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  Sarah Jacob Monday 24 February 2003  
We travel back to 19th Century rural Wales to hear about the story of Sarah Jacob, the original anorexic.

She was said to have eaten and drunk nothing for 16 months yet stayed alive and healthy and who subsequently became a major tourist attraction and tabloid favourite.
Author Sian Busby and Peter Webster Clinical Psychiatrist at the Maudsley Hospital in London join Jenni to discuss the phenomenon of fasting women in history and what they were trying to achieve.
'A Wonderful Little Girl: The True Story of Sarah Jacob, the Welsh Fasting Girl' by Sian Busby, published by Short Books, London; ISBN: 1904095437

BBCi Women's Health: Anorexia Nervosa
BBC News: Anorexia 'has genetic basis'
BBCi Health: Eating Disorders


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