Therese Neumann: Inedia and Stigmata

Therese Neumann (1898–1962) of Konnersreuth, Bavaria was among the most widely discussed mystics of the twentieth century. She claimed to have ceased eating solid food in 1922 and to have taken only the Eucharist from 1927 until her death — a period of approximately 35 years.

The 1927 Medical Observation

The bishopric of Regensburg ordered a supervised observation in July 1927. Dr. Otto Seidl and four Franciscan nursing sisters monitored Neumann for fifteen days at her family home. While no food intake was directly observed, weight measurements told a different story: her weight dropped significantly mid-observation, then returned to near-baseline — a pattern that later medical reviewers (including a 2006 peer-reviewed analysis and a 2020 systematic review in the Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease) interpreted as evidence of resumed food intake during less carefully monitored hours.

Refusal of Further Testing

Following the 1927 study, Neumann and her father refused all subsequent medical examination requests in 1932 and 1937. This refusal is the single most significant factor weighing against the inedia claim — it prevented the one verification that could have resolved the question.

Stigmata

Neumann's stigmata appeared in 1926. The physician Pietro Pfanner examined her during an ecstasy, found blood on her palms, wiped it away, and found no wound beneath it. He attributed the phenomenon to hysterical neurosis. The Church has never officially authenticated either the stigmata or the inedia.

The 2020 Systematic Review

A 2020 review published in ScienceDirect examined 47 investigations of 38 long-term fasting claimants. No investigation met criteria for rigorous controlled verification of anomalous survival. Fraud was positively established in 10 cases.