Toothache Betrays Chinese Non-eating Girl

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22707, 4 August 1948, Page 7

Toothache Betrays Chinese Non-eating Girl

(From Henry Hartgenbusch, Reuter’* Correspondent) (Bv Airmail) SHANGHAI. A 20-year-old country girl who attained nation-wide fame with a claim that she had not eaten for nine years, has finally been caught raiding the larder. The Shanghai Evening Post, quoting a brief dispatch from Chungking, China’s wartime capital, to the Sin Wan Pao. claimed that dentists checking on Miss Yang Mei’s tooth complaints, found .bits of food. Information available here said Miss Yang had complained of a severe toothache. Dentists on the special medical committee formed to study her. extra* ordinary non-eating case immediately examined her and found particles of food—believed to be green vegetables —betwen her molars. General Yang San. Mayor of Chungking. is reported to have called off the whole examination —now in its second month —as a “big hoax.” Miss Yang had been lnder the care of the Chungking Municipal Government which foots the bill for her upkeep, including the “gay rags” that had replaced her coarse, unfashionable country dresses. Many “doubting Thomases” among the Chinese medical profession now claim they were right in their belief that Miss Yang had not been placed under strict surveillance and that she probably had been eating on the secret fall the time. , . , , , When Miss Yang first subjected herself to examination to check her claim that she had lost the desire to eat since she ate a bulb-like fruit nine years ago. she insisted on keeping some pea-nuts-in her pocket. She said she felt better having them round, the paper said, adding ' the neanuts were later taken away. Earlier, observers were puzzled by her normal ways of living —aonarently eating nothing but having a few gulps of water every day. Miss Yang’s claim aroused nationwide interest. From all parts of the country came claims —always among women—that non-eaters _ rivalling or surpassing the Churkins hrn been discovered. In Shanghai, an evcabaret girl also claimed she had r*l eaten for four years. But recent r*. norts indicated that the girl. Chang Ta-Ling—was showing signs weakness after living on bananas for the past few weeks. The reports saw she was craving . for food but tMI “face” prevented her from asking foi a juicy steak.