The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1869-11-08
THE CIRCULATION OF THE "DIsPATCH"
Is LARGER THAN THE COMBINED C1RCU-
LATIoN OF ALL TIE OTHER DAILY NEWS
PAPERS or THIS CITY.
A Remarkable Case.

The ENdlie, of Florence, extracts from
i"Annaies lie In Medicine, ct de Ia Chirugeie
Etrangere" the following extraordinary
history:
- on the 18th of April, 1868, in the prison
Of Nallarica (province of Minas Garaes), in
Brazil two men, named Aveiro and Carines,
were executed at the same time. In Brazil
the interior of the prison. DR.. Lorenzo y
Carmo, OF Rio Janeiro, well known by
savants for his remarkable works on cleo
tricity applied to physiology, his surgical
skill, and his success in autoplastic opera
tions, 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 hith-
erto attempted have been made on the
head and trunk .separately.i Dr. Lo-
to unite the head to the neck after
decapitation. The heads Of the two crimi-
nails fell within few minutes Of each other
into the same basket-first that of Carines,
then that of Aveiro. Immediately after this
second execution compression was effect
ed by pupil of DR.. Lorenzo on the carotid
arteries of one of the heads, so rs to stop
the hemorrhage. The body was then placed
on bed already prepared, and DR.. Lo-
renzo stuck the head as exactly as possible
on the section, and kept it in that position.
The cells Of 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) threatened to stop
the passage of air, DR.. Lorenzo had recourse
to tracheotomy. Respiration then ensued
regularly. The head was fastened to the
body by stitches and by special apparatus.
The physiologist wished to ascertain for how
long q time this 3TH"e"&::"H cD i.tH could
thus be altifcialy maintained. Ills astonish-
ment was great when he saw that at the
end Of two hours not only did respiration
still continue under the influence of the
electric current, but that circulation had
even resumed a certain regularity. The
pulse beat teebly bat sensibly. The eX-
pertinent was continued without intermis-
sion. At the end Of sixty-two hours it was
evident, to the astopishment of every one,
that q process Of cicatriZation had com
menced on the lips of the section. A little
later, signs Of life manifested themselves
spontaneously in the head and limbs, till
then deprived Of. motion. At this moment
the director of the prison, arriving for the
first time in the experimentation observed
tDat DS u SIllptlltlT ullSlakc, lue W luc utsle
of the operation, the head Of Carines had
been taken for that of Aveiro, and had been
applied to the body of the latter. The eX-
pertinent was continued Notwithstanding.
Three days later.the respiratory movements
reproduced themselves, and electricity was
suppressed. DR.. Lorenzo y Carmo and his
assistants were stupeted, frightened at q
result so unexpected, and at the power OF
| IN agent which, in their hands, had restored
life to 4 body whose right to exist the law
had forfeited.
.'The learned surgeon. who had only had
in view simple physiological experiment,
employed all his skilEto continue thiswork,
which science. aided against al expectation
hy nature. had SO singularly commenced.
He assisted the process of cicatrization,
which progressed under the most favorable
conditions. BY means of an 9sophagian
probe liquid nourishment was introduced
into the stomach. At the end of about
three months the cicatriZation was com.
plete, and motion, though still difficult, be.
| came more and more extended. Al length,
at the end of seven months and Il half, Ave
iro- -Carines was able to rise and walk, feel.
ing only slight stiffness in the neck and 4
| feebleness in the limbs.'