New-York tribune., 1879-06-11
THE FROZEN TRANCE.

1HL EhULEN IAHNCE'
miracle has been wrought in the South Seas. A
botanist named Signor Rotura, who has made a
special study of South American fora, has invented
process of suspendIng animation in animals IN
definitely and of restoring it at pleasure In connec-
ton with Nj. James Grant, who has freezing
chamber Oh one of the headands of sydney Har-
bor he has been operating dogs, cats, lambs and
other domestic animals. slight puncture IS made
in the dogs ear, aud two drops of South American
vegetable poison are injected. In three or four
minutes the vital functions are suspended !;
the frame becomes rigid; the heart ceases
TO beat; the tail no longer wags; the
dog is dead-so dead, that decomposition would set
in if the body not frozen into the hardness OF
stone and the brttleness of glass The dog is laid
away on "a shelf in the refrigerator, and remains
there for weeks and months, until 1t is the pleasure
of SiCnOr Rotura to resuscltate him. Then the sub
ject Is immersed in a tub of warm water for ten
minutes and brought back to blood heat. few
drops of the antidOte to the poison are injected
with silver syringe. In five minutes intelligence
returns to the eye rigidity leaves the limbs, the
tail is gently waeged and the dog barks and trots
off as though nothing had happened.
The inventors experiments on animals have been
SO successful that he has requested the Governor to
allow him to operate on the next feOn under capital
sentence. He proposes to freeze him up for month
and then to thaw hun out, and declares. with the
sublime faith of a genuine dIscoyereT, that he has
no fear of fatal result SignOr R0tura is uncer-
tain whether the longevity of the subject is affected
by a temporary suspension of animation, but be-
leves that the period of inertness will not be cut
out of ones full time, but will simply be so many
weeks months or years of unconscious existence
tackled on to ones sentient lfe." The account of
this process is so sensational that it had appeared
4 /
public would have regarded it as ingenious hoax
/ but Inasmuch as it has been transferred from the
columns of the Australian press to those of The
London Times and heralded with the utmost gravity
as a wonderful discovery" who shall dare to dis
miss it so IightyY Who can say in this year of
grace that ANYTHING is too strange TO be truef
| The practical result which the inventor hopes to
accomplish is the transportation of surplus live
stock from Australia to Europe: but why should
the application of the process be restricted to the
| meat trade Let it once be demonstrated that the
lives of human beings can be discontinued for defi-
nlte periods and resumed at the instance of the
OPERATOR who can be put under bonds for the fulfil
ment of tho contract Of termination, and the whole
aspect of this uncomfortable world will be changed;
The frozen trance would be refuge for many of the
| ills to which flesh is heir. The tedum OF weeks
iourney across the Continent might be avoided for
the traveller could be shipped as freight IN re-
friperator car and restored to consciousness the
train entered the depot at San Francisco. The trip
| 70 England could be made without seasickness and
worrment I'm the stormiest weather. In time Of
nastiIence the "stffsn could be carefully
labelled andlaid away in family compartments until
the danger was over. The extremes of climate
would no longer cause distress Sensitive mOrtals
could escape from the heats of Summer or the rOsts
of Winter and return to life whenever the weather
was favorable. To all sorts and conditions of men
in this changeful little planet the cold poison and
the antidote in the silver syringe would afford inter
mediate as well as immediate relief.
1t is only however when We consider the yicissi-
tudes of politics that fully appreciate the
utility of this freezingprocess There are so many
leaders whose political functions might be tempo
rarily suspended for the good of the party and re-
suned whenever they were available. How service
able might the abnormal Democratic ear become
under the ministratons of tire silver syringe, and
how commodous freezing chamber might be es-
tabli,ned in Boston under the superntcndence OF
Mr.. Charles Frigid Adams War Democrats could
be laid away until the BrigadierS could have their
day. Har,l-money leaders could be kept in state
Of suspended animation SO long as their party was
committed to dishonest finance. Handlest of all,
Presidential candidates could be held in reserve un-
iii their records in the previous canvass were
ciphered out and campaign expenses again became
pressing. Let us hope that no one Will take out an
American patent on this new South Sea bubble.