Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1858-11-18
9ailg Tirgiaiau.
From the French.
DEATH BY pRTRIFAcTIoN.
4 Fraser Rirer Miner Turning TO Quarts-Th
Ihsf Mortem Eeam ination.

'"''''
Post Nortem Examination.
FoRr LANGLEY, ON FRAsER RIVER, June 10. 1858.
The circumstances which accompanied the death
of one Of my comrades arc 80 remarkable that
hasten to make them known; not only as useful
warning to others, but a. presenting facts uf the
highest scientific interest
Deceased was one Of my companions Prussian
by birth. called Ernest Nuterspiegel. He accom-
panied me In my projected expedition from San
Francisco to Fraser River mines.
On arriving Mt Fort Langley, from information
received from tho employees of tho Hudson's Bay
Company. decided on account Of tho swollen
condition of the river. to depart from the
ordinary route and by passing nlong lake lIarri
son, and thence by lanolct river, gain tho gold
gions.
In passing this long lake, II storm compelled us
to encnmp on u little stream which desccnds from
tho mountains, aud having plenty Of time, some
Of us examined tho bod Of the torrent to IL II
contained gold.
Our comrade Ernest, and another named Will
liam Picllor, having ascendcd some distance, and
MT finding gold, amused themselves by breaking
me goodies, which they found in abundance, for
tho purpose OF examining tho interior.
Geodes are round masses of quartz, containing
cavities lored with crystal, varying in size from
mn inch to two feet in dnmctcr. As found in ordi-
nary crystal, they sometimes contain Transparent
fluid, known to gcologists a. water of crysialixa-
small TO attract the attention only oi tho curl
GUS.
1t appears that Ernest, In striking ono Of the
geodes. detached piece which contained half .
pint Of water. Our unfortunate friend, with n
pleasantly upon the beauty Of the piece Of crystal
drank from il, At first he felt no effect but be-
fore reaching camp complained of violent pains
mp hcavincss in the region Of the cepigasrium and
lett lung.
lie came into camp sustained by his oompan-
ION, and hnd already then lost his speech. The
walk had been very warm and he had pcrsprcd
freely; but the natural heat Of tho skin had disap-
pcarcd, and drops Of cold sweat had covered his
body
We placed him upon n bed, mado applications
10 his feet, md rubbed him vigorously. We tried
10 make him drink some brandy, hut did not suo-
coed His pulse diminished scnsiby, his heart
beat violently, and hc died in about fifteen min
utes.
In removing the body wo observed rigidity
which is seldom seen in cases of sudden death Of
healthy men. But in the present instance the rig
idty, which commenced Immediately, increased
minute by minute and In two hours and hnlf tho
ndy wns us rigid and innexible "a II piece of
wood. Meantime tho muscles would yield be-
.eath pressure Of the fingers. Yet one felt y
lind of cracking crepitation, ~ II the small Gu
Hilary veins swcre in process Of congcnlalion or o.
,ifcation.
determined IN make post mortem examine
ion, and for this purpose remained In camp next
lay. In making an incsion
1t the point corresponding to the xyphoide carti-
age as far as the navel. and In penetrating the
iermc and abdomica muscles, the knifo made a
racking noise and found that the small blood
"ins had hardened and ossifed. In the stomach,
bdomen and duodenum were many hard masses
the size of hazel NUT and evidently of splenet-
q substances harder than quartz. This sodhca-
ion Of the entire contents of the stomach, OF the
limens and bile-in a word. their veritablo pctri-
ication, struck me with the greater astonishmcnt
- the walls of tho stomach appeared to be nat
lrnl state.
Tho heart preserved it's natural color; but it
vas hard ns, and strongly resembed piece Of
cd jasper. The yentrclc and
light ear contained in tho centre solid mass of
leep purple color which was evidently pctrifac-
on ofvshous blood; whila the left cavities rvaled
n color the ripest curbunccs
The principal blood vessels was as tough as pipe
tens, and in some the pctrtcd blood would
leing extracted in pieces affect the form Of the
al,cs which contained them.
In opening the chest tho lungs did not seem to
,e affected; their natural contractablity. owing
0 the elasticity of the Gbrous tissues which com
it, were found to contain tho rigdtp of the ca
illarics, firm and expanded.
The brain presented nothing extraordinary, ex-
'ept the pctrifaction Of the blood vessels.
The contents Of the lower ntestines not SOL
dfed; the tissues were remarkably exempt from
he spots Of blood which in ordinary cases settle
the walls Of blood vessels after death.
The unfortunate Ernest having been buried
he writer afterwards analyzed specimens taken
rom the body. The pctrified blood contained 81
lex In small quantities. lie concludes that the
seode contained an immense quantity of silex and
says:
believe it possible than slick, under the latent
nervous or electric force of human system, can
form new combinations in tho same manner AZ
oxygen according to the researches of faraday
and Schonbcin) under the power Of electricity, as
sumes new nature and becomes capable of en-
tering into other combinations to which, in ts
dnary state, it is a stranger.
FREDERICK LITcHrENBERoER N. D., PH, D.