The Sun.
London, England, 1857-10-27 00:00:00

stabs in the seaces between these missing ribs which
would have involved the large b!oodvessels of the chest
or the heart itself.
4.—GENERAL CONDITION OF THE REMAINS.
The portions of the 23 pieces of the body presented
no appearance of havine undergone dissection for the
purposes of anatomy. The muscles, bloodvessels (which
were not injected), and the nerves had been cut through
without any 'reference t 3 relative positions, or the
respective courses of the vessels and nerves. The spinal
marrow bad been violently torn out of the vertebral
canal, and left hanging by its sheath to the vertebra.
'rhe joints had been sawn through, evidently with great
trouble, at points where a scaleal in the hands of even a
young anatomist would have Speedily effected the sepa-
ration of the limbs. The acromean process of
the right scapula or bledebeao had been
sawn through in order to remove the shoulder.
The right clavicle was left attached to the upper rib on
that side—the sternum or chest bone was sawn in a right
line through its centre, while the cartilages of the re-
maining ril34, which are 'always cut for. the convenient
examination of the chest, were uncut. The left scapula
or blade bone had been roughly sawn through, so as
to Lave the cavity of the shoulder joint (elenvid
cavity) with the neck of the blade bone still attached,
to the head of the humerus, or long bone of the arm ;
and the ribs and processes of the vertebra of th e spine
were sawn and cut without reference to the r anatomical
bearings. The pelvis was sawn into two pieces through
the centre of the 'sacrum. In short, the clearest ext.
ruination, coupled with the knowledge derived froth an
experience of seven years spent in the study of ana-
tomy by dierteciCens, leads ale se the conclusion
that thee. remains have not been employed for any
anatomical purpose whatever. Oa the contrary, I be•
lieve that, from the period at which the rigidity of death
took place, they have been rendered utterly useless for
any such purpose. The flesh left upon the bones was
brittle, and of a browoish colour. A portion of
this, as removed from .the bones soon after
their discovery, was delivered to me by
Mr, Painter, and I male a chemical
examination of it in his presence. It had not undergone
putrefaction, and had the smell of aelted muscle. It
was submitted to analysis for the detection of those sub-
stances which are used for the preservation of animal
matter--namsly, arsenic, corrosive sublimate, common
salt, nitre, alumina, and chloride of zinc, with the result
that the only substance present was common salt. This
aas separated from the muscular fibre, and obtained ins
crystalline state. The thicker portions of the flesh re-
maining on the bones of the pelvis, when cut into, was
of a slightly reddish tint. This red tint was probably
partly owing to the effects of salting. The superficial
portion of flesh in the remains presented a brownish co-
lour and softened and corrugated appearance, produced
by exposure to boiling water. The ligaments, tendons,
the exposed portions of cartilage of the joints, and the
shin on the wrists and right knee presented such ap-
pearaucee as exposure to boiling water fora short period
would alone account for or explain. The cuticle of the
skin which was not in a state of putrelanien could be
peeled off. The bare akin itself was swollen, gelatinous.
looking and curved inwards at the margin where the
feet had been removed from the cellular membrane
beneath. Such would be the effect produced by boil.
ing water. An examination of the swollen
shafts of the long bones clearly shows that
the marrow has ben melted out and removed
by boiling water from the medullary cavities at each ex-
posed extremity. The boiling has not been continued
for a length of time, since the deep-seated portions of
musclee do not show the changes which would have
otherwise been produced in them, and the marrow is
not removed from the centre of the long bones. The
divided ends of the arteries, and the divided portion of
the spinal marrow with its sheath, also show such effects
as boiling water would produce. The cut portions of
the arteries are opaque, hardened, and averted.
To this exposure to the action of boiling water, while
the separate portions of the body were in a state of
cadaveric regidity, I attribute the peculiar fixation of
the thigh, knee, and arms in a flexed or bent condition.
The ligaments appear to have contracted as a result of
the action of hot water and thereby to have
retained the sawn. portions of bane re-
maining on the joints in the position which they
had acquired as the result of rigidity. The appearances
are such as are produced by boiling water on dead
animal matter. There is nothing to show that boiling
water has acted on any living structure, while it is ob.
vious, from the effects produced on the sawn bones,
ligaments, and arteries, that the body mutt have been cut
up before the parts were exposed to boiling temperature.
It is my opinion that the remains were exposed to boil-
ing water before they were salted. In reference to the
portion of flesh which I examined, the salt was in such
quantity that it was easily dissolved from the outside
by cold distilled water; and I am confirmed by Mi.
Painter that, when first examined by him, parts of flesh
presented solid, g.tittY particles li .e salt. These facts lead
to the inference tleet the salting took place after the partial
boiling of the remains. The object of these two opera-
tions being probably the same; namely, to prevent
putrefaction, and the probable discovery of the remains
y the escape of putrescent effluvia. The piece of flesh
which I examined, as taken from the remains by Dr.
Painter, had no offensive smell whatever, although he
had kept it for a period of eight days.