ANOTHER STARVATION EXPERIMENT.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 42, 13 November 1907, Page 5

ANOTHER STARVATION EXPERIMENT.

»— . ! AN EXCITING FINISH. j For obvious reasons I am unable to give i names, or state localities concerned, but ; there is an abundance of testimony available to the improved physical condition of the person whoso experiences arc here recorded. He is now in regular employment, providing ample occupation for his mind, is active and robust, and is undergoing a course of deepbreathing exercises and gymnastics. It would appear that ho was lapsing into a very undesirable state of health when he first heard of the "no food" treatment. He had a- strong disinclination for work of a rational, .useful, remunerative, or informing nature, and a morbid and restless avidity for excitement of all kinds. Healthful physical exertion was a hateful thing, and sleep, save in the small hours of tho morning, was banished from his pillow. The curse of the twentieth century—"that tired feeling"—' dominated his waking hours. It was at this juncture that ho determined to try. what "The Starvation Cure" would do for him, not from any. alarm at lii's condition, but on an impulse in keeping with his pursuit of the new and the exciting. It was to up kept a profound secret, his sis.ter who kept house for him alone knowing anything about it. His diary of his experiences during tho "fasting" period supplies tho following details :— The Start. First Day.—Have made a beginning _ at last of the new cure everyone is talking about, and shall try it for three weeks. Got up at noon, tubbed, and drank a glass of water. Didn't feel any desire for breakfast. Made my Will. Several more glasses of •r. i p.m. —Had a lemon squash. Dei—iiis! Awfully hungry. Could have eaten a big dinner, but wouldn't. 8 p.m. —Another glass of water. Beastly! Read, and drank nioro water. Felt subdued, grave and aqueous. Happy thought! Watery grave. \\eut to bed. Second Day.—Slept a little, and felt much as usual on rising. Enjoyed tub, also glass of water. Horrible smell of fried llouncier. Had another glass of water. Wonderful thing water! Took one more. Think there was a fly in it. Very satisfying! Didn't care particularly for food. Went out and strolled quietly. Met a friend who would tell me what he had for dinner last night. .Could have pole-axed him. 1 p.m.—Another glass of water, also two more later, and tnreo lemon squashes. Felt like an air-ship. No dinner, of "course. More liquid, and went to bell. Third Day—Odd thing! Slept all night. Could oat a horse. Had a glass of water. Refreshing, but unsatisfying. Went out. .Passed • by'a butcher's cart. Strong desire to steal a sausage. Had a drink out of a horse trough. No idea water had so much "body" in it. 12 noon —Had a lemon squash. 4 p.m.—Looked into the pantry. Saw a moat pie. Horrible! Had a glass of water. Had four moro, and a lemon squash. Retired water-logged. Fourth Day.—-Again slept soundly all nigiit. Took a reef hi waist: of pants. Happy thought 1 Might spell it "waste." Had a glass of water. Wont for a walk. Strong temptation to drive off with baker's cart during absence of driver. Controlled myself: Must act on tho square. Square! Suggests square meal. Terrible! 3 p.m.— Looked into pantry again. Pie still there. Agonising! Five lemon squashes, . threo waters neat, and went to bed. Made a noiso as I moved liko a foot in a boot full of liquid! ■ Fifth Day.—Slept all night like one' dead. Less craving for food. Enjoyed glass of water, in fact several. Very hungry. Sister fussing round. Says half the meat pie disappeared during tho night. Blames tho cat. Lucky cat! Waters and lemon squashes (forgot to count them), and book- till bedtime. Came across passage "an aching void." Never understood it properly before. Sixth Day.—Heavy sleep,all night. Hose early, tubbed, and took usual glass of water. Went for a walk. 1 p.m. —Homo, again. Asked myself how I felt. Answered "First chop"! What malignant fate caused mo to answer thus! First chopl Any blooming chop! Could eat dog's meat. 2 p.m. —Felt lemon-squashy, and squashed accordingly. Encored three times. Sister fussing again. Says rest of. pio went in tho night. Cat is to be shut out. : Quite right, too. 3 p.m.— Visited next door neighbour with sister. Was shown their now patent meat safe. Excellent idea, but made me simply ravonous. 0 p.m. and onwards, glasses of water, varied with lemon squashes, and bed. Seventh Day.—Most refreshing sleep. Got up quito early, bathed, and went out after drinking a glass of water or two. Feel pretty : well, considering; but no appetite to speak of, nor any distinct longing for food. Very thirsty, .however. Quenched it several times. Returned at lunch-time. .Found sister, searching for half a German sausage. Of course she had thrown it out in mistake. Said so. She wanted to argue,'but reminded her I am fasting, and the subject therefore distasteful, not to say distressful. She accordingly dropped tho sausage—l mean subject. Had a lemon squash, several glasses of water, and "so to bed," as Popys has it.-' A Week Cone. \ Eighth Day.—Uninterrupted slumber. A • week to-day since started fasting. No ill-, effects yet; rather the contrary. Certainly sleep bettor, but.dream a lot about banquets and feasting of various and. savoury kinds. Horrible mockery! No particular desiro for solid food on rising. Had glass of water. Refreshing. Had another. Took fairish long walk. At lunch-time sister tells me next-door neighbour's safe raided during tho night. Must have been our cat, which was shut out. 4 p.m.—Really felt IS-carat. Carat! Carrot! At once conjured up visions of boilcclNmutton and corned beef. Torture! Squashes, water, and book till bed-time.

Ninth to Fifteenth Day.—Very much the same routine each day. Water and lemon squashes sole diet. Sole! How my thoughts run to food! Beautiful sleep each night. Muscles hardening; better colour; tongue moro or loss corrugated. Very hungry' as the day advances. During evening sister reports that nightly raiding of meat safes is rife in the neighbourhood. Quite an oxciteraont about it"! Computed amount' of food stolon, and reckoned our cat couldn't hold it. Must have a* friend with her. Perhaps a gang I The Fortnight Passed. Sixteenth to Twentieth, Day—Two weeks gone now. Success is in sight—also (only think of it 1) food. Have adhered strictly to water, with occasional—l may say repeatedly occasional—lemon drinks. Certainly feel much better. I awake, after sound all-night sleep, illumined by barmicidal feast dreams, refreshed in mind and body, and yet unaccountably limb-weary. This soon goes off, however. I ascribe it to a- natural result of a plain water-diet. So to apeak, my physical assets are of a liquid character. There's still a nasty taste in my mouth in the morning,' and, absurd as it was, I distinctly recognised onions on one occasion. Such tricks our fancy and our souses play with us. I have also a largo thirst on waking; but then, is there not water in abundance? Oil! isn't there? Of course I quench it—l moan the thirst. It's most distressing. how the water will gurgle in my empty bold during my walks abroad. Dreadful thought 1 People may think I'm tanked I

Twenty-first Day.—Very fit on rising. Thoroughly enjoyed the shower 'and tub, and, of course, the inevitable glass of water. Never remember feeling better physically than 1 do now. Can wall; long distance's without fatigue. Hear from sister there is quite an epidemic of meat-safe robbery. Not a house escaped within a mile radius. Most energetic animal that cat of ours. Am looking thinner and have lost weight, but am in good condition. Feel quite vivacious; even chic, if that term can bo applied to a mere man. Craving for food increases as the day advances. Can it be wondered at? Think of the varied smells of cooking in the air. Listen to the fruit hawker in tlic street with his "ripe and juicy"! and the rest of it. And, after all, thero is only the uight

to get through. To give in now would he cowardly and absurd. Talking of food, odd thing! I found the leg of a boiled fowl in my ooat pocket this morning. That limb of a schoolboy next door must have been playing his stupid practical jokes while I was talking to him last evening. By-the-by; 1 am quite a'connoisseur of water. Hut, just think of it! To-morrow I shall taste solid food once more. Have ordered a sucking pig! Heavens! Let me to bed and dream of it. The Finish. Twenty-second Day.—Oh! . What a night I've had! But lot injjjset it down just as it all happened. I retired to bed last night, and fell asleep as soon as my head touched the pillow. Awoke to find myself in the grasp of that ass, Tomlinson, who lives seven doors away. That's not his right name, hut it will servo. I said, "What the dickens do you mean by being in my room at this time of night?" Ho said, "If it comes to that, what the dickens do you mean by robbing my meat safe!" I looked .myself over ami glanced around me. Strange! I was fully dressed, and undoubtedly in someone's back yard. My native wit came to my assistance, fortunately. I said, "It wasn't me, you fool! I've been stalking the robber, and just had him when you came on the scene and startled mo!" "That's all very well," he replied, with that beastly sneering smile of his. "But what's that you've got in your hand?" "Oh! that!" I answered. "Well, the beggar throw it at mo, and I caught it!" Would you believe it! It was a fine fat pato do fois grasl Lord! How I wanted to eat it! However, to make a long story short,_ Tomlinson' finally credited ,my version of the affair, and went in search of my imaginary robber. I went home. No more watcr-eum-starvation cure for me. Nature will have her revenges. 'Uncomfortable thought!, So, maybe, will the neighbours. Must square Tomlinson. 11.30 a.m.—Have done so. Never saw a man laugh so' much before. Wanted to shout a glass of water for me! As I said, he's an Ass!