Anomalies and Curiosities of Medicine [279]
they carry a wet cloth, with which they frequently refresh themselves by wiping the countenance. It is said that a regular Hindustanee carrier, with a weight of 80 pounds on his shoulder,--carried, of course, in two divisions, hung on his neck by a yoke,--will, if properly paid, lope along over 100 miles in twenty-four hours--a feat which would exhaust any but the best trained runners.
The "go-as-you-please" pedestrians, whose powers during the past years have been exhibited in this country and in England, have given us marvelous examples of endurance, over 600 miles having been accomplished in a six-days' contest. Hazael, the professional pedestrian, has run over 450 miles in ninety-nine hours, and Albert has traveled over 500 miles in one hundred and ten hours. Rowell, Hughes, and Fitzgerald have astonishingly high records for long-distance running, comparing favorably with the older, and presumably mythical, feats of this nature. In California, C. A. Harriman of Truckee in April, 1883, walked twenty-six hours without once resting, traversing 122 miles.
For the purpose of comparison we give the best modern records for running:--
100 Yards.--9 3/5 seconds, made by Edward Donavan, at Natick, Mass., September 2, 1895.
220 Yards.--21 3/5 seconds, made by Harry Jewett, at Montreal, September 24, 1892.
Quarter-Mile.--47 3/4 seconds, made by W. Baker, at Boston, Mass., July 1, 1886.
Half-Mile.--1 minute 53 2/3 seconds, made by C. J. Kirkpatrick, at Manhattan Field, New York, September 21, 1895.
1 Mile.--4 minutes 12 3/4 seconds, made by W. G. George, at London, England, August 23, 1886.
5 Miles.--24 minutes 40 seconds, made by J. White, in England, May 11, 1863.
10 Miles.--51 minutes 6 3/5 seconds, made by William Cummings, at London, England, September 18,1895.
25 Miles.--2 hours 33 minutes 44 seconds, made by G. A. Dunning, at London, England, December 26, 1881.
50 Miles.--5 hours 55 minutes 4 1/2 seconds, made by George Cartwright, at London, England, February 21, 1887.
75 Miles.--8 hours 48 minutes 30 seconds, made by George Littlewood, at London, England, November 24, 1884.
100 Miles.--13 hours 26 minutes 30 seconds, made by Charles Rowell at New York, February 27, 1882.
In instances of long-distance traversing, rapidity is only a secondary consideration, the remarkable fact being in the endurance of fatigue and the continuity of the exercise. William Gale walked 1500 miles in a thousand consecutive hours, and then walked 60 miles every twenty-four hours for six weeks on the Lillie Bridge cinder path. He was five feet five inches tall, forty-nine years of age, and weighed 121 pounds, and was but little developed muscularly. He was in good health during his feat; his diet for the twenty- four hours was 16 pounds of meat, five or six eggs, some cocoa, two quarts of milk, a quart of tea, and occasionally a glass of bitter ale, but never wine nor spirits. Strange to say, he suffered from constipation, and took daily a compound rhubarb pill. He was examined at the end of his feat by Gant. His pulse was 75, strong, regular, and his heart was normal. His temperature was 97.25 degrees F., and his hands and feet warm; respirations were deep and averaged 15 a minute. He suffered from frontal headache and was drowsy. During the six weeks he had lost only seven pounds, and his appetite maintained its normal state.
Zeuner of Cincinnati refers to John Snyder of Dunkirk, whose walking-feats were marvelous. He was not an impostor. During forty-eight hours he was watched by the students of the Ohio Medical College, who stated that he walked constantly; he assured them that it did not rest him to sit down, but made him uncomfortable. The celebrated Weston walked 5000 miles in one hundred days, but Snyder was said to have traveled 25,000 miles in five hundred days and was apparently no more tired than when he began.
Recently there was a person who pushed a wheelbarrow from San Francisco to New York in one hundred and eighteen days. In 1809 the celebrated Captain Barclay wagered that he could
The "go-as-you-please" pedestrians, whose powers during the past years have been exhibited in this country and in England, have given us marvelous examples of endurance, over 600 miles having been accomplished in a six-days' contest. Hazael, the professional pedestrian, has run over 450 miles in ninety-nine hours, and Albert has traveled over 500 miles in one hundred and ten hours. Rowell, Hughes, and Fitzgerald have astonishingly high records for long-distance running, comparing favorably with the older, and presumably mythical, feats of this nature. In California, C. A. Harriman of Truckee in April, 1883, walked twenty-six hours without once resting, traversing 122 miles.
For the purpose of comparison we give the best modern records for running:--
100 Yards.--9 3/5 seconds, made by Edward Donavan, at Natick, Mass., September 2, 1895.
220 Yards.--21 3/5 seconds, made by Harry Jewett, at Montreal, September 24, 1892.
Quarter-Mile.--47 3/4 seconds, made by W. Baker, at Boston, Mass., July 1, 1886.
Half-Mile.--1 minute 53 2/3 seconds, made by C. J. Kirkpatrick, at Manhattan Field, New York, September 21, 1895.
1 Mile.--4 minutes 12 3/4 seconds, made by W. G. George, at London, England, August 23, 1886.
5 Miles.--24 minutes 40 seconds, made by J. White, in England, May 11, 1863.
10 Miles.--51 minutes 6 3/5 seconds, made by William Cummings, at London, England, September 18,1895.
25 Miles.--2 hours 33 minutes 44 seconds, made by G. A. Dunning, at London, England, December 26, 1881.
50 Miles.--5 hours 55 minutes 4 1/2 seconds, made by George Cartwright, at London, England, February 21, 1887.
75 Miles.--8 hours 48 minutes 30 seconds, made by George Littlewood, at London, England, November 24, 1884.
100 Miles.--13 hours 26 minutes 30 seconds, made by Charles Rowell at New York, February 27, 1882.
In instances of long-distance traversing, rapidity is only a secondary consideration, the remarkable fact being in the endurance of fatigue and the continuity of the exercise. William Gale walked 1500 miles in a thousand consecutive hours, and then walked 60 miles every twenty-four hours for six weeks on the Lillie Bridge cinder path. He was five feet five inches tall, forty-nine years of age, and weighed 121 pounds, and was but little developed muscularly. He was in good health during his feat; his diet for the twenty- four hours was 16 pounds of meat, five or six eggs, some cocoa, two quarts of milk, a quart of tea, and occasionally a glass of bitter ale, but never wine nor spirits. Strange to say, he suffered from constipation, and took daily a compound rhubarb pill. He was examined at the end of his feat by Gant. His pulse was 75, strong, regular, and his heart was normal. His temperature was 97.25 degrees F., and his hands and feet warm; respirations were deep and averaged 15 a minute. He suffered from frontal headache and was drowsy. During the six weeks he had lost only seven pounds, and his appetite maintained its normal state.
Zeuner of Cincinnati refers to John Snyder of Dunkirk, whose walking-feats were marvelous. He was not an impostor. During forty-eight hours he was watched by the students of the Ohio Medical College, who stated that he walked constantly; he assured them that it did not rest him to sit down, but made him uncomfortable. The celebrated Weston walked 5000 miles in one hundred days, but Snyder was said to have traveled 25,000 miles in five hundred days and was apparently no more tired than when he began.
Recently there was a person who pushed a wheelbarrow from San Francisco to New York in one hundred and eighteen days. In 1809 the celebrated Captain Barclay wagered that he could