The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1856-08-31

pu.ey examined and found be stone The bones Of he
moyeseie their stony encassmens re negg
The s.bsance the Appeared 70 have undergone but
lite hangs IRON s e. ms immersed IN ss ne 00ay
In this case the supposed conversion into stone
observed IN the muscular or eshy parts the bones
amoveabe their stony encasements' the skin OF os
seous parts had entirely disappeared" The entire de-
scrptou Is strictly applicable to human bodies which
have been changed aaipocre and the properties Of
adipocrc are such as to mislead those who
auanted with the change 10 which animal substances
liable to the belief thai petraeton has occurred The
have been mmcrssd that 10 which the chemical trans
formation The removal of human remains from
church yards 10 rural cemeteries which is OF frequent
occurrence now has brought bodies converted into adp
ocire TO the Of unscientidc individuals who have
published descriptions OF them petrfactions An
animation OF the specimen exhibited will show how
easily the deception may occur. There cannot be any
doubt .nat al o. human
named adipocre by Fourcroy-a substance with
whose properties scientific individuals generally are ami
lar, nom actual observation or published descriptions
A knowledge Of the properties OF adipocire en-
ables 10 explain the change OF position Of
dead bodies in graves, and the supposed "turnng
Of persons buried aive witch have led to pc ular
belief that bodies turned buried before death
cured THIS changed position has been observed ia the
skeleton ton OF the adpocire and dts
appearance of all the soft parts and In one instance which
came under my own observation, relative Of the de
before the The body Of another relative OF the
individual discovered at the same time floating
cire baa been formed furnished to my mind
the explanation OF change OF post Oh, when mad Deen
referred to voluntary motion during the agony
OF dying in the grave. Before adipocire Is formed ~
graves the collins fef with water after they nave
become water,ight from the swelling OF the wood nom
contact with water IN this huid the BODY ater s con
into adpocire floats rs has been observed 10 tns
town; and as the water escapes wnen Inc conn
of water diminishes IN dry seasons, the
body, as Il settles down, takes various positions,
according to the parts which first in contact with
he
raj parts which placed in new positions while hoatng
nnS &c TSry rom s &c s s os
observed, then, that the specific gravity OF adipocire
is sufficiently below that OF water y allow lhe whole
be given 10 IT, which misunderstood and in all cases
referred to voluntary turning after interment.
after all the soft parts had disappeared and in the case
already referred TO- the upper part Of the body AMI head
elevated and inclined - side TAT from the po
sItion back body had been Inferred 10 the
turned position the bones resting in tue earth aud
that interment had been made PRIOR to DEATH The es-
cape Of gases generated during decomposition was for
merry supposed to be the cause Of turning Of dead
bodies the specific gravity OF adipocre and the different
specific gravity OF different portions OF the body, from
more lees complete conversion into adpo;ire from
200 500 TO /, Will furnish more satisfactory and
doubtless the true explanation Of the change OF position
is not the design OF this paper to furnish description
simply 10 ca attention to the 60 called periled human
bodies and The turning OF Inferred bodies facts inter
estng scientifically or as furnishing the explanation Of
phenomenon which has too often been the occasion OF
grief to tie friends and relatives OF those whose
bodies lave been moved from The positions 10
which they deposited in the grave. Adj
pecire has not attracted much attention for several
years past The experiments OF Doctor Gbbes reported
In the sPhlosophca Transact 3ns Tor 1924 and 1885,
seemed conclusive 10 the formation OF this substance
from brin An excellent article on its chemical relations
has been published 10 The Transactions OF the Anefc-a
Philosophical Society,"" from tine pen Of Charles 81.
Wether Phi. n " H., OF Philadelphia, read Ja1 70, 1890
Further observations are neccssary but simple exsri
minaon of body before the adpocre has been mu Ii de-
posed and While the bones encased by il, would
every the belief Of the truth Of the early
theory OF formation. viz, that II is changed hbrin
Fat Il not 81 icieaty abundant in any human body TO
form such OF adipocre. Further. 10 one cse-
the noatipg body referred TO abovc-thc individual died
OF consumpuoa oiseasc Is well known in which the
fat Is largely absorbed. The specimen Tor exhibition and
examination before tho association vas obtained from
grave opened IN churchyard the lsth Of September
1850 II is portion Of human body inferred seventeen
years previously. The person. female, was about
seventy years sgc at death. The aipocire was con-
paratvciy dry. In another the con hlled with
water, containing the floating body seven years alter ia
Interesting remarks we're made this paper BY Profs.
HoKsFuRD and GiERlSs.
Trof scr.rfEg Of Cincinnati sail he knew OF al
Cincinnati where gentleman ad had occasion TO dsiner
his wife some time burial he found her body quite
perhed The circumstance had been kept quiet for fear
2! ALARMING n ss fh seSS : ~ a'' IKE TINS as
one cFlIEp ANNALS.
The PAPER order by Professor AG ,ssIZ. II
the third and concluding portion Of his communal
ton on animal developemen being sketch Of oneceed
animals.
dc said that thirty years had elapsed Schwsn had
discovered that the tissues OF animals and were tue
same and were all composed OF cells Ever since that
tine the investigation OF the similarity had been the cnier
object OF physiological study. Aoout twelve years ago
fret suggested that there might be animals well
plants consisting Q. one cell only Now, there was no
point physiology OF sreater importance Obtain
ting insight the character and fur cons OF cells
II ever was shown that cell was an orgsnized beng
with power OF reproducing ITSELF with specific character
all it, own, the importance OF cells In animals VIII IA ars
composed Of many cells would at once become far greater
than u ever has been We proceed In tao opposite ti
recions 70 recognise the importance Of individual cells in
the economy o. animated beings and hence must
AK the queston--are there any celled animals
The botans have proved thai there are one cced ats
Thwate has shown thai there eSist one ceed al which
combine and reproduce new Individuals Of their species
10 doubt les therefore OF the existence OF one
celied plants Bctanlsts in Munich in England and else
where had placed the fact beyond controversy that
there plants which bad but one cell during the whole
Of their existence. zoologhts-among others sebold-
had pursued the Investigations with reg ard TO ami
mails and had shown that certain organised beings exh
bited phenomena similar 10 the cecd plants. Unfor
tunatey, their In gcstgatons on these points had not
placed the matter beyond question: for they had not
proved that the beings In question were In reality animals
and not plants They take for granted that the iausora
IN which class they found their celed animals are
animals but that was disputed. He. Tor one did
beeve that there vas any group in the animal world 70
which the Of infG.oria could be properly applied
Brown has proved that many types shich were formerly
those nfusoria which have no aimentary canal must
be removed from the list Of anitnais aud re
stored TO the vegetable kingdom. Another iyison oy
uaeiia he had carefully examined and believed them
be molusks. There nothing len for nfusora but
hat class In which mouth and an almentary cana could
be desed and he had been enabled 10 these hacaed
from eggs laid by worms. They were, IN TACT mere EN-
bryos The presumption was that the three great groups
OF inlusoria must be removed from the animal Kingdom
Dana and Lebig bad 10 this conclusion from differ
ent eyidencehe from embr yoogfcal the other from
homoogoa evidence and thus tae whole Of the nfGsora
gene.
The learned Professor then reverted 10 the common
hens egg Of which he drew sketch on the black board;
and be observed that after augmentation (Which
division Of Tie yok 1rs into two then into more pars)
animal within detached itself from the covering OF
the yolk and revolvcd axis strange 10 say, pre-
cisey ike the solar bodies Of our system The abu men,
or white OF the egg slowly absorbed into the yok
the plastodcrrn inareasea breadth. TINS orig
nal discovery Of The speakers When he made this ds
coycry be haIpoped 20 be studying the family Of turtles
and he noticed the phenomenon there. IL occurred
In fact in all animals in whose eggs there was yolk
In the eggs OF turtles, In which the yok was
much smaller in proportion 10 the abumen than
in the iosl, the germ begins 10 develope the
moment the whole Of the albumen IL absorbed
into the yolk In few hours the yok expanded TIL II
aJlod he sbcu There ans wholesale introduction OF