The northern galaxy. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1844-1848, 1844-06-12
EXTRAORDINARY DISCOVERY.

Professor Van GruSsclbach of Stockholm,
has very lately brought to state of perlectioD
the art of producing torpor in the whole
system, by the application Of cold of degrees
OF intensity, proceeding from a lesser to q
greater, so as TO cause the human body to be-
come perfectly torpid without permanent
injury to any organ or tissue Of the frame
In this they may remain one numbered or i
thousand years, and again, after sleep of
ages, be awakened to existence, as fresh and
blooming as they were when the first sunk
into this frigorifc slumber.
The attention of the learned Professor was
first led to to the subject, by finding toad
enclosed in solid fragment of caIc areous
rock, ten feet in diameter. which. when ia
ken out, showed unequivocal sings of life
but 1t Is supposed that the conclusion caused
by blaiuting rock occasioned its death in IL
few hours after. The opinion of Barren
GniIhlzen, who is at present GeOlOgist to the
king of Sweden, was that it must have beeE
in that situation for at least seven Thousand
ye1r5-and his calculations were drawn from
the layers or strata by which it was surround
ed.
From this hint the Professor proceeded to-
make experiments, and after a painful ans
laborious course of experiments for the lasE
twenty -nine years Of his life, he at last sue
ceeded in perfecting this great discovery
Notle than sixty thousandreptiles,s shell isis
&C., were experimental upon before he tried
the human subject. The process is not laid
entirely before the public as yet, but had
the honor in company with friend, Of visit
ing the Professor.
l shall give slight description of one of
the outer rooms containing some of his pre-
partitions. Previous to entering we were fur
nished with an India rubber bag. to which
was attached mask with glass eyes. This
was put on to prevent the temperature OF the
room from being raised 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 glass, &c. colored ty
the oxide Of copper, a late discovery and very
valuable to the Professor.
The room is shelved all round, and eoH-
tains nearly one thousand specimens of ami
mails. One was swedish girl, aged from
appearance, about nineteen years-she was
consigned TO the Professor by order of the
Government to experiment upon, having been
guilty Of numbering lrer child.-Whh the ex-
ception Of slight paleness she appears as if
asleep although she has been in a stale of
complete torpor for two years. He intends
to resusitate her in five more years, and con-
vince the soundness Of his wonderful discoy-
cry. The Professor to crafty us, took
4 small snake out of a cabinet into another
room, and although it appeared to US TO be-
perfectly dead and rigid as marble, by appll-
cation of a mixture Of Cayenne pepper and
brandy, il showed immediate signs of life. and
was apparently as active as it ever was, in a
minute, although the Professor assured MS it
had been in a state of torpor for six years.
Baton Rouge Gazette.
The above is an extract Of letter from
young American now travelling in Europe.