Angus Barbieri (1938 or 1939 – 7 September 1990) was a Scottish man who fasted for 382 days, from 14 June 1965 to 30 June 1966. He subsisted on tea, coffee, sparkling water, vitamins and yeast extract while living at home in

Tayport Tayport, also known as Ferry-Port-on-Craig, is a town in Fife, Scotland. It lies on the Firth of Tay opposite Broughty Ferry, a suburb of Dundee. The two were linked by a ferry service until 1939. To the east of Tayport is the vast Tentsmuir ...

, Scotland, frequently visiting

Maryfield Hospital Maryfield Hospital was a hospital in Stobswell, Dundee, Scotland. Originally a poorhouse hospital it became Dundee's second main hospital after Dundee Royal Infirmary. It closed in the 1970s following the opening of Ninewells Hospital. History ...

for medical evaluation. Barbieri went from to , losing and setting a record for the length of a fast.

Early life

Agostino “Angus” Barbieri was born in Tayport, Scotland to Italian parents who ran a

fish and chip shop A fish and chip shop, sometimes referred to as a chip shop or chippy, is a restaurant that specialises in selling fish and chips. Usually, fish and chip shops provide takeaway service, although some have seating facilities. Fish and chip shop ...

. Due to his enormous physique he required assistance with ordinary endeavors. When Barbieri traveled to the

1960–61 British Home Championship The 1960–61 British Home Championship international football tournament saw a series of high scoring games, with 40 goals scored in six matches. England took the British title after a final match at Wembley in which they put nine goals past Sco ...

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...

in April 1961, he needed a group of people to push and pull him through the door of the bus. Unable to fit through a turnstile at the stadium, Barbieri was escorted through a gate by a police guard, and many other fans without tickets reportedly hopped the police lines to enter the stadium while the police were occupied.

The fast

In 1965, at the age of 27, Barbieri checked into the

Dundee Dundee (; ; or , ) is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, fourth-largest city in Scotland. The mid-year population estimate for the locality was . It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firt ...

. Initially only a short fast was planned, due to the doctors believing that short fasts were preferable to longer ones. Barbieri insisted on continuing because "he adapted so well and was eager to reach his 'ideal' weight". To avoid temptation, he quit working at his father's fish and chips shop, which closed down during the fast. As the fast progressed, he lost all desire for food. For 382 days, from 14 June 1965 through 30 June 1966, he consumed only vitamins, electrolytes, an unspecified amount of

yeast Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom (biology), kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are est ...

(a source of all

essential amino acids An essential amino acid, or indispensable amino acid, is an amino acid that cannot be synthesized from scratch by the organism fast enough to supply its demand, and must therefore come from the diet. Of the 21 amino acids common to all life forms ...

) and zero-calorie beverages such as tea, coffee, and sparkling water, although he occasionally added milk and/or sugar to the beverages, especially during the final weeks of the fast. Barbieri began his treatment in the hospital but for most of the 382 days lived at home, visiting the hospital for outpatient checkups, including blood and urine samples.

Stool sample A stool test is a medical diagnostic technique that involves the collection and analysis of fecal matter. Microbial analysis (culturing), microscopy and chemical tests are among the tests performed on stool samples. Collection Stool samples shou ...

s were not taken but he reportedly went up to 48 days between stools. His starting weight was recorded at and the fast officially stopped on 1 July 1966 when Barbieri had reached his goal weight of . For the next ten days, the doctors placed him on a diet of salt and then sugar in preparation for solid food. Thus, some sources record the fast as being 392 days instead of 382.

Breakfast

After 1 year and 26 days without food, Angus Barbieri ate his first solid meal at 10 AM on 11 July 1966: a boiled egg and a slice of buttered bread. He said to the gathered newspaper reporters and photographers, "I have forgotten what food tasted like ... It went down OK. I feel a bit full but I thoroughly enjoyed it".

Record

In the 1971 edition of ''

The Guinness Book of Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, listi ...

'', Barbieri's 382-day fast was recognized as the longest recorded. , Barbieri retains the record for the longest fast without solid food. ''Guinness'' does not actively encourage records relating to fasting for fear of encouraging unsafe behaviour.

Follow-up

Doctors were amazed by Barbieri's ability to resist the temptation to eat without having to stay in the hospital. He celebrated his achievement by going on a vacation in Spain for three weeks, and a 1973 study found that Barbieri maintained a healthy weight of . concluding that "prolonged fasting in this patient had no ill-effects". He moved to

Warwick Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon, Warwickshire, River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined wit ...

, married a woman named Mary, and had two sons. Barbieri died in September 1990 after a short illness.

References