Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-11-11
REMARKABLE ELECTRICAL
FEAT.
TWO Mem DecapitaIed and Restored
10 Life The Wrong Heads stitched
on the Trunks. but NO natTer-The
Dead-LiVe Men Walk, Feeling a
Little StiEE-The StunniugnesI StO-
ry OF the Period.

Ty OF the Period.
From the Pail Mall Gazette
A Florence newspaper, L'Hdlie, ex-
tracts from the "-4andles dc Ia Mede-
cine ct de Ia ChiTurqie EStrQnqcTe'
the following extraordinary history. The
Italian paper, for reasons easily to be
gathered, does not give implicit credence
to this statement nor lend it the editorial
sanction:
On the 18th of April, 1868, in the pris-
on Of Villa Rica (province of Minas-Ge-
raes, in Brazil, two men named AveirO
and Carines were executed at the same
time. In Brazil executions take place
with closed doors, in the interior of the
prison. DR.. Lorenzo Y Carmo, of Rio
Janeiro, well known by savants for his
remarkable works on electricity applied to
physiology, his surgical skill, and his sue
cess in autoplastic operations, obtained
permission to profit by this event in order
to experiment on the power of electricity,
and illustrate its analogy with some of the
phenomena of life
The numerous experiments hitherto
attempted have been made ON the head and
trunk separately. Or. Lorenzo y
Carmo's design was, if possible, to uIiie
the head to the neck after decapitation
The heads Of the two criminals fell within
a few minutes Of each other into the same
basket: first that of Carines, then that of
Aveiro Immediately after this second
execution a compression was effected by a
pupil of DR.. Lorenzo on the carotid arte-
ries of one Of the heads so as to stop the
hemorrhage. The body was then placed
on bed already prepared, and DR.. Lo-
reno stuck the head as exactly as pos
siblc on the section and kept it in that
position. The cells of a powerful electric
pile were applied to the base of the neck
and on the breast. Under this influence,
as in former experiments, the respiratory
movements were at once perceptible. As
the blood, which penetrated in abundance
through the surface of the scar, threaten
cd 10 stop the passage of air, DR.. Lorenzo
had recourse to tracheOtOmy. Respira-
ton then ensued regularly. The head was
fastened TO the body by stitches and by
special apparatus. The Psychologist
wished 10 ascertain for how long q time
this appearance of life could thus be arti-
ticially maintained His establishment
was great when he saw that at the end of
two hours not only did respiration still
continue under the influence of the cleo
tric current, but that circulation had even
resumed q certain regularity. The pulse
beat feebly, but sensibly. The experiment
continued without intermission. At the
end of 60 hours, it was evident, to the
establishment OF every one, that II process
of cicatrization had commenced on the
lips Of the section. A little later signs of
life manifested themselves spontaneously
il the head and limbs, ill then deprived
of motion
At this moment the director Of the
prison arriving for the first time in the
experiment room observed that by a sin
@llar mistake due TO the haste of the OPP
Grafton the head of Carines had been taken
Tor that of Aveiro, and had been applied
10 the body of the latter The expert
ment was continued Notwithstanding.
Three days later, the respiratory move
ments reproduced themselves and cleo
tricity was suppressed. DR.. Lorenzo y