The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1869-08-24
AitIlmond 4ispatth,
THE CIRCULATION OF THE "DIsPATCH ~
is LARGER THAN THE COMBINED CIRCU-
LATIoN OF ALL THE OTHER DAILY NEWS
PAPERS OF THIS CITY.
Science Association.

| Inc annual HeetlnS OF the science aSs0-
citation is now in session in Salem, Mass.
Professor Agassiz is the prominent man of
the occasion. Some of the papers present
ed have q general interest. We extract
few paragraphs from the reports of the
doings of the savans:
"Studies in Chemical Geogony, in three
| parts Part ]. On the Prozoic Atmosphere
and the Ocean Of the Zoic Dawn. Part 2.
Zoic History from Chemical VIEWPOINT.
Part 3. Chemical Revelations of Final
Zoic Catastrophe" BY Professor Wurtz.
The Professor predicted, in the second of
the above papers, u "zoic Catastrophe"
which should remorsely destroy all life.
This catastrophe, though it be millions of
years in coming, the Professor regards as
inevitable.
ACTION OF THE HUMAN HEART.
The physical peculiarities of the action
of the human heart were clearly shown by
the aid of remarkable case of malforma-
ton of the thorax in healthy living sub
| ject. DR.. Groux, native of Hamburg,
and at present practicing physician in
Brooklyn, n. Y, was born without the ster-
mum or breastbone. DR.. j. Baxter Upham,
of Boston, having been intimately ac-
quainted for many years with DR.. Groux,
has devised q number Of ingenious expert
ments by which, in his case, the action of
the heart is made to manifest itself both to
the eyes and ears of persons situated at 4
considerable distance. It should be borne
in mind that the action of the heart in
DR.. Groux is perfectly normal and
healthy, while the absence of the
sternum, renders it possible to make GER
tain studies of the utmost import
ance, which are impossible in the case Of
the human being as ordinarily constructed.
DR.. Groux's case has been treated Of at
length in various medical journals in Eu-
rope, but never before has it been brought
in such striking manner before so large
an audience Of scientific men. The me-
chanism Of the heart is somewhat analogous
to that of a double-action pump. In both
cases the machinery, however perfectly it
may work, makes some noise. DR.. Groux
was able to show three distinct motions and
sounds occurring successfully, and with q
certain rhythm, in every beat of the heart.
DR.. Groux also exercised the power, rarely
bestowed and never used without great dan
ger, of stopping at will, during short pc
riod, the action of his heart. This was done
this evening to the satisfaction Of several
medical men, one of whom was listening
with the stethcscopc at the chest, and two
others feeling at the wrists for the pulse.
For about twenty seconds the action Of the
vital organ in the frail chest of DR..
Groux completely ceased. Some years
ago there existed an individual who
was wont to experiment with himself
in this manner, and who finally per-
ished through being unable to resume the
ordinary conditions of human existence.
DR.. Upham, go far from encouraging his
friend Dr.. Groux in the repetition of this
perilous experiment, has earnestly en-
treated him never to make the venture
again Some years ago DR.. GrouX, having
made up his mind to travel in various cities
of Europe and America, caused Rufus
Choate, the renowned lawyer, to draw up a
will making over his body, in the event Of
his death, to the surgeons for dissection.
Portions of this WILL which is a long docu-
ment, composed in Mr.. Choate's happiest
vein, were read, to the great delight of the
audience The original draft, in theinimi-
table handwriting of Mr.. Choate himself,
was also exhibited. The experiments and
explanations specially relating to DR.. Groux
were given with great clearness by that
gentleman, who is regularly graduated
physician. 1t is clearly Of great advantage
to science that this rare malformation oc-
ours in one who is SO well qualified to OBJ
serve the obscure vital processes which it
affords an opportunity of studying.
DR.. Upham contributed valuable paper
on the action of the heart, describing its
anatomical position, appearance, and &C
ton. Our knowledge of its position had
been improved by studies of the case of DR..
Groux. In death the relaxed muscles OF
; the corpse caused the heart to fall some
what from the place it naturally holds in
life. The sounds of pulsation were fully
described as we'll as the intervals between
the successive portions of the pulsation in
the auricle, vcntricle, and aorta. These in
teryals have been measured in thousandths
of second by the chronograph, o valuable
invention of the late Professor Bond, Of
Harvard University. ..-s......
At the conclusion of his lecture DR..
Upham gave some remarkable experiments
The beatings of the hearts Of several of the
physicians and patients of the City Hospital
in Boston were automatically transmitted
by telegraph from the hospital to the hall
in Salem. By means Of the magnesium
light these pulsations were made to mani
fest themselves to the sight by the vibration
of beam of light on the wall Of the dark
ened room. A regular pulse of sixty pei
minute was first sent. Then was transmit
ted the healthy pulse of an excited person
regular but having rapidity of ninety pei
minute. But the most interesting cases
were those of patient suffering from pneu-
monia, whose pulsations numbered one hun
dred and eighteen per minute, and that OF
another afflicted with organic disease of the
heart. The irrcgularity of the beats in this
i latter case was wildly impressed in the
mind by the sounds of the instrument.
VERTEBRATE REMAINS IN NEBRASKA.
Professor. o. C. Marsh, of Yale College,
then read paper on Remarkable Lo-
cality of Vertebrate Remains in the Ter
tiary of Nebraska" The speaker said that
these remains had been supposed to be those
of men. But this is a mistake. They are
mammals Of the tertiary period. These
remains were found sixty-eight feet be-
meath the surface. In smallspace fifteen
species of animals belonging to eleven
genera were found, with indications OF
others. The speaker described these re-
mains, of which he had specimens. Four
of these seemed to be of horses, another re-
sembled the lion, and another the hog. 1t
has been suggested that the occurrence OF
60 many remains in SO small a space may
be accounted for by supposing that this was
the border of large fresh-water lake, and
/ that these animals had become mired when
they came to drink. il ,s,s4-r222 Pr. a7s -
wv ,re