anomalies and curiosities of medicine-第84部分

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　quotes　a　description　of　Denys；　the　tyrant　of　Heraclea；　who　was　so　enormous　that　he　was　in　constant　danger　of　suffocation；　most　of　the　time　he　was　in　a　stupor　or　asleep；　a　peculiarity　of　very　fat　people。　His　doctors　had　needles　put　in　the　back　of　his　chairs　to　keep　him　from　falling　asleep　when　sitting　up　and　thus　incurring　the　danger　of　suffocation。　In　the　same　work　Athenaeus　speaks　of　several　sovereigns　noted　for　their　obesity；　among　others　he　says　that　Ptolemy　VII；　son　of　Alexander；　was　so　fat　that；　according　to　Posidonius；　when　he　walked　he　had　to　be　supported　on　both　sides。　Nevertheless；　when　he　was　excited　at　a　repast；　he　would　mount　the　highest　couch　and　execute　with　agility　his　accustomed　dance。

According　to　old　chronicles　the　cavaliers　at　Rome　who　grew　fat　were　condemned　to　lose　their　horses　and　were　placed　in　retirement。　During　the　Middle　Ages；　according　to　Guillaume　in　his　〃Vie　de　Suger；〃　obesity　was　considered　a　grace　of　God。

Among　the　prominent　people　in　the　olden　time　noted　for　their　embonpoint　were　Agesilas；　the　orator　Licinius　Calvus；　who　several　times　opposed　Cicero；　the　actor　Lucius；　and　others。　Among　men　of　more　modern　times　we　can　mention　William　the　Conqueror；　Charles　le　Gros；　Louis　le　Gros；　Humbert　II；　Count　of　Maurienne；　Henry　I；　King　of　Navarre；　Henry　III；　Count　of　Champagne；　Conan　III；　Duke　of　Brittany；　Sancho　I；　King　of　Leon；　Alphonse　II；　King　of　Portugal；　the　Italian　poet　Bruni；　who　died　in　1635；　Vivonne；　a　general　under　Louis　XIV；　the　celebrated　German　botanist　Dillenius；　Haller；　Frederick　I；　King　of　Wurtemberg；　and　Louis　XVIII。

Probably　the　most　famous　of　all　the　fat　men　was　Daniel　Lambert；　born　March　13；　1770；　in　the　parish　of　Saint　Margaret；　Leicester。　He　did　not　differ　from　other　youths　until　fourteen。　He　started　to　learn　the　trade　of　a　die…sinker　and　engraver　in　Birmingham。　At　about　nineteen　he　began　to　believe　he　would　be　very　heavy　and　developed　great　strength。　He　could　lift　500　pounds　with　ease　and　could　kick　seven　feet　high　while　standing　on　one　leg。　In　1793　he　weighed　448　pounds；　at　this　time　he　became　sensitive　as　to　his　appearance。　In　June；　1809；　he　weighed　52　stone　11　pounds　（739　pounds）；　and　measured　over　3　yards　around　the　body　and　over　1　yard　around　the　leg。　He　had　many　visitors；　and　it　is　said　that　once；　when　the　dwarf　Borwilaski　came　to　see　him；　he　asked　the　little　man　how　much　cloth　he　needed　for　a　suit。　When　told　about　3/4　of　a　yard；　he　replied　that　one　of　his　sleeves　would　be　ample。　Another　famous　fat　man　was　Edward　Bright；　sometimes　called　〃the　fat　man　of　Essex。〃　He　weighed　616　pounds。　In　the　same　journal　that　records　Bright's　weight　is　an　account　of　a　man　exhibited　in　Holland　who　weighed　503　pounds。

Wadd；　a　physician；　himself　an　enormous　man；　wrote　a　treatise　on　obesity　and　used　his　own　portrait　for　a　frontispiece。　He　speaks　of　Doctor　Beddoes；　who　was　so　uncomfortably　fat　that　a　lady　of　Clifton　called　him　a　〃walking　feather　bed。〃　He　mentions　Doctor　Stafford；　who　was　so　enormous　that　this　epitaph　was　ascribed　to　him：

〃Take　heed；　O　good　traveler！　and　do　not　tread　hard；　　For　here　lies　Dr。　Stafford；　in　all　this　churchyard。〃

Wadd　has　gathered　some　instances；　a　few　of　which　will　be　cited。　At　Staunton；　January　2；　1816；　there　died　Samuel　Sugars；　Gent。；　who　weighed　with　a　single　wood　coffin　50　stone　（700　pounds）。　Jacob　Powell　died　in　1764；　weighing　660　pounds。　It　took　16　men　to　carry　him　to　his　grave。　Mr。　Baker　of　Worcester；　supposed　to　be　larger　than　Bright；　was　interred　in　a　coffin　that　was　larger　than　an　ordinary　hearse。　In　1797　there　was　buried　Philip　Hayes；　a　professor　of　music；　who　was　as　heavy　as　Bright　（616　pounds）。

Mr。　Spooner；　an　eminent　farmer　of　Warwickshire；　who　died　in　1775；　aged　fifty…seven；　weighed　569　pounds　and　measured　over　4　feet　across　the　shoulders。　The　two　brothers　Stoneclift　of　Halifax；　Yorkshire；　together　weighed　980　pounds。　

Keysler　in　his　travels　speaks　of　a　corpulent　Englishman　who　in　passing　through　Savoy　had　to　use　12　chairmen；　he　says　that　the　man　weighed　550　pounds。　It　is　recorded　on　the　tombstone　of　James　Parsons；　a　fat　man　of　Teddington；　who　died　March　7；　1743；　that　he　had　often　eaten　a　whole　shoulder　of　mutton　and　a　peck　of　hasty　pudding。　Keysler　mentions　a　young　Englishman　living　in　Lincoln　who　was　accustomed　to　eat　18　pounds　of　meat　daily。　He　died　in　1724　at　the　age　of　twenty…eight；　weighing　530　pounds。　In　1815　there　died　in　Trenaw；　in　Cornwall；　a　person　known　as　〃Giant　Chillcot。〃　He　measured　at　the　breast　6　feet　9　inches　and　weighed　460　pounds。　One　of　his　stockings　held　6　gallons　of　wheat。　In　1822　there　was　reported　to　be　a　Cambridge　student　who　could　not　go　out　in　the　daytime　without　exciting　astonishment。　The　fat　of　his　legs　overhung　his　shoes　like　the　fat　in　the　legs　of　Lambert　and　Bright。　Dr。　Short　mentions　a　lady　who　died　of　corpulency　in　her　twenty…fifth　year　weighing　over　50　stone　（700　pounds）。　Catesby　speaks　of　a　man　who　weighed　500　pounds；　and　Coe　mentions　another　who　weighed　584　pounds。　Fabricius　and　Godart　speak　of　obesity　so　excessive　as　to　cause　death。　There　is　a　case　reported　from　the　French　of　a　person　who　weighed　800　pounds。　Smetius　speaks　of　George　Fredericus；　an　office…holder　in　Brandenburgh；　who　weighed　427　pounds。

Dupuytren　gives　the　history　of　Marie　Francoise…Clay；　who　attained　such　celebrity　for　her　obesity。　She　was　born　in　poverty；　reached　puberty　at　thirteen；　and　married　at　twenty…five；　at　which　age　she　was　already　the　stoutest　woman　of　her　neighborhood　notwithstanding　her　infirmity。　She　followed　her　husband；　who　was　an　old…clothes　dealer；　afoot　from　town　to　town。　She　bore　six　children；　in　whom　nothing　extraordinary　was　noticed。　The　last　one　was　born　when　she　was　thirty…five　years　old。　Neither　the　births；　her　travels；　nor　her　poverty；　which　sometimes　forced　her　to　beg　at　church　doors；　arrested　the　progress　of　the　obesity。　At　the　age　of　forty　she　was　5　feet　1　inch　high　and　one　inch　greater　about　the　waist。　Her　head　was　small　and　her　neck　was　entirely　obliterated。　Her　breasts　were　over　a　yard　in　circumference　and　hung　as　low　as　the　umbilicus。　Her　arms　were　elevated　and　kept　from　her　body　by　the　fat　in　her　axillae。　Her　belly　was　enormous　and　was　augmented　by　six　pregnancies。　Her　thighs　and　haunches　were　in　proportion　to　her　general　contour。　At　forty　she　ceased　to　menstruate　and　soon　became　afflicted　with　organic　heart　diseases

Fournier　quotes　an　instance　of　a　woman　in　Paris　who　at　twenty…four；　the　time　of　her　death；　weighed　486　pounds。　Not　being　able　to　mount　any　conveyance　or　carriage　in　the　city；　she　walked　from　place　to　place；　finding　difficulty　not　in　progression；　but　in　keeping　her　equilibrium。　Roger　Byrne；　who　lived　in　Rosenalis；　Queen's　County；　Ireland；　died　of　excessive　fatness　at　the　age　of　fifty…four；　weighing　52　stone。　Percy　and　Laurent　speak　of　a　young　German　of　twenty　who　weighed　450　pounds。　At　birth　he　weighed　13　pounds；　at　six　months　42；　and　at　four　years　150　pounds。　He　was　5　feet　5　inches　tall　and　the　same　in　circumference。　William　Campbell；　the　landlord　of　the　Duke　of　Wellington　in　Newcastle…on…Tyne；　was　6　feet　4　inches　tall　and　weighed　728　pounds。　He　measured　96　inches　around　the　shoulders；　85　inches　around　the　waist；　and　35　inches　around　the　calf。　He　was　born　at　Glasgow　in　1856；　and　was　not　quite　twenty…two　when　last　measured。　To　illustrate　the　rate　of　augmentation；　he　weighed　4　stone　at　nine　months　and　at　ten　years　18　stone。　He　was　one　of　a　family　of　seven　children。　His　appetite　was　not　more　than　the　average；　and　he　was　moderate　as　regards　the　use　of　liquors；　but　a　great　smoker　Notwithstanding　his　corpulency；　he　was　intelligent　and　affable。　

Miss　Conley；　a　member　of　an　American　traveling　circus；　who　weighed　479　pounds；　was　smothered　in　bed　by　rolling　over　on　her　face；　she　was　unable　to　turn　on　her　back　without　assistance。

There　was　a　girl　who　died　at　Plaisance　near　Paris　in　1890　who　weighed　470　pounds　or　more。　In　1889　an　impresario　undertook　to　exhibit　her；　but　eight　men　could　not　move　her　from　her　room；　and　as　she　could　not　pass　through　the　door　the　idea　was　abandoned。　

There　was　a　colored　woman　who　died　near　Baltimore　who　weighed　850　pounds；　exceeding　the　great　Daniel　Lambert　by　120　pounds。　The　journal　reporting　this　case　quotes　the　Medical　Record　as　saying　that　there　was　a　man　in　North　Carolina；　who　was　born　in　1798；　who　was　7　feet　8　inches　tall　and　weighed　over　1000　pounds；　probably　the　largest　man　that　ever　lived。　Hutchison　says　that　he　Saw　in　the　Infirmary　at　Kensington；　under　Porter's　care；　a　remarkable　example　of　obesity。　The　woman　was　only　just　able　to　walk　about　and　presented　a　close　resemblance　to　Daniel　Lambert。　Obesity　forced　her　to　leave　her　occupation。　The　accumulation　of　fat　on　the　abdomen；　back；　and　thighs　was　enormous。

According　to　a　recent　number　of　La　Liberte；　a　young　woman　of　Pennsylvania；　although　only　sixteen　years　old；　weighs　450　pounds。　Her　waist　measures　61　inches　in　circumference　and　her　neck　22　inches。　The　same　paper　says　that　on　one　of　the　quays　of　Paris　may　be　seen　a　wine…shop　keeper　with　whom　this　Pennsylvania　girl　could　not　compare。　It　is　said　that　this　curiosity　of　the　Notre…Dame　quarter　uses　three　large　chairs　while　sitting　behind　her　specially　constructed　bar。　There　is　another　Paris　report　of　a　man　living　in　Switzerland　who　weighs　more　than　40　stone　（560　pounds）　and　eats　five　times　as　much　as　an　ordinary　person。　When　traveling　he　finds　the　greatest　difficulty　in　entering　an　ordinary　railway　carriage；　and　as　a　rule　contents　himself　in　the　luggage　van。　Figure　171　represents　an　extremely　fat　woman　with　a　well…developed　beard。　To　end　this　list　of　obese　individuals；　we　mention　an　old　gentleman　living　in　San　Francisco　who；　having　previously　been　thin；　gained　14　pounds　in　his　seventieth　year　and　14　pounds　each　of　seven　succeeding　years。

Simulation　of　Obesity。General　dropsy；　elephantiasis；　lipomata；　myxedema；　and　various　other　affections　in　which　there　is　a　hypertrophic　change　of　the　connective　tissues　may　be　mistaken　for　general　obesity；　on　the　other　hand；　a　fatty；　pendulous　abdomen　may　simulate　the　appearances　of　pregnancy　or　even　of　ovarian　cyst。

Dercum　of　Philadelphia　has　described　a　variety　of　obesity　which　he　has　called　〃adiposis　dolorosa；〃　in　which　there　is　an　enormous　growth　of　fat；　sometimes　limited；　sometimes　spread　all　over　the　body；　this　c