The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-06-19
Great Alligator killing.

q
We are indebted to a gentleman who was pred
yesterday, and witnessed some very astonishing
perments by DR.. Cartwright, for the following n
interesting report Of the same:-.
The very name of this Misunderstanding its forr1
able appearance and strange habits-has sometll
about it that at once arrests attention. We belia
also that its tenacty Of life-superior to that Of
most any other CREATURES one reason why the \
tors OF New Orleans seem to have prelerence1
experimenting on this American crocodile. Ma
dres viyiseeticns Of the dogs of Paris "pae their
efectual fres' before those cuttingsup of live
gators, which have made DR.. B. Bowler and D5
Cartwright celebrated, at home and abroad.
The great killing we speak of, then, occurred
terday in the court yard of the hospitable man.
ofDr. Cartwright, who had generously provided ~
and three and half feet, for sacrifice upon the q
of science. On our reaching the temple, or anatd
cal theatre, we found o host Of physicians pres|
among whom we recollect Drs. Cartwright and n
ler the Drs. Ri1de. DR.. Hale, DR.. Copes, Dr. on
palier, DR.. Mutt, DR.. Weatherly, DR.. Wharton, |
Challe, and Dr. Greeneaf, not to mention the 4
professional spectators like ourselves.
The mouths of the alligators were first secured
bandages, and their hideous bodies then strap
down to the dissecting tables. The larger reJ|
was surrendered to Dr.. Bowler, and the remand
two retained for the special experiments Of J
Cartwright.
l. We may state that there are four classe]
what are termed excito-motary nerves, two Cd
mating in the spinal marrow, and two in the brI
and that sensation, pain, and motion, have hith.|
been referred to impressions transmitted to andj|
lected from the first, or transmitted by the last
assumed seat OF vOlition, and, in short, the nj
According to this physiology, when you cut ]
finger message has to be sent to the brain or 81
and then q permission returned down the nc
authorizing sensation or muscular motion. 1t ID
the finger that is cut, as the vulgar" contend,
so to speak, the brain or the spinal marrow.
the vulgar are right and it requires philosoI|
to prove them so. This DR.. Bowler did yesterj
as he has done before, and his opinions are wor
q physiological revolution. Thus he divided
spinal marrow in three places-at the base Of
neck, in the middle, and at the base of the b
nay, he divided the nerves emerging from the 81
and still, on irritating n nerve between the sed
and the extremity, and in proportion as he ne |
the extremity, he demonstrated that the aryI
possessed difiused sensiblity, capacity to rel
nize pain, and even an intelligent power e
against. or attempt to escape the cause of the
Cutting Off the head of the animal, jobbing Out
spinal G2rrow, dividing the nerves coming
them, AID irritating them along their distal port
they still retained this independent sensibility,
the mutilated limbs of the headless animal wi
make intelligent motions for getting rid of the
torture. These are curious and important u
veries.
2. DR.. Cartwright contends, against long odd
is trre, that in the lungs not the heart, resided
motive power of the circulation; that, literall
Moses asserted, the blood is the life of the flesh
thear the life of the blood. lie allirmsthat after
when the pulse has stopped, the heart is still
the body is insensible to pain, by producing artii
respiration, by initiating the lungs, the blood cal
started anew, its life revived, and the body rosu
ed absolutely from the cold abstraction of d1
Both of his aligators had their windppes tied
one Of them had its chest opened, with its h'
lungs, and stomach, etc, exposed. In the cour;
two hours both animals were dead, pulseless,
quiet over flames of fire. Then bellows-nozzl
ing inserted into the trachea, imitation was be
and continued for some minutes We saw the
tonless heart throb, the blood beginning to flow
the lungs to that organ-they eyes of the ALI
opened, and the hapless victim lived again
alligator whose chest was exposed, had its ca
artery accidentally cut thereby losing con
able quantity of blood, and hence it was not ma
brskly alive as the other who retained all it't
fluid; and the imitation failed in DR.. Dowler's
ject, which was entirely bloodless-results conf
tory, however, of DR.. C.'s theory.
These are all remarkable experiments, and, "
assured, capable Of the highest practical use.
analogcal and philosophical reasoning and ana
cal associations, etc, connected with each OF
Investigations, are also, we can well conceive,
greatest interest.