Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1869-11-17
a SINGULAR STORY.
Resurrection OF the Dead-Life Re-
stored to a Decapitsted Criminal.
FROM, fba Pail Mall Gazetfa

stored to a Decapitsted Criminal.
From the Pail Mall Gazette.
A Florence newspaper, LIta3ie, extracts
from the 'tAnnales de la Medicine ct de Ia
Chirugie Etrangere' the following extraor-
binary 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 prison
of Yillarica, province of Minas-Geraes,)
in Brazil, two men named Aveiro and Ca
rines were executed at the same time In
Brazil executions take place with closed
doors, in the interior of the prison. DR..
Lorenzo Z. Carmo, of Rio Janeiro, well
known by savants for his remarkable works
on electricity applied to physiology, his
surgical skill, and his success in autoplas-
tic operations, obtained permission to pro-
fit by this event in order to expert
ment 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.
DR.. Lorenzo Y. Carmo's design was, if
possible, to unite the head to the neck af-
ter decapitation. The heads of the two
criminals fell within few minutes of each
other into the same basket; first that of
Carines, then that of Ayeiro. Immediate
| ~ after this second execution compress
sion was effected by a pupil of D.. Loren
20 on the carotid arteries of one of the
heads SO as to stop the hemor rhage. The
| body was then placed on bed already pre-
pared, and DR.. Lorenzo stuck the head as
exactly as possible 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 pene-
trated in abundance through the surface of
the scar, threatened to stop the passage of
air, DR.. Lorenzo had recourse to tracheoto-
my Respiration then ensued regularly
The head was fastened to the body by
stitches and by special apparatus. The
Iphysiologist wished to ascertain for how
long time this appearance of life could
thus be artifcially maintained. His aston
ishment 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 feebly, but sensibiy. The ex-
pertinent was continued without intermis-
sion. At the end of sixty-two hours it was
that a process of cicatrisation had COM
menced on the lips of the section. A little
later signs of life manifested themselves
spontaneously in the head and limbs, TIL
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 operation, the head of Carines had
been taken for that of Aveiro, and had
been applied to the body of the latter.
The experiment was continued notWith-
standing. Three days later the respiratory
movements reproduced themselves, and
electricity was suppressed. Dr. Lorenzo
Y. Carmo and his assistants were stupefed,
! frightened at result so unexpected, and
at the power of an agent which, in their
hands, had restored life to a body whose
right to exist the law had forfeited
The learned surgeon who had only had
in view simple physiological experiment
employed all his skill to continue this work,
which science, aided against all expectation
by nature, had SO singularly commenced.
He assisted the process of cicatrisation,
which progressed under the most favorable
conditions. By means of an asopnagian
probe, liquid nourishment was introduced
into the stomah. At the end of about three
months the cicatrisatlon was complete, and
motion, though still difficult, became more
and more extended. At length, at the end
of seven months and a half, Aviro Carines
was able to rise and walk, feeling only a
slight stiffness in the neck and feebleness
! in the limbs.