Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1860-01-26
Under tie Microscope.

Some years ago O. minute bit Of nondescript
something, looking more like fragment of an
old trunk, with all the hair worn off, than any
thing else, was sent to an eminent microscopic,
to determine what 1t was The microscopic
placed it in the field, and pronounced it to
be piece Of human skin-the skin of fair
man-covered with the hairs which grew on
the naked parts Of the body. Now, the frag.
ment had been taken from under nail on an
old church door, in Yorkshire, where, just one
thousand years ago, the skin of a Danish rob-
ber, who had CON mitted sacriege, aud been
fayed alive, had been nailed up, kitewiSe, as o
warning to all evil doers Time and weather
hal long ago destroyed all traces Of this
Danish Marsyas; but the tradition remained
in full force, when some one more anxious than
the rest, scraped away portion of the door
from under one of the nails, Transmitted the
same to a microscopic, aud printed the result
as we have given it.
Another time microscopy was made to play
even a more important part as evidence In q
certain late murder, where the victim had had
his throat cut, through both shirt and nccker
chief, the prisoner attempted TO explain away
the presence Of blood on a knife which was
assumed to have been the instrument of mur-
der, bg saving that he had cut some raw beef
with it, and forgotten TO wipe il afterwards
The knife, with the blood upon its blade and
shaft, was sent TO a microscopist. and the TO-
lowing was the chain Of facts which he educed
from it
/. The stain was blood.
2 1t was not the blood Of dead flesh Lut Of
a living body, for it had coagnlated where it
was found
8. 1t was not the MOOD of an OK, sheep or
hog
A. 1t vas human b'ood
5. Among the blood were mixed certa ia
vegetable fiberS
6 They were cotton fbers, agreeing with
those t the murdered mans shirt and neck
er chief, which had both been cut through.
!. Therh were present, aiso numerous tes-
selated epjtheljal cells
That is the cells Of the mucous membrane
(called epitheIial cellS) were tesselated. or
disposed like the stones Of a pavement, which
proved that they came from the lining of the
throat. For the mucous membrane Inning the
throat is composed Of teSSelated cells that
covering the roof of the tongue of columnar
cells or cell arranged in tall cones or cylinders:
anu tuiI itlltl- tue r.NCGl4 - NtiidLCl. tt CAt
rying small waving hairs at the tips. Thus,
the microscope revealed beyond doubt that
this knife had cut the throat OF a living h0ly.
which throat had been projected b7 a certain
cotton fabric The evidence Tailed SO exactIy
with the actual and Supposed condition Of
things that it was he'd to be conclusive, aud
the murderer was hung Without the micro
scope he might have escaped punishment al
together.
The hnman hli- Is q SinguarIy beautiful
thing to look at under the microscope 1t is
made Of successive layers or OVERLAPPING cells,
gradually tapcr;uG to a point like the thinncsi
and most iuf.itely twisted paper cone The
edges are ssrrated with shallow saw,Iike teeth:
j, IS perfectly translucent. and marked with
great many transverse liGeS, exceedingly irreg-
ular ani siuuouS Hogs bristies are more
Ike human hairs than any other animals; but
the sinuous lines are finer and closer. aud no
Slw teeth are visible at the edges The Gner
hairs Of tho horse and ass have the overlap
ping plates about as close as in the human
hair hat they are strkingly different IN tie al
rangement Of the meduIIa or pi,h.