Washington sentinel. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1856, 1855-05-05
petrifactiou OF Human Bodies.

The American Medical Gazette for May con
tains the following curious account Of the petri-
faction Of human bodies:
In the old Cathedral Church of Bremen is a
vault, the atmosphere Of which possesses the
peculiar property Of preserving from decay all
bodies that may be placed therein.
Visitors are shown eight human bodies, be-
sides number Of cats, dogs, monkeys, birds,
&c, all of which by mere exposure to this at
mosphere, have become dried and free from all
offensive effiuvia; resembling in appearance,
coarse parchment.
The body nearest the door is that Of an Eng.
lish major, said to have lain here one hundred
and eighteen years.
The second that Of German student, 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 ITO years.
The third is that Of Swedish Countess,
whose body has remained free from the lot Of
common mortals for l40 years.
The fourth that of Swedish General, 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 aide-de camp, who lost
his life at the same time, by cannon ball
striking him in the side. The destruction Of
the parts is plainly visible.
The sixth body is that Of workman, 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 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 il 10
remain, and here it has remained during all
that time.
The seventh is the body OF TN Engli kdy,
who died l30 years since Of cancer on the
lower jaw; the ravages Of the disease are still
percepible in the liberated flesh.
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 NOR
tai remains Of the Swedish Chancellor, Van
Englebrecbten but they are not permitted to
be exposed to the public view, on account OF
some still surviving relatives Of the family
Each Of these bodies retains TO great de.
gree the appearance peculiar to itself in life.
Thus the Swedish Generul was short round
faced man inclined to corpuIency; his aid-de
camp was slender, wellproportioned man, in
the prime of life. As in general appearance,
50 also in facial expression 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 peculi-
arity 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 building
was executed, in melting and otherwise pre-.
pairing the materials for the roof. We can only
suppose, then, that the entire chamber became
so surcharged with lead, that it has continued
ever since to give forth vspors, which, forming
an antiseptc chemical compound Of lead have
operated upon the cadavea exposed to its in
fluence.
N. l.. CAMPBELL, NJ D.,
Surgeon Of the Steamship Washington.
New YoRK, April 20, 1855.