Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1853-11-26
COMMUNICATIONS.
PHYSIOLOGY. MOTIVE POWER OF THE
BLOOD.

DIR. SAMUEL A. CARrwRIGHr who has undertaken the
difficult task Of proving that the circulation OF ne piooa
in animals is caused chiefly by the contractions OF
the heart but by certain power inherent in the atmos
air we inhale (which power he calls Aaematokne
contends that this strange theory Of the circulation is
ully established by the fact that there twelve thou
sand species of fishes which have no heart other mus
cuar organ at the base of the systemic circulation to
propel the blood" This Jaet Of Dr. Cartwright regard
ing the twelve thousand species of shes do at
all admit; nor do know that any distinguished natu
raist admits il fact, although Dr. Cartwright airms
triumphanty that sit is proved by the twenty four
lumes of the Natural History of Fishes written by Gu
vier himself; and not only by him, but by every other
distinguished writer the subject" It would be ex-
csedngy interesting naturalists if DR.. Cartwright
would cite the of those distinguished writer's
the subject who that there twelve thousand
species Of fishes that have apparatus for circulating
the arterial blood. For ourselves humbly confess
that we do not know who they but to Cuvier,
whom he includes among the number, assert
positively that he does maintain the fact as DR..
Cartwright calls it, that there twelve thousand species
OF fishes that have muscular apparatus for propeng
the arterial blood throughout the body.
DR.. Cartwright must have read Cuvier's works very
carelessy he would have fallen into the
supposng that the writings of that great naturalist af
fded any support to the strange idea that the heart Of
animals does circulate the arteria blood If he will
take the trouble to read the following passage in Cuvers
Lesons P4natos Compdree he will readily discover that
Cuvier lends support to overwhelmingly" on the
contrary that he maintains that the single heart alone
Of fishes is sufficient to propel the artera blood through
out the body:
"Lorsqu NY quun seul coeur,' says Cuvier, " il
fault que ceu DIES deux systees arterels qu
epreuve Influence du unique, ct que lie
sang conserve movement, apres s'etre fltre
avers de toutes les subdivisions du systemic pourvu de
hsapr fautn cuofap fxr;a1
agsse par lu meme lie sang pour lie pous
SER par lie contraction successive de toutes parties
dams toutes Subdivisions ct de celesci dams les
venes, on ben enn, que les deux actions senr adent
ct cest cette dernere dee qui sembe lie vrae LIE
sturgeon, par exemple dome preuve evidente
de 10 continuation de Faction du pulmonaire lie
systeme aortique. peine les yeines du poumon sly
sont ees reunies pour former paorte que cellec SEN
fonce dams canal caragineux qu lui est fourn par
lie corps des yertebres Ellie semble sly dGpouiler
enforcement de tunques ct lie sang coule dams
tuyau parois absolument mmobiles cest DIES rous de
ce uyau canal caragneux que sorten les branches
arteriees qui rendent parties LIE sang peut
eyidemmcnt entire dams branches gu vertu dc
Iimpulson quill recue prmitiyement du occur ct des
arteries pnlmonaires Culver Lecons PAnatomie Com
pdrte, tome 6, PIP. 1915.
From this extract Cuviers views of the circulation Of
the arterial blood in fishes very evident He main
tns that although the hearts Of fishes what cal
led sngle-that is, having but aurcle and
trclest this single heart doe actually propel the
terlal through Wnat, tneD, becomes OF
Dr. Cartwrghts assertion that Culver and all other dis
tngushcd nauraists admit that there twelve thou
sand species of fishes that have muscular apparatus
heart for propeing the arteral blood through the
body?
But lest Dr. Cartwright may still remain sceptical on
the subject of Cuviers opinions, will give him
other short extract from that great naturalist:
Dams beaucoup d'autres poisson's les parois de la
crosse arere sont adherentes parte dams lie demi
canal qu content cette artere ii faut done que
Ppulsaon anprinte dur sang dtfr'a occur Sc con-
auers les branches Jusg moiHs dams les oncs
pricpaur des arres du corps VOLTA pourquo la base de
partere pulmonaire disncte du reste par dita
ton par fortes parois pare musculare. Cest
pour ainsi Dire second ventrcue place audevant du
premier ct don't Faction augment plus nons fimpul-
sion imprimee an sang par celui.ci. On e remarque
meme dams les Bdtraciens Culver, Lecons FAnatome
Comparee, p. 355.
DR.. Cartwright calls Culver the greatest Of modern
naturalists, and rely implicitly all that he
says. He will therefore be obliged to admit that Gu
vier completely fasies the assertion that fishes have
muscular apparatus for circulating the arteral blood
Dr. Cartwright ought to read Culver carefully; but
he is much absorbed in his ridiculous theory of has
naokincy that the truths of that great naturalist
tirely escape him.
The great that Dr. Cartwright has fallen into is
that there necessarily be always left aurice and
left ventrce similar and Similarly situated to that of
mammals in order the circulation of the artera bood
but the above extracts from Culver clearly show that the
left aurcc and ventrcle may be dispensed with and
in fact dispensed with, in fishes. The hearts of fishes,
although called single, have in fact two ventrcles and
aurcle the second ventriclc being placed after the
first give additional force to the blood 1t is dis
tncty muscular organ, aud nearly large the Grs
yentricle.
To DR.. Cartwrights assertion that fishes have mus
cular organ for propellng the arteria blood, replied
a n Orleans Medical Journal by quot
ing the following from the London translation of Cuvier
Rgne Animdl not then having at hand the Paris edition
Culver says:
"Thc blood is brought to the gls by the heart which
thus answers to the right ventrice Of booded ami
mails; and from the gs it is artcral trunk
lying Immediately upon the under side of the backbone
ahtch trunk R the left systemic venicle Of the heart and
sends the blood throughout The body Of the fsh"Cuyiers
animal Kingdom, p. 200, London edition, ls40
After bordering this complete REPUTATION of his
assertion for nearly year. Dr. Cartwright at last
in the New Orleans Medical and Surgical Journal
September 1853, and that the above is
not correct translation Of Cuvier. He says:
CDR. Ely had got hold Of incorrect translation Of
Cuyier's works. and turned the against the
doctrine with tremendous effect in the eyes of all those
unacquanted with Comparative Anatomy, and who had
the Napoleon Of naturasts in any other than
an awkward English dress"
We greatly surprised at this broad assertion Of Dr.
Cartwright which he accompanies with no proof what
eyer and half inclined to think that it is DR..
Cartwright himself who has the Napoleon Of
ino 9TH