The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-11-05
VERY STRANGE.
A Mans Head Gus OF and Put on Another
Mans Body

A Mans Head Cms OF % and Put on Another
From tho An,dles dc Ia Chirurgie Erangere.
On the 18th Of April 1868, in the prison of Villa
rca (Proyince OF Minas- Geraes, 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..
savans for his remarkable works on electricity ap-
piled to physiology his surgical ski and his success
in autopastic operations, obtained permission to
profit by this event in order to experiment on the
power OF electricity. and to illustrate its analogy
Wiz s5HG 6f Tie phenomena Of life. The nuEiSS-:
rous experiments hitherto attempted have been
mace on tne mead and trunk separately. Dr. Lo-
renzo Carmos design was, If possible, to unite the
head to the neck after iecapitation.,
The heads of the t%o criminal fell within a few
minutes OF each 0ther into the same basket-first
that OF Carines, then that of Ayeiro. Immediately
after this second execution compression was
effected by pupil OF Dr. Lorenzo on the carotid ar
teres OF one of the heeds so as to stop the hemor
prepared, and DIR. Lorenzo stuck the head exactly
as possible on the section and kept it in that posi-
top, The cells of powerful electric pile were ap-
piled to the base of the neck and on the breast.
Under this influence, as in former experiments, the
respiratory movements We're at once perceptble.
As the blood which penetratedtn abundance through
the surface of the threatened to stop the pas
sage of air Dr. Lorenzo had recourse to tracheotomy
Respiration then ensued regularly. The head was
fastened to the body by stitches and by a special
apparatus The physioogist wished to ascertain for
now lopg time this appearance Of life could thus
! be artiicially maintained.
His astonishment 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 eebly but sensibly. The
| experiment was continued without ntCTnsSiOn.
Al the end of siXty-two hours it evident to the
astonishment of every that process of CiCatri-
HatiOn had commenced 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 experiment room, observed that
by singular mistake due to the haste of the opera
ton, the head of Carnes had ueen taken for that of
Avero and had been applied to the body of the lat
| ter. The experiment was continued .nOtwithstand-
| ing. Three days later the respiratory movements
| reproduced themselves, and electricity was sup
| pressed. DR.. Lorenzo CarmO and his assistants
were stupefed, frightened at a result unexpected,
and at the power Of an agent which, in their hands,
mad restored life to body whose right to exist the
law had forfeited.
The learned surgeon, who had only had in view a
simple physiological experiment, employed all his
skill to continue this work, which science, aided
against all expectation by nature, had so sngularly
commenced. He assisted the process of cicatriza-
ton, which progressed under the most favorable
conditions. BY means of an Gsophagian probe
liquid nourishment was introduced into the stomach.
At the end of about three months the clcatrizaton
complete, and notion though still difficult, be-
came more and more extended At length, at the
end of seven months and half, AveiroC Carines was
able to rise and walk, feeling only slight stiffness
in the neck and feebeness in the limbs.