Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1855-06-23
A STRANGE SECRET OF NATURE.

The American Medical Gazette for May,
has the following curious account of the
petrifaction of human bodies
In the Old Cathedral Church Of the Bre-
men is u vault, the atmosphere OF which pos
sesses the peculiar property of preserving
from decay all bodies that may be placed
therein.
Visitors are shown eight human bodies,
beside a number of cats dogs, monkeys, birds,
etc. all of which, by mere exposure to this
atmosphere, have become dried and free
from all offensive eflluvia resembling in ap-
pearance, coarse parchment.
The body nearest the door is that of an
English major, said to have laid here one
hundred and eighteen years. .... -...
The second that OF a German student, who
lost his life in duel. The hard, dry flesh
still shows the sombre wounds on his throat
and arm. His body has been here one hun
dreG and seventeen years.
The third, that of a Swedish Countess,
whose body has remained free from the lot of
common mortals for one hundred and forty
years.
The fourth that of q Swedish General who
was killed in the Thirty Years War;" and
whose throat still exhibits the mark of the
wound of which he died. .. ...r ..
The fifth is that Of his aid-de-camp. who
lost his life at the same time. by cannon
ball striking him in t e side. The destruc-
tion of the parts is plainly visible.
The sixth body is that of a workman, who
fell from the steeple of the church when near
its ompletion-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 work
man was laid in the vault for few days, and
having evidence of no signs Of decomposition
the singularity of the fact induced the au-
thors to permit it TO remain and here it has
remained during all that time.
The seventh is the body of an English
lady, who died l30 years since of cancer on
the lower jaw; the ravages of the disease are
still perceptible IN the liberated fesh
The eighth is the body of working man,
who has lain here for sixty years.
In marble sarcophagus, standing in the
middle of the vault, are said to repose the
mortal remains Of the Swedish Chancellor,
Van Englebechten but they are not permit
ted to be exposed to public view. on account
of some still surviving relatives of the family.
Each of these bodies retains TO great
degree the appearance peculiar to itself in
life. Thus the Swedish General was short
round faced man inclined to corpulency; his
aid-de-camp was slender, -proportioned
man, in the prime Of life. AS in general ar-
pcarance so also in facial expression do these
bodies differ: the parchmcnt-like skin, though
drawn tightly over the bones. still shows
something of the manner in which the mus
cles beneath once worked.
The only reasonable solution Of the pecu-
liarity of this result for no other part Of the
church possesses it) that l have heard, is,
that here all the plumbers work of the build
ing was executed, in melting and otherwise
preparing the materials for the roof We
can only suppose, then, that the entire cham
Der became so surcharged with lead, that it
has continued every since to give forth vapors,
which, forming an antiseptic chemical COM
pound OF lead, have operated upon the cada-
vera exposed to its influence.