1825. 
THE LIVING SKELETON. 
HE reports that have been circu- 
lated relative to this extraordinary 
phenomenon have staggered credulity; 
and even professional gentlemen of 
much anatomical experience, familiar, 
as they are,. with the extraordinary ca- 
prices of nature, and with births of mal- 
conformation, have not scrupled to ex- 
press their suspicions, that the whole 
story was a mere idle fabrication. We 
have, however, been favoured, by 4 
gentleman of high respectability, by 
whom the phenomenon in question has 
been seen and examined, with the fol- 
lowing authentic particulars; by which 
it will be seen, that even in the most 
incredible reports that have got abroad, 
there has been little exaggeration. 
The subject of our description is a 
young man of twenty-eight years of age, 
who has for some time been exhibited 
from village to village in France, of 
which country he is native. The cir- 
cumstance of his preternatural structure 
and appearance is accounted for by his 
mother, during her time of pregnancy, 
having been frightened by the sight of a - 
skeleton. She died in child-birth; and 
her infant was brought into the world, 
though alive, with all the hideous ap- 
pearances of the object of maternal ter- 
ror.—A skeleton in appearance, though 
with all the organs of sense, he was 
found capable of nutrition, and progres- 
sive growth in stature ; his faculties, in 
no respect, appearing, as he advanced in 
life, deficient ; and, what is still more 
extraordinary, he is reported never to 
have had a day’s illness in his life. A 
Colonel, or Major Williams (for our 
informant forgets which), hearing of the 
circumstances, and having ascertained 
their truth, engaged, as a speculation, 
with the father of this lusus nature of 
the human species, for a sum of money, 
to bring him over to England, for the pur- 
pose of beinghere exhibited; and, accom- 
panied by the father and a female rela- 
tion, he has actually arrived; having 
borne the fatigue of his journey, and 
the inconveniences of his voyage, with- 
out apparent injury or derangement of 
health. The following are the appear- 
ances described :— 
His stature appears to be about five 
feet seven. His face is sallow and ca- 
daverous, not entirely destitute of flesh; 
but such, in this respect, as is usually 
exhibited in the very last stage of con- 
sumption; and he has a strong black 
beard. The rest of his form, with 
some little exception as to hishands and 
knees, anda little more as to hjs fect 
The Living Skeleton.— New Retail Brewers’ Act. 
89 
exhibits not the least appearance . of 
muscle, but is that of a mere absolute 
skeleton, with a skin drawn tight over 
it; exhibiting otherwise, as in the com- 
pletely dissected subject, the forms of 
the dry and naked bones. These are, 
however, in some réspects, much dis- 
torted fromthe usual natural direction: 
The collar-bone rising up to the ears, 
and the shoulders, though of their cus* 
tomary breadth, hanging somewhat low. 
the form of the clavicles, or shoulder+ 
bones, is distinctly visible, and touch 
each other behind. Theupper arms aré 
two inches only in circumference, the 
lower arms of corresponding thinness; 
but upon each of them may be seen the 
traces of a thin vein for the circulation 
of the blood; the hands, as already ob- 
served (like the other points of neces- 
sary exertion) exhibiting some appear- 
ance of flesh. The trunk, of the usual 
breadth, is in other respects exceedingly 
deranged in form. The sternum has 
entirely given way, and the long ribs 
have consequently sunk down towards 
the abdomen, so as to cover and en- 
tirely conceal the short jribs. This has 
produced so complete a flattening of the 
chest, that the depth from the ribs to 
the spine, atthat part where the sternum 
should be, is not more than two inches 
and a-half. Sir Astley Cooper, who has 
seen him, thinks, we are informed, that 
it cannot be more than two inches. 
The hips and thighs, and the whole of 
the lower extremities, have the same 
naked skeleton-like appearance, with ex- 
ception of the feet, which do not appear 
much smaller than those of other per- 
sons of the same stature. His motion 
is, as may be expected, exceedingly 
awkward, but not particularly feeble; 
and we need not say, that his whole ap- 
pearance is horrible, beyond all that the 
monster-mongers of Der Frieschiitz ex- 
hibitions have devised for the theatres. 
—=— 
-Fo the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
Sir: ; 
ERHAPS a more partial and unjust 
legislative enactment, in proportion 
to its limits, does not exist, than that 
which is contained in a clause of the 
new Retail Brewers’ Act, which compels 
that class of tradesmen to shut up the 
places where they vend their beer, every 
evening, precisely at nine o’clock. f 
need not tell you, Sir, that instead of © 
this said class of tradesmen, who are 
equally deserving of the protecting hand 
of the Legislature with their competi- 
tors who keep licensed public-houses, 
being put upon an equal’ footing and , 
chance. 
