The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1878-08-14
DEAD.

OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES DEAD.
Extraordinary Results of q New
Chemical Process Bodies Kept
IN GOOD Condition for Months
by One Applicaiion OF . Liquid
@Deeomposition Entirely. Pre-
vented, or Arrested Alter Il has
Begnn.isE ,diiO ago .stb 80 10.
From The New York Post idea 1r
A new method ioE- The. preservation Of
the human body after death has lately
been employed in this city with astonlsh.
ing results. It had previously been tried
in San Franci.co and 81; Louis. bu. only
. slisht degree Of publicity wa given TO
the experiments, Ia this city the mat.
ter has purposelya been keptofrom the
press until arrangements for the general
use Of the process were perfected. These
details having been adjusted, the inyen.
tor Of the method aud his Igents are now
willing that, the fullest Information on
the subjsc.shopld be given on the public.
The author Of this discovery, IL iDr.
Samuel Rodgers, iateiy Of San Frauci.co.
In conversation yesterday Afternoon With
representative Of the Evening POsi he
said that he bad been practisiPg ply.
sicin for eighteen years, and during the
last eleven years, had given much atten-
ton 70 the study 81 chemistry. u Aboat
two years sgo he made number iot ex.
perimenu with !, view 10 the preserya.
lion Of meats BY chemical treatment but
bis success was only.-partial. He'com.
pounded, 8 liquid which would keep
meat fresh for an, indefinite period, but
il impaired 8 .dissgreeable flavor, and
was therefore Of no, value for practical
purposes. About this time there was
much discussion. in the newspapers and
elsewhere on The subject Of cremation, in
consequences Of the burning Of the body
Of The Baron de Palm, which was per.
formed with much ceremony in Penpsyl.
yanis. The chief argument Of, the adyo-
Gates Of cremation was the fact that Il OBJ
visited all the danger. to health and the
shock to sentiment which were caused BY
he decomposition 81 the dead, II occur.
red 10 Dr.. RodgessA that he had within
bis Grasp the, teans 81 accomplishing all
that could be- gained by cremation 10 q
sanitary point OF view, and atthe same
time, OF preserving Che body after death
without ibjufy 70 form or feature. he
began experiments for this object, and the
result was the perfection Of the discovery.
! Dr., Rodgers prepared chemical soln.
ton, which has been named aaliekton,"
frbn a Greek word meaning aeyerlast-
ipe." The formula for its preparation Is
a secret. It is = light yellow liquid,
with peculiar smoky odor resembling
the smell Of tar. In ordinary cases, where
il IA desired 10 preserve 4 body for but
three Of four days, 1t IL only necessary,
DR., Rodgers says, to brush II over With
the LIQUID, and decomposition q entirely
prevented in the hottest weather. At the
same tine the body 10 given q wonder
fully nstural appearance. When the Ia
tai disease was of q. nature 10 hasten de-
com position, or Il IL desired 10 preserve
the 6ody for a long period, there is some
further treatment. The umbilicus is
slightly punc,ured with needle, and,
with a common hand syringe, some Of
the liquid IL Injected into the thofacic
and Abdominal cayities. No incision Is
made, and there Ia no Injection into The
veins or arteries. The whole ot this sim
pie process takes up but twenty or thirty
minutes. i reqnites, on the average,
about gallon Of the liquid, which can
be supplied to underwriters at cost oil
only i've dollars.
In April, 1877, while living in San
Franei.co, Or. Rodgers obtained the body
OF n swede, named Andrew Brunn, who
died Of cohsumption on the Sd OF that
month. BE subjected it TO this treatment,
and kept it ID his possession for one hun:
dred and Two days. During this period
il was exsmiDed, from time TO time BY .
number, Of The leading physicians and
medical professors in San Francisco, who
certificates OF its excellent con-
dition. DR.. Washington Aver, president
OF the Caliiornia State Medical Associa.
lion, certified that on the sixtieth day 1T
ter lie desth he gave The body q careful
examInation aud was unable TO detect the
sIjghlest trace of decomposition; also
thst be fonnd The limbs as flexible az In
life, and The, muscles soft On the 2lst
Of May DR. B. "a Mclean made o similar
examin ation, and certified that the body
WAS 10 an excellent state Of preservation;
there was no odor7 Of decomposition, and
the limbs, skin and muscles were perfect
: :. al M .f,fT0e 7Nl -Etrt1 ~ Slnt
r. pr. Rodgers made some further exper.
iments In Caliiornia,And applied his pro-
cess to the body -oi Arthur 9. Hpey, Who
died ii :Napa, Cal, on the 9Th oil July,
1871 The body WAS forwarded, 70 Penn
aquid. Maine, The home Of Mr.. Hpeyis
parents The latter, sent q letter 70 ".
Rodgers gratefully acknowledging ne
arrival OF the bodY, on the 18th oil July
in excellent condition, and saying = The
preservation was 50 perfect that the body
looked as natural n II death had only
occurred a few hours preyious.s".n III VI
DR., Rodgers preserved with equal sue--
Cess me DOulth, l-kNVp tuSAt ~ eS.o We
died IN San FraDcisco, and were sent one
10 OHIO and The other TO Oregon. he
aIso preserved. The body Of 8 Little boy
who died Of diptheria. The father oil the
rboy Who Is an officer connected with the
civ government f'Sdh Francisco, fur
nishsd testimonial that he visited
yauIt four weeks after the entombment
and found the BODY unchanged. ~ i s,-
"a remarkable property Of the ALEX:
ton i liz preseryS alton sof the dead body
In 4 periscuy alxible condition, and the
fact, as alleged, that Il thoroughly pre-
seryss the Tissues. Testimony to this eli
fectufuTnishedffomimAny sources which
afe NOT likely 10 be disputed. DR.! Rod.
eers went 70 st. Louis last autumn, and
Obtained permission to apply the alex
ton 10 the bodiss Of two men who died y
ne civ Hospital, one Oh tie llth anc
Ge otbef Oh he 5Sd IT October. On th'
isth Of ilHst March Dr.. D. v. Dean, SUI
peribtendsnt Of The hospital, reported Z
brIi Rodgers that both bodies had lar
expoled 70 the air TO that date, and tha
for n tneh 81 The time the tissues had beer
eIpo.ed. DR.. Dean then said: sp.p
with the present warm weather th'
lhodip. are beginning TO dry and the mus
1 = Il =. 4