Fasting Girls: Their Physiology and Pathology
Produced by Bryan Ness, Stephen Blundell and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This book was produced from scanned images of public domain material from the Google Print project.)
"Fasting Girls: Their Physiology and Pathology" by William A. Hammond is a scientific publication written in the late 19th century. The book addresses the phenomenon of 'fasting girls,' women who claim to live without food for extended periods, examining the historical and psychological implications of such claims. Hammond aims to debunk these myths through a medical lens, exploring both the physiological aspects of fasting and the societal beliefs surrounding these extraordinary assertions. The opening of the text introduces Hammond's intent to educate and counteract widespread misconceptions about fasting girls. He points out that there is a troubling tendency for the public to accept absurd claims without skepticism, particularly regarding women who assert they can survive without food for years. Hammond outlines historical cases of fasting, linking them to hysteria and delusion, noting the lack of credible evidence and underlying mental health issues. He sets the stage for a deeper exploration of individual cases, suggesting that these instances speak to broader themes in human psychology and physiology, rather than to miraculous or supernatural abilities. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
Reading ease score: 66.3 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read.
Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog