Rensselaer Republican, Volume 14, Number 17, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 January 1882 — AN ANATOMICAL WONDER. [ARTICLE]

AN ANATOMICAL WONDER.

A Man Who Can Unhinge Every , Joint in Bis Body. ± Cleveland Herald. The announcement that Mr. Charles H. Warren, the celebrated contortionist, Would give an exhibition before the students at the Erie-street Medical College yesterday morning found a Herald reporter in the amphitheater at the appoiuted hour. The affair was certainly a marvelous exhibition of muscular activity and change. Mr. Warreu is a surgical, phyßiogical and anatomical phenomenon. The display which he made of dislocations and displacements of internal organs suggested continually the question, is he human? Mr. Warren is, in his line, undoubtedly, the greatest wonder ever brought before the medical profession. The fact that Dr. Hamilton has devoted several pages to his case .in his “New Surgery” is ample guarantee that his contortions are really phenomenal efid worthy the consideration of medical science. Concerning him, Dr. Hamilton says: “I think it may be safely said that if Mr. Warren does not dislocate his hips, then none of those seven or eight cases hitherto reported, and referred to by me in my Treatise on Fractures and Dislocations, were veritable dislocations. No case has yet, so for as I know, been verified hy an autopsy. And it is to be hopeu that, in the interest of science, Mr. Warreu will leave a request that upon his death a careful dissecliou of his hip joints shall be made by competent persona.” Dr. Agnew, a surgeon of scarcely less reputation, says: “I have never seen an individual who presented such a remarkable symmetrical development of the muscular system.”

Nearly all of the other eminent physicians and surgeons of the age have seen him, aud unite in pronouncing him the most wonderful muscular specimen on record. His exhibition Wednesday morning was a most remarkable one, notwithstanding that he professed himself hampered by a temporary attack of rheumatism. He began by displayiug a dislocation of the thumb, which was perfect. Thf studeuts were permitted to examine with the sense of touch this peculiar pfienomenou. The subject then exhibited a dislocation of the wrist, equally remarkable. Next, he produced by muscular contraction a partial subglenoid dislocation of both shoulders, which Dr. Kitchen pronounced a most remarkable feat. This was followed by a dislocation of the scapula, upwards* and a partial dislocation of tne tarsal bones. But the most remarkable feat, that which brings the greatest consternation to the medical profession, was a complete luxation of hips upwards and backwards. This accomplishment, which has been made the subject of most careful study by Dr. Hamilton, was commented upon by Dr. Kitchen at some length.

1 Mr. Warren also twisted his ankles as if his feet hung upon a swivel, and produced a sub-luxation of the lower jaw. Another performance of his was the withdrawal of the viscera from the abdomen and forcing of them into the chest. This feat he performed with alternate effort?, producing an effect so unnatural as to call forth most enthusiastic applause from the students. Dr. Kitchen then measured the chest expansion of the subjeet, stating that the customary limit is about three inches. The result was two measurements, 301 inches In a state of contraction, and 39 inches in a stale of expansion; making a difference of 8£ inenes. The difference has been high as 12 inches On a former -occasion, when Dr. Kitchen measured the exhibitor, the difference amounted to 11 inches. This falling off, coupled with a cough of Mr. Warren’s, suggested the fear, which was afterwards corroborated by testimony,that the gentleman is a candidate for the grip of that priuee of diseases, consumption. The exposure of such an exhibition as that of Wednesday morning, together with the abnormal nature of his work, cannot be very conducivo to longevity. Mr. Warren concluded his performance by giggling his ears, and then performing a series of gyrations and contortions which are simply indescribable. During , all the exhibition the display of muscles and surface markings of the body was most infruetive to those Interested in the Lidy of anatomy. The anomoly of r. Warren’s case is the fact that he able to prouuce by muscular action a voluntary dislocation of nearly every joint in the body. •- Mr. Warren is now traveling and exInciting his physical versatility to the medical profession at the leading medical colleges in the land. He has been in former years, connected with different organizations as an athlete, but now devotes all his time to the cause es medical science. .