The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1878-12-20

Prof. Fischer's Fatal Experiment-The
Fate of Snndry Early Aichcmtsts DAN
gers 81 Trifiing with Natures secrets.

gers 81 IriuinK Win Natures Secrets
From the London Obseryer
A most unfortunate accident which
has occurred at Prague recalls,i in m any
Of its details and circumstances, the
quaint traditions that were once preva-
lent in regard TO the medieval alche-
mists. Professor Fischer. OF the Prague
Gymnasium, young man only 25years
Of age and Of the highest eminence in
his professionalism Of chelnistry-ha
come 10 an untimely end under the
most melancholy circumstances. No
one needs 70 be told that cyanide Of
potassium, drug largely used in pho
Biography. l. poison II the most dead
" character. lis active ingredient Is
prussic acid. Prussic acid in its pure,
or, ~ chemists would term 1t, SANDY
drous- form, Is substance TOO danger
GUS TO be kept or even manufactured.
IFS glass capsule containing wine
glassful Of pure prussic acid were bro
ken In the pit of theater, those among
the audience who were nearest Inc
doors might escape. but the great ma
jority would be killed on the spot. The
prussic acid ordinarily sold and coca
sionally used for killing dogs and cats
contains about drop Of the pure acid
to quarter Of pint Of water. Pure
prusSic acid no chemist dare keep. lie
might as well compress ton of dyna-
mite into single cartridge, supposing
such package TO be possible, and then
leave the deadly parcel lying loose on
the table.
Cyanide OF potassium is not, like
prrssic acid. volatile. 1t is a white
powder, rather resembling -four or
chalk. 1t Is, however, so poisonous
that mere pinch of il. sprinkled over
an open wound or sore, viii cause al
most instantaneous death; that frag-
ment almost imperceptible TO the eye,
will, If swallowed, prove equally fatal;
and that its mere smell has before now
produced immediate death. II was, ii
seems. the ambition Of Professor FiSch-
er to discover some means Of rendering
cyanide of potassium harmless. We
do this with unpowder-although
the analogy is not strictly exact-ihe
means employed with gunpowder being
mechanical, while those for which Pro-
lessor Fischer sought were chemical
We know what happens il light i ap
piled 70 keg Of gunpowder II, how
ever, we mix the powder with four or
FIVE times its bulk of sawdusF. torch
may be applied 10 il with impunity. The
mechanical resistance Of the sawdust
makes il impossible for the explosion 10
at once spread to the whole mass, and
the consequence is that a sort Of sDluf-
ter ensues, like that ~ squib Or blue
light. Professor Fischer's idea was
that, il cyanide Of potassium were thor
oughly mixed with sal ammoniac. it
would be as harmless a. gunpowder
mixed with sawdust, but would still re-
main equally available for all those pur-
poses OF photography for which il Is at
present absolutely indispensable.
In the course OF his researches Mr..
Fischer made a mixture OF which in his
own mind he felt assured that Il would
meet the conditions OF his pro blem. He
compounded the cyanide with some
other substance, and then. turning to
his laboratory assistant, said:
Science has now SO far advanced as
to be even able to render harmless 20
dangerous an agent as cyanide 81 po-
tassium."
With these words he tasted the mix
ture, and was almost in an instant seiz-
ed with the most violent and excruciat-
ing agonies. He At once impl0red his
assistant to send for medical aid. Cyan
ogen, however, whether rs pr1ssic
acid or cyanide Of potassium, Kills al
most simultaneously. In few sec
onds Prof. Fischer was beyond hello.
We are told that there Is no possible
reason to suppose that deliberate sui
eide had been planned and carried out
under the mask " experiment. On the
contrary, there i every reason to be-
believe that the Professor has met the
fate which befell only too many Of the
early chemists and their predecessors,
the alchemists.
We know now what will happen to
any experimentalist II he dips bIotting-
paper in nitric-acid, washes it, dries II,
and then incautiously treads upon it.
What happened TO the man who is be
lieved for his record persisted with him
to have discovered Eliminate Of silver
il 3 matter of scientific record. That
he was engaged in researches upon the
Eliminates, and more especially upon
the Eliminates Of the higher metals,
was well known. How it precisely
came about that he disappeared as he
did will remain q matter Of conjecture.
There came one day puff, a slight
shock. and . slight noise IS il some one
inflated paper-bag and then burst il
between his hands. OF the Professor
himself, Of his laboratory, Of his appa-
ratus, and of much less within radius
Of some yards, not vestige or trace
was left.
So it used to be with the alchemists-
the heritors Of the hidden wisdom OF
Bohne, and Roger Bacon and Albertus
Magnus. They were always blowing
themselves up, or asphyxiating them
selves with some noxious vapor. For
man who knows nothing, or next TO
Nothing If rhpni@trv IN IL n vary Ian