Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1854-10-21
TO THE EDITORS.

GENTLEMEN: Your last weekly issue, ntaining DR..
ELYs physiology, No is before Thispaper seems
to be the first of series Of papers in reply to the re-
marks upon the Of the circulation of the blood in
the animal system lately communicated to your columns
by Mr. II. R. ScHETTERLY. 1t strikes me- in the onset,
that Dr. Elys course indicated here is not exactly
parliamentary gather from Mr.. Schetterly that DR..
Ely had proposed theory Of the circulation to which he
MR. Schetterly) offered certain objections Prominent
among these objections the fact that the theory does
not for the of the blood in where
there is propeling heart Now, it was incumbent
upon DR.. Ely to such prominent objection to his
own theory before proceeding to crtcise any
offered by Mr.. Schettery. He has done nothing of the
kind he has not much named the objection; and,
judging by his of closing this his first article he
designs not to it and not to allude to it in his
forthcoming articles Perhaps he intended his theory
apply only in where there is developed heart
to prope the blood and where there circumstances
unavorable to the hearts acting its appointed part Let
if he has succeeded in making entirely firm
such partial position.
He takes the left ventrce of the heart for the point
his departure: The uentrc contracts, and thus forces the
6ood JorUGrd along The arteries What causes the con-
traction Of the left ventricle Of the hearth The Stimulus
Of the o1ygsnized blood coming circuating from the Lungs
give the substance Of Dr. Elys words, quoted
by Mr. Schettery in his second communication. What
caused the already established circulation from the lungs
to the starting point Of the cculatonhat is to the left
ventrice of the heart? The stimulus Of the Oxygen
ed into the cells of the lungs. This DR.. Ely claims not
whsandng to be this very point presented by
Dr. Cartwright which he is laborng to controvert How
has the blood succeeded in getting into the lungs to be
oxygenated II driven isr By the contraction of the
right pentricle of the heart What stimulated the right
ventrce Of the heart to contraction? The blood circulate
ing into from the vsns. DR.. Ely does not declare this
directly but it is necessary inference from what he
does declare In what way did the circulation Of the
blood in the veins orginate viii DR.. Ely venture to
that il originated principally IN Ms contraction
of the left uentricle Of The heart? / wait to see.
Suppose granted that the FIRST cause move
of the arteral blood is the contraction however
produced of the left ventrce of the heart the particles
Of the blood forced to the extremes Of the arteries
and not directly through, but against the oscnaty pdT-
cls Of the capillary vessels Are those capillary vessels
removed bodily speak, forward from their fixed po-
stons by the bloodpartces thus striking against them
Dr. Ely will hardly claim this to be the case think He
cannot but admit the contrary, that the
Giles arrested by the caplaries and held by them long
enough for exchange Of ingredients to be made by
twothe capares receiving oxygen from the blood and
giving to the blood portions of their own carbon hydro
gen. &c. Such and holding for time of the arteral
blood is nothing less more than complete anniid-
lion of its force received from the hearts contracons
far this force has to do with pushing the
blood from the capillaries towards the heart So the
circulation is assisted by the contractons Of
the left ventrice Of the heart
Suppose the capillary vessels to be fixed in their posi-
TONS they must be, of and suppose the blood
in the veins be at rest DR.. Ely allows to be- until
is in motion by the force of the artsa blood this
artera blood passes Into the capillary vessels Of
its particles unite with Of the particles composing
the capillary vessels rotary motion is the necessary
result Of the rnion such rotary motion cannot but craw
into ITSELF and SO array from the right ventricle of the
heart the blood lying at rest in its channels.
Then there is in fact not the least provision made any
where in DE- Eys adopted theory for the crcu
laton; but there u.s. am thinking al-sufcient pro-
vision for g marked of Inflammation, congestion
aud lesion somewhere in the vicinity Of the capillary
vessels.
1t may be deemed by Dr. Ely, and by others prepos-
| ~ xbo kava IL
into har-splitng in this my brief examination of that
theory but am satisfied that yourselves and those
your readers who have particular prejudces in the
way Of their mental visions, will at once that the
| points presented are the real ones at issue.
Cordially, g. w. EVELETH.
| OCTOBER 6, 1854