Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1858-11-11
BLOOD.

appalling to read of exploits of practi-
TONERS. Haller mentions the case
of a hysterical woman, who was
bled one thousand and twenty times
in the space of nineteen years; and
girl at Pisa is said to have been
bled once day, or once every 9TH
er day, during several years.
A third case he mentions, young
man who lost 70 pounds of blood
In ten days; so that if we reckon
ten pounds as the utmost which
the body contains at any given period.
it is clear that this young mans less
must have been repaired almost i'm
mediately. IL truth, the blood is in
cessantly being abstracted ard re-
placed during The ordinary process
OF life. Were it net continually
renewed, it would soon vanish al
together, like water disappearing in
sand. The hungry tissues moment
ly snatch at its materials as it hur-
ries through them, and the active
absorbants momently pour fresh ma
terials into it.
On account Of the great loss of
blood from wounds, attention was
early called to some method for sup-
plying the deficiency. To 1865,
blood was injected into the veins of
a dog by Fracassati. Two years
later, an attempt vas made on man.
a French mathematician, assisted
by a surgeon, having repeated with
success the experiments of Loves,
resolved extend tie new idea. One
evening a madman arrived in Paris
Iquite naked, and he was seized by
Denis as a subject for bis experiment.
Eight ounces of calf's blood we're
translused into his viens. That
night be slept well. The,experiment
was repeated on the succeeding day.
I
he slept quietly and awoke sane!
Great was the sensation produced
/ by this success. Lower and King
were emboldened to repeat it in
London. They found healthy man
willing to have some blood drawn
from him and replaced from that Of
a sheep. He felt the warm stream
pouring in, and declared it was so
pheasant that they might repeat the
experiment. The tidings few over
Europe. In Italy and Germany the /
plan was repeated, and it now
seemed as if TRANSMISSION would become
one more Of the ''heroie arms of
medicine. These hopes we're soon
dashed. The patient on whom Denis
had operated again went mad, was
again treated with TRANSMISSION, and
died during the operation.
The son Of the Swedish Minister,
who had been benefited by one
TRANSMISSION, persisted after a second.
A third death was assigned 70 a.
similar cause; and. In April, lGGS,
the Parliament of Paris made it crim-
inal to attempt' TRANSMISSION, except
with thee onsent of the faculty Of Par
is. Thus the whole thug fell into
discredit, to be revived again in cur
own day 1t has now been aseer-
tained that when TRANSMISSION is prac-
| tised on human being, human blood
must be employed; and so employ.
ed, the practice is IN some urgent
cases not only safe, but forms the
sole remedy. Blundeh has the glory
of having revived and vindicated
this practice, and he has seen his
idea amply confirmed. Berard CITES
! fifteen distinct cases Of hemorrhage
in W hich transfusion has saved lite.
Before quitting the survey, it will
be desirable to say a few words res
pecting the relation blood bears
to nutrition. Every one knows that
all the tissues are nourished by the
blood, But in what way is this ef-
fseted? The body is like a city
iutersected by vast network Of
canals, such as Venice or Amsterdam. |
These canals are laden with barges
which carry to each house the meat,
vegetables, and groceries needed
for daily use; and while the food is
thus presented at each door, the |
canal receives all sewerage of the
houses. One house will take one
kind Of meat, and another house
another kind, while a third will let
the meat pass, and take only vege-
tables Bnt as the original stock Of
food was limited,it is obvious that