The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1871-10-27
MtstelIaneons Selections.
THE CHEMISTS STORY.
BY DIR. ROSS WILSON.

/ am chemist. Many, doubtless,
would find it difficult to define what
the duties of a chemist are, if asked.
To such 1 say, a chemist is collec-
tor of facts. 1t is the business of
his life to aid in unmasking for the
worlds benefit, the good and evil
lowering in the air we breath, bur
rowing in the ground we tread,
with the food we eat, and
swimming in what we drink.
Then again, the law waits on the
chemist. A human being has passed
suddenly away. Somebody thinks
there is foul play. The chemist ex-
amines the body of the supposed
victim. The law listens hat in hand
to science. The suspected party
trembles in anticipation. The ora
cular lips of the chemist move; he
names one out of the fearful lists of
poisons. It is either strychnine,
prussic acid, or the deadly oil of bit
ter almonds. The law then puts on
its hat, takes the decision into court,
and hangs the prisoner.
In short the chemist must know
the why's and wherefores of every
thing in the phenomena of life, as
far as feeble man can know. The
composition of the ocean he must be
familiar with; he must be able to
name the gases of the air, and capa-
BILE Of resolving the human body it.
self into invisible vapors, l am the
occupant of this responsible and i'm
portant position in the Medical Col
lege of P
1t was about eleven O'Clock on a
stormy evening that l bade good
night to my student, Tom Richards,
at the door of my labratory at the
south end of the college building.
'Good night, Professor" said
Tom; "we are going to have fall
of hydrogen, oxygen, and trace of
saline"
Hydrogen and oxygen-in our
nomenclature H. O.-is water.
81 hope," l said, in answer to
Toms playful words, "that it will
not rain before I get home"
30, no; it won't for an hour yet," "
said Tom.
"Then" I said with a sigh, MOTTO
ing that the mercury in my barome-
ter was rapidly falling, a sign of a
violent storm, 81 shall certainly get
wet
Tom was very anxious to know
what would keep me up after twelve
o'clock; so l told him l was about to
commence analyzing the stomach OF
Mrs. johnson, whose husband now
lay in P. jail, just across the
road from the college, on suspicion
that he was the murderer. Tom
said l had worked hard enough that
day, and deserved the night to my
self. He spoke the truth. Still, ]
had delayed examining the woman'S
lso long, and the trial was so near al
lhand, that could not in conscienct
put off the examination further, al
though 1 had heard several classes
Irecite at the different public schools
lin the morning, had delivered lee
ture in the college proper that after
moon, and one in the labrPtory thai
evening, besides attending to my sev
eral duties as police surgeon during
the day.
AsTom was passing out ofthe col
Ilege yard, through the gate, his hesa'
turned, bidding me good night; h
brushed against man standing wit
Ihis back to the college and his fac
toward the prison. The street lam
showed me that the man was clad i
the police uniform.
Re-entering my labratory, | too
down a glass jar from a shelf, an
sat down before my sink to examin
It. The Jar which held Mrs. John
SONS stomach was covered by
cloth, duly tied with strings, an
properly sealed with my official sea
in red wax. Breaking through tn
cloth and seal, I lifted the stomac
out with dissecting hook, and lai
it Oh a little white platter before nj
then became busily engaged in al
plying those tests to its contents b
which re detected the presence {
injurious substances.
An hour had passed since the d'
parture of young Richards. l ha
carefully emptied the contents OF th
stomach into a number of bowls an
basins, 1 had labored hard to disco
er traces Of poison in all this tim