New-York daily tribune., 1858-08-17
. 49,. .svBs c.r, -sns, .::Ht-g t. the ,:s:..


he comp ptrior, bu. bef,rs :e.ca1g i c1no.nsi Q;
Of pain ard we1h. in re e?s"trc AID le-- ~
poononarsc regiops>
On arriving, wiiA tse az OF his compsuioa, hs 50
Already speechl<ss. de lad been much nss.sc ~
t5e yak and had psrspired freely, b1t he L.'7rsl
warmth Of he sk.n wts 70 gor7, SAD coid oescs o.
swe.t covered his face k-ch s2-ned. tu. not gisss
ing the cause Of his Illness lsid h-a Z bed, applied
M Tad poultices 70 hs Zee. sr1 Cssd vigorous frc
ton All attempts 10 make Iin sE.lo " sone brandy
were fluitlsss lis p-lss was feeble ne ne 81 pea
vL violent but vs.y irrega-Ar scticr, ed e ab,u:
fif.een uin1tes ne expired.
On Questioning kis corpsni1n g 70 me n.ansr II
wt - Erpest mad beer attacked, Le rtJrmed me- tlst
he "a drank sone water .rorn sct1lss! sfeg, sd
concluded hat he hsdsFsIo ~et soe mineral poison
though could conceive OF none wnic1 wouh nsye
acted with such rapidly, snd With such peculiar
syu,ptouls Upon removing the body, and a-en2.cg
prope.ly to dispose the Limbs sr u usual rgdty vas
sbseryed In vigorous msr 8 is very uncommon 70.
| the rigor npr,s 10 sQqesr io1usfisteiy following
s,ro..ic death where tee oeDsrence s sudden lsee
Won Bbrs LeJer are X ~ fe5 itd ZLsnt but n ,ois
case the rgidty set il 81 orce snt Increased n11e
by uninute rnt in ths course NJ two 1ouis s11 ts
the whole BODY became a. stiff and inhsx bic ss
bosrd Tne muscles, however, were Still capable o.
| receiving al indsn.stion made ~ the h1geEs, bat
sf,rded cracking sensation or crepits.on on being
pressed, as if the minute cspEsries were II sae OF
| con ge lston ossifcstion.
AZ the Gaze seemed TO very e1.rsordinary ore,
a. once resolved 10 Ls.u.s post nortsm sxanns-
ton and f1r this purpose remained II camp over toe
sorle poisonous substance Contained u tie Rster
Of the geods proceeded examine the stomsc1 and
duodeDum. On making sn incslon from point oppC-
site the typhoid cartilage ~ the uLoLcus through
the skip superficial fsscs and abdominal muscles tEs
Knife gave a grating sensation, snd, applying lsrs
Of dunn power observed tast the smaller blood
vessels were soEd snd apparently ossided. Iae
stomach and duosenum were then removed from TIE
abdomen and on sitting them open WITH the sn.ero-
tome / founo several hard MISSES OF the nzs OF =
hazel nut looking like gsl-stones, and evidently com
posed OF hillary nstter but as hard SO tao ha:iSss
Quartz, Evidences OF fOO1 aso existed and isrSo
mag containing foeTs Of muscle and humps OF un-
digssed potatoes nodded TO the form Of the sntrum
pyor were taken ou., Of the like sold.y TINS solid,
itcaton Of the contents OF the stomach OF tae 1000
and the bie-their cOLveIHOD in fact, INTO stone,
struck me with aston shmept the 80 a. the coats
of the stomach appeared very nearly normal.
next made an opening into the cavity ofthe t1orax
With the coststome, AID pushing back the detached
sernum over the face, discovered the heart m str,
and Of 8 natural COLOR but II ives as hard SO and
strongly resembled piece Of red jaspsr e1hbihng
here and there those varied coors which give suco
beauty to that mineral. BY means OF snsl
hstchet separated the heart from its connections
with the sors pulmonary artery and vena csys, aud
with sorle difficulty able TO break it IN ple,es
The night ventrice and sufcle were composed cen
trally OF C. sold of a dHk purple color, which was
evidently the veuous blood petnfsd, while the left
chambers WED in the color Of their central portions
with the richest csrbupcle. The larger blood vessels
81 as rigid @ Pe a1o ont II rom fO 5s Gnses .ne
exhibiting beautiful moiding upon the valves OF the
latter The lungs noticed, on opening the cavity
OF the peurs not 10 be collapsed at ALL the usual
rsctibihy due to the elastic fbrous tissue in their
composition, being overcome by the iity Of the
cspillsies which kept them firm and expanded The
brain exhibited nothing extraordinary except the pet
rifaction Of the blood vessels.
The contents of the lower intestnes not soldi
fed, as might hsve been expected the tissues were
all remarkably free from the stan OF blood, wbic1ln
ordinary cases Iansudes through the coaH oi the
vessels after death.
Refore corsignng to the earth the body exhibiting
this truly unparalleled pathological condition. | Sc.
lected portions of the peIifed food aud bile, as well
az of the heart lungs and blood vessels for future in
yestigation and also az specimens for Preservation
first subjected portion of the petrifed blood TO ansy
sis The blow pipe had no effect whatever, and l
almost exhausted my supply of nitric, suphuric ana
acids In endeSvorng 10 ind al agent inst
would act upon it.
After various experiments, ard inasmucn az the pet
lifted blood exhibited somewhat vitreOus fracture,
prepared small quantity of huo hydric acid, by the
action of sulphufc acid on crystal OF tuor spar
which ] carried a standard of comparative hard
ress Of minerals, and this, to my great satisfaction
acted upon it rapidly. The contents OF the stomach
and the heart Glso yielded to this reagen and then
became satisfied that silica was st least contained IN
the pathological specimens under examination
therefore adopted the plan advocated IN No. xx., p
4 of Can stats Jahref berch for the separation OF
silica from its compounds Triturating some petrlhed
blood with four parts Of carbonate OF potassa imeed
the whole in plantinum crucole. This compound
treated with water at high temperature until solu'
ton Is formed, and by pouring small quantity OF tns
into q test glass, containing lew drops Oh hydro'
chloc acid beautiful and transparent Jelly was pre-
cpitated, which at once recognized as slhca scid or
silics.
The whole ques.io resolved itseii IN my MIND
The pathological specimens exhibited evidences OF the
presence OF silica OF TINS there was no o9upt' nao
amount though Henneberg (Anndien der Chemie, NO.
MI, .. 1897 obtained it in email quantities from
that fluid and traces Of II have also been found by
Van Laer and Bibrs in the bones and hair. IL how
ever was not probsble that silica would collect in the
body in such ousnty that could be ob aimed Tor
exhibition, aud consequently some external source
must have furnished the excess. therefore con-
eluded that the water OF TIE geode which my compsn
Ion had drunk contained an immense quantity OF sllcic
acid in nascent and soluble condition.; that on being
swallowed, II had entered into an uuususl combustion
with the corrugated acids of the bile setng as ansk
and with the albumiroee of the ingesta that II hSd
also been absorbed by the blood (see Simon Ch<miscke
| des MeGsehcnJ, and formed, perhaps, sihcste Of
abumen with that fluid acting in this case IS feeble
| acid, and that the result had been sicfcston or
Ietraction Of those substances for which i has most
| affinity.
But Why should the silica OF the geode acquire prop
ertes unknown before, and thus take hsbitudes
have endeavoIed TO lain this 20 myself the fol-
loving manner but venture the opinion with diff
dence aud willing submission 20 the criticism of the
scientific world: The man, Ernest, was 9 person OF
highly nervous temperament, exceedingly sensitive 70
mesmerc influence, snd, IL iact, had formerly been
subjected by Baron Rchenbach % numerous expert
ments. l have then thought it possible that silica
might take the power Of rew combinations under
an excess Of nervous electric force, latent in his
system, il the same manner as oxygel sccoripg 10
the researches of FIs6ay and ScAonbe.n, through
the influence OF electricity, assumes new nature uc
der the form Of o:0He and acquires power Of enter
ing into combinations which, IN rs ordinary condition
is absent. Whether this theory be the true one or
not the facts less astonishing Indicative CT
important results II will be seen thst the process
undergone by the different parts Urquestonab.y
cf ercs one; that new substance was produced
by the chemical union "a Others, thus istnguishng