The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1874-01-16

| 1ear6 we 1OuQu as nrm ana SOLID q
stone, resembling a piece of cornelia
as to both color and consistency. En-
tering the abdominal cavity only b
means of repeated blows of the hatchei
we found the contents of the stomach
the food, the bile, the liver and othe
neighboring organs solidifed. It
needless to say that we found it impos
sible to remove anything except in frac
tured pieces. The arteries and vein
were perfectly rigid, the blood itsel
being
CHANG ID To STONE.
Having sati fed ourselves of th,
stony character If the entiIe body ant
it's contents, it was delivered to th,
family and inferred. Some suspicious
having been aroused that there NIGH
have been poison in the pitcher whicl
held the silica solution, all the witness
es have been sworn and testified under
oath.
Ny first object was to secure the re
mains of the solution of silica left il
the pitcher, there being about an ounce
which carefully put into q vial, cork
ing closely. Portions of this have beer
variously tested, the result each
time showing simply very strong So
luton of silica in pure water. The
few drops which had been left in the
tumbler, exposed to evaporation, be-
came in short time hard, clear con-
crete, resembling flint, or rather trans
parent quartz, yielding sparks on being
struck against steel.
THE CAUSE OF THE PETRIFACTIoN.
The pathology in this case, while it
&C. 1H,,sL1
I differ with my confreres In regard to
the final or ultimate cause. It is well
known as geological fact that petrifac-
tions are due to the infltration of SLICE
Gus earth or lime into the interstitial
spaces of the substance undergoing the
process. It is well known also, as a
physiological fact. that various substan-
ces, usually medical agents, when taken
into the stomach are rapidly conveyed
into every portion of the human body,
in some instances in the space of two
minutes. In this instance the flint of
quartz (calcareous earth) was held
in solution and being swallowed
was rapidly conveyed everywhere
throughout the body, filling
the interstitial spaces, and the
necessary result was almost instantane-
GUS petrifaction, solidifying the tissues
and ending in death, the process being
that of infiltration.
This is the geological view and while
it is in the main correct, it wholly fails
to explain why so small an amount of the
solution should petrify so large body
and should do SO in such a brief time.
I do not belive that on the hypothesis
of infiltration alone petrifcation would
take place so rapidly. There is no
doubt of the absorption of the dissolved
silica and of its rapid conveyance to ev-
cry part of the body, but that the pet
rifcation is owing to the infltratiOn I
cannot admit. 1t must be explained
upon
DIFFERENT HYPOTHESIS.
It is we'll known by psychologists that
those proteine compounds-albumea,
fribrin, casein and gluten-are the
proximste of organic elements, which
constitute the components of the human
body. The proteine compounds
are formed by carbon, hydrogen
nitrogen and oxygen in definite
proportions, according to my Gistin-
guished countryman, Prof. Kolliker,
thus: G 40 H 81 N o II, each having
a different amount of phosphorus and
sulphur; this combination forming so
many malecules.
Now silica is compound of oxygen
and silicon. In a very small amount
of silica the number of atoms of silicon
is immense. The very moment the 81
lica enters the circulation and is dis
tributed throught the capilliaries it
parts with its oxygen, and each atom of
silicon being set free, combines with a
proteine molecule. The protejne mole
cules which form respectively the albu-
men, the fribein, the casein and the glu-
ten, at once change tn Sc organic ele-
ments into what might be termed petri-
factive elements, destroying, as it were,
the vital germs, and substituting NOR
ganic protemaceeus principles. l sub
NIT this as the most philosophical ra-
tionale,
TO ALL INQUIRERS.
In conclusion, I would say that I have
invariably answered all correspondents
who have sought information from me
in regard to this case who have written
in candid manner searching after the
truth, and who did not seem to write
out of mere idle curiosity. One cor
respondent went so far as to ask
whether the body could be obtained for
exhibition, offering large sum of mon
ey. Such unfeeling wretches are not
worthy of being replied to. will add
that I may still be addressed at Marks
vile, La, but that after the 1st of
March shall be for the greater part of
next year at Parchim, in the province of
Mecklenburg- -Schwerin.
s. GHYwR JoRsDHK, M. d.
P. S.-That this case is not altogeth-
er anomalous, I will cite passage from
DIR. Austin Flint recent Treaties upon
the Practice of Medicine" page 81:
A change in composition, due to the
deposit of earthly salts, In more or less
abundance, constitutes what is called
caIcareouS degeneration, calcification
or creteraction. AS just stated, this is
apt to suCervene upon the atheromatous
deposit in the large arteries and within
the heart, leading in the latter situation
to various determinations of the valves.
The term ossifcafion is in general in
correctly applied to this change. Vir-
chow prefers the name petrydcttOn.
The italics are the authors own. Fur
ther down on the same page he adds:
I have met with an old case of pleuri-
tbs in which the plura had become hard
ened by calcareous deposit to such an
extent that it was removed entire, with
several quarts of liquid which it con
tanned, and when opened and the liquid
remomoved it did not collapse, but re-
tanned the form of solid box.
This was evidently case of partial
petrifaction, not extending throughout
the entire system, and not to any vital
parts so as to produce immediate death.
S. G. J.
Arn1nr