Morning journal and courier., 1885-10-05

Americans, who strongly object to burying their dead in cemeteries where, after fifteen or twenty years, according to continental usage, every memento of them may be ob- liberated and other bodies laid in the same grave. But for obvious reasons the transport of corpse across the ocean in it's normal condition is both inconvenient and objectionable, some sort of preservative pro- cess in these cases is almost indisf ensable. Several Geneva physicians make embalmlng 8 part of their business, with great advan tage to themselves, the fee being necessarily 6 heavy one. But the most successful em- palmer in Geneva, probably in Europe, is Professor Laskowski, of the university, and his process, of which he makes no secret, Is being generally adopted. He has been equal ly successful in the preservation of anatomi- cal specimens, to which, besides making them absolutely inodorous, he imparts all the appearance and supplepess of fresh pieces. An English physician, with whom our correspondent once visited the museum of the medical faculty, assured him that the specimens were far superior to anything of the sort in any other European collection which he had seen.
 A short time ago Professor Laskowski, at a meeting of the Geneva Medical society, read paper on the art of embalming, in which he gave full explanation of his method. Yet he was careful to point out that the mere process was no more than half the battle, and that only special talent, inn proved by long and persevering effort, could insure complete success. The method of embalming practised by the ancient Egyp- tians was rudimentary in the extreme. It consisted merely in disembowelling the body, replacing the viscera with aromatic herbs and melted pitch, and, after drying it by means of salt which extracted the humidi ty, enveloping the corpse in mass of ban dages. In modern times the more rational method has been adopted of in jecting into the body to be preserved antiseptic fluids through the veins and arteries. This process has been largely practiced by Signor Fran china, of Naples, and M. Canal and Dr. Du- pre-, of Paris, but owing to the defects of the solutions employed and mistakes in manipu- lation, with only partial success. The i- quid used by Professor Laskowski consists of mixture of carbolic acid, chloride of zinc and corrosive sublimate, with the addi- tion of an odoriferous essence. The solution is as clear as crystal and pleasant to smell. To obtain certain results the operation the method of which the professor explained in great detaiD must be conducted with the ut most care and attention. But success, when once achieved is as complete as could be de- sired. A body skillfully treated by Profes- sor LasEowski's method assumes t'the natu- ral and agreeable expression" it bore imme diately after death, and the skin becomes firm and white as Carrara marble. Exhuma- tion of bodies thus preserved, and the dition of the specimens in the anatomical museum, which after the lapse of years are as perfect as on the day they were prepared, prove that they will remain intact almost in- definitely, always provided that the speci- mems are kept in air-tight cabinets, and the bodies placed in dramatically closed cofins or other receptacles. Whether it be worth while to incur the trouble and expense which Professor Laskowski's method involves in or der to preserve human remains from decay may be open to doubt, but there can be no question that he has brought the art of em- balming to perfection which it never pre- viously attained. In other respects his anti septic discoveries have proved e1ninently use full For, besides preserving anatomical specimens with the results above described, ke has way of treating subjects for dissec- sion whereby they are deprived of all ohen- sive odor, and students of surgery are sna- bled to conduct their operations without the least sense of discomfort or danger to their health