New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-01-11

ing it, and lifting it to her lips she drank,
first to the health Of her husband, then Uo
the unmarried friends in the room, wishing
them shortly to be happy brides like her
self, and drained the glass, all being done
SO quickly that no one had time to interfere
or to think that any consequences mlgh'
follow.
At first it was thought that no harm was
done, and it was considered line joke, anC
much merriment was made. But in few
minutes the youthful bride complained OF
excessive pain in the stomach, and she
began to realize the rashness Of her action
A messenger was sent in haste for her nus
band and myself Mr.. Hallers Office being
near my own, we received the message al
most simultaneously, and We rapidly drove
| together in a buggy to his house. When we
! arrived she was dead, PERIOD OF hftee1
minutes having elapsed from the time Of
| taking the fatal draught to the time of e1
! tinction of life They were just laying hei
out on our arrival. To my surprise found
she had grown in that short period so
rigid as TO render it difficult 10 stralghte1
| her limbs. In the course of three fourths
of an hour jher entire body became as
hard and as intiexible as bone.
i pass over the grief and CONSERVATION OF
| the husband ana the family as something
too sacred for remark. cCnfniDg myself ex
clusively to the scientific facts. II was
plain that. something akin TO Justification
had taken place. On more minute examina.
Iion and inquiry l found that the dissolved
silica she had taken into her stomach had
been absorbed and transmitted by the
chylopoletic apparatus and blood vessels
| throughout the system, and tina. her whole
body was petritcation.
The case being SO singular and so sudden,
tie husband and the brides family con
sented TO a partial post mortem examina-
ton, other medical men coming to my
| assistance. We found it impossible to cut
through any portion with our scalpelA. DIR.
Ferguson broke his scalpel in the first at
tempt. We were able only TO break through
the chest with Ratchet, finding extreme
difficulty in entering tho thoracic cavity.
the contents being all solidited. The heart
we found as firm and as solid as stone. and
resembling piece of cornelian as to both
color and consistency. Entering the alb
dominal cavity only by means OF repeated
blows of the Ratchet, We found the contents
OF the stomach, the food, the bile. the liver.
and other ueighboring organs soliditied. 1t
Is needless 70 say that we found it impOs-
sible to remove anything except in fractured
pieces. The arteries and veins were per-
fectly rigid. the blood ;tsel: being changed
to stone.
Having satisfied ourselves Of the stony
character OF the entire body and It's CON
tents, it was delivered TO the family and
inferred. Some suspicious having been
aroused that there might have beer poison
in the pitcher which held the silica solution,
all the witnesses have been sworn, and have
testified under oath.
NV first object was TO secure The remains
Of the solution of silica left in the pitcher,
there being about an ounce. which l care
fully put into a vial, corking loosely. Por.
tons of this have been variOusly tested,
the result each time showing simply a very
strong solution of silica and pure water.
The few drops which had been left in the
tumbler. exposed to evaporation, became
in short time a hard, clear concrete, re-
sembing flint or rather transparent quartz,
yielding sparks upon being struck against
steel.
The pathology OF this case. while it is
very striking, is very plain, although l
differ with my confreres in regard to the
final or ultimate cause. IL is we'll known
az a geological fact that petriiactions are
due to the infltration of silicious earth or
lime into the insterstitial spaces of the sub
stance undergoing tho process. 1t is well
known also, as physiological fact, that
various substances. usually medicinal
agents. when taken in the stomach are rap
IDLY conveyed to every portion OF the hu-
man body, in some instances in the space
of two minutes. In this instance the flint
OF quartz (calcerOus earth} was held IN So
luton and being swallowed was rapidly
conveyed every where throughout the body,
filling the interstitlal spaces, and the neces-
sary result was almost instantaneous petri.
faction. solidifying the tissues and ending
in d saith, the process being that OF inf..va.
ton.
This is the geological view, and while IL is
s,> la rIAll g., tc~
plain why SO small an amount OF the sOln.
ton should petrity so large body and
should do So in such a brief time. do not
believe that OIL the hypothesis Of infltra-
ton alone pet,ifaction would take place SO
rapidly. There is no doubt of the absorb
ton of the dissolved silica, and @. its rapid
conveyance to every part Of the body, but
that the petrifactien is owing to the infil-
tration l can not admit. 1t must be ex-
planned upon different hypothesis.
1t is well known by physiologlsts that
those proteine mpounds-albumen fibrin.
casein and gluten are the proximate or Or
ganic elements which constitute the com
ponents Of the human body. The proteine
are formed by carbon. HYDRO
gen, nitrogen and oxygen in definite proper
tons. according to my distinguished coun-
tryman, Professor KOlliker, thus: carbon
forty, hydrogen thirty-One, nitrogen five and
oxygen IW6lNt, tdCh uaNiuS inherent
amount of phosphorus and sulphur; this
forming so many molecules
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 silica enters the cir
culation, and is distributed throughout the
capilaries. it parts with it's oxygen. and
each atem Of silicon being set tree, combines
with a protelne Molecule. The proteine
molecules which form respectively the
the tibrin. the casein and the
glnten, at once change these organic ele-
ments into what might be termed petrifac-
tive elements, destroying, as it were, the
vital germs, and substituting inorganic pro-
Tenacious principles. submit this as the
most philosophical rationale to all inquiries
In conclusion would say that have in
answered all correspondents who
have sought information from me in regard
10 this case, who have written in q candid
searching after the truth. and who |
do not seem to wiite out CT mere idle curl
osity. One correspondent went so far as to
ask whether the body could be obtained for
exhibition offering q large sum of money.
Such unteeling wretches are not worthy of |
being replied to. will add that may be
still! addressed az Marksvllle, Louisiana.
bus that after the first of March shall be |
Tor the greater part OF the next year at
Parchim. IL the province of MeckienbUrg-
Schwevin.
$. GHWYWR JORSCNK, MD,
T. S--That this case is not altogether |
will cite passage from DR.. |
Austin Flnts recent Treatise upon the |
Practice of Medicine page tifty-two:
A change in composition. due to the de. !
posit of earthly salts. in more or less album |
lance, constitutes what is called culcareous |
tcgeneratton. Qualification or cretefaction |
As just stated, this is apt to supervene mp |
N the atheromatous deposit in the large |
arteries and within the heart, leading in |
he latter situation to various determinations |
If the valves. The term Justification is in |
General incorrectly applied to this change
'lrcaow prefers the name pehf.faction.