Star.
London, England, 1815-01-02 00:00:00

DISSECTION OF .10.4N,V4 sounrcorr.

Mr. Want, of Tottenham-came-road, had first the
credit of awakening ,featura to a doubt of her immor-
tality. Mr. Wane, was, it appears, under the sane
tier' of the etropiseas, called in by Mr. Reece about
teven weeks back. He then stated it to be his opinion,
that the symptoms should be examined quite inde-
pendent of the question. of pregnancy, even admit-
ting the possibility of that fact. Upon melting his
observations, however, he unhesitatingly declared,
Cs:it there was no foundation for the belief of preg-
nancy, and as little for the expectation of the woman's
recovery. He remarked further, that although the
disease must terminate in death, it was still within
the power e f medicine to alleviate the patient's set •
finings, and to relieve the flatulency by which she was
rpressed. Upset his retard home, to prevent the
possibility of taistake, he wrote a letter, to Anti tin-
ders% oods then attendant on Joanna, explaining this
opinior more fully, and exhorting het to use tier in-
fluence with her deluded friend, to take such medi-
cines as were applicable to her case. To this le:ter
he received an answer from Mrs. Underwood, giving
a full description of the symptoms of Joanna's dis-
ease, from March last down to the latest period, and
concludee with an expression of the determination of
Mrs Southcott not to take medicine, ur;less especi.
airy directed so to do by the Lola'.
Mr. Wart, after this, was anxioirs that the wretched
woman should submit to an examirration, so that the
precise state of her disease might be asc,:rtained. To
this, neither herself nor her ft-LA.. 4 wodid accede.-1
The former declared, that—.4 if she was not pregnant
with a human being, she was satisfied there was .some
living creature within her ; while the laver, still pro-
fessing their belief in the coming of Shiloh,. were
shocked at such a proposition. Reference was then
had to a prophecy of Joanna's, published in 1792;
in which she had declared that the mother of Ski/Oh..
previous to his birth, would be as dead for four- days;
and at the end of that period tt ould revive and be de-
livered. This they now supposed would be the case,
and while they contemplated her temporary dissolu-
tion, they looked with confidence to her resuscitation
at the time predicted..
The possibility of death, however, having been ad-
mitted, the wretched enthusiast, who had become die
object of such infatuated solicitude, became, herself,
doubtful of the issue which her friends so positively
anticipated. She, therefore, in her lucid intervals,
dictated A WILL, in which she still professed het con-
viction, that she had either been visited by a good or
s, it efiirit, and 'het her womb contained a fitting crea-
ture of divine or wiriedorigin. In the hope that she
A might become re-animate, which she was satisfied.
would be the case if she had been visited by the Lord,
she desired that she might be preserved with a every
tender care, for fear dap after her dissolution, the 4th
being that on which, under PROVIDENCF., she expected
she would be restored to life, and be delivered." It,
hoe ever, that. period. expired without any symptoms
of reanimation, she then directed that her body might
beintimitted to tha bands of skilful operators, who
would have an opportunity of ascertaining, whether
she had or had not been deluded by the vision: of her
fancy---Or led away by evil spirits. Soon after she had
made her pleasure known, the symptoms of her dis•
case became mere virulent, and she breathed lierlast.
event, which had been expected, excited no
painful sensatious in the bosoms of her friends. They
regarded her as merely gone for a elide," and with
tender soliciiude proceeded to wrap her body in warm
blankets, to place bottles of hot water to her leer, and
by keeping the room in a state of warmth, eiedeavour
to preserve the vital spark ! • Since this event, the
crowd which has been daily assembiLd in ntitches-
ter-btreet, opposite the depository of the dead body,
has b en immense ; and the inquiries which have been
mide respecting her resuscitation have been constant
avid anxious. To .all stab inquiries, the Answers
g eels by the chosen few by whom the body has been
wa-d,cd, were consolatory -and cheering. Saturday
In ruing the crowd again tts%embled at an early hour,
and the most zealous of the followers did not hesi-
tate to prouounte their positive con% iction (Alter le-
animation dining the day. These predictions, h,,w-
ever, to the mortification of the deluded multitude,
were destined to disappointment, 'lle prescribed pe-
riod of four days and nights elapsed, and an tar was
the body from exhibiting appearances of a temporary
sus pension of animation, that it began to display a
discolouration which at once brought borne ta-convic.
tion, the fact that die wretched Joanna was but mor-
tal, and like other mortals subject to decay:
The hopes of her friends being thus frustrated, pre-
parations were made to pert:>rm that.operasion which
Lad herself directed, namely, to dissect her re-
ns eine A stinenuns was issued to the surgeons who
had expressed 'a desite to be present, and at two'
si'el ck tifieen Fentlemcu had asserribied, including
Messrs. Reece, Want, Clark, Sims, Mims, Taunton,
and nine sabers. Besides these professional gentle-
men, v.ere Fuson Tozer, Colonel Harwood, and
Gee or two other of Joanna's followers. Aim Under-
wood was In the anti-min and seemed deeply affect-
ed, not skate at the awful situation of her friend, but
at the disappointment of all her Media/ hopes. The
JOTTI in which the operation took place was that in
which Joanna had slept. From the putrebcent state
of the corps the smell was dreadfully offensive, and
it required all the aid of tobacco smoke and heated
vinegar te render the plade at all to be borne.
The body hiving been placed upon a table, Mr.
Reece and Mr. Want eteceeded to the performance
of their disgusting; but required task. The result of
this examination, the minute particulars of which we
are bound to suppress, were these—First, that there
was no ailvh ; next, that there was no disease of the
uterine organs, as imagined by Dr. Sims; thirdly, that
the womb, instead of being enlarged, was remarkably
small and 'educed, as might be expected in an on-
Married female of 64. The intestines were much
distended by flatulency, and hence that protuberance
ishich led to the conclusion of pregnancy. The
aaterouat (which in animal: is called the caul), was
loaded with fat, •and a eery considerable quantity of
entre& or stones, were found io the gall bladder.—
Reports having been circulated as to the fee tner preg.l
nanny of the subject, a pa
place exarainatiod took
phe, for the purpose:of decidiug that point, but front
all that appearea•theve Was no 'foundation for such an
assertion; Another report existed, that her deists
had been occasioned by poison; asulthe Coroner bad,
eacpstue4 his datersaiaatioa to summon a Jury to