The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1842-03-15
DIR. MOTIFS TRAVELS.

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| DR.. MOTIFS TRAVELS.
| In g Dr. Motifs Travels in Europe and the East, "
J recently published by the Harpers-a work whose
value consists entirely in the information it commune
Gates relative the present state of the medical SCI
ences in the several countries visited by the author
we find several interesting paragraphs, OF which we
give our readers few specimens
THE GOITRE
uThroaphout the extended Yalais region of Stoit-
xerlad scarcely an individual is to be seen, male or
female who is not more less affected with this ca
amitous deformity 1.-THE Goitre, or deformity OF the
thyroid gland, much more frequent, as it appeared
to me in the female than in the male sex. To such
frightfu magnitude does this growth sometimes at
tain that it actually dsqualies the unfortunate suf
ferer from preserving an erect position IN one IN
stance indeed, at .Mmtigry, the size OF the tnour
was of such colossal dimensions that the poor wo-
man was Obliged to crawl along the floor upon her
hands and feet, dragging the gigantic dewiap and
pendulous mass after her J"
| The affection is frequently accompanied with idi-
ocy and the doctor thinks it is imputable to &c the
cold and sepulchral dampness of low valley re-
gions"
DISCOVERY OF THE ART OF PErRIFYNG.
At Florence, in Tuscany, the Doctor found Sig
nor Sigato, who possessed wonderful art, unique
and unknown to all the world beside
"Incredible il not marvellous, as it may seem, he
had discovered chemical process by which he could
actually petsvy, in very short time every animal
substance, preserving permanently and with minute
accuracy its form and internal texture, and in state
of such stony hardness that could be sa.oed into slabs
and elegantly polished ~
{" He had in this way formed museum of various
animals such frogs, fishes toads, snakes, and great
variety of parts of the human body in natural and
| In he he 1uan
liver, lungs, heart, and other parts thus perified,
about the floor with perfect impunity, and without
the least injury being done to them Still more GU
rious he had with Italian taste cut them into small
polished squares, and arranged them in COM
plete tables of mosaic ,cork-so that it gave him
much delight as it did astonishment to find that
could with my finger designate to him, on this pre-
cious centre-tabLe for surgeons drawng-room the
appropriate name and character OF each individual
object thus spread out before me in, pathological
chart of real specimens. Thus pulmonary t,tbercIe
or ulcer here hyatid of the Hper there cicarir in
the brain in another compartment, and calculus in the
kidney or sssaon Of the hearts a,icles and valces in
fourth.'
This extraordinary died soon after the Doctor
saw him, and has secret persisted with him. He
would never dvulge the least part of his marvellous
process, but merely ntimated that he had acquired it
in his journies to remote eastern countries.
PUBLIC CEMETERY FOR THE POOR, AT NAPLES.
The Doctor gives the following interesting descrp
ton of the Campo Santo, Public Cemetery for the
Poor in Naples, situated between the city and Mount
Vesuvus:
at is large enclosure, surrounded by massive
wall at least twelve to fifteen feet high and the
most simple and chaste order is observable in its in
terror arrangements. Nothing was seen but long
rows Of fiat stone slabs, with the single inscription
each that denoted the day of the year to which
it was appropriated. Thus there are 365 vaults,
of large dimensions and of great depth, and one is
opened for each day of the year. The great advan
tage to public health of this mode is that each vault
with all the bodies deposited in it, is at the close OF
the day secured and cemented for the whole subse-
quent year. On the day that visited the Campo,
eteren had already been deposited in the vault for that
day, and upon my looking into it, found all those
bodies in perfect state of nudity, and Of both
and all ages. With the aid of small douceur, l
succeeded in having the vault of the previous day
sealed for me- where the same appearance OF the bo-
dies was presented, there being ffes~ m number,
which was the amount of intcrrncnts for that day
Naples contains over 400 600 mhabitants.l con-
fess that to me- habituaed from early life to the
sight Of dead bodies and to scenes of agony and suf
fcring in the living subject the irreverence shown
even to the poor and friendlcss dead, by divestng
them Of all covering, and throwing them pel-mell
into confused heap revolving in the greatest de-
gree to my feelings, however much might approve
of the general plan of the construction OF the Gene
tery. | was vet more shocked when, upon looking
down into the vault which had been opened for me- l
saw beneath the bodies and all around countless
quantities of bones the harvest of Deaths conuess
in years gone by, and the more rapidly, no doubt,
dsencumbered of their flesh by the quantities of quick
lime thrown in, and by the thousands of crawling
reptiles which, to add horror to the spectacle, were
seen basly engaged in their dreadful avocation in
every direction" !,
The Doctors style is stiff and awkward, and such
NJ his observations AZ arc extra-profcssional ite