The Catholic World, Vol. 14, October 1871-March 1872: A Monthly Magazine of General Literature and ScienceVarious
Religion
The Catholic World, Vol. 14, October 1871-March 1872: A Monthly Magazine of General Literature and Science
Various
Catholic Church -- Periodicals
On Friday, Nov. 27, 1868, Dr. Lefebvre, who usually adopted the wise
precaution of taking with him two or three of his colleagues or other
respectable physicians on his visits to Bois d’Haine, in the presence
of Drs. Lecrinier and Séverin, applied strong aqua ammonia to a spot
about half an inch in diameter upon the back of the left hand,
alongside of the stigma, which was then bleeding freely. A narrow
strip of sound skin was purposely left between the two. In about
twelve minutes a well-developed circular vesicle was obtained, filled
with transparent serum. On the hypothesis of fraud, this should have
burst spontaneously; but, as it did not do so, it was ruptured and the
cuticle torn off, thus exposing two raw surfaces side by side, upon
the same hand, and involving the same tissues. The two spots were
carefully watched; the stigma continued to bleed freely for two hours
and a half longer, while the blistered surface during this period did
not yield a single drop of blood. For a half hour it exuded a little
colorless serum, after which its surface dried up; on rubbing it with
a coarse towel, a little rose-colored serum escaped and soaked into
the cloth, but ceased the instant the friction was stopped.
The second experiment, which was still more decisive, was by means of
what he calls “the glove test” (_l’épreuve des gants_).
On Wednesday, February 3, 1869, Dr. Lecrinier, M. Niels, the curate of
Bois d’Haine, and M. Bussin visited the cottage, and took with them a
pair of thick, strong, well-stitched leather gauntlets. After
carefully examining her hands, and satisfying themselves that no
vesicle or abnormal redness existed, they asked Louise to put on the
gloves, which fitted her exactly. A strong wristband being then
wrapped five times around the wrist, so as not to leave the smallest
interspace between the glove and the skin, it was tied in a double
knot, the ends cut short, covered with melted sealing-wax, and
impressed on each side with a special seal. To prevent the wax from
scaling off from friction or any chance blow, the seals were enclosed
in little bags (_bourses en toile_). The gloves were the same for both
hands, except that on the right glove the thumb and forefinger were
cut short to allow the girl to continue her usual sewing. On the next
Friday morning, before seven o’clock, Dr. Lefebvre met by appointment
at the cottage Mgr. Pouceur, vicar-general of the diocese of Tournay,
and two well-known Belgian physicians, Drs. Moulaert, of Bruges, and
Mussely, of Deguze. After each one had satisfied himself of the
integrity of the seals, and that it was impossible to slip an
instrument of any kind between the glove and the skin, the strings
were cut and the gloves removed.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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