Norfolk day book. [volume] (Norfolk and Portsmouth Va.) 1868-1880, 1869-09-06
An Important Discovery

"A New Method Of Preserving the Hu-
man Body-A Rival of Prof. Gangee.
A correspondent Of the London Athe-
naum, writing from Naples, give some
interesting information respecting the
means employed by Professor Abbate, of
that city, for preserving the human
body. He says: 4,.a,.s.n I'd,
"Some secret similar to DR.. Abbate's
has existed for a long time, as all tray,
elers who have visited Florence proba-
bly, well know. Ia the cabinet of Ply
Biological Anatomy, in Santa Maria
Novella, there, are preparations of por-
lions 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-eonuent Of Santa Maria della
Move, lie the entire body Of a youth Of
seventeen years of age, who died Of
phthisis about the end of last January.
For i've months therefore,it has resisted
the action OF a very variable atmosphere.
The features, the integrity Of the form,
are perfectly preserved as they were at
the moment Of the death. The nails
have a roseate hue; there is no odor Of
any kind, and the flesh has the hardness
almost Of marble. 70 this let It be adj
ded that the hair adheres so tenaciously
to the head that it is impossible to re- 7.
move it, of course without violence The
operation of embalr ing or petrifying is
effected 10 few hours, without the me-
cessity of rem owing the dress; indeed AN
other body has been petrifed, according
to the same system, without taking off
the dress and even preserving the gloves
on 'sWe know says alnedical gentle
man, not an Italian, to whom I am inai
debtcd for these details, &" that some
gentlemen in Naples, after having prov
ed what we have stated, have made an
alteration in their wills, imposing it as
an obligation to 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, a 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 ap-
plication of it which it would not pre-
sent themselves in the petrification of
human bodies, such as the danger of in
Producing substances injuriouslte health,
or affecting the taste, the appearance,or
the nutritive qualities of the meat. All
these difficulties Abbate declares he has
overcome, and it is known fact that
6rst-rate house in ITALY, whose COM
mercial relations with the Americans
are considerable, has already made Of,
fers to Abbate on the subject. If 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 Eu-
rope fresh and good an inestimiable. boon
will have been conferred upon humani-
ty. 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. Dur-
ing his life Abbate has no intention of
making known the secret of his discover
ry, but he is prepared to visit any part
Of the world which he may be requested |
RI visit ond chour tho rorulf, of hia in.
vention. !" saigsgt,55 fla ''', ,, tl',','1