420 Messrs. Daniel and Robert Cooper 07i'the 



upon your notice, merely requesting their insertion at your 

 earliest convenience. 



I am, Gentlemen, yours, &c. 

 New Bridge Street, April 13, 1838. Thomas Taylor, M.R.C.S, 



LXIX. On the Luminosity of the Human Subject after Death, 

 with Rema7'ks and Details of Experiments made with a view 

 of determining the nature of the fact. By Mr, Daniel 

 Cooper, A,L.S., Curator to the Botanical Society of London, 

 Sfc, and Mr, Robert Cooper.* 



/^N the 14.th day of February, 1838, the body of William 

 ^^ Tomkins, aged 88, shoemaker by trade, was received at 

 the Webb-street School of Anatomy and Medicine, Borough, 

 having died of age and debility ; and on the 3rd of March that 

 of Robert Boreham, aged 45, was also received with the fol- 

 lowing history. It appeared that this individual, previous to 

 his death, had been observed in the street in a state of ex- 

 treme poverty, and was accordingly conveyed by a police 

 officer on duty to the Station House, where, from extreme 

 fatigue and exhaustion, the man died on the 26th of February. 

 Being an unclaimed corpse, the parish authorities (according 

 to the regulations of the Act of Parliament for supplying the 

 Anatomical Schools with subjects for dissection) sent it to 

 Webb-street. Previous to the reception of the latter, nearly 

 the whole of the first subject had been dissected, and the only 

 part which exhibited the luminous property was the left leg, 

 which had been removed, according to custom, at the upper 

 third of the thigh. Not having been informed of this phagno- 

 menon until it had been despatched for interment, we had not the 

 opportunity of making experiments with regard to the cause. 



We were, however, more fortunate with the latter subject, 

 which presented the same appearance, but in a greater degree. 

 Upon examination it was evident that the man had been a 

 muscular and likewise a hard-working individual, if we might 

 be allowed to judge from the appearance of the skin of the 

 palms of the hands. 



The phaenomenon was first observed by Mr. J. Appleton, 

 (the Curator to the above establishment,) on Saturday the 3rd 

 March, upon taking his accustomed round of an evening to 

 every part of the building previous to retiring to rest. He 

 was greatly surprised at perceiving the extremity before men- 

 tioned to be luminous ; never having heard or witnessed in the 

 whole course of his experience, commencing in 1812, a similar 

 occurrence. 



* Communicated by the Authors : see the Intelligence and Miscellaneous 

 Articles in a future page. 



