Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1869-09-02
AN IMPORTANT DISCOVERY.
A New Method Of Preserving the HUI
man Body-A Rival Of Prof. Gamgee.

New Method OF Preserving the HUI
man Body-A Rival Of Prof Gamgee.
A correspondent of the London Athen-
@um, writing from Naples, gives some IL :
teresting information respecting the means
employed by Prof Abbate of that city for
preserving the human body. He says:
''Some secret similar to Dr. Abbate's has
existed 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 prepare
tions of portions of the human body
by DR.. Segato. The Grand Ducal
Government refused 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 Naples, in
the ex-convent of Santa Maria della Nuova,
is the entire body of youth of seventeen
years of age, who died of phthisis about
the end Of last January. For five months,
therefore, it has resisted the action of o
very variable atmosphere. The features,
the integrity of the form, are perfectly pre-
served as they were at the moment Of
death. The nails have roseate hue; there
is no odor of any kind; and the flesh
has the hardness almost of marble
To this let it be added, that the hair adj
heres so tenaciously to the head that
il is impossible to remove it, of course
without violence. The operation of en-
balming or petrifying is effected in few
hours, without the necessity of removing
the dress; indeed, another body has been
petrifed, according to the same process,
without taking off the dress, and even pre-
serving'the gloves on. We know says a
medical gentlem n, not an Italian, to whom
l am indebted for these details, that some
gentlemen in Naples, after having proved
what we have stated, have made alteration
in their wills, imposing 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 asserts
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 injurious
to health, or affecting the taste, the appear
ance, or the nutritive qualities of the meat.
All these difficulties Abbate declares he has
overcome; and it is known fact that Al
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 experience 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 inessimable
boon will have been conferred on humani-
ty. This our Professor asserts he can do;
and as he already has done so much, surely
his system deserves the attentive exanina-
ton of all scientific men. During his life
Abbate has 70 intention of making known
the secret of his discovery, but he is pre-
pared to visit any part OF the world which
he may be requested to visit, and show
the results of his invention,