Lexington weekly intelligencer., 1879-04-19
SUSPENDED ANIMATION.

bathurst (N. 8. W. Courier, Jsn. I9l
We gladly give publicity to discovery
that promises to revolu ionize all previ
/; Gus theories OF meat expectation. Il
the narrator OF the following extraor di.
nary facts is not too sanguine as to the
success of the marvellous experiments
ne informs US he has witnessed, the
squatter who to-day .Eepazzling over the
future prospect OF his surplus stock has
opportunities before him that may fairly
betermed golden. We venture no opinion
on the process, an account of which we
give in the writer own words:
Any OF your readers who know Sydney
har bor will remember the long inlet op.
posite the Heads known as Middle har.
Dor. Here in perfect seclusion, with g
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
gentlemen engaged in this enterprise
are Signor Rotura, whose researches in.
to the botany and natural history oil
South America have rendered his name
eminent; and Mr.. James Grant, pupil
OF the late Mr.. Nicolle, so long associa.
ted with Mr.. Thomas Mort In his reez-
ing process. 1t Itappears FIVE months ago
Signor Rotura called upon Mr.. Grant to
invoke his assistance in scheme for
THE TRANSPORTATION OF LIVE STOCK
To Europe. S;gnor Rotura averred that
he had discovered a South American
vegetable poison. allied to the well
known woorara, that had the power OF
perfectly suspendlng animation and that
the trance thus produced continued till
the application OF another vegetable
| caused the blood to resume its circula-
| ton and the heart its functions. So per.
feet, moreover, Was this suspension of
life that Signor Rotura had found in a
warm climate decomposition set in at
the extremities after a week of this liv-
ing death. and he imagined if the body
| while in this inert. state were reduced to
temperature sufficiently low to arrest
| decomposition the trance might be kept
up tor months. possibly for years. He
frankly owned he had never tried this
preserving OF the tissues by cold, and
could not confidently speak as to Its ef-
lects upon the atter-restoration of the
animal operated on. Before he left Mr..
Grant he had turned that gentleman's 8
doubts into wondering curiosity by ex.
perimenting on his dog. He injected
| two drops of his liquid, mixed with u
little glycerine, into small puncture
made In the dogs ear, aud in three or
four minutes the animal was perfectly
rigid. the fore legs stretched backwords,
eyes wide open. pupi.s very much
dilated. and exhibiting symptoms very
similar to those of death by strychnine,
except that there had been no previous
struggle or pain. Begging the owner
to have no apprehensions for the life OF
this favorite animal, Signora Rotura
lifted the dog carefully and placed him
on shelf in the cupboard. where he
begged he might be lett till the follow
ing day, when he promised to call at 10
Q clock and revive the apparently dead
brute. Mr.. Grant continually during
that day and night visited the cupboard,
and so
PERFECTLY WAS LIFE SUSPENDED
In his favorite-no motion OF the pulse or
of the heart giving any indication of the
possibility OF revival, the frame being
perfectly rigid-that he felt the sharpest
reproaches of remorse at having sacri-
feed faithful friend to doubtful and
dangerous experiment. The tempera-
ture OF the body, too. in the first four
hours. gradually lowered to 25 degrees
Fahrenheit below ordinary blood tenn
perature, which increased his fears as to
the result. and by morning the body was
as cold as in actual death. At 10 O'Clock
next morning, according to promise Sig
nor Rotura presented himself, and, laugh
ing at MIR. Grants fears. requested u tub
OF warm water to be brought. lie tested
this with the thermometer 92 degrees
Fahrenheit, and in this laid the dog.
head under. 10 Mr.. Grants objections
Signor Rotura assured him that, as ami
nation must remain entirely suspended
till the administration OF the antidote, no
water could be drawn into the lungs,
and that the immersion OF the body was
simply to bring it again to a blood-heat
After about ten minutes of this bath the
body was taken out and another liquid
injected IN puncture made in the neck.
Mr.. Grant tells me the revival OF
Turk" was
THE MOST STARTLING THING
He ever witnessed. and having since
seen The same experiment made upon a
sheep can FULLY confirm his Statement.
The dog first showed the return of lie
in the eye, and alter five and a half
minutes he drew first long breath and
the rigldity lett his limbs. In a few
minutes more be commenced gently
his tail. and then slow " got
up. stretched himself, and tro,,ed off as
though nothing had happened From
Lhat moment Mr.. Grant became aware |
OF the extraordinary issues opened by
ms vlsitors discovery, and promised |
m nim all the assistance in his power
ihey next determined to try freezing
The body. and the first two experiments
were discouraging. A dog (not Turk,
MS master declining to experiment any
:urther on his favorte) was put in the
reezing chamber at MIR. Grants works,
after being previously "suspended'' by
oignor Rotura; and although the animal
'evived so far as to draw long breath.
he vital energies appeared too ex-
lausted for complete rally. and
THE ANIMAL DIED.
The two next animals-a dog and
'at-dled IN like manner. In the
Meantime DIR. Barker had been taken
nto their counsels, and at his suooes-
ION respiration was encouraged. as in
he case OF persons drowned, by artificial
compression ard expansion of the lungs.
)r. Barker was OF opinion that. az the
leart IN every case commenced to beat.
was want OF vital force to set the
ungs in motion that caused death. The
esult showed his surmises to be en-
lrely correct. A number of animals.
whose lite had been sealed up in this
death, have been kept in the
reezlng chamber from one to five weeks
md 1t is found that though the shock to
ne system from this freezing is very
.reat, it is not increased by duration OF
lme. Messrs. Grant and Rotura then
determined upon the erection of the
works just finished at Middle Harbor
n enterprislng capitalist finding the
ecessary funds.
THE WORKS.
On Saturday last Was invited to oo
own and see what had been effected.
arrived at the works in Middle Harbor,
was taken into the building that con.
aims MIR. Grants apparatus for genera
ing cold. Attached to this is the freezing
hamber. small, dark room about 3
act by 10 feet. Here were fourteen
nsep' four lambs and three pig. stacked