1895.) Observations on a So-called Petrified Man. 335 
two of these samples not a trace of lead could be found; in 
three or four others a perceptible quantity was obtained, while 
in one a sufficient quantity was gotten to make a metallic 
bead. There can be no doubt, therefore, that lead in some 
form exists in the body. It was found in a part of the speci- 
men which had been kept several weeks in alcohol, and hence 
must have been incorporated with the tissues of the body. 
Whether lead was the sole agency in the preservation from 
decay, I cannot say; but that it exerts an influence in that 
direction cannot, I think, be doubted. It is recorded that a 
solution of sugar of lead, among other things, were used as an 
embalming fluid during the Civil War. It is hardly probable 
that the body in question was embalmed, as it is that of a 
Negro; but some salt of lead may have been administered as 
a medicine. It is well-known that lead is a ‘‘ cumulative” in 
its nature—that is, when taken into the system from time to 
_ time, even in small quantities, it is not thrown off as is usual, 
but is retained in the system and thereby accumulates. May 
not the presence of lead in the body under examination be 
accounted for in this way? It is a matter of regret that reli- 
able facts relating to the history of the case before us are un- 
attainable. 
