The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1869-08-26
An 8mpOrtaht Discovery--A New Ne
thOd Of Preserving the Human Body
"a Rival OF Professor Gamgee.

A correspondent of the London Athe-
nGun, writing from Naples, gives some
interesting information respecting the
means employed by Professor Abbatc, of
that city, for preserving the human body.
He says:
"Some secret similar to Abbate's has ex-
listed for a long time, as all travellers who
have visited Florence probably well know.
In the Cabinet of Physiological Anatomy
in Santa Maria Novella there are prepara-
tions of portions of the human body by Dr..
Serato. The Grand Ducal Government re-
fused to purchase the secret, which died
with Segato. His preparations, | repeat,
were only portions of the body, whereas
that which is now being exhibited in Ma
plies in the ex-convent of Santa Maria della
Nuova is the entire body Of q youth Of &C.
venteen years of age who died of phthisis
about the erd of last January. For five
months, therefore, it has resisted the action
of q very variable atmosphere. The fea-
lures, the integrity of the form, are per-
fectly preserved as they were ut the mo-
ment Of death. The nails have roseatc
hue: there is no odor of any kind and the
flesh has the hardness almost of marble.
70 this let it be added that the hair ad-
heres so tenaciously to the head that it is
impossible to remove it, of course without
violence.
1.-The operation of embalming or petrify-
inr ia effected in few hours without the
necessity of removing the dress. Indeed,
another body has been petritied according
to the same system without taking off the
dress, and even preserving the gloves on.
we KNOW says a medical gentleman, not
an Italian, to whom / am indebted for these
details, that some gentlemen in Naples,
after having proved what we have stated
have made an alteration in their wills, i'm
posing it as an obligation on their heirs that
they shall apply the system of Abbate to
their bodies in the event of their dying
before the Professor
'This discovery has, however, more
practical and more important phase-that
is, in preserving meat fresh. Abbate as
serts he has succeeded completely. There
are difficulties in this special application of
it which would not present themselves in
the petrifaction of human bodies, such as
the danger of introducing substances inju-
rious to health, or affecting the taste, the
vi VIC iiuSlltifS HeiaiiAiSS VI thS
meat. All these difficulties Abbate declares
he has overcome and it is known fact that
first-rate house in Italy, whose CONNER
cial relations with the Americans are con-
siderable, has already made offers to Abbate
on the subject. Should it be proved by ex-
perience to be true that the wholesome food
of man-which is now thrown away in vast
districts as utterly unavailable, or is only
melted down for the sake OF the fat-can by
simple and inexpensive means be exported
TO Europe fresh and good an inestimablc
boon will have been conferred on humanity
This our Professor asserts he can do; and
as he already has done so much, surely his
system deserves the attentive examination
of all scientific men. During his life Alb
bate has no intention of making known the
secret of his discovery,fbut he is prepared
to visit any part of the world which he may
be requested to visit, and show the results
of bis invention" ;"