His skeleton was
plainly visible, over which the skin was stretched tightly. The
distance from the chest to the spine was less than 3 inches, and
internally this distance was less. The pulsations of the heart
were plainly visible. He was in good health and slept well. His
voice was very weak and shrill. The circumference of this man's
biceps was only 4 inches. The artist Cruikshank has made several
drawings of Seurat.
Calvin Edson was another living skeleton. In 1813 he was in the
army at the battle of Plattsburg, and had lain down in the cold
and become benumbed. At this time he weighed 125 pounds and was
twenty-five years old. In 1830 he weighed but 60 pounds, though 5
feet 4 inches tall. He was in perfect health and could chop a
cord of wood without fatigue; he was the father of four children.
Salter speaks of a man in 1873 who was thirty-two years of age
and only weighed 49 pounds. He was 4 feet 6 inches tall: his
forehead measured in circumference 20 1/2 inches and his chest 27
inches. His genitals, both internal and external, were
defectively developed. Figure 175 represents the well-known Ohio
"living skeleton," J. W. Coffey, who has been exhibited all over
the Continent. His good health and appetite were proverbial among
his acquaintances.
Pages:
664
665
666
667
668
669
670
671
672
673
674
675
676
677
678
679
680
681
682
683
684
685
686
687
688