On the sixth day he came to my consulting-room and weighed 128 lbs. Pulse 80, soft, steady, regular. He had not slept all night and had had to be up no fewer than 6 times to have his bowels opened. No diarrhœa, he said, but full motions, the first 3 very offensive. Breath not offensive. Has dry pharyngitis and is complaining of sore throat.
Next day. Weight 133 lbs. Bowels acted again, 1 a.m., 3 a.m., 6 a.m., 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Large motions. I told him I thought he was taking too much food. Pulse 104. Not sleeping well. Complained of sore throat.
Eighth day. Weight 138 lbs., a gain of 5 lbs. a day for 2 days. Pulse 80 at 7 a.m. (his own statement), at 2.30 p.m. pulse 100, temp. 99.4 degrees. Bowels acted at 12 midnight, 3.30 a.m. and about 11 a.m. Went that day to have his photograph taken. The throat was better. Tongue dry and leathery. It was plain to me that he was taking too much food. He was having a mixed diet and taking much and often. He said his “mouth was coming to pieces,” and in fact the mucous membrane was glazed and peeling; also the lips. On the ninth day he returned home.
The loss of weight can be seen from the following statement. On commencing the fast the weight was 171 lbs.
| First day | weight was | 171 | lbs. |
| Sixth day | " " | 165½ | " |
| Seventh day | " " | 163½ | " |
| Twelfth day | " " | 158 | " |
| Fifteenth day | " " | 155½ | " |
| Eighteenth day | " " | 150½ | " |
| Twenty-fifth day | " " | 142½ | " |
| Forty-seventh day | " " | 129½ | " |
| Forty-ninth day | " " | 127½ | " |
Fast ended on fifty-sixth day. On the sixth day after breaking the fast the weight was 128 lbs. On the next day it had risen to 133 lbs. and on the following day to 138 lbs. In the first 47 days of the fast the loss of weight was 43.5 lbs., or an average loss of .888 lbs. daily (43.5/49 = .888 lbs.) The loss of weight for the last 8 days before the fast was broken is not known as patient was in bed, though it probably was at much the same rate as during the other times of the fast when the weight was taken on the scales.
The following comparative measurements are interesting. Of course he had been eating for a week after the termination of his fast, so that the measurements taken on that day would be higher probably than if they had been taken seven days before, when he broke the fast.
| At Commencement of Fast. | At Termination of Fast. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forearm | 11 | inches | 9⅝ | inches | |
| Arm | 11½ | " | 8¾ | " | |
| Hips | 38 | " | 32½ | " | |
| Thigh | 21¼ | " | 16 | " | |
| Pelvis | 37½ | " | 30½ | " | |
| Calf[1] | 15¼ | " | 13½ | " | |
| Neck | 14½ | " | 12½ | " | |
| Chest | 38 | " | 31¼ to 34½ | " | |
[1] There was a bundle of varicose veins behind right calf.
Patient kept a diary during his fast, but it does not seem necessary to reproduce its statements here. It shows that he walked about during the time, notes the state of the weather as foggy or very foggy or freezing, mentions that water was taken, sometimes hot apparently, as on 15th March, “after glass of hot water, pulse 70, temperature 98½ degrees.” No doubt drinking the hot water had elevated temporarily the mouth-temperature, as it does. The diary also notes that he felt weak, had a bath, or did not have a bath, notes the pulse-rate, etc., as also the effects of the daily enemata. On the twenty-ninth day of the fast he took a bottle of Apenta Water. Such are samples of statements from the diary.