164 
THE VETERINARY ART IN INDIA. 
former, he was known to have eaten one hundred and seventy-four 
in one year. In the English prison such a shameful practice was 
not long suffered. 
It is surprising that, with this enormous appetite and savage 
mode of gratifying it, his manners were amiable, and he was uni- 
versally liked among his fellow prisoners, and in general very 
lively and active. 
His skin was of the usual temperature, his pulse generally 
about eighty, his eyes were clear and bright, his tongue clean, 
and his stools natural. He had enjoyed one uninterrupted series of 
perfect health from a child, and his uncommon feeding never in- 
terrupted him during the day, and was so far from rendering him 
dull, that after he had eaten the quantity of provision witnessed 
by Admiral Child and company, he retired with his companions to 
spend the evening in dancing. He generally went to bed at eight 
o’clock, and immediately perspired intensely. About one o’clock 
he usually awoke very hungry, and would eat the residue of his 
day’s provisions, and would again sleep, and violently perspire till 
he arose in the morning early, when the perspiration left him ; 
and if he could procure a few pounds of raw flesh to satisfy his 
immediate craving, he was perfectly easy. As a proof of his 
strength and activity, he had frequently carried a load of three 
hundred weight to a considerable distance, and when in the army 
he has marched fourteen leagues with all his military appoint- 
ments. 
This is a very uncommon case, and no satisfactory explanation 
can result from the consideration of the lacteals taking up such an 
immense quantity of assimilated fluid ; and, indeed, I must confess 
it is equally as inexplicable to imagine how the stomach could 
dissolve such a quantity of flesh, which it evidently conveyed 
into the system in a few hours. We can, however, draw one con- 
clusion, which Dr. Johnson also remarks in his letter to Dr. Blane, 
shewing the very great importance of the discharge by the skin. 
I think, too, it is very obvious that one of the principal actions of 
food is to increase the stimulus of the whole body; for in the above 
case it does not appear that the man was more lusty than usual, al- 
though his digestive powers were so outrageous ; but his strength, 
&c. was conspicuous, and the nocturnal sweat proceeded evident- 
ly from an increased action of the system. If we trace its pro- 
gress, we shall find it stimulating the stomach and intestines, next 
the lacteals and mesenteric glands, from thence, increasing the 
mass of blood. It there also acts as a stimulus, until the circulation 
is reduced by the immense perspirations. The whole of this process 
appears to have taken place twice every night, without the least 
apparent injury to the system. 
