The Worthington advance., 1879-05-08
SUSPENDINH ANIMATION.
Wonderful Tales an AntipOdean Con-
Temporary Tells Its Readers.

We gladly give publicity to a discov-
cry that promises to revolutionize all
previous theories of meat expectation.
If the narrator of the following extraor-
dinary facts is not to sanguine as to the
success Of the marvellous experiments he
informs us he has witnessed, the squatter
who to-day is puzzling over the future
prospect Of his surplus stock has oppor-
tunities before him that may be fairly be
termed golden. We venture no opinion
on the process, AL account of which we
give in the writer's own words:
''Any Of your readers vino know
Sydney Harbor will remember the long
inlet opposite the Heads known as
Middle Harbor. Here in perfect seclu-
sion, with careful avoidance Of publicity,
is being conducted an experiment, the
success Of which, now established beyond
any doubt, must have wider effect upon
the future prosperity of Australia than
any project ever contemplated. The
gentleman engaged in this enterprise are
Signor r tura, whose researches into the
botany and natural history of South
America have rendered his name eminent,
and Mr.. james Grant, pupil of the late
MIR. Nicolle, so long associated with Mr..
Thomas Mort in MS freezing process.
1t appears five months ago Signor Ro-
tura called upon Mr.. Grant to invoke
his assistance in scheme for the trans
mission of live stock to Europe. Signor
Rotura averred that he had discovered q
South American vegetable poison, allied
to the Well-knOWn ao00rar0, that had the
power of perfectly suspending anima-
tion, and that the trance thus produced
continued till the application of another
vegetable essence caused the blood to
resume its circulation and the heart its
functions: So perfect, moreover, was
this suspension Of life that Signor Rotu-
"a had found in a warm climate dccom.
position set in at the extremities after
week of this living death, and he
imagined if the body while in this in
ert state were reduced to tenn perature
sufficiently low to arrest decomposition
the trance might be kept up for months,
possibly for years. He frankly owned
he had never tried this preserving
of the tissues by cold, and could not con-
fidently speak as to its effects upon the
after restoration Of the animal operated
on. Before he left Mr.. Grant he turned
that gentleman's doubts into wonder
ing curiosity by experimenting on
his dog. He injected two drops Of this
liquid mixed with littlo glycerine into
a small puncture made in the dogs ear,
and in three or four minutes the animal
was perfectly rigid. the four legs
stretched backward, eyes wide open.
pupils very much dilated, and exhibit
ing symptoms very similar to those OF
death by strychnine, except that there
Pad been no previous struggle or pain.
Begging his owner to have no appre.
tensions for the life of this favo1ite
animal, signor Rotura lifted the dog
carefully and placed him on shelf in
the cupboard, where he begged he might
be left till the following day. when be
promised to call ut ten o'clock and revive
the apparently dead brute. Mr.. Grant
continually during thar day and night
visited the cupboard, and so perfectly
was life sus pended in his favorite-no
motion OF the pulse or heart giving any
indication of the possibility OF revival.
the frame being perfectly rigid-that he
felt the sharpest reproaches Of remorse
at having sacrificed faithful friend to a
doubtful experiment The temperature
OF the body, too, in the first four hours.
gradually lowered to twenty-five degrees
Fahrenheit below ordinary blood temp
erature, which increased his tears a. to
the result, md by morning the body was
a. cold as in actual death. At ten o'clock
next morning, according to promise,
S'gnor Rotura presented himself, : and.
laughing at Mr.. Grants fears, requested
tub OF warm water to be brought. He
tested this with the thermometer to nine
ty:two degrees Fahrenheit, and in this
laid the dog, head under. TO Mr.. Grants
objections, Signor Rotura assured him
that, as animation must remain entirely
suspended till the administration of the
antidote, no water could be drawn into
the lungs, and hat the immersion
of the body was simply to bring it again
to q blood-heat. After about ten min
utes of this bath the body was taken ont
and another liquid injected in a
puncture made in the neck Nj. Grant
tells me that the revival of "Turk''
was the most startling thing he
ever witnessed, and, having since
seen the, :, experiment 4 made up
on the sheep, l can fully confirm bis
statement: f. The dog first showed tho re-
turn TO life in the eye, anaI after five and
. half minutes, He drew i first long