A Wonderful Performance.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume II, Issue 214, 27 October 1888, Page 2

A Wonderful Performance.

Amongst the attractions of the All Star Company which opens here next Friday evening are two acrobats, the brothers Donaldson, whose extraordinary performances have attracted the special attention of the medical fraternity in Wellington and the South Island. The Wellington Evening Pr. ss gives the following particulars about them : —At 3 o’clock yesterday several members of the medical profession and leading residents of the city, together with representatives from the three local (newspapers assembled at the Tbeatie Royal, by invitation, to witness a private performance by the Donaldson Brothers connected with Mr Clark's All Star Company now showing hero of their wonderful feats of contortion and acrobatism. The Donaldsons were stripped of all clothing eave the trunks round the loins and stood revealed in thia state as models of symmetry and litheness, and the perfection of muscular development. The spectators, including Dre Hassell, Cahill, and Martin, were accommodated with chairs on the stage in proximity to the brothers as they went through their extraordinary act, and therefore had full opportunity of watching during the twisting and turning of their bodies the play of every muscle and sinew and of (noting their wonderful flexibility The dislocation of the hip joints was performed, and was dedared to be complete by the three medical men referred to, each of them making a dose and critical examina'ion. In response to the wish of the Donaldson Brothers themselves and of the management the doctors then briefly addressed those present on the exhibition they had just witnessed. Dr Cahill said there co nd be no doubt as to the dislocation of the hip joint being complete, audlL was produced by muscular notion at of the performer. The exhibition was a 1 wonderful one of its kind and in its way was one all miuhb feel proud of witnessing. The physique of the brothers was perfect, displaying a wonderful amount of muscular development and force. No doibt each muscle was developed to an enormous extent. Dr Hassel said he had nothing to add to he previous speaker’s remarks. He thoroughly agreed with all that had been said- as to the dislocation, and as to the extrao* dinary muscular development of the brothers He was glad to have had the opportunity of witnessing the performance, which had surprised hie expec ations. Dr Martin said he endorsed the previous remarks. As regards the dislocation of the hip joint, ha hoped no one present would try to do it as it was exceedingly dangerous in the ordinary individual. In the case of Mr Donaldson ha imagined, aud he thought rhe doctors present would agree with him, that the capiule of the joint was much elongated, so that when the dislocation was forced the bone did not altogether go beyond the point of the capsule. In ordinary oases of dislocation, of course, this point of the capsule was generally fractured. He thought that had he iu hia student days had such subjects as the Donaldsons there would have been no necessity to senlove the skiu to acquire a knowledge of the mus cular development which was incomparably better than that depicted in the old statuary of the Greek aud Roman athletes, and this was a proof that there was no exaggeration in the statuary referred to. He ha t experienced the liveliest pleasure in the performance. This concluded the priva'e sitting and the assemblage, having thanked tha Donaldsons, the management, and Mr Ounard, left the Theatre, decidedly enlightened on the subject of the sinuous possibilities of the human form divine.