POPULAR MISCELLANY. 



7^7 



carbon, and this solution mixed witli pound- 

 ed chalk constituted a paste which was put 

 iuto a porcelain crucible, and the mass fired 

 by heating it over a Bunsen burner. " It 

 blazed magnificently, throwing out eruptive 

 jets of flame. Here, in the absence of sur- 

 rounding oxygen, the carbonic acid had ev- 

 ery opportunity of becoming dissociated or 

 reduced by the heated phosphorus." The 

 residue, treated with hydrochloric acid, yield- 

 ed a quantity of crystalline grains. These, 

 when tested, left scratches on the glass 

 mortar and pestle, and even seemed to leave 

 slight marks upon an agate pestle and mor- 

 tar. Examined, however, under a micro- 

 scope, they resembled pebbles more~tiearly 

 than crystals, and this fact led to the the- 

 ory that they were " miniature chalk-flints 

 formed by the fusion and aggregation of 

 the silicious cuticles of fossil diatoms." 

 This was tested by precipitating pure car- 

 bonate of lime, soaking it with the phos- 

 phorus solution, and, after firing it, treating 

 it with hydrochloric acid, when all trace of 

 dissociated carbonic acid disappeared, and 

 neither diamonds nor other crystalline resi- 

 due remained. 



A New Preservatiye Process. — Herr 

 Wickerscheimer, preparator in the Zootomi- 

 cal Museum of Berlin, has invented a pro- 

 cess for preserving plants and the bodies of 

 animals, which has appeared to be of such 

 value that the Prussian Government has 

 procured the patent, and given it to the 

 public. The inventor describes the pro- 

 cess in his specifications as follows ; " I 

 prepare a fluid with which I impregnate the 

 object to be preserved in different ways, 

 according to its nature or the purpose I 

 have in view, or the manner in which I pre- 

 serve it. The bodies of men and animals 

 preserved by this process retain perfectly 

 their form, color, and suppleness, so that 

 we may take sections from them years af- 

 terward for the purposes of science or of 

 criminal justice. Under its operation, cor- 

 ruption and the insalubrious odors pro- 

 duced thereby cease. The muscular tissue 

 presents on cutting it a condition like that 

 of a fresh body. Finished preparations of 

 selected parts, as the ligaments, lungs, in- 

 testines, etc., preserve their softness and 

 flexibility, and the hollow parts may be 



even blown out. The parts of bugs, crus- 

 taceans, and worms, remain movable with- 

 out exception. The colors may be made to 

 remain perfect if it is desired, in animal 

 as well as in vegetable bodies. The pre- 

 serving fluid is prepared as follows: In 

 3,000 grammes (46,500 grains) of boiling 

 water dissolve 100 grammes (1,550 grains) 

 of alum, 25 grammes (387 grains) of com- 

 mon salt, 12 grammes (186 grains of salt- 

 peter, 60 grammes (930 grains) of potash, 

 and 10 grammes (155 grains) of arsenious 

 acid. To ten quarts of the neutral colorless 

 and odorless fluid add four quarts of glycer- 

 ine and one quart of metylalcohol. The pro- 

 cess of preservation, which is applicable to 

 the dead bodies of men, dead animals, and 

 vegetables, as well as to single parts of 

 the same, consists, to speak generally, in 

 soaking them and impregnating them with 

 this mixture. If the preparations are to be 

 preserved dry, they are kept in the fluid 

 for from six to twelve days, according to 

 their size, then taken out and dried in the 

 air. The ligaments of skeletons, the mus- 

 cles, crustaceans, bugs, etc., will then re- 

 main soft and pliable, so that all the natu- 

 ral movements can be produced on them at 

 any time. Hollow organs, as the lungs, in- 

 testines, etc., are filled with the fluid before 

 being put into it. After taking them out 

 and pouring out the fluid from the inside, 

 they are dried, and should then be blown 

 out. If it is desired to preserve smaller ani- 

 mals, like lizards and frogs, and vegetables, 

 with their colors unchanged, they should not 

 be dried, but should be kept in the fluid. If 

 bodies of men or beasts are to lie for a 

 considerable time before being used for sci- 

 entific purposes, it is enough to infect them 

 with the preservative fluid. For this pur- 

 pose, I apply, according to the size of the 

 object, one and a half litre (about three 

 pints) of the fluid for a child of two years, 

 five litres (or quarts) for a grown person. 

 The muscles will appear then, even after 

 the lapse of years, fresh when cut. If the 

 infected bodies are kept in the air, they will 

 lose their fresh appearance, and the epider- 

 mis will become somewhat brown ; but that 

 may be avoided if the body is rubbed on the 

 outside with the fluid, and is then kept shut 

 up in an air-tight case. The last method is 

 recommended in the case of corpses which 



