Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1877-03-06
MARVELLOUS STORY.
A Man without "A ROnI-AlIeged X
suscitatiOn Os n Corpse.

physician, has long held that life
might be prolonged indefinitely in
some classes of patients; such, for
instance, as those who have suffered
no fatal LESSONS, but who are perish
ing from amemia or the degenera-
ton and production of proper
blood corpuscles. Until the 9th
day of last November he found no
one willing to accept as true his
seemingly visionary theory, but
having secured a suitable patient
for experimental purposes in the
person Of Mr.. Nathan Isaacs, a
near relative, by the way, of Baron
Rothschild, he Immediately pro-
ceeded to demonstrate the truth of
his hitherto unsubstantiated asser-
tions. Mr.. Isaacs was dying of an
anemic disorder, and having heard
of DR.. d'Alembert's theory, he sent
for him on the date above men
toned, having discharged his fam
lily physician, and placed himself
wholly under the care of Dr. d'A.
Upon his arrival, DR.. dAlembert
found his patient at the point of
death, and the more strongly to
demonstrate the tenability of
his belief, he determined to
allow Mr.. Isaacs to expire before
trying his experiments. No stimu-
lants being administered, Mr.. Isaacs
quietly breathed his last on the
morning Of November II at 4:3O
o'clock, DR.. dA., who slept in
the house, having been informed of
this fact by one of the nurses, i'm
mediately placed the body in the
box CONSTRUCTED with double walls
packed with charcoal) and entirely
covered with pounded ice, and then
had it removed to his office, where
in the presence cf Drs, Dupuy,
Diem, Ettieune and Record (the
two latter members of the Academy
of Science) he had the body removed
from the box, wiped thoroughly
dry and placed on a table, the top
of which was formed of plate Of
glass two inches in thickness. The
Paris Revue Medicale describes
the results Of the experiments as
follows: Two assistants then began
with dry friction to shampoo the
entire surface Of the body. This
being thoroughly done, the doctor
made an incision, reaching to the
spine at the first vertebra, and
buried there a smooth copper plate
attached to one wire of an electric
battery. The incision was neatly
sewed up to hold the plate in place,
and the cicatrix covered with col
lodion or other tincture of gun
cotton. Another copper plate
connecting with the same pole
of the battery was buried at
the base of the skull, and still a
third, of zinc, connected with the
opposite pole of the battery, was
buried in similar manner at the
base of the sturnum. Everything
being in readiness, an almost i'm
perceptible stream of electricity
was turned on, and so gradually
increased that it was fully all hour
before any twitching of the muscles
could be discovered. At intervals
of five minutes the tongue was
moistened with an elixir composed
Of cognac brandy $50 per cent.
proof, which had been rectifed SIX
times through filters Of sand, char
coal and felt. The tongue and
fauces were moistened with lime
juice and water to prevent excoria-
tion of them by the strength of
the liquor. AT the end of an hour,
as above stated, a slight tremor Of
} the muscles became discernible;
and at the end of the second hour
very minute globules of perspira-
tion could be seen with the magni-
flying glass upon the glands of the
throat, axill@ and groins. At this
point artificial perspiration was be.
gun and kept up. Toward the
close of the third hour the flesh had
a moist feeling, the entire surface
Of the body being covered with a
light Precipitation. From this stage
we deem 1t best tp copy verbatim
the diary of DR.. d'AlembepLl
Fourth Breathing being
established, artificial respiration
was discontinued, Time between
exhalation and inhalation Of the
breath, twenty seconds, though
growing more natural.
Fifth Hour-6ligbt pulse; breath.
ing all right; on forcing open the
eyes, pupils found very much di-
lated eyes not CLASSY.
Sixth Hour Lett in charge oil
attendants while physicians were at
dinner, no reliable notice of prog
Ress taken.
Seventh Hour-Still improving
pulse regular, though very weak
eyes open and shut of themselves,
Eighth Hour Stimulation Of
brandy discontinued, strong egg
nog of goats milk being substituted;
steady progression.