Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1912-07-15
Brought Back
to Life ;
A Story Of the Twenty-6rst
Century
By r. A. Mitchell
From the New York Biustef. July 30, ]
200l. {
By r. A. Mitchell
From the New York Bluster. July 30.
20I
.c.c.c.c.cC.G.G.C.

Near the middle OF the nineteenth
century an ingenious F%renchman wrote
a story based on the idea that the Iiv
ing una body by a process OF *
haustiOn Of its moisture called desic-
cation could be kept as a mummy for
al unlimited period and by the reintro-
duction of wafer could be terminated
This literary production was conSid
cred by the people OF that age 10 be
very ingenious and highly imaginative.
There was no pretense on the part OF
was built was or eve would be posi-
BILE, nor was IL taken seriously by the
public.
The coming of the twentieth century
marked the beginning OF a new scien-
tific era. For a hundred years men
had been discovering that they could
talk 10 each other from different parts
of the globe; that disease was nothing
more or less than the work Of inf
nitely small germs and hundreds OF
othcr-io them-marvelous processes OF
nature. These discoveries were mostly
accidental. But about The year 1910
rich men began 10 found institutions
with a view TO making regular Prog
resS.
One Of the most important subjects
studied by these institutions has leen
the human body and that mysterious
lIr- .o~ .-lkaI, al. l..~ ..;.l a. .-l
grows rs IL grows. In the year 1912
scientists began TO experiment. among
other things. on the animal heart and
found that portions Of il removed from
tue body and cultivated in hyptonir
plasma would pulsate for several
months. This changed the conditions
under which the animal might bc pro
nounced dead. 1t was also about this
time that scientists laid down two
causes Of bodily death or corruption
the action of microbes and self diges-
ton. From this scientific fact natural
~ followed the axiom-cxclndc the
microbes, exhaust the water and there
can be no death.
A hundred years have interviewed be-
tween n knowledge Of this fact and it,
being put in practice. That which lan
years ago was the basis of IN imagi
native extravaganza has today become
the subject Of m actual occurrence.
IL appears that about the middle OF
the twentieth century there lived il
Chicago. then n small city Of not more
than four orsive millions of people. II
meat prpserver named SwnrtZ. who's"
son Adrian chose. rather than follow
in the footsteps of his father. "a DE-
vote himself TO scientific research Re
ing heir to n couple of billion dollars
or 1000 wealth units the people ..
that day had not been driven hv vas
Accommodations to orr present Svrt"r
OF tvpifying f~ortuncs-hc was not pre-
vented from following unremun"rHtiv'
tastes by poverty.
This Adrian Swartz Owed n bcauti
fnl girl whose anne appears on tn
records rs Muriel Anderson Profes
sOr SwartZ worked on his OWN limos
in his own laboratory. Keeping his In
vestigations Il profound secret What
he was doing has only come 10 light
fifty years after he was engaged IN
his work. He was absorbed n fwt
things his Investigations with . view
10 pcrpctuating the life principle and
Miss Muricl Anderson.
II wns then known that different
parts of the body may he taken from
q person who has recently been pro
nounced dead by the old standard ana
preserved IN cold storage vaults for
an indefinite period The young pro
feSSOr was able To start on his inveSti
cations with n knowledge Of this and
other facts knowing that corruption
may be kept out by excluding mi
crohcs and water. he devoted himself
TO the discovery OF n process 10y which
after having kept them out. the water
might be reintrodnced NJ a later date
without admitting the microbes.
That the breathing process may be
suspended without producing rorrup
ton was also known 70 Professor
Swartz, and this was a very important
point. The main problem before nm
WIS not uON 10 httIl OUT corruption.
but to restore animation
Miss Muriel Anderson was taken i'll
and died. Her lovers grief was 50
great that for a time il was feared
that he would lose his reason There
was no evidence that the body was not
disposed OF by burial. which was the
usual method in those days. After the
girls death SwartZ was observed 70
pursue his Investigations with still
more eagerneSS than before Indeed.
his relatives feared that he would 60
insane on the subject OF perpetuatin2
life.
There are traditions that a dog ne
longing TO one OF his friends died ans
ten years later appeared nj his mas
ter's door and showed great deligW at
the reunion Ii vas whispered Ilat
the dog had Deen terminated by roe
young professor There vas u similar
story about a cat. bnt unScientiiic per
sons claimed there was nothing re
markable In bringing back a cot 70
life except for the tenth time. These