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Gold-faced Dead Men

Gold-faced Dead Men image
Parent Issue
Day
15
Month
June
Year
1887
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Aq ingenioud Philadelphlan hai devised a process for the preservation oí bodies which will cause a blush of envy and tnortification to mantle the wrinkled check of the most ancient niumray the tombs of Egypt can produce. By this new method future generations may have the pleasure of gazing upon their ncestry in a close seinblance of their. natural forra, with shape and outlinecarefully preserved and the whole body keautified beyond the utmost possibilities of nature. No more will departed friends and relativas be treaiured up as bundies of rags and bones or as pinches, of ashes in cinerary urns, but in the full form and size of their ante-mortem. ezistence. The means by which this wonderful transformation is to be ac-:' compliahed ig but a new application of, an oíd principie long in use in meohanic' arts. ït is simply the oíd and familiar j process of electro-plating, which fur-'. nishes modern households with so many , articles of ornament and utility. The method of its application in the preservation of bodies is as follows:' The corpse is first thoroughly washed j with alcohol, or with a solution of! caustic potash followed by very dilute nitric acid, in order to cleanse the body and remove all traces of oily or greasy exudations. Then the entire surface of j the body, from which all hair must be J entirely removed, is dusted over with! finely powdered plumbago, care beingj taken to cover every portion of the i tace. As the purpose of the plumbago ! is to f urni.sh a conducting surface, any ! uncovered spot upou the corpse would cause a break in the plating. The Africanized remnant of huraanity is then immersed in a bath of metallic j solution containing a lump of the metal! with which it is desired to coat the body. To the piece of metal is attached the f positive pole of a strong galvanic bat-j tery or a powerful dynamo-electrio ! chine, and the negative pole is con-l nected with the body. The action of 1 the powerful current of electricity im-! mediately commences, covering the, body with a fine fílm of metal, which is: depositcd evenly over the entire surface. ! As long as the elcctriml ourrent is un-: interrupted the deposit of the metal continúes, and the coating may thus be made of any desired thickness. In aIcogth of time proportioned to the strength of the electrical current the entire body may be euveloped in a metallic shroud an eighth or a quarter of an inch in thickness, or even more if desired. By this impervious coat the remains are thus perfectly protected from decay, and may be preserved for an indufinite number of years. Outside of its advantages as a method of preserving remains this process has jjreat commercial and artistio value. The morgues of the various large cities would furnish an ampie supply of material which might easily be worked up into nickel-plated dummies for use by clothiers and dry goods merchants in displaying garments and dreis goods. With limos and body arranged in graceful postures, an unclainied body could readily be transformed into a valuable work of art. Dying gladiators, wrestr lars and Greek and Roman figures could be reproduced in unlimited numbers. Thus the unknown suicide and bodies fished from ponds and rivers could find tinal resting places in art museums or fashionable parlors instead of being cut and sawed asunder by the ambitious medical student One can readily imagine the feelingi of pride with which the man of a hundred years henee would lead his visitor into his mortuary chamber and point out each member of his silver-plated ancestry, beautifully polished and natïrally grouped about the room. There would be in those days no need for an ezpensive burial lot in a fashionable cemetery, and there would be no use for the costly and ostentatious funeral of to-day. In those days the undertaker would simply be an expert electroplater, and instead of a roomful of sample coffins and caskets he would simply exhibit a few pieces of polished metal and inquire of his customer: 'How would you like to have the deceased finjshed- in copper, nickel, silver or gold?" To the man of the future who has a taste for art and antiques this procesi offers great possibilities. Ancestor plated with silver or nickel would be far more artistio ornamenta than the rusty and ancient suits of armor which are so highly prized in these days. Armed with lance and shield a grandfaiher thus prepared would furnish a valuable addition to any collection of antiques and bric-a-brac. Beautiful effects could be produced by plating bodies with copper, which by atmospheric action soon assumes the appearance of a beautiful bronze. By the use of plush ot velvet these bronzes could easily be mounted after the fashion of to-day. A copper-covered relativa, well finished and polished, might be exhibited as an excellent specimen of repousse work. The use of gold would produce a piece of preserved pedigree more valuable, more novel and far more beautiful than the famous gold-faced mummies which contain all that was mortal of the Pharaohs of Egypt. These are but a few examples of what may b" done by this new preservativo process, which is capable of development to an unlimited extent.- Philadtlphia Record. -"As regards art and that sort of thlng, Miss Breezy," he remarked to a Chicago young lady, "St Louis and Chicago rank about equal, do they notr" "O, my, no!" she replied promptly; "when it comes to the artistic, Chicago

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Subjects
Ann Arbor Courier
Old News