The Van Buren press., 1878-09-03
LlFE-LfKE IN DEATH.
A Remarkable Invention for the
Preservation of the Dead.
From the New York Herald


A remarkable contribution to scienc
is DR., Rodgers chemical solution style
the Atiekton, for preserving dead boo
les. The word is Greek, and is freel
translated " everlasting The Doctor
who halls from San Francisco, nvente,
this compound a year and half ago
while making experiments for the preser
vation Of meat His attention was at
tracted to the subject more particularly
on reading OF the cremating process o
DR. Lenoyne, in Pennsylvania, which b,
regarded as revolving in the extreme Ii
order to bring the matter in the fullest
light before the public the Doctor plae
ed himself in communication with the
leading scientists of the country, and, in
response to- numerous invitations con.
sented to come to this city and give an
explanation of his process. About NJ
physicians, and undertakers, from this
city, New Haven, Baltimore, and other
large cities, assembled yesterday after
noon. ut the rooms of Mr.. Stephen Mer.
ritt, in Eighth Avenue to witness the .eN.
perments. Shortly after o'clock, DIR.
Rodgers appeared. and in very modest
way introduced himself to his audience
He was tall, welt built man of SO, with
a large, intellectual head, slightly bald,
light hair, and has the address and man
ner Of professional lecturer. While he
was speaking, the curiosity Of his hear
ers was aroused by three open caskets,
which lay behind him.
~ THE PROCESS
II the gentlemen will now step for
ward said he, Il will explain the pro-
cess One of the caskets contained the
body Of woman who died with dropsy !,
another that Of woman who was carri-
ed off by a malignant disease, and the
third was that of a man who died ofcon
sumption. The body of one of the wo-
men had been lying in the morgue and
the undertaker's 32 days, and yet, under
the influence of the new discovered fluid.
not only was there no offensive odor, but
the limbs were entirely flexible, and the
skin assumed a life-like hue, The Doe
tor exhibited the needle nsed in the pro
cess, a tube about "a inches long, and
one third Of an inch in diameter, with Il
tapering point, which is inserted in the
abdomen, and forced upward through the
diaphragm, first over one ng, then over
another, and lastly Into the intestincs the
fluid being purpedin by a small rubber
tube, The average quantity is one quart.
A small fiat brush, used by painters in
vanishing. is next dipped into the fluid,
and passed over the entire body, and this
part of the process the Doctor STYLES
brushing This completed the body,
it is elaine |, remains intact for months
and years. ''Of course said the Doe
tor, "we do not propose to prevent alb.
solute putrid decomposition, but we have
accomplished the fact that the body shall
remain perfectly innocuous' He said
that it was " astonishing how people sit
churches where bodies are inferred, and
never realize their danger
POISONOUS GASES
"Seven bodies recently removed from
one church." he said, contained gases
sufficient to poison q 900 persons, Elev.
Ell cemeteries have recently been closed
for the season, according to Wilson's
Hygiene,' and from the same authority
we learn that few drops of decompos.
ing animal mattar, ianpragnated Ia "a ,uell,
poisoned 4s7 persons This is the mo st
powerful pots sop lkno win, according to the
ablest scientists. A body weighing 80
pounds, generates 100000 cubic feet OF
gas. Adecomposing body gives Off sui
phnretted hydrogen and ammonia, which
are offensive to the smell The other
easses emitted are not offensive, but are
poisonous, 50 that people are frequently
poisoned by gasses without knowing it
When. sulphuretted hydrogen is breatheti
it causes diarrhea, typhus and typhoid fe
vers, which was proved in all the wars
from the Crimea TO the Turco- Russian
War. The molecules in small pox cases,
penetrate the earth, and come to the sur
face as water percolates, and entering our
houses is breathed aud creates disease
DEATH TO coNTAGIoN.
With the new compound the Doctor
said he would enter the abodes of the
worst eases Of small pox, typhus or vel
low fever, aud render these naladies per-
feelly innocuous. It's primary effect, be
said, is to destroy contagion, and, in
tpis respect ~ 10 the mostpowerlul agent
ever placed within the reach Of man, 50
that it mill'at once preserve the health OF
the living and the bodies of the dead
The Doctor frequently rubs it on his
hands, and can even drink it in solution
an small quantities Physicians have
Claimed that nothing can penetrate dead
Tissues DIR. Rodgers has talsiied this
theory in one of his early experiments
on.tiic body Of a woman who had beer
dead 80 days. He colored the fluid black
and injected it into the body, and when
the leg was afterward cut, the flesh ap.
peared a natural red color, and the dark
tfulu oozed ont /" We have proved. he
vona all question: said the Doctor. "that
itlnot only prevents, but arrests decom
Position, and Prof Wood and other eini
nent physicians in this city admit it af.
ter the seYerest tests, .e,-
AN INSTANCE IN POINT.
The first instance of the application Of
the Allekton" m"this city, is not only
so fall of interest, but so startling, that
mention of it cannot be here omitted
The wife OF a wealthy gentleman, resid
ing in 47th Street, died Of puerpal fever
on the 2sth OF May last, in her thirty
eighth. year. Prior to her demise. she re
quested her husband not to have her re-
mains inferred for six days. After thu
third day the odor from the body beearh,
so offensive, notwithstanding the larg,
Quantity Of ice used, that tile undertakes