The independent press. (Abbeville C.H., S.C.) 1853-1860, 1855-07-20
Petrifaction of Human Bodies.

LUZ AHierlcan MeQlcal Gazette tor Nav
contains the following curious account Of
the petritaction Of human bodies:
In the old Cathedral church of Bremen
IS vault, the atmosphere Of which possess
es the peculiar property of preserving from
decay, all bodies that may be placed therein.
Visitors are shown eight human bodies,
besides number Of cats, dogs, monkeys,
birds, DC, all of which, by mere exposure
to the atmosphere, have become dried and
free from all offensive effluvia; resembling,
III appearance, coarse parchment.
The body nearest The door is that of an
English Major, said to have lain here one
hundred and eighteen years.
The second is that of German student.
who lost his life in duel. The hard, dry
flesh still shows the sabre wounds on bis
throat and arm. His body has been here
ITO years.
The third is that of Swedish Countess,
whose body has remained free from the lot
Of common mortals for lao years.
The fourth that OF a Swedish General.
who was killed in the Thirty Years War"
and whose throat still exhibits the mark Of
the wound c: which. hs died
The fifth is that Of his aid-de-camp, who
lost his life at the same time, by cannon
ball striking him in the side. The destruc
ton of the parts is plainly visible.
The sixth body is that of a workman,
who fell from the steeple of the church
when near It's completion-four hundred
years ago-and broke his neck. Owing to
this accident, the peculiar properties of this
vault became known; for the body Of the
deceased workman was laid in this vault for
a few days, and having evinced no signs of
decomposition, the singularity of the fact
induced the authorities to permit it to re-
main, and here it has remained during all
that time.
The seventh is the body of an English
lady, who died 13O years since of canccr
on the lower jaw; the ravages of the dis
ease are still perceptible in the liberated
flesh
The eighth is the body of a 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 Englebretchen; but they are not per-
mitted to be exposed to public view, on ac-
count 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, well-propor-
toned man, in the prime Of life. AS in
general appearance, SO also in facial express
sion do these bodies differ; the parchment
like skin, though drawn tightly over the
bones, still shows something of the manner
in which the muscles beneath once worked.
The only reasonable solution of the pecu-
liarity Of this result (for no other church
possesses iO that l have heard, is that here
all the plumbers work Of the building was
executed, in melting and otherwise prepar-
ing the materials Of the roof. We can on
ly suppose, then, that the entire chamber
became so surcharged with lead, that it has
continued ever since to give forth vapors,
which, forming an antiseptic chemical com.
pound of lead, have operated upon the ca
davera exposed to its influence.
N. L. CAMPRELL, M. D.,
Surgeon Of the Stesmsuip Washington.