The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-11-26
ing has reputation in the role of Marc Antony,
and 1t is possible the play will be presented to
morrow night.
THE STRANGELY-pRESERyED BODY.
A Doctor Who Thinks that 1t Will Prove To
Be Case Of Naturalization.

THE Journals article about that alleged pet
rified body said DR.. A. W. Brayton to Jour
nal reporter, ''has created more stir than there
is any need for. There is nothing about it curl
Gus to doctors or scientific men. 1 am willing
to wager-well, the ciears-that it is no petrif-
cation. should say that on examination it will
prove to be simply mummifed. 1t is not at all
reasonable to suppose that body is adipocere, as
1t has been kept in dry place. Mummiied
human bodies are not remarkable at all. Such
cases are numerous, particularly of old persons
which do not contain much fluid. or Of persons
who have died of wasting diseases and where
the bodies have been kept in dry place.
Now as to this matter of adpocere. you want to
| know how the flesh of the dead will turn into
fat9 1t is fact that 100 parts of dry albumen
will furnish fiftyon parts of fat, ard all albu-
ninous tissue readily yield fatty bodies. Adj
pocere has always been found where bodies
have been taken up. 1t has been known for
centuries. but never investigated carefully until
Fourcroy, a French physician and chemist,
stndied the matter. In 1856 he read paper uponit
before the Academy of Sciences. An OLD cemetery
had been removed. Many bodies were broken
up and crumbled, many others in dry parts of
the cemetery simply mummihed In the com
mon graves. where bodies were buried in trenches,
were found many bodies that were changed into
adipocere. he gave that name to this condition;
adeps, Latin for lara; cera, Latin for WAX, the
bodies being converted into this fatty, wax-like
material Adipocere can be made artifcially in
couple of days by soaking muscle in dilute
nitric acid or By allowing muscle to remain IN
running water for two or three months. Fonr
croy under the impression that
It took thirty years for human
body TO turn into adipoeere. But they kept
finding cases until the time was reduced to
year, and finally child was found in cesspool
turned into adipocere after four months. So
you see it doesn't take very long. Chemically,
you see. it is soap. It might almost furnish a
new reading for Hamlets well-known line.
Why not imperial Caesar dead and turned to
SOAP
when you come to the preservation of or
ganic remains, they may be kept Indefinitely.
BY embaimine they may be kept thousands of
years The time they may be preserved is
matter well known in medical Jurisprudence and
is of interest there. Shakespeare's expression
that "a tanner will last you year is liter
ally true, for bodies exposed in open vaults have
kept many years 1t is on rec
ord that the BODY of Charles was recognized
after one hundred and sixty five years. Edward !.
buried in 1907 was found entire In ITO, 463
years afterward; Canute died in 1896, and was
found fresh in 1915, TAO years afterwara; the
bodies of William the Conquerer, and his Queen
Matilda, were found entire at Caen, in the six
teenth century. The conclusion is that kings
last good while after they are dead.