DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.70266#0396
352 klrby’s wonderful museum.
people assembled opposite the house in Manchester^street,
where Joanna Southcott lay dead, and the most zealous of
the followers did not hesitate even then to pronounce their
positive conviction of her re-animation during the day-
these predictions, however, to the mortification of the de-
luded multitude, were destined to disappointment. The
prescribed period of four days and nights elapsed., and so far
was the body from exhibiting appearances of a temporary
suspension of animation, that it began to display a discolo-
ration, which at once brought home to conviction the fact,
that the wretched Joanna was but mortal, and like other
mortals, subject to decay. The hopes of her friends being
thus frustrated, preparations were made to perform that
operation which she had herself directed, namely, to dissect
her remains. A- summons was issued to the surgeons, who
had expressed a desire to be present, and at two o’clock fif-
teen gentlemen had assembled, including Messrs. Reece,
Want, Clark, Sims, Adams, Taunton, and nine others. Be-
side these professional gentlemen, there were Parson Tozer,
Colonel Harwood, and one or two other of Joanna’s fol-
lowers. Ann Underwood was in the anti-room, and seemed
deeply affected, not alone at the awful situation of her
friend, but at the disappointment of all her celestial hopes.
The room in which the operation took place, was that in
which Joanna had slept. From the putrescent state of the
corpse the. smell was dreadfully offensive, and it required all
the aid of tobacco smoke and burnt vinegar, to render the
place at all to be borne.
The body having been placed upon a table, Mr. Reece and
Mr. Want proceeded to the performance of their disgusting,
but required task. The result of this examination was—■
First, that there was no Shiloh; next, that there was no
disease of the uterine organs, as imagined by .Dr. Sims ;—-
thirdly, that the womb, instead of being enlarged, was re-
markably small and reduced, as might be expected in an.
people assembled opposite the house in Manchester^street,
where Joanna Southcott lay dead, and the most zealous of
the followers did not hesitate even then to pronounce their
positive conviction of her re-animation during the day-
these predictions, however, to the mortification of the de-
luded multitude, were destined to disappointment. The
prescribed period of four days and nights elapsed., and so far
was the body from exhibiting appearances of a temporary
suspension of animation, that it began to display a discolo-
ration, which at once brought home to conviction the fact,
that the wretched Joanna was but mortal, and like other
mortals, subject to decay. The hopes of her friends being
thus frustrated, preparations were made to perform that
operation which she had herself directed, namely, to dissect
her remains. A- summons was issued to the surgeons, who
had expressed a desire to be present, and at two o’clock fif-
teen gentlemen had assembled, including Messrs. Reece,
Want, Clark, Sims, Adams, Taunton, and nine others. Be-
side these professional gentlemen, there were Parson Tozer,
Colonel Harwood, and one or two other of Joanna’s fol-
lowers. Ann Underwood was in the anti-room, and seemed
deeply affected, not alone at the awful situation of her
friend, but at the disappointment of all her celestial hopes.
The room in which the operation took place, was that in
which Joanna had slept. From the putrescent state of the
corpse the. smell was dreadfully offensive, and it required all
the aid of tobacco smoke and burnt vinegar, to render the
place at all to be borne.
The body having been placed upon a table, Mr. Reece and
Mr. Want proceeded to the performance of their disgusting,
but required task. The result of this examination was—■
First, that there was no Shiloh; next, that there was no
disease of the uterine organs, as imagined by .Dr. Sims ;—-
thirdly, that the womb, instead of being enlarged, was re-
markably small and reduced, as might be expected in an.