370 General Notes [ May, 
preserved the appearance of a sleeping child. The body was of 
a natural softness and had preserved the appearance of life toa 
surprising degree. 
“Mr. Wickersheimer showed a number of skeletons in which 
(the ligaments being preserved in their natural condition and 
elasticity) all the complicated movements could be executed and 
studied, of course much better than by aid of connecting wires 
and artificial joints. Some of the specimens showed beautifully 
the combined movements of the chest, the larynx and other parts 
in breathing. Several skeletons of snakes which had been treat- 
ed with the fluid a year ago, allowed to show the spiral and un- 
dulatory movements of any part of the skeleton, 
“ But,” the reporter continues, “not only the ligaments but 
also the vessels and membranes of animals will show the same 
indestructible softness and elasticity. The lungs thus prepared 
in connection with the wind-pipe may, even after years, be inflated 
by means of bellows. Such old lungs of several animals reporter 
saw swelling to ten times their size; the lobes became distinctly 
separate; the brown color gradually changed into red, and at 
length the whole body appeared as if taken from out of a fresh 
body. ; 
“Also the digestive organs after having been cleaned, prepared 
and blown up, may be transformed into durable preparations 
which are undoubtedly far more instructive than any of those 
common imitations in papier-maché, 
“Further, the fluid offers great advantages for the preserva- 
tion of such delicate objects which have to remain in a liqui 
medium, There is no discoloring, no shrinking of the objects as 
in alcohol (even when diluted). Sections of delicate tissues, mor- 
bid formations which have been removed by an operation, will 
appear after months as if in a fresh condition, and may thus be 
preserved for further study. 
“Finally, all sorts of vegetable organisms, such as flowers, 
fruits, fungi, etc., will excellently preserve in this fluid and are 
sure to Maintain their natural appearance fora long time. Re- 
porter saw a colony of those delicate common fresh-water alge 
which had been in the fluid for a year and had so beautifully pre- 
served their green color that they appeared to grow in the water 
in their natural condition.” 
Some time previous to this report, Mr. Wickersheimer had 
offered his invention to the Prussian government for a reasonable 
compensation. The government accepted the offer and appointed 
a committee of experts to examine the fluid and test its qualities 
and effects. The very satisfactory results of these examinations 
have been quite recently published by the State’s-Secretary of 
the Department of Instruction in the official “ Staatsanzeiger,” 
