NATURE STUDIES. 259 



A WONDERFUL DISCOVERY. 



BY R. A. PROCTOR. 



NOT long since a story was started in an Australian 

 paper to the effect that a means had been found by 

 which animals could be frozen into insensibility, and 

 restored to life after months or even years had passed. 

 If the narrative had any foundation in scientific possi- 

 bilities, the discovery would involve results far more 

 remarkable than those affecting the exportation of 

 cattle. Indeed, to consider the matter only from an 

 agricultural point of view, our farmers at home would 

 gain much more than the Australian squatters. The 

 great difficulty of profitably feeding cattle during the 

 winter months would be disposed of very simply and 

 effectively. Nothing more would be needed than to 

 congeal the larger part of the live stock late in the 

 autumn and to restore them to life in spring. But the 

 application of the process of ft congelation without 

 killing" to human beings would be altogether the 

 most important result of the wonderful discovery if 

 only the wonderful discovery had really been made or 

 were in any way possible. Unfortunately, it would 

 seem that our cousins in Australia are beginning now 

 to do what the Americans were famous, or rather were 

 notorious, for doing a quarter of a century since or 

 more. They invented lately for our benefit the tele- 

 gastograph, an instrument by which a dinner, with 



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