The Press., 1902-09-11
The Man Who
Made a Man
Copyright. by III. o. Cammins
BY HARLE oREN CuMm1Ns.

/ ~
When Professor Aloysius Holbrok
resigned his chair as head of the de-
partment of synthetic chemistry In 9
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 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 I,
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.
I had noticed for the year previous
that Professor Holbrok was much pre-
occupied, but I 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 I found a notice pinned
on the door telling me that he was in
the midst of important work and would
not need me again that day. thought
nothing about it at the time. for when
he was experimenting with DR.. Bick-
| nell, performing operations with hyp-
notism instead of an@sthetics. there
were weeks at time when l was not
allowed even n glimpse of the inside Of
the laboratories. One day. however,
ms l came In to report the professor
called me aside and told me that he
wanted to have n talk with me.
You know, Frederick" he began.
that I have been working and eXper-
imenting for long time on a new
problem. and l have not told you or
any one else the object of my toll. But
now I have come to point where l
must take some one into my conf
dence. l need an assistant. and I
know of no one l can trust more than
you. who have been with me now for
nearly a dozen years."
was naturally flattered.
"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. I shall
make manw
I did not realize at first what he
meant. 1 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 it's two component
parts, two molecules of hydrogen to
| bring these same elements together in
the gaseous state, and if the correct
proportions are observed when an cleo
trio spark or flame 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 it hold equally we'll
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 a piece of wood, decomposed it
with acids. analysed it quantitively
and qualitatively. finding the proper
lions in which it's 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 q tree.
Il have been analysing and then
making again every common thing
which you see in nature. but l was
only practicing. l have had an end in
view. Finally took human body
which 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 1863 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 filled with little
cellular red cOrpuscles. which In their
turn were only combinations of car
bon. oxygen. sulphur and few other
simple clements
II have taken the sternum bone from
dead mans chest, analysed it. then
brought together similar elements.
placed them in IL mold and have pro-
duced 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
Ecen able to resolve the flesh into pro-
tsids. the awesome moteids as thav
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 on
earth except myself has ever been able
to create 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 it's two gases at $500
degrees F. or at it's own lower explo-
sion temperature unless the spark be
added, SO will protoplasn not form
except under certain electric and ther-