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.
These bizarre stories and
miracles connect to many strange pieces of folklore, medicine and religion.
The Tricks
Chances are most, if not all,
fasting girls were frauds. These bizarre cases invariably led to the attention
of the medical establishment, so how did they continue their scheme under skeptical
vigilance? Most fasting girls simply ate when alone or with their compatriots,
but a 24 hour watch complicates their situation. The families of fasting girls
invented some clever (and often disgusting) tricks:
- A parent passes a small morsel
of food through a kiss
- Food could be hidden in folds
of clothing ready to be eaten at a providential time
- A rag soaked with broth was
rubbed on the child’s face and subtly squeezed in their mouth
- A compatriot distracts the
watcher while the fasting girl grabs a quick bite
- Food might be folded in
handkerchief and dropped into the mouth during a pretend sneeze
-A little chewing and swallowing
might be covered by a yawn
Sometimes the quality of the
watchers helped the fasting girl. Not everyone was a trained medical
professional ready to question everything. Some of the watchers were neighbors,
who might have been in on the scheme. Often watchers left their shift early
before their replacements arrived, giving the girl time for a few mouthfuls. Many
watchers paid little attention to the fasting girl’s parents when they were in
the room out of a polite respect for privacy. Several of Sarah Jacob’s watchers
brought alcohol with them, and at least one left her home drunk.
Anorexia Nervosa
The feminine ideal of the mid
1800s had pale skin, small hands, cleanly parted hair, and most importantly a
small waist. Fashions dominated by corsets, and crinolines were designed to
give a woman’s figure an hourglass shape. Much like today, the pressures of the
feminine ideal drove girls to starve themselves trying to attain the perfect
figure. Sir William Gull (one of Queen Victoria’s physicians) diagnosed and
named the eating disorder “Anorexia Nervosa“ in 1873.
Anorexia Mirabilis
Many female saints and blesseds
of the Catholic Church reportedly suffered through “Anorexia Mirabilis”,
miraculous starvation out of piety, penitence, and devotion to God. Some ate
nothing but small amounts of vile substances, some ate only the Eucharist, and
some starved to death after many years with no food.
During the height of the public’s
excitement with fasting girls, miraculous signs were rumored to accompany their
starvation, such as stigmata, the expelling of strange fluids (ectoplasm?),
prophecy, and second sight. Many of these abilities also exist in stories of
Anorexia Mirabilis as signs of God’s power in his saints. They are also said to
have healed the sick, and miraculously produced oil, food and drink.
Adventure Idea
Miracles seem to keep happening
near the home of a fasting girl. A growing number of her faithful admirers want
her to be made a saint of the Aluminate church. Church officials are dubious of
their claims and need someone to quietly look into it.
A strange disease keeps children
from eating. Their throats close up in the presence of food, and any attempt to
force feed damages the esophagus. Can the children be saved before they starve
to death, or worse the disease develops to the next stage?
