Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1854-09-09
NATIONAL INTELLIGENCER.
THE MOTIVE POWER OF THE CIRCULATION OF
THE BLOOD.-No. VII.
CONCLUDED FROM THE NATIONAL IsrrLIroxscEE OF SEPT

Concluding Remarks on The Electrical Theory.
Every person knows that any increase Of muscular ex
eron proportonaly augments respiration and increases
animal heat; and, if the muscular action continue,
haustion is the consequence Hence is evident that
the agent which sustans muscular action is derived from
the atmosphere and either passes away from the body dur
ing the muscular action is rendered latent by combn-
ing with the dsntegated and changed in the pro-
ducon force 1t cannot be annhated for nature knows
nothing Of annhaon and hence the excretion Of urine
and other compounds which carry off the products
sung from disintegraton in alkaline form endued
with electricity in high degree. This agrees perfectly
with the statement of Faraday that electric current is
permanent, and may be made to decompose mixture in
one cup in twenty without any dminution; though
there is abundant evidence that electricity is constantly
radiated from animal and especially from human bodies,
Reichenbach has abundanty proved on the
Dynamics of Physical and Vital Forces An evolution Of
heat always attends chemical action in inorganic matter
as well muscular notion but does not consume the
electric that produces it, But the exhaustion ut
tending mental action and muscular motion proves that
the motive power has been accumulated in the nervous
centres during rest and especially during sleep when
is expended by voluntary Efforts while respiration
continues vigorously than during rest while
awake and acoumulates surplus above what is needed
for carrying the vital functions 1t has been observed
That Wnen lie IN utbSroyeu very Ing
tenn is in high health and vgor organic life may continue
for time some of the organs may continue to secrete
their natural products may be poured out by the
skn animal and the fexibity Of the muscles may
depart very slowly and there many record
of in this state revvng after days of apparent
deah after the life Of relation, depending principally on
the brain impulses has become completely extinct
The stagnation of the blood in the pulmonary caparies
in cases of asphyxa and its accumulation in the VEINS
leaving the arteries completely empty than can be
accounted for by their contraction stated by Carpen-
ter ndisputable proof that the circulation depends on
entirely different from that Of muscular contrac-
ton Why, it may very properly be asked, does it not
stagnae in the systemic capilares, which further
removed from the heart than the pulmonary if the heart
is the propeng organf The only rational answer that
can be given this question is that when the air is
eluded the pulmonary capllaries become equally mega
tive with the venous blood and attract it but
this supercedes the agency Of the heart propeling
organ altogether; and if any evidence wanting to
prove that electricity is the propeng power Dr. Philips
and Weinholds experiments already cited, furnish it.
They prove that electricity may be supplied for short
time independently Of atmospheric air, the pneumogas
trio nerves alone conveying enough electricity to them to
make them positive to the blood and temporarily
restore the circulation These experiments also prove
that the force that the blood and that which pro-
duces the secretons and animal heat identical for
all these effects produced by the FORCE org
mating exclusively in the action of voltac compound
the cerebro-spinal nerves.
is objected the electrical theory that other irr
tants such as the application to trunk of red
hot iron alkan acid prickipg with needle, &c.,
produce both pain in the part which the is dis
yributsd and contraction in the muscle in which it ram
fes the trunk be tied with ligature divid
ed and the rrant applied to that extremity which is
with the cerebrospnal axis pain produced
but no muscular contraction but il the irritan be ap
piled below the fgature or section muscular contraction
results but pain and, lastly If the nerve be tied in
two places and the rritan applied between the two ga
lures neither sensation muscular action 10 produced
From these facts it s inferred that since electricity and
other irrtants both produce pain and muscular notion
electricity cannot be the agent any than
other irrtants But the effects produced by electricity
and other rrtants very different in other respects
that the objection is completely nvadated Matteucc
though he denies that electricity is the agent
contrasts it with other irrtants, as follows:
al Electricity is the only irrtant which excite at
time sensation and at another contraction, according to the
direction in which it traverses a nerve.
"2 The electric current alone in passing ansversely
produces phenomena due to the excitabi
ty of the nerve. Ns VI. /.
"3 The electric current has effect the that
is neither contraction sensation when its action
the nerve is prolonged" except on the sympathetic
"a" The electric alone modify the exctabty
of nerve rapidly destroy when the current cir
certain direction and and augment
a" or Irritating agents the electric current the only
which long Of time the power OF
vyng the cxcabty of the when 1t has become very
much enfeebled in respect to other stimulants.
The acts in the direction in which it trans
mitted when it begins to circulate in and in the
opposite direction when it ceases to circulate.
az We have SEEM when speaking of the phenomena pre-
scented by electrical fishes that the faculty which they
of producing electricity is obedent to the nervous system
There is them in these animals peculiar organic structure
such of parts that by act of tho nervous
force, they develop electricity"
II is needless comment these extracts, for they
are SO accordant with what is known Of action
that every one perceive that far they from
afordng foundation for objection actually to mi
litate greatly of the electric theory is
ing strange that eminent in science, seeing cleo
trcty meamorphosed into force under one set
OF and force into electricity under
another SET should not know that circumstances vary
cases. and still contend that the forces entirely
different and distinct.
There are at least three modes Of violent death by which
life is suddenly destroyed that the blood stagnates in
the arteries and veins simultaneously The first is when
person is instantly deprived of life by lightning the
second when he receives blow the epgastric region
and the third when he inspires prussc acid suphure
lesion whatever be detected in any part Of the sys
tenn after DEATH and it is evident that these victims have
been deprived only of the agent that maintains vitality
for the corpses of those killed by lightning speedily putr
fy Now it is well known that current of electricity
sufficiently strong instantly destroys the magnetism Of
steel and if electricity gives bodies their properties as
Faraday asserts there be difficulty in understand
ing the phenomena Of death by lightning The thunder
bolt reverses the electric currents of the systemwhch
Reichenbach shows from the lower to the upper ex
tremties being combinations Of the terrestrial currents
A., xrvhfe h0Iuo fha