Eastern times. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1846-1857, 1851-03-13
Freaks of Nature.

The celebrated Hunteriau Museum in
London contains, perhaps, the largest collec-
ton of natural curosities, especially in the
department of anatomy, in the world. One
OF the most striking specimens, described
in the catalogue, is the skeleton of boy,
born in Bengal some seventy years ago,
remarkable for the singular conformation of
his head. The description states that the
child was healthy and was more than four
years old at the time ofiIs death, which was
occasloned by the bite of poisonous snake.
When born, The body Of the child was naIur-
ally formed, but the head appeared double,
there being, besides the proper head of the
child, another of the same size, and to ap-
pearance almost equally perfect, attached to
its upper part. This upper head WINS upside
down, the two being united together by
| firm adhesion between The crowns, but with.
out any indentat;on at their union, the.o
| being a smooth continued surface from one
TO the other. The face of the upper head
was not over that of the lower but had an
obIique position, the centre Oft being i'm
medIately above the right eve. When the
child was six months old both of the heads
we're covered with black hair, in nearly the
same quantity. Al this period the skulls
seemed to have been completely ossiied,
except a small spec on the top. The eyelidS
of the superior head were never completely
shut, but remained little open, when even
the child was asleep, and the eyebulls NOV.
ed at random. When the child was reused
the eyes Of both heads moved al the same
time but those of the superior head did not
appear 10 be directed TO The same object, but
wandered in different directions. The tears
flowed from the eyes Of the superior head
almost constantly, but never from The eyes
Of the other except when crying. The
superior head seemed 10 sympathize with
the child in most of IFS natural actions.
When the child cried, the features of this
head were affected in a similar manner,
and the tears flowed plen,iully. When it
sucked the mother, from the mouth of the
superior head the saliva flowed more copi-
ously than at any other time, for il always
flowed a little from it, When the child
smiled, the features Of the superior head
sympathized in that action. When the skin
of the superior head was pinched, the child
seemed to feel little or no pain, at least not
in the same propotUn as was felt from n SIM
liar violence being committed on its own
head or body. A fuller account Of this re-
markable case may he found in the PABLO
soph'cal TraEsaction.,' BY those who like TO
seek it.
TIC CTOWultiS CuTlO:ltles III lIllS CoiiCCtiou,
however, and not named in the catalogue,
though they stand in two small bottles, OIL a
mahogany pedestal, in the centre OF the
smaller room. To man with a soul for
indenticas, they must offer great attraction,
for they are TWO poions of the intestine ofthe
Emperor Napoleon, showing the presence Of
the cancerous disease that killed him. Those
o,t.mortem relics were removed by a
French surgeon who assisted in opening the
body of the deceased conqueror, and were
given by him 10 Barry O'Mea.a, who pre-
sented them to SIR Ashley Cooper. They
offer scientific and historical evidence Of the
cause of the great mans death. Some time
ago card leaned against The bottles, explain
ing the nature of their contents, but more
than once French visitor to the place
became excited, and even violent, on seeing
the relics Of their venera:ed chief. One day
a perfect scene occurred: sPerfde Albionr
shreked wild Gaul, whose enthusiasm
seemed as though il had been fed upon
Cogninc. 'Perfde Albion! again and more
loudly rang through the usually quie: hall.
Not sufficient to have your Waterloo Bridge,
your Waterloo Place, your Waterloo boots,
but You put violent hands on de grand Emp.
error himself. Perfide f! perfide ! perfide3 =
he yelled again, and had he not been restrain
ed, would have run Gallo muck among
the bones and bottles, that would have been
recolecied for many day. From that time
The pathological record Of Napoeon's fatal
raady has been unnumbered. and-to the
lion-unrecosnizable.