The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-12-16
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.

TURNING TO STONES, City. The bodies
recently taken from the Hebrew cemetery at
the Mission were not petrifed but-were turned
into substance known to science as adipocre,
a word from the Latin-adeps, fat and cera,
wax. The substance is waxy in consistency,
but of waxy origin. Some bodies do not decay
in the usual manner. but become changed into
q white, solid, very heavy nom putrescible sub
stance which retains the original size and con-
tour of the person, and sometimes is this SO well
preserved that the features are recognizable.
This conversion occurs under two conditions:
First, when the body is that of fat individual;
second, where the body is buried in q moist
place where the water collects in considerable
quantity at.about the level of the coffin. The
process OF change is described as follows: The
adipose tissue is first affected, becoming rancid
and producing liquid, fatty acids. These pene-
trate the neighboring tissues, so that the skin,
muscles, ETC., become saturated with them.
At the same time the albuminous matter OF the
body begins to decompose, producing ammonia,
which uniting with the fatty acids form
q soapy substance. But the most of these
acids are taken up by lime which the water
surrounding the coffin has absorbed in filter
ing through the earth. Thus the tissues of the
body, already permeated by fatty acids, are
careous combinations, especially with the oleate
OF lime. This keeps the animal tissues from
further decomposition and even preserves the
structure in its minutest particular, SO that the
veins and peculiar markings are distinctly
visible Such bodies are dense and heavy
when taken from the earth. but become lighter
gans become shriyeled and disintegrated.
CoNsuMpTIoN-M. w. A., City. By some its is
maintained that phthisis is communicated by
infection and In no other way, the injecting
agent being the bacillus. Others deny that it
can be communicated by Infection like fever,
and experience of consumptiye wards in hos
pitfalls would seem to favor the latter. Awriter
on this subject says:
There appears to be- however, growing opinion
,ot pf1apf m occasionally
apparently healthy persons from close association
with already suffering from it, and if this view
be well founded 1t affords q strong presumption
that some injecting agent, such as the tubercule
bacillus, is the medium Of communication. The
whole subject OF the righteousness OF the disease Is
not yet settled.
There are physicians who assert that there
are preventitives against consumption, and
there are records of cures when the treatment
was in the first stage of the disease.
CONGRESS-. H., City. IL the United States
there is new Congress every two years. The
first met on the 4th of March, $780, in the City
OF New York. To find the number OF a Congress
sitting in any given year after the 4th of March,
subtract 1889, the year in which the first Con-
gress was held from the given year. Should the
result be an even number, half of that number
will give the Congress of the year in question
with the closing year. If the result is an odd
number, add one to it, and half the result will
give the Congress OF which the year in QueS-
ton will be the first year.
ALGERIAN. A. H., City Unless you are
particularly gifted you will find the study of
algebra and geometry, without teacher, a
very difficult undertaking. If you are deter
mined to study that way one book is as good
as another. Select your books and then apply
yourself assiduously.
A CORRECT PHRAsE-W. C. K, Lakeport, Lake
County, Cal. Tomorrow is Thursday is in
correct, while Tomorrow will be Thursday is
correct. "Is'' implies the present and to-mor-
row refers to the future, SO to speak of the flu.
ture in the present tense is wrong.
ABOUT WILLs-M. P, City. 1t is not necessary
that will should be acknowledged before q
notary public in this State, nor does it have to
be recorded.
JULY 4, 1856. L. NJ, City. The Fourth of
july 1885 fell on Saturday