What is Jonathan Bass?
'''Jonathan R. Bass''' (November 25, 1830 - September 13, 1892) was an American [[sideshow]] attraction. His [[stage name]] was The Ossified Man. He was born in [[New York State]]. [[Rheumatism]] led to the [[ossification]] of his joints, tendons, and muscles in his teen years. His sideshow career began in 1887 at [[Niagara Falls]]. He toured the United States. He died in [[New York City]] in 1892. ==Early years== Bass was born in Cambria in western [[New York State]]. He was the eldest of three brothers. He appeared perfectly normal in his very early years. As a child and a teenager however, a series of [[rheumatism]] attacks left him unable to walk without crutches and canes. ==Middle years== Eventually, Bass became completely [[ossification|ossified]]. The rheumatism led to [[ankylosis]] of his joints, tendons, and muscles. They turned to [[bone]]. Things got worse. In 1869, he lost his eyesight. He had to eat by sucking food up and swallowing it whole. When his mother died in 1872, a brother began taking care of him. In 1887, Bass began his show biz career at [[Niagara Falls]]. He then worked his way across the United States. In spite of his disabilities, Bass remained cheerful. He parted with his manager after a dispute about his cut of the take. ==Last years and death== Bass died of a [[fever]] and [[pneumonia]] while performing in Huber's Museum in [[New York City]]. The family refused an [[autopsy]]. Bass was buried in an ironclad vault to deter grave robbers from making off with the body. An article in a 1908 issue of ''Scientific American'' accused a careless museum attendant of causing Bass's death by letting the man fall to the pavement while being lifted from a carriage. ==References== * Hartzman, Marc. 2005. ''American Sideshow''. Penguin. Unpaged. {{DEFAULTSORT:Bass, Jonathan R.}} [[Category:1830 births]] [[Category:1892 deaths]] [[Category:American sideshow attractions]]