Charles Osborne (hiccups)
| Charles Osborne | |
|---|---|
| Born |
December 14, 1892 Missouri |
| Died |
May 1, 1991 (aged 98) Sioux City, Iowa |
Charles Osborne (December 14, 1892[1] – May 1, 1991) hiccupped continuously for 68 years (1922–1990). Osborne was from Anthon, Iowa, U.S., and he was entered in Guinness World Records as the man with the Longest Attack of Hiccups.[2] His condition also led him to be a guest on the New York radio show Ripley's Believe It or Not! in 1936, ABC's That's Incredible! in 1980, and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in 1983. He appeared in an article by Dear Abby, was drawn as a comic for a Bazooka Joe bubble gum wrapper, is listed as a trivia question on the iPod Touch and was featured as a question in the board game Trivial Pursuit.
Osborne began hiccuping in 1922, after a 350-pound hog collapsed on top of him while he was preparing to slaughter it. The hiccups persisted for 68 years, about one hic every 10 seconds. It is speculated that either an abdomen muscle was pulled or a blood vessel in the brain burst and destroyed the part of the brain stem that inhibits hiccups.[3] Operations were attempted to stop the hiccups, but proved unsuccessful. Hormone therapy stopped the hiccups for 36 hours, but was stopped due to other health problems.[3]
The hiccups stopped when he was 97. Osborne died of complications from ulcers at Marian Health Center in Sioux City, Iowa on May 1, 1991.[4]
References
- ↑ Social Security Death Index
- ↑ BBC News - Longest attack of hiccups
- 1 2 Singer, Connie (March 29, 1982). "A Cure for Hiccups? Retired Farmer Charles Osborne Isn't Holding His Breath—He's Had Them for 60 Years". People. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
- ↑ Survivor of 68 years Hiccup Spell Dies... Omaha World - Herald, 5 May 1991, Sunrise Edition: 2.B. Retrieved August 30, 2012.