Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-11-10
BEAUTIFULLY DEATH.
An Italian Method of Eternally Pre-
serving the Dead.
EVERY MAN HIS OWN MONUMENT.
The Results Produced by New Process Of
Petrifaction.
A DEAD ITALIANS WONDERFUL SECRET
rwn1rrrN ron THE DrsrAroH.I

osophers, sculptors and painters; but she
| has, as she has always had, much to DO
with human anatomy, and above all nations
busies herself with the ugly problem,
"What shall we do with our dead?" The
anatomical museums of Italy are peculiarly
rich in curious preparations and models,
some of them too horrible and ghastly for
one with only ordinary nerve to inspect.
Cremation, in spite of the pronounced op-
| position of the Church, is fourishing Gre
matories are going up in italian cities al
most as fast as churches in our Western
towns. For cheapness and despatch this
heroic process of disposing of the dead has
no rival, though attempts are made to In
troduce consultation and electro-platlng OF
the entire body, by both of which methods
our poor mortal organisms, which become
when apparently lifeless most alive with
nameless, noxious activities, are reduced 10
| a state of "innocuous desuetude, lmprls-
oned pestilence, arrested putrefaction.
Another process. as yet far more experl-
mental than practical is that petriiactlon,
| partial or perfect, the latter state OF which
may be called marbleization.
Italians have of late years had lively dis
| cussions on the question of conservaZione or
cremazione-the preservation or destr uction
| Of the body. 1t is more of theological
than sentimental question with them.
Professors Marini and Gorini, eminent
! scientists, have for several years been ex-
perimenting in the line of petrifactions.
| 1t was one of them, I think, who treated the
| body of Joseph Mazzini, turning it into al
! most transparent marble, having the great
! pear-shaped head and the dark, intense,
worn, but still handsome face, so wonder
| fully iifelike in color, contour and express
sion that they who loved him could scarce
be reconciled to the sealing up of the coffin.
On the fifth anniversary of his death that
coffin was opened in the presence of some OF
his faithful followers, and one of them told
me that they found the face of their beloved
chief quite unchanged. He seemed to have
fallen asleep but yesterday.
sEGATo's SECRET.
DR.. Marini has received several medals
| from expositions for his discovery, which,
after all, is only partial rediscovery of the
secret process of Segato, the Florentine, and
which he in turn keeps to himself At the
fairs in Turin and Milan, of few years ago,
he exhibited in special cabinet many
| specimens of what seemed an occult art.
Some were solid, permanent petrifactions,
some provisional, capable of returning to
| and transparency of life, while most were in
pliable condition. All the varied MEM
bers Of the bodies are, it is said, hard at
| first, but become after time supple, and
even capable OF furnishing studies in anat-
| omy, of muscles, veins and nerves. Nela-
ton, the great French surgeon, examined a
petrifed foot in January, 1858, and on Feb
Fnary 26 wrote of it: 1T has regained its
suppleness to such degree that 1 was
easily able to dissect the fifth toe"
The most impressive of DIR. Marini's
preparations is beautiful little girl, dressed
as in life, and lying. on a sofa, apparently
asleep, her long curls spread over the pill
low. The face is pale, but round and
dimpIed, and the limbs are soft and flexible.
The professor afirms that thus the gentle
form of little Maria Courier remains fixed
forever for those who loved her to gaze on
when they villa painful privilege, I
should say.
Paolo Gorini, of Lodi, has had his prep
arations In petritaction and embalming re-
ported on by the Paris Academy of Medi-
cine. as wonderfully beautiful and per-
feet" But the pioneer in this field and
the master of all the workers was Girolamo
Segato, who died at Florence in the early
part of this century, taking with him his
secret. Before his time there we're only en-
balming and mummifcation-the means ar
senical and balsamic-the results more or
less ghastly. Few visitors to Florence have
the curiosity to see the old hospital of Santa
Maria Nuova, which dates from 1888. 1t is
an interesting fact that this was founded by
Folco Portinsri, the father Of Dante's Bea-
trice, moved by the pleading and example
of good woman, Norma Tessa, his daugh-
&o-B vho hod ~
few poor sick people in her humble home
and there ministering to them. She finally
dedicated the savings of life of faithful
service to the endowment of two beds in the
hospital, which at first was part of a con-
vent. In a cloister we were shown quaint
bas-relief of this devoted woman, whose good
work lives and multiplies itself from CEN
tury to century-an Immortality uncon-
sciously won by herself, more blessed, if not
more glorious, than that bestowed on her
young mistress by the great poet.
A DISGUISED INVENTOR.
In the anatomical museum of this hospi-
tai are treasured the matehless preparations
of Segato. He was most enthusiastic ex-
perimenter, believing that his discovery
would be of immense benefit to science,
especially to anatomy. He first expert
mented on small animals and reptiles
which still remain, perfect examples of
petrifaction-but when he would apply his
method to the marbleization of the human
body be raised storm of superstitious oppo-
sition. Priests accused him of sacr;Iege, of
seeking to throw obstacles in the way of
Omnipotence in the final work of the resur-
rection of the dead, and his brother anato-
mists lacked the courage to stand by him.
1t is sad story-the experience of Galileo
was repeated in the persecution he had to
endure-and yet he asked for no great thing,
only the dead body of criminal or pauper
to petrify entire. He had been allowed por-
tions of bodies, fragments fallen from the
tables of the hospital anatomists, among
them the head of girl and the bust of
peasant woman-the first an astonishing
piece of preservation, all the features re-
naming as in life, the hair exquiSitely soft
and lustrous, the teeth dazzling; the second
is a marvel of beautiful color and contour,
and ivory-like in smoothness and frmness.
At last he obtained from the Grand Duke |
Leopold permission to use for his purpose
an entire human body, probably that of |
criminal; but just as he was going to work |
the gracious hand was withdrawn through |
the influence of the Archbishop. Thank |
heaven there are now no Austrian arch |
dukes in Florence, and archbishops have
learned to mind their own businessl Segato |
was in despair. 1t was known that he had |
carefully written out his process, intending |
after more fully demonstrating it and testing |
it by time to make it public; but one day |
his private study or laboratory was broken |
into and his drawers and chests ransacked |
for papers. Those containing his secret were |
not discovered, but in his Indignation and |
i L Al q
he died On his deathbed he tried to de-
scribe his process to his most intimate |
friend, to whom he had promised the reve-
lation, but voice and sight failed him, and |
murmuring, SIT is too late" he closed his |
weary eyes on a life of vain struggle and |