged, but, in fact, it is only of its
natural dimensions. The muscles of the fore-arm, though small, may,
nevertheless, be distinctly traced. The hands are perfect in appearance.
Seurat, however, cannot straighten his fingers, but keeps them in a
semi-bent position; with this exception, he can use them freely.
The trunk is singularly shaped. Viewed from the front, the chest is not
particularly narrow; it measures, from one shoulder to the other, across
the _sternum_, or breast-bone, sixteen inches. The _sternum_ is much
flattened, as though it had been driven inwards, towards the _dorsal
vertebra_, or back-bone. In well-formed people, the _sternum_ is a
little convex, externally, and concave, internally, permitting all
possible room for the _thoracic viscera_. In Seurat, however, this order
of things is changed, the outer surface of the breast-bone being
concave, and the internal convex. It is pushed so far inwards, as
scarcely to leave more than one and a half inches, or two inches between
itself and the opposite _vertebræ_.
This position of the _sternum_, and of the ribs, may probably afford an
explanation of the causes which produce a slight impediment to his
swallowing with despatch, or such morsels as are not cut very small; and
of the unnatural situation of the heart, which, instead of being placed
behind the 3d, 4th, and 5th ribs, is observed pulsating very low down
behind the 7th, 8th, and 9th, ribs, in the situation of the left
_hypochondrium_. The five or six lower ribs, called false or floating
ribs, are rounder, and approach nearer to nature in their form, thereby
affording sufficient space for the heart, stomach, and liver, and some
other of the abdominal _viscera_. It is conceived, that without this
freer sweep of the lower ribs, life could not have been maintained, so
much would the functions of the heart, and _chylopretic viscera_ have
been interrupted. The false ribs descend very low down, on each side,
there being scarcely one and a half inch between them and the crest of
the _ileum_. The _pelvis_ is capacious, and on its front aspect presents
nothing very extraordinary.
There is an appearance of the abdomen, which must not be passed over.
When looking at it, one might almost suppose that it consisted of two
cavities, an upper and a lower one, so much is this poor fellow
contracted round the loins. The following admeasurement may afford some
idea of this circumstance:--
Ft. In.
Circumference of the chest, directly under the armpits 2 6¾
Circumference lower down, opposite the second false rib 2 2
Circumference round the loins 1 9
Circumference round the _pelvis_ 2 3½
The muscles of the sides of the _pelvis_, partake of the general
wasting, in consequence of which the _trochantes_ stand out from the
_glenon_ cavities in the same _gaunt_ manner that they do in the true
_skeleton_, being covered by integuments alone. The thighs are imperfect
in bulk, and the knees, like the elbows, appear enlarged. The calves of
the legs seem to have more firm good muscle, than any other part of the
body, particularly that of the right leg, which is much more fleshy than
the left. The feet are well formed; a trifling overlapping of the toes
is probably accidental.
The examination of the back part of Seurat’s body corresponds with the
front, as far as the general leanness goes. The _occiput_ is flat, the
neck broad; the _scapula_ projecting, the spine crooked; some of the
lower cervical _vertebræ_ are curved backwards, and there is a curve
towards the right side, formed by some of the lower _dorsal vertebræ_.
All the bony points of the back part of the body are so prominent that
every individual bone may be distinctly traced by the eye, even at a
considerable distance.
On first beholding Seurat, a person might almost imagine that he saw
before him, one returned from “that bourne whence no traveller returns:”
the first impressions over, he begins to wonder how so frail a being
exists, and is surprised, that all those functions, necessary for the
continuance of his own life, are regularly and effectively performed. He
eats, drinks, and sleeps--the progress of digestion, as carried on
throughout the alimentary canal, is regularly executed. The secretions
of the liver, kidnies, and skin are separated from the blood, in such
quantities as may be deemed necessary for the economy of his frame. His
heart performs its office regularly, and sends the blood to the various
parts of the body, in due proportions. He can bear the effects of heat
and cold, like other people accustomed to lead a sedentary life, and
does not need unusual clothes. His mind is better constituted, perhaps,
than that of many a man, better formed in body. He comprehends quickly,
and his memory is good. He has learnt to read and write his own
language, and is now anxious to become acquainted with ours.
Such is Claude Ambroise Seurat, who may justly be considered as a most
extraordinary _lusus naturæ_,--an object calculated to throw much and
useful light on many interesting questions of the highest importance,
towards the advancement of anatomical study.
* * * * *
So far from having any disinclination to being exhibited in this
country, Claude Ambroise Seurat has repeatedly urged his wish to gratify
the strong desire of the public, to view him without loss of time; and
hearing that one of the journals had expressed some harshness concerning
his exhibition, he indited and signed the following letter
_To the Editor._
Sir,
Having learned that in an article in your journal, the motives and
conduct of the persons who brought me to England are severely alluded
to, it is my duty, both to them and to the public, to declare, that so
far from experiencing any thing disagreeable, either in having been
conducted hither or at being exposed, I feel great satisfaction not only
in the change of my situation, but also at the bounties with which I
have been loaded by the individuals who protect me. Far from having
“been brought from the tranquillity of my native village,” I was
wandering about France, and making but little by the exposure of my
person, when I so fortunately met my present protectors, whose
liberality will shortly render me sufficiently independent to enable me
to return and live at my ease in my native country. I only beg leave to
add, that my present situation is more happy than I ever yet enjoyed
during my whole life, and is entirely conformable to my desires.