Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1902-08-12
The Man Who
Made a Man
BY HARLE onEN cUMMlNs.
Copyright. by II. o. Cummins

/
When Professor Aloysius Holbrol
resigned his chair as head of the de
| partment of synthetic chemistry in
famous American college, his friend
wondered, for they well knew tina
his greatest pleasure in life lay il
original chemical investigations. Whel
two weeks later the papers statet
that the learned chemist had beer
taken to the Rathburn Asylum Fol
the Insane, wonder changed to inordi
nate curiosity
f. Although nothing definite was pub
lished in the papers, there were hint.
of strange things which had takel
place in the private laboratory OF
Brimmer street, and before long sto
/ ry was current that as result of dab
bling in the mysteries of psychology {
man had been killed while undergoing
ole Of Professor Holbrok's expert
ments.
1t is to clear mp this mystery and t.
| refute the charges of murder that
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.
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 I came to his door
at 5 O'Clock to clean up as usual for
the next day l found n notice pinned
the midst of important work and would
not reed me again that day. thought
nothing about II at the time, for when
he was experimenting with DR.. Bick-
nell, performing operations with hyp-
notism instead of anastnetics, there
We're weeks ut a time when was not
allowed even a glimpse of the inside of
the laboratories. One day. however,
as l came in to report the professor
called me aside and told me that he
wanted to have talk with me.
You know. Frederick" he began,
that | have Ieen working and exper-
imenting for long time on new
problem. and have not told you OF
any one else the o. ject of my toll. But
now l have come to point where |
must take some one into my conf
dence. | need an assistant. and
know of no one can trust more than
you. who have been with me now 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. | 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. l 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
bring these same elements together in
the gaseous state. and IL the correct
proportions are observed when an cleo
trie spark or 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 have
been working with these elements,
making different substances. have
taken a piece f wood decomposed it
with acids. analyzad it quantitiyely
and qualitatively. firding the proper
tons in which its elements were com
bined. Then have taken similar ele-
ments, brought them together in the
same proportion. and | have produced
piece of wood so natural you would
have sworn if grew upon tree.
Il have been analyZing and then
making again every common thing
which you see in nature, but I was
only practicing- | have had an end In
view. Finally | took Il human body
which | obtained from DR.. BickneII at
the medical college. and analysed the
flesh. the bones. the blood-in short,
every part of It. What did I find? OF
that body. weighing 165 pounds, Jog
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 few other
simple elements.
II have taken the sternum bone from
a dead mans chest, analysed 1t, then
brought together similar elements,
placed them In mold, and / have pro-
duced a bone which was just as real
as the one with which started. There
were only two things In nature I could
not reproduce One was starch, that
substance whose analysis has deiied
chemists Of all ages; the other was the
flesh. Though / have analysed bits OF
it carefully. when have brought to-
gether again those elementary parts
the flesh would not FORM
chemists I'LL over the world have
been able to resolve the flesh into pro-
teids, the awesome proteids, as they