The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1902-08-26
The Man Who
Made a Man
BY HARLE oREN cUMMINs.
Copyright, by H. o. Cummtns

partment of synthetic chemistry in q
famous American college, his friends
wondered, for they well knew that
his greatest pleasure in life lay in
original chemical investigations. When
two weeks later the papers stated
that the learned chemist had been
taken to the Rathburn Asylum For
the Insane, wonder changed to inordi-
nate curiosity.
Although nothing definite was pub
lished in the papers, there were hints
of strange things which had taken
place in the private laboratory on
Brimmer street, and before long a sto-
ry was current that as a result of dab
bling in the mysteries of psychology a
man had been killed while undergoing
one of Professor Holbrok's expert
ments.
1t is to clear up this mystery and to
refute the charges of murder that 1,
who served for ten years as his assist
ant, am about to write this account,
which, to the best of my knowledge
and belief, contains the facts of the
case.
l had noticed for the year previous
that Professor Holbrok was much pre-
occupied, but knew that he was
working over some new experiment.
Many times when l came to his door
at 5 o'clock to clean up as usual for
the next day l found notice pinned
on the door telling me that he was in
the midst of important work and would
not need me again that day. l thought
nothing about it at the time, for when
he was experimenting with DR.. Bick-
NELL performing operations with hyp-
notism instead of anasthetics, there
were weeks at a time when l was not
allowed even a glimpse of the inside of
the laboratories. One day, however,
as / came in to report the professor
called me aside and told me that he
wanted to have a talk with me.
'You know, Frederick he began,
that l have been working and exper-
imenting for a long time on new
problem, and l have not told you or
any one else the object of my toll. But
must take some one into my conf
dence l need an assistant, and I
know of no one / can trust more than
you, who have been with mNtnow for
nearly a dozen years"
l was naturally fiattered.
Frederick" he continued, rising and
placing his hand on my shoulder, ''this
experiment is the greatest one of my
life. l am going to do what has never
before been done in the history of the
world except by God himself. l shall
make a man!'
l did not realize at first what he
meant was startled not only by his
wild statement, but also by the in.
tense tone in which he had spoken.
'You do not understand" he said.
"But let me explain. You know enough
chemistry to realize that all things
water, air, food. everything which we
use in everyday life-are merely COM
binations of certain simple elements.
AS you have seen me by means of an
electric current decompose a jar of
pure water into its two component
parts, two molecules of hydrogen to
every molecule of oxygen, so you can
bring these same elements together In
the gaseous state, and If the correct
proportions are observed when an cleo
trio spark or a fame is brought into
contact with the mixture you will OBJ
tain again the liquid water. This is
only a simple case, but the chemical
laws which govern 1t hold equally well
for every known substance found in
nature. There are only about seventy
five known elements, and of these less
than thirty compose the majority of
the things found In everyday life.
During the last six months l have
been working with these elements,
making different substances. | have
taken piece of wood, decomposed it
with acids, analysed it quantitively
and qualitatively, finding the proper
tons in which its elements were com
bined. Then l have taken similar ele-
ments, brought them together in the
same proportion, and l have produced
a piece of wood so natural you would
have sworn it grew upon a tree.
Il have been analyzing and then
making again every common thing
which you see in nature, but l was
only practicing. l have bad an end In
view. Finally | took a human body
which l obtained from DR.. Bicknell at
the medical college, and l analysed the
flesh, the bones, the blood-in short,
every part of it. What did find? OF
that body, weighing 165 pounds, LOG
pounds were nothing but water, pure
water, such as you may draw at the
tap over yonder, and the blood which
In the mans life had gone coursing
through his veins, bringing nourish-
ment to every part-what was that
Nothing but serum filed with little
cellular red corpuscles, which In their
turn were only combinations of car
bon. oxygen, sulphur and a few other
simple elements.
Il have taken the sternum bone from
dead mans chest, analysed 1t, then
brought together similar elements
placed them in a mold, and have pro-
duced a bone which was just as real
as the one with which l started. There
were only two things In nature l could
not reproduce. One was starch, that
substance whose analysis has defied
chemists Of all ages; the other was the
flesh. Though l have analysed bits OF
it carefully, when l have brought to
gether again those elementary parts
the flesh would not form.
Chemists all over the world have
been able to resolve the flesh into pro
teids. the awesome proteids, as they
are called. They form the principal
solids of the muscular, nervous and
glandular tissues, the serum of the
blood and of lymph, but no man OF
earth except myself has ever been able
to create a proteid. They have missed
the whole secret because they have
been working at ordinary tempera
lures. Just as the drop of water will
not form from its two gases at 4,50(
degrees F. or at its own lower explo
sion temperature unless the spark bt
added, so will protoplasm not form
except under certain electric and Their
NAL conditions.
For the last two months l have
been working ON these lines alone
varying my temperatures from the ex
IRENE cold produced by liquid air tt
the intense heat of the compound blow
pipe, and l have been repaid. fort
night ago l discovered how it was thai
l had erred, and since then have sue
ceeded in everything l have tried.
have formed the proteids. the fats and
the carbohydrates which go to make
up protoplasm. and with these for m!
solid foundations l have made every
minute and complicated organ of the
body. l have done more than that
have put those component parts to
gether, and now behold what l have
l M n do