The Resurrectionist: The Lost Work of Dr. Spencer Black Page 6

  The final clue to Dr. Spencer Black’s fate is a letter addressed to his brother, Bernard, sent seven years after their last correspondence. It is the last known document written by Black. He had just returned from a six-month excavation and research trip from the northernmost point of Greenland. The letter indicates that he had been actively pursing some bizarre treatment for his wife, Elise. Prior to receiving the letter, Bernard had no knowledge that Elise had been burned in a fire, or that Spencer had performed any kind of surgery on her. Bernard shared the letter with the police before embarking on a trip to find his brother.

  February 1908

  Bernard,

  I have no choice but to conclude the fallacy of my previous studies, however painful it is to accept. I am writing you tonight to give the deepest thanks and offer the most sincere apology a man such as I can manage. Deluded by my own aims, I could not heed your most eloquent and obvious warning. I could not listen well enough to hear that the future of my work had been foretold by the mistakes of my predecessors, men I hadn’t the courage to name as mentors … especially you.

  I now languish in the solitude of this letter, lamenting. Your laughter at my expense or your scorn would be a salve upon my mind. Nothing can help me, I know; it was I who was the cause of my peril.

  I cannot be certain if you will ever receive this letter, nor is there much I would expect to arise from it if you could read it now. I can be certain, however, that if any news of me arrives to you it will be this letter and this letter alone. I have hidden my notes for you to retrieve. Please, brother, help me keep this from the sleepless man, my son, Alphonse.

  I fear you know of what I am to write, but I fervently hope that you do not. I pray that my work, my labor of the past ten years has exceeded any science or philosophy that the learned shall ever endeavor, or be called upon, to examine. If that is so, then perhaps it will end here with me—this box that I have opened. I have succeeded, I have done what none other before me has.

  I write only to you. I know that by now I am wretched in your esteem and that you haven’t even a decent man’s regard for me; I had once hoped that, perhaps, before we were in the grave, we could once again be friends … I know that cannot be.

  My beloved and eternally precious Elise … how beautiful she was. I did love Elise dearly, but that is not why I ventured to perform this wicked work. I have butchered many men; all are innocent when they are on my table, all are exquisite.

  My purpose has exceeded my function, I am afraid. I have spent my life, the vainglory of my youth, consumed and drunken with the most sadistic of all exploits—study. How can one dare travel into the unknown? Something quite terrible is waiting there, a destruction that would not be mine had I not sought after it.

  There was a time in the world when nature wore a different mask; since I set out to discover her secrets, my trials have only increased. What struggles, attempting to see that original face, nature’s original design. Now destiny has fulfilled her carefully plotted plan, my eventual and total ruin. Now she laughs and I will hear that mother of nature every night until my time arrives; I will hear her calling. That wretch, that filth-soaked thing whose foulness is exceeded only by her demon song.

  Death, so terrible an object; you look away from it, fearing that it may see you and call your name. I have seen many die, scream, and many more writhe in anguish at the hands of disease, injury or healing. I am shamed to confess that when a patient screamed I was relieved some––I know their agony was less than what it could have been. But know this: if they knew what horrible things were available to them, they would take comfort in their own suffering.

  We are living creatures, and within us is more than we know; the seed of life and death, together. It’s sewn into our bodies at birth; it can live and die without us. I have seen it and nurtured it and fought and defended it. I have sacrificed and bled and now I, too, will perish for it, because of it––I know not how to destroy it. I can hear her, that sound––I can hear the screaming––soaring in the darkness, searching for me. I can hear Hell calling my name. Elise, my dear wife! I resolved to save her. I chose to give her a great gift, an ancient past resurrected. She was a descendant of a powerful species, the Fury. Elise is now no longer the same woman, nor is she the one in the cracked body of burned flesh. She has emerged, she has awoken like the cicada.

  I learned many things, I wield a mighty sword now. I have taken her, as a worm, an opium-addicted wretch, writhing in a scorched body; listen to me Bernard, I write only truths. She now pounds the air with her wings and bellows Hell’s song in hunger. I baptized her; with my knife, I saved her … again, I saved her.

  The last stone I unturned in my quest was the tombstone … Come quickly.

  —S. Black.

  Bernard never returned to his wife, Emma, in New York.

  IN 1908, FIFTY YEARS AFTER THE PUBLICATION OF Gray’s Anatomy, DR. SPENCER BLACK ARRANGED FOR THE PUBLICATION OF HIS Codex Extinct Animalia. JUST SIX COPIES WERE PRINTED BEFORE DR. BLACK WITHDREW THE PROJECT AND DISAPPEARED; THE BOOK WAS NEVER DISTRIBUTED, AND THE PHILADELPHIA MUSEUM OF MEDICAL ANTIQUITIES HAS THE ONLY KNOWN EXISTING COPY. WHY DR. BLACK STOPPED PRINTING SO ABRUPTLY (AND THEN VANISHED) REMAINS UNKNOWN.

  THE BOOK IS AN ANATOMICAL REFERENCE MANUAL, A COMMON ENDEAVOR AMONG NATURALISTS AT THE TIME. IT HIGHLIGHTS THE ANATOMIES OF ELEVEN DIFFERENT SPECIES THAT ARE, AS INDICATED BY THE TITLE PAGE, PROPOSED TO BE EXTINCT. AT THE BEGINNING OF EACH CHAPTER, DR. BLACK DISCUSSES KEY POINTS OF INTEREST REGARDING THE RESPECTIVE SPECIES. ALTHOUGH HE SOMETIMES MENTIONS FINDING SPECIMENS (OR THE PARTIAL REMAINS OF A SPECIMEN) IN HIS TRAVELS, IT IS GENERALLY BELIEVED THAT BLACK FABRICATED ALL THESE CREATURES BY HAND. THE WHEREABOUTS OF THE SPECIMENS REMAINS UNKNOWN; MOST WERE LIKELY DESTROYED, BUT IT IS POSSIBLE THAT SOME ARE IN THE COLLECTIONS OF AS-YET-UNKNOWN INDIVIDUALS.

  AT TIMES DR. BLACK’S WRITING IS SCATTERED AND DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND. THERE IS A CERTAIN HYSTERICAL TONE TO HIS DESCRIPTIONS THAT WAS CHARACTERISTIC OF BLACK IN HIS LATER YEARS.

  THE

  CODEX EXTINCT

  ANIMALIA

  A STUDY OF THE LESSER KNOWN

  SPECIES OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM

  DESIGNED AS A REFERENCE FOR

  ALL PRACTITIONERS IN SCIENCE,

  MEDICINE, AND PHILOSOPHY

  BY

  SPENCER EDWARD BLACK, M.D.

  WITH

  comprehensive illustrations and explanatory

  texts regarding the musculature and skeletal

  systems: additional viscera of select animals

  NEW YORK

  SOTSKY AND SON

  DR. BLACK CHOOSES THE SPHINX FOR THE FIRST CHAPTER, POSSIBLY AS A REFERENCE TO HER FAMED RIDDLE. FAILURE TO ANSWER THE RIDDLE CORRECTLY RESULTED IN INSTANT DEATH. THERE IS, HOWEVER, NOTHING ENIGMATIC ABOUT BLACK’S INTENTIONS. KNOWING THAT MOST OF HIS SPECIMENS WOULD LIKELY BE DESTROYED OR HIDDEN AWAY IN PRIVATE COLLECTIONS, HE CREATED THE CODEX AS A LEGACY OF HIS RESEARCH—AND, PERHAPS, AS A MAP FOR FUTURE SCIENTISTS TO FOLLOW.

  IN ADDITION TO A BRIEF INTRODUCTION, EACH CHAPTER FEATURES A STYLIZED DRAWING––A VISION OF WHAT BLACK THOUGHT THE CREATURES MAY HAVE LOOKED LIKE.

  * * *

  SPHINX ALATUS

  * * *

  * * *

  KINGDOM Animalia

  PHYLUM Vertebrata

  CLASS Echidnæ

  ORDER Praesidium

  FAMILY Felidæ

  GENUS Sphinx

  SPECIES Sphinx alatus

  MANY DETAILS REGARDING the heraldry of the sphinx are still unknown. These creatures varied widely throughout the African continent. In Egypt, there are great statues of this animal—the sphinx sol, the protector and scourge of Ra, the sun god. Sphinxes are shown bearing a ram’s head (a criosphinx) or a goat’s head. These species are typically depicted without wings; I suspect that, like many flightless birds, the sphinx lost its need for flight because of geographical isolation. This evolution likely occurred before the animal’s arrival in Egypt or Africa
; however, I cannot determine whence it originated.

  The famed sphinx of Thebes appears strikingly similar to the specimen in my record. Though few in number, the species had a developed human mind with an advanced intellect; they were more than likely fierce and successful predators.

  THE BELIEF IN THE SIREN OR MERMAID WAS NOT UNCOMMON IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. MANY NATURALISTS AND TAXONOMISTS MAINTAINED THAT SUCH A CREATURE WAS PLAUSIBLE. DR. BLACK HIMSELF STATES THAT THE OCEANS WERE FAR TOO VAST TO REACH A DECISIVE CONCLUSION. IT IS WORTH NOTING THAT, FOR ALL THE SCIENTISTS OPPOSED TO BLACK’S RESEARCH, THERE WERE MANY WHO SUPPORTED HIM, AND EVEN MADE SIMILAR CLAIMS OF THEIR OWN.

  * * *

  SIREN OCEANUS

  * * *

  * * *

  KINGDOM Animalia

  PHYLUM Vertebrata

  CLASS Mammichthyes

  ORDER Caudata

  FAMILY Sirenidæ

  GENUS Siren

  SPECIES Siren oceanus

  THE SIREN, NEREID, AND mermaid are oft confused. The folklore of these creatures predates the conventions of the scientific method; nonetheless, the legends denote an accurate account of some of the evolutionary aspects regarding their species. I will begin with the homogenous nature of them as a species, differing only as dogs may differ in breed––albeit significant differences, indeed.

  The siren was described as a bird in ancient times; only later did it become a woman of the water. There was, at some point in the past, a need to make specific distinctions between the water-human and the bird-human animals. Whether it was an error in classification or that the siren evolved into an aquatic mammal is not well understood.

  Nereids, or naiades, share many of the traits of the deeper ocean-born species, but they are far more human than the mermaid; and, in many cases, they are nearly entirely human, save the distinct physiological aquatic attributes. This would explain their geographic preference for shallow, fresh water.

  The mermaid (the female of the species Siren oceanus) was less common and certainly more elusive than the siren. It breathed underwater without any need to surface. I speculate the possibility of several variants of the species that exhibit more mammalian traits and therefore required the occasional breath, as do the dolphin and whale. The task of discovering any such animals intact by means of good fortune alone are nearly impossible.

  This animal would need to have a fully evolved and substantially unique respiratory system; similar to the gills of a fish but conforming to the structure of the human rib cage. If my theory is correct and there was once indeed an air-breathing mermaid, this would suggest the existence of a vast variety of species still occupying many shapes, sizes, and functions in the depths of our waters.

  The pelvis and femur would be robust and generous in length. Considering the large size of the lumbar vertebrae and the thickness of the caudal and anal spines, this particular species of mermaid would have exhibited a greater agility and speed than nearly any other sea animal hitherto documented. The superficial tendons weave over the muscular tissues, allowing for greater tension, strength, and resistance. The presence of massive muscular tissue supporting all the fin spine regions would grant this animal superiority: a champion in the water.

  DR. BLACK’S NOTES REFERENCE DIFFERENT KINDS OF SATYRS AND MENTION ONE THAT HE CLAIMS TO HAVE FOUND IN FINLAND; HOWEVER, THERE ARE NO KNOWN REMAINS OF ANY SPECIMEN THAT BLACK MAY HAVE STUDIED. HE REFERS TO THE SATYR IN A JOURNAL ENTRY DATED SEPTEMBER 1906: “THERE ARE PHYSIOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF THIS BEING THAT I, WITH MY LIMITED KNOWLEDGE, COULD NEVER QUANTIFY—ONLY SPECULATE. I SUSPECT IT HELD A HEAVENLY SONG IN ITS THROAT, A DANCER’S WEIGHT IN ITS GAIT, AND A CHILD’S MISCHIEF.”

  * * *

  SATYRUS HIRCINUS

  * * *

  * * *

  KINGDOM Animalia

  PHYLUM Vertebrata

  CLASS Mammalia

  ORDER Artiodactyla

  FAMILY Faunus

  GENUS Satyrus

  SPECIES Satyrus hircinus

  SHOWING MANY SIMILARITIES TO a minotaur, as a common goat does to a bull, the satyr’s most important distinctions from the minotaur are its head and superior intelligence. I am well acquainted with the many interpretations of this creature; it has been portrayed in countless works of literature and stories for the stage. The species I studied (represented here) had the ears of a human, though goat-eared species are believed to exist. There may be other variations as well. I discovered a specimen resembling a ram near the border of Finland; there was too little remaining of the beast and, regrettably, it was not in a condition that permitted useful study or accurate representation. I have not yet come upon another like it.

  BLACK’S MINOTAUR APPEARS TO BE A TRAGIC BEAST INDEED. IT IS BESTOWED WITH THE WORST TRAITS OF TWO CREATURES, AND NONE OF THEIR GIFTS. WHAT GOOD IS THE HUMAN BODY WITHOUT THE HUMAN INTELLECT TO COMMAND IT? WHAT GOOD IS THE MIND OF A BULL WITHOUT THAT CREATURE’S POWERFUL WEIGHT AND CHARGING FORCE?

  There are additional shortcomings, as well. The minotaur has no claws for attacking or defense; it cannot fly or swim. The existence of this beast seems difficult to conceive.

  —SPENCER BLACK

  * * *

  MINOTAURUS ASTERION

  * * *

  * * *

  KINGDOM Animalia

  PHYLUM Vertebrata

  CLASS Mammalia

  ORDER Asterius

  FAMILY Minos

  GENUS Minotaurus

  SPECIES Minotaurus asterion

  THIS SPECIMEN DEMONSTRATES the unique musculature necessary to support the minotaur’s head in all of its possible functions, including combat. I have gathered incomplete segments of what appear to be creatures of the same species; thus far, I cannot conclude the existence of any variant to the species analyzed herein. The minotaur must have been unique despite conflicting accounts of its historical pedigree. It is important to consider the very real question of its ancestors, some of which may have possessed six limbs—four legs and two arms—as does the centaur. However, I have not yet come to know such a thing to be true.

  Like many of the animals I have excavated or acquired from private collections, this specimen’s preservation and condition have not allowed me to support a complete survey of the body. The soft tissues were so badly decomposed that I could ascertain nothing from the remains.

  I would surmise that the ancient minotaur did not have a four-chambered stomach like its bovine cousin. I would consider it impractical to be a ruminant, having an upright disposition and two arms for the gathering and preparation of food. The minotaur was likely an omnivore; given its size, its disposition for predation may have been engendered by a scarcity of food. It is likely that it did not evolve balanced enough to adequately compete for food or defend itself: having only a simple brain and being bipedal, it would not have been able to run from an animal attack or devise a strategy or weapon to protect itself, as a beast with a greater propensity for intellect might have done.

  THERE ARE MANY INTERESTING LEGENDS SURROUNDING THE ORIGIN OF THE GANESHA. IN ONE STORY, THE GODDESS PARVATI CREATED A BOY FROM DUST TO GUARD HER WHILE SHE WAS BATHING. HER HUSBAND, SHIVA, CAME ALONG AND FOUND A STRANGER WAITING OUTSIDE HIS WIFE’S QUARTERS; HE ATTACKED THE BOY, DECAPITATING HIM. UPON LEARNING THE CHILD WAS IN FACT PARVATI’S SON, SHIVA RESTORED THE BOY, USING THE HEAD OF AN ELEPHANT, AND MADE HIM A LEADER.

  The Ganesha was a drastic evolutionary juxtaposition of the natural physical form; man and elephant. Though Ganesha’s origin is mere legend—it did not arise from the dust—truth is always hidden in the past.

  —SPENCER BLACK

  * * *

  GANESHA ORIENTIS

  * * *

  * * *

  KINGDOM Animalia

  PHYLUM Vertebrata

  CLASS Mammalia

  ORDER Proboscidea

  FAMILY Homoeboreus

  GENUS Ganesha

  SPECIES Ganesha orientis

  MY STUDY OF THE ganesha answered one of my most per
sistent questions regarding the bone matter in a host of creatures: How can such small and slight bones support such massive appendages and disproportionately sized heads? It seems the ganesha had a sinewy fiber woven throughout its bone structure, independent of the ligament and tendon systems. This sinew acted as a resistance barrier for undue or excessive strain—much as a splint protects a broken limb. The sinew functioned not unlike an external skeletal structure for the bone; this material helps explain how many animals could withstand excess strain and torsion. Unfortunately, I do not know of any living creature that evolved with this material.

  My specimen is one of the great treasures of the east. Though only a portion of the creature was recovered, it was well-preserved, and wrapped in hundreds of yards of decayed cloth. Future discoveries are a possibility. I happened upon chance to come to the tomb of one, and surely there are many more.

  The ganesha’s skull would not have housed what would be classified as either a human or an elephant brain; however, the shape and position of the brain, especially the cerebral cortex, is cause for more extensive study and additional research. I can conclude that the animal was more than likely of a high intellect, confounding one who considers why it failed to prosper as a species.