The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1874-06-25

"You see, DOCTOR" he said, |" am
studying the human heart and its vital
forces. and you can understand how
necessary it is that life exist in it for
the purposes of a satisfactory investiga-
tion. L am now heating this poker to
a white heat, and Ishall slowly approach
your heart with it, and particularly
note its pulsations, until, by plunging
the hot iron into it, it ceases to beat.
Ah, that will be splendid triumph for
science. Harvey discovered the circu
lation of the blood, but he never ran q
red-hot iroh into living human
heart"
1t was the awful moment of all my
existence when he drew that iron from
the fire at white heat and began slow
ly descending its point to my naked
breast and heart, which would soon
cease to beat, as the white-heated, hiss
ing iron would be buried in its CULVER
ing valves. o, my reader, may you
never have such q moment of intense
agony, not even when you rise on the
morning of that last day.
"Ah, me, said he, suddenly, "I had
forgotten most important part of the
investigation. Have you pulsimeter
desire to note the exact pulsation OF
your heart"
A ray of hope lit up my soul at this
inquiry, as a slender chance of saliva.
tion presented itself, just as drowning
men catch at straws, and replied
"Yes, doctor, you will find very fine
one in that closet to the right the dool
has a combination lock turn the knot
three times forward and twice backward
and it will be unlocked. You will fine
the pulsimeter on the upper shelf"
In this closet had a wonderful skele
ton, so arranged with strong spring:
and connection with the door and lock
that any one opening the door by the
knob would be caught in the arms o.
the skeleton, and held with an iror
grasp, so that no man of ordinary
strength could break away.
The maniac placed the iron again tc
the stove to regain its white heat, ant
went to the door, turning the knob a!
Ihad directed him. In my young days
had practiced ventriloquism, and JUS
as he opened the door and the skeleton
grasped him in its cold, deathly EN-
brace, 1 threw my voice into it's rattlin@
jaws and exclaimed in a sepulchra
tone:
"Ah, my fine fellow, I have you a
last, have L? One by one gather yoI
in Come with me. I'll give you some
practical demonstrations of SCIENCE
With an unearthly yell of terror HI
broke away in his great strength from
the skeleton, and with deathly frigh
in his formerly cleaning eye he rushed
with streaming hair down the steps
and the slamming of the front doc
came family up to me, and then knew
no more until the servant girl cam,
home, and, searching for me, found M
tied upon my dissecting table, from
which she rescued me, and I slowly re
covered from the fearful nervous strain
About one month after this occurrence
[ saw an account of body having beel
found in the water at one of the Eas
, River docks. The inquest was "Deat
By drowning" supposed to be acciden
tai or suicidal. The body was taken t
! the Morgue for recognition. The de
scription attracted my attention L wen
, to see it, and requested that if not re
, cognized and claimed I might have th
body for the dissecting room, as it wa
such a fine specimen and now hav
, in my room the magnificent skeleton c
, John Dalhousie, M. D., No. Z
/ Lombard street, London, for the bene
! fit of science.