Smyrna times., 1858-10-21

S'' 90 '"e ulost universal juice OF the aIin
body" Ii is subject, however, upon which
r is pleasant to have little of the preparator
, thinking done for us. so let us hear what
medical writer says of
Blood:
" Blood is mighty river of life, the myste
rlous centre of chemical and vital actions a
VIC nderiui as they are Indispensable, soliciting
7 our attention no less by the many problems
presents to speculative ingenuity, than bv tn
many practical conclusions TO which tbos
speculatlons lead. 1t is torrent impetuousl,
rushing through every part of the body, carried
by an elaborate network of vessels, which. il
Tue course OF the twelve months, convey to The
various tissues not less than three thousan md
pounds weight OF nutritive material, and con.
vey from the various tissues not less than three
thousand pounds weight of waste. AT every
moment OF our lives there is nearly ten pounds
"t thIs huId rushing in one continuous, throb-
ping stream, from the heart through the great
arteries which branch and branch like tree.
the vessels becoming smaller as they subdivide.
tIll they are invisible to the naked eye, and
then they are called cBpiaries, (hair-llke YES
sels,) although they are no more to be cum.
pared IN calibre with hairs than hairs are with
cables. These vessels form network finer
than the finest lace-so fine, indeed, that if we
pierce The surface at almost any part with the
point OF needle, we open one of them and let
out It's blood. In these vessels the blood Yields
some OF It's nutrient materials and receives in
exchange some OF the wasted products of tissue:
thus m0dlhed, The stream continues its rapid
course backwards 10 the heart, through o sys
tenn OF VEINS, which commence in the myriad
caoliarieS that form the termination of the ar
terIeS. The vclnNinstcad of subdividing like
the arteries, become gradually less and less nu.
inerous-thelr twigs entering branches, and
the branches trunks, till they reach the heart.
y" sooner has the blood poured into the heart
from the veins, than IT rushes through the
lungs, aud from them back again through the
heart and arteries, thus completing the circle,
or circulation.
rms wondrons stream, ceaseessly circula-
ing, occupies the very centre of the vital or
sanlsm. midway between the functions Of nulri-
ton and excretion, feeding aud stimulating the |
organs lnto octivlty, and removing from them
all their useless material. In lis torrent up
wards OF iorty different substances are hurried |
along II carries gases, ii carries salts-it even |
carries metals and soaps! Millions of organ. |
zed cells float in its liquid and OF these cells |
which by some are considered to be organic |
entities, twenty millions are said to die at evcrJ |
'ulse of the heart, To be replaced by other mil |
ions. The iron which it washes onwards can |
Ie separated. Professor BATard used 10 exhibit |
| lump OF II IN his ec,nrc-rOom-nay, one in
5enious trenchndn has suggested that coins
mould be struck IRON :he metal extracted frem
he blood OF great men. Let no one suggest
hat we should wash our hands with the soap
extracted from a similar source :"
Bat medical science, just now, is busiy re.
ewing its enquiries on the question
Jan we Borrow Blood?
" In contemplating the loss of blood from
Wounds or hemurrbage, and in noting how the
ltal powers ebb as The blood flows Out, we are
aturally led TO ask whether the peril may no.
e avoided by pouring in fresh blood. The idea
t TRANSMISSION is, indeed, very ancient. But
he ancrents, IN spite Of their fuce creduliiy as
0 the effect of any physiological experiments,
we're IN no condition to make the experiment
hey were too unacquIinted with physiology,
nd with the art Of experiment, to know how
0 set about TRANSMISSION. Not until the middle
the seventeenth century had a preparation
cen made for such trial. The experiments
t Boyle, Graaf, and Fracassat on the inec
ion of various substances into the veins of ami {
lals, were crowned by those of Lower, who,
q 1860, inject ed blood into the veins of a dog.
swo years later, bUlder attempt was made on
ian. French mathematician, Denis, assist I
d by a surgeon, having repeated with success
ne experiments of Lower, resolved TO extend
he new idea. II was difficult to get human {
atient on whom the plan could be tried but q
ne evening madman arrived in Paris quite c
aked, and be was daringly seized by Denis as t
ne fitting subject tor the new experiment - S
light ounces of calf's blood were transfused I
ITO his veins. That night he slept we'll. The s
experiment. was repeated on the succeeding c
ay; he slept quietly, and awoke sane! ,
L" Great was the sensation produced by this {
Iccess. Lower aud King were emboldened r
repeat it in London. They found a healthy q
ian willing 10 have some blood drawn from r
i'm, and replaced by that of sheep He felt Z
le warm stream pouring in, and declared it 3
'as so pleasant that they might repeat the ex-
erment. The tidings flew over Europe. In I
tally and Germany the plan was repeated, and '
now seemed as If TRANSMISSION would become /
ne more Of the heroic arms of medicine - =
'hese hopes were soon dashed. The patient I
n whom Denis had operated again went mad, s
,as again treated with TRANSMISSION, and died (
uring the operation. The son of the Swedish {
linister, who had been benefited by one trans 6
lsion, persisted after second third death \
vas assigned TO a similar cause; and in April,
66e, the Parliament Of Paris made it criminal
0 attempt transfusion except with the consent |
+ the faculty Of Paris. Thus the whole thing I
eli into discredif, TO be revived again in our
wn day, and to be placed, at last, on a seienti-
&c basis.
. II will Immediately occur TO the physiolo-
list who reads the accounts Of these expert
uents. that transfasion was effected on the sup
osition that the blood of all quadruPeds was
he same, and that il was Indifferent whether
man received the blood Of another nan, or of
sheep or calf. This supposilion was alloge-
her erroneous The more rigorous investiga-
ions Of the moderns have established that only