EMBALMING SECRET DISCOVERED

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 106, 21 May 1937, Page 14

EMBALMING SECRET DISCOVERED

(Own Correspondent-

Italian Revives Art Of Egyptians PRESERVING BIRDS

-By Air Mail.)

LONDOjST, April 28. Salvatore Perotta, who twenty years ago was forced to discontinue his medi-; cal studies beeause of financial difficulties, claims to have rediscovered tlie embalmdng secret of the ancient Egyptians. Leaving the University of Turin at the age of 22 , Perotta became a Tailwayman to provide for himself and his family. . "5 ffe did well at it. He has been a station-master in the outskirts of Turin for a number of years. , But he never neglected his .true vocation. A born chemist, he kept studying, and struggled to save enough 'lo set up a laboratory in his small country home. . The inystory of Egyptian- embalming intrigued him, and ne spent evenings and early xnorniing hours in his laboratory doing one experiment after auother in tne attetnplt.to rediscover the forniula. Perotta thought the whole secret lay in the fluid .ueed, and he was deteimined to discover. it. He worked at the problem for years, ehanging the comp.ositiQn- of the fluid and modifying the embalming procsss until, two years ago, he was convinced he had hit upon the real thing. Eor the hundredth time he embalmed several birds, and mad8 a few anatomicl .preparations, but said nothing, desiring a sure check-time. Now, after two years, the birds and the anatomical preparations are aa fresh as on the day he embalmed them. Perotta nxade known his diseovery to Professors Azzi and Negro, of the Uniyersity of Turin — the university he had quite 20 years ago. Bo^h professors WQre. amazed at the remarkable preservation of the. animals and the anatomical preparations. Numerous offers to buy the procesa have been made, but Perotta has refused them, stafcing tliey are not eufficiently high to help him out of his iinancial difficulties.