600 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



late. Happily, such occurrences must be exceedingly rare, especially 

 in this country, where the interval between death and burial is con- 

 siderable, and the fear is almost a groundless one. Still, the convic- 

 tion that such a fate is possible, which cannot be altogether denied, 

 will always be a source of severe trial to some. With cremation, no 

 such catastrophe could ever occur ; and the completeness of a properly 

 conducted process would render death instantaneous and painless, if 

 by an unhappy chance any individual so circumstanced were submitted 

 to it. But the guarantee against this danger would be doubled, since 

 inspection of the entire body must of necessity immediately precede 

 the act of cremation, no such inspection being possible under the pres- 

 ent system. 



In order to meet a possible objection to the substitution of crema- 

 tion for burial, let me observe that the former is equally susceptible 

 with the latter of association with religious funereal rites, if not more 

 so. Never could the solemn and touching words, " ashes to ashes, 

 dust to dust," be more appropriately uttered than over a body about 

 to be consigned to the furnace ; while, with a view to metaphor, the 

 dissipation of almost the whole body in the atmosphere, in the ethe- 

 real form of gaseous matter, is far more suggestive as a type of another 

 and a brighter life, than the consignment of the body to the abhorred 

 prison of the tomb. 



I do not propose to describe here the processes which have been 

 employed, or any improved system which might be adopted for the 

 purpose of insuring rapid and perfect combustion of the body, although 

 much might be said in reference to these matters. There is no doubt 

 that further experiments and research are wanting for the practical 

 improvement of the process, especially if required to be conducted on 

 a large scale. Something has been already accomplished, and with 

 excellent results. I refer to recent examples of the process as prac- 

 tised by Dr. L. Brunetti, Professor of Pathological Anatomy in the 

 University of Padua. These were exhibited at the Exposition of Vi- 

 enna, where I had the opportunity of examining them with care. 

 Prof. Brunetti exposed the residue from bodies and parts of bodies 

 on which he had practised cremation by different methods, and the 

 results of his latest experience may be summarized as follows : The 

 whole process of incineration of a human adult body occupied three 

 and a half hours. The ashes and bone-earth weighed 1.70 kilometre, 

 about three pounds and three-quarters avoirdupois. They were of a 

 delicate white, and were contained in a glass box about twelve inches 

 long, by eight inches wide, and eight deep. The quantity of wood used 

 to effect absolute and complete incineration may be estimated from 

 its weight, about 150 pounds. He adds that "its cost was one florin 

 and twenty kreuzers," about two shillings and fourpence English. The 

 box was that marked No. IX. in the case, which was No. 4,149 in 

 the catalogue : Italian. 



