The man hiccuped for 68 years

An accident left Charles Osborne with incurable hiccups and he suffered from them for nearly seven decades, from 1922 to 1990.

Charles Osborne was born in 1893 in Iowa, in the American Midwest. The young farmer's life was quite peaceful until 1922, when hiccups came to him while he was butchering pigs in Union, Nebraska. "I was hanging a 350-pound pig up to prepare for slaughter when it fell, but I didn't feel anything," Osborne said.

The incident caused Osborne to hiccup in waves. But unlike normal hiccups that would go away after a few minutes, Osborne's hiccups were constant.

Charles Osborne, a man who suffered from constant hiccups from 1922 to 1990. Photo: Twitter/Seriously Strange

Osborne visited countless doctors, but none could help him with his mysterious condition. As the years passed, Osborne sometimes wondered if he would have to endure the hiccups forever.

Today, doctors point to a number of causes of hiccups. Carbonated drinks or a large meal can cause hiccups, according to the Mayo Clinic. Swallowing air while chewing gum can cause hiccups, and even excitement can cause hiccups.

However, none of these causes applied to Osborne, whose unexplained illness has baffled generations of doctors.

In the 1980s, Dr. Terence Anthony determined that Osborne's fall had caused brain damage, which caused him to hiccup incessantly. "The doctor said I had a ruptured blood vessel in my brain the size of a pin," Osborne recalled.

It's likely that the fall "destroyed a small area in the brain stem that inhibits the hiccup response," Anthoney explained.

However, doctors today have a different explanation. Neurosurgeon Ali Seifi believes the fall may have caused a rib injury that damaged Osborne's diaphragm. Seifi also speculates that Osborne may have suffered a stroke. Some strokes can cause persistent hiccups.

Osborne tried dozens of treatments but refused to undergo surgery that would have reduced his ability to breathe. No medical treatment worked, including experimental hormone therapy. Hiccup cures were also unsuccessful. A friend even tried shooting a gun behind Osborne's back to startle him and stop the hiccups, but that didn't work. "It scared me, but it didn't scare my hiccups," he said.

Only one doctor was able to cure Osborne, but it was a temporary fix. The hiccups stopped when Osborne inhaled large amounts of carbon monoxide (CO). The treatment could be effective, but the price was too high. Osborne could not live well if he was constantly inhaling toxic gas.

After decades, Osborne gave up on medical treatment. He traveled far and wide, even to Alaska, but the results were always disappointing. Ultimately, he decided to live with the hiccups.

After his story appeared in newspapers and on television, Osborne received thousands of letters of sympathy. Sympathetic strangers suggested that he massage his fingers or press his chin. To each suggestion, Osborne replied simply, “Tried it.”

Doctors explained that the sound caused by hiccups does not involve the diaphragm. Instead, it comes from the vocal cords, which close between hiccups. Osborne has trained himself not to make a sound when he hiccups.

Charles Osborne as a young man. Photo: ATI

“He would puff out his chest three or four times a minute,” recalled Kevern Koskovich, an acquaintance of Osborne’s. “If you looked at him, you could tell he was hiccupping, but there was no sound. “He swallowed it back, that’s the best way to describe it.”

Despite his condition, Osborne married twice, had eight children and even worked as an auctioneer.

Persistent hiccups can cause weight loss, exhaustion, and mental health problems. Osborne experienced all of these. As he got older, he became unable to swallow food. For years, Osborne had to grind his food.

He tried to avoid losing weight by eating his favourite meals of minced chicken breast, gravy, porridge and milk, washed down with a few beers. Having suffered from hiccups for most of his life, Osborne once said he "would give anything to get rid of them".

Although the hiccups were annoying, they turned Osborne into a celebrity, landing him appearances on a series of radio and television shows.

From the ages of 29 to 96, Osborne hiccupped an estimated 430 million times. In June 1990, the hiccups suddenly stopped. About a year later, Osborne died. He spent the last months of his life hiccup-free.

Vu Hoang (According to ATI )

Source link: https://vnexpress.net/nguoi-dan-ong-nac-suot-68-nam-4613837.html