In the 1800s a series of young
girls (adolescent and preadolescent) claimed to live without eating for long
periods of time. These “fasting girls” became bedridden celebrities. Publishers
sold pamphlets detailing their cases, and showmen went to court over their
public display rights. Well-wishers donated funds for their care, and gawkers
paid to visit. Their apparently supernatural survival on little to no
nourishment fascinated the public, and led to fame, wealth, and death.
Here are three famous cases of
Fasting Girls:
Sarah Jacob was young welsh girl.
In 1867 her family claimed she could live without eating with no detriment to
her health. Local skeptics tested and examined Sarah. After they declared her
abilities genuine, the Jacobs family was awash with gifts and visitors wishing
to see the miraculous child. Sarah sat in bed, speaking and reading her poetry to
her visitors in a clear voice, and her devotees gave offerings to her. In 1869,
the Jacobs gave the medical establishment complete access to their daughter. A
team of trained nurses cared for Sarah night and day without feeding her,
waiting for her requests for food. She starved to death seven days into the
test.
A woman, named Anne Moore, with a
large family and little income gained a reputation for eating very little food.
In 1806, word spread that she had stopped eating. Pamphlets circulated claimed
she lived on air, or that she stayed alive by the power of God. In 1808, a
continuous watch lasting 16 days by trusted officials declared her starvation
genuine, but a later examination in 1813 declared her a fraud, cleverly
smuggled food by her daughter. By this time Anne Moore had become controversial
topic and a wealthy woman from donations.
In 1865, a young woman about to
be married named Mollie Fancher, was terribly injured in a streetcar accident
in America. Her accident left her an invalid for the rest of her life.
Previously she had been known for eating very little, but after her injuries
she ate even less, allegedly once going without food for seven weeks. Her
physical condition grew more bizarre, her body wracked with spasms and strange
spells. Rumors spread that she could see the future, read books despite her
blindness, and read minds. Mollie Fancher became a true celebrity at the height
of Spiritualism. She died in 1916, never having allowed doctors to test her
miraculous abilities.
Fasting girls’ celebrity and
fraudulent claims alone make rich veins for role-playing adventures, but in a
world of gaslight fantasy the reality of fasting girls could be just about
anything. Next Week, I’ll look at some of the stranger bits of history, folklore,
and medicine connected to Fasting Girls.
Adventure Ideas
A young girl gets very sick.
Worried for her approaching death, her parents make a deal with a hunger
Archon. They do not give their daughter food, the Archon gains strength from
her hunger, and some power returns to her, keeping her alive. The Archon uses
its power to cause chaos and mayhem in the city near the child’s home.
Half a dozen skilled Magnetists
have disappeared. Two of their bodies were found in a state of extreme
starvation. Where are the rest and why are they being starved?
The contact of a player character
has invested in a Fasting Girl’s case. He may be in charge of a paper following
reporting her condition, declared her authenticity, or a theater owner about to
host a show displaying the girl. In either case, he knows the girl is a fake.
Will the players help her pass the tests and examinations of skeptics?
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