Southport telegraph. [volume] (Southport, W.T. [i.e. Kenosha, Wis.]) 1840-1850, 1844-05-14
EXTRAORDINARY DISCOVERY.

The following is an extract of a letter
from young American now travelling in
Europe, which we copy from the Baton
Rogue Ua.) Gazette:
Professor Van Grusselbach, of Stock
holm, has very lately brought to state
perfection the art Of producing a ,orpor of
ie whole system,by the application of cold
OF different degrees of intensity, proceeding
from lesser TO greater, so as TO cause
the human body to become perfectly torpid
without permanent injury of any organ or
tissue of the frame In this state they may
remain for great number Of years, and
again, after a sleep of ages, be awakened
to sxistence,as fresh and blooming as they
were when they first sunk INFO their frig-
critic slumber.
The attention Of the learned professor
was first led to the subject by finding toad
enclosed in solid fragment of calcareous
rock ten feet in diameter, which when ia
ken out, showed unequivocal signs Of life:
but it was supposed that the conclusion
caused by blasting the rock occasioned its
death in few hours after. The opinion
of Baron GruithiZen, who is Geologist to
the King of Sweden, was that it must have
been in that situation for at least seven
thousand years; and his calculations were
drawn from the different layers of strata
by which it was surrounded. From this
hint, the professor proceeded to make ex-
perments; and, after painful and labori,
Gus course OF experiments for the last
twenty-nine years of his life he has at last
succeeded in pegfecting his great discove-
ry. No less than sixty thousand reptiles,
she'll fish, &c, were experimental on be-
fore he tried the human subject. The pro
cess is not entirely laid before the public
as yet, but had the honor, in company
with a friend, Of visiting the professor.
| shall give a slight description of one OF
the outer rooms containing some of his
preparations. Previous to entering, we
were furnished with an india rubber bag,
to which was attached a mask with glass
eyes. This was put on TO prevent the tenn
perature of the room from being varied the
slightest degree by our breathing. 1t was
circular room, lighted from the top by
the suns rays, from which the heat was
entirely disengaged by its passage through
its glass, &c, colored by the oxide of cop
per, "a late discovery, and very valuable to
the proiessor.) The room is sheved all
around, and contains nearly one thousand
specimens of animals, &c. One was a
asSwedish girl, aged, from appearance,
about nineteen years; she was consigned
to the professor by order Of the Cover n
ment to experiment upon, having been
found guilty of numbering her child. With
the exception of slight paleness she ap-
peared as if asleep, although she has been
in state of complete torpor for two years.
He intends, he says, TO resuscitate her in
five more years, and convince the world of
the soundness OF his wonderful discovery.
The professor, to crafty US, took a small
snake out Of his cabinet into another room,
and although it appeared to us to be per-
fecty dead and rigid as marble, by applica-
ton Of mixture of caynne pepper and
brand, it showed immediate signs Of life
and was apparently as active as ever it was
in few minutes, although the professor
assured us it had been in state Of torpor
for six years.