Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1855-08-15
[From the American Medical Gazette.l
PETRIFACTION OF HUMAN BODIES

PETRIFACTI0N OF HUMAN BODIES.
In the old Cathedral church of Bre-
men is vault, the atmosphere of which
possesses the peculiar property ofpreser-
wing from decay al bodies that may be
placed therein.
Visitors are shown eight human bod
les besides number of cats, dogs, mon
keys, birds, &C.. all of which, by mere
exposure to this atmosphere, have be-
come dried and free from all offensive
effiuvia, resembling coarse parchment,
n appearance.
The body nearest the door is that Of
an English major. said to have lain here
one hundred and ei -hteen years.
The second is that of Gel man stu
dent who lost his life in a duel. The
hard dry flesh still shows the sabre
wounds on his throat and arm. His
body has been here one hundred an !
seventy years.
The third, that of a Swedish countess,
whose body has remained from the lot
OF common moItals Tor one hundred and
forty years.
The fourth is that of Swedish Gene
raj, who was killed in the Thirty Years
War;" and whose throat still exhibits
the mark of the wound of which he died.
The fifth is that OF his aid-de-camp,
who lost his life at the same time, by a
cannon ball striking him in the side
The destruction of the parts is plainly
visible.
The sixth body is that of workm1 n,
who fell from the steeple of the church
when near its completion four hundred
years ago-and broke his neck. Owing
to this accident the peculiar properties of
the vault became known for the BODY
of the deceased workman was laid in this
vault for a few days, aud having evince,l
no sign of decomposition. the singularity
cf the fact induced the authorities to per-
NIT it to remain, and here it has remain
ed during all this time.
The seventh is the body of an English
lady, who died one hundred and thirty
years since, of cancer on the lower jaw;
the ravages of the disease are still per-
ceplibe III the liberated flesh.
The eighth is the body Of a working
man, which has lain here for sixty years.
In a a marble sarophagus, standing in
the vault, are said to repOse the remains
of the Swedish Chancellor, Van Engie-
brechten; but they are not permitted to
be exposed to public view on account
of some sill surviving relatives of the
family.
Each of these bodies retains, to a
great degree. the appearance peculiar 10
itself in life. Thus the Swedish Gene
raj was a short, round faced man, inclin-
ed to corpulency; his aid de camp was a
slender, well-proportioned man, in the
prime of life. As in general appe arance,
so also, in facial expIe ssiOn, do these bod
les differ; the parchment-like skin, tho
drawn tightly over the bones, still shows
something of the manner in which the
muscles beneath once worked.
The only reasonable soluti IN of the pc
culiarity of this result-for no other par
of the church possesses it, that l have
heard is, that here all the plumbers
work of the building was executed, il
melting and otherwise preparing the ma
terial Tor the roof We can only suppose
then, that The entire chamber became SC
surcharged with lead, that 1t has ccntin-
Ut d ever since to give forth yapors which
70 ming on anliseptic compound of lead
have operated upon the cadavera expos
ed to its influence.
E L. CAMPBELL, NJ. D.,
Surgeon of The steamship Washington
New York, April %, 1-55.