Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1870-04-29


execution. This statement was sup
ported by physiological notions pccI,-
liar to the author; but, notwithstand.
ing their heterodoxy, they might have
been brought forward without any
blame attaching to M. Pinel, had not
he adopted the curious proceeding of
publishing his note in a political Jour
nal instead Of professional one. At
all events, the note produced the de-
sired effect. The public mind was
deeply moved, and a host of extraor-
binary histories went the round of the
journals. Such sensational stories rs
Heindrich, the eXecutioner, being Bit
ten by the head of guiilotine !. ofsev-
eral heads, fallen into the same basket,
having bitten each other, etc, were
quoted from journal to journal, and
struck with horror the good people Of
Paris.
Some OF the medical Journals entered
q protest against NJ. Pinels extraordi-
nary physiological ideas, and the non
sensical stories of which they had
given rise. Among Others, NJ. Des-
PREF, surgeon TO the Lock Hospital,
took the trouble to show the falsity
of all this anti-physiologlca stuff. But
NM. Evrard and Beaumetz, both med
zeal men at Beauvais, have done more.
They determined to make experiments
on the head of n g,iliotine, and the Oc-
casion was afforded them soon after
the death of Troppmann, by the erec-
ton of n parricide at Beauvais. The
results of these experiments were com
municated in March last to the Medico-
legal Society of Paris, and they are
really well worth being noticed.
Tho haa1 of tha at,lnrtt xxrae I..Iiuarol
to them five minutes after the execu-
ton, and subjected to various processes
which are most curious, and imply no
small courage OH the part of the inves-
tigators. First, NM. Evrard and
Beaumetz tell us that the head was
placed on table covered with COM
presses, so as to show the amount of
blood which would be obtained. The
face was then bloodless, of pale and
uniform hue; the lower jaw had fallen
and the mouth was Gaping. The fea-
lures which were immovable, bore an
expression of stupor, but not of pain.
The eyes were open, fixed, looking
straight before them; the pupils were
dilated; the cornea had already COM
menced to lose its luster and t;anpar-
ency. Some sawddust still stuck here
and there to the face, but there was no
vestige of any either on the inner sur
| face of the pips or on the tonge. This
Is an important fact.
! The opening of the ear was then
! carefully cleansed, and the experiment
tiers applying their lips ms closely as
possible to the orifice, called out three
times i'm loud voice the name of the
criminal. Not feature moved; there
was no muscular movnent, either OF
rhe eyes or on the face. a piece OF
charpie, saturated with ammonia,
was next placed under the nOstrils
there was no contraction of the ale
nor of the face. The conjunctlva OF
each eye was deeply and several times
successfully cauterszed with nitrate OF
silver; the light of candle was
brought within two centimeters dis
lance of the cornea, and yet no contrac-
ton was observed either in the eyelids
eyeball, or the pupils.
Electricity was then resorted to as Q
more powerful means of excitement oil
the nervous system. One of Legen.
dre's electric piles, with u current o.
moderate intensity, determined viviC
contractions in such of the muscles o
the face rs were directly subjected t.
its influence. But was this evidence
say the investigators, of n feeling o
pain expressed by the sphysiognomy
: Certainly not: and this for two reas
ons first, because, whilst the expert
ment affected the left side of the face
the muscles of the right side retained
: their expression of stupor, even wheI
the opposite side was the most con
: vulsed; next, because the electrified
+ parts themselves resumed their cadav
! eric impassibility as soon as the elcctri
! current ceased to animate them.
The integuments of the Uranium
: were then incised from the nape of IT,
1 neck to the root of the nose the bone
g of the skull were uncovered down
the zygomatic arches. 1t performing
e these missions, say the investigators
: many nerves were cut, of which tn
{ section would have been most painful
;, the muscles of the neck and tempt
e were still alive, since they retracte
n theoretically under the knife; not
: outstanding, no contraction of tn
: face. no reflex action was observed
At that time three-quarters OF an hou
4 had not yet elapsed since the execution
e The skull was then sawn through, an
a the brain removed the muscles of tn
u face and those of the jaws continue
q to obey the electric current, as whe
6 the br9in WINS ufiimpared. The intet
l. unients had then begun to get eol(
,, and vet, with an intense electric Gu
rent, the same muscular contraction
ii were obtained half an hour after IL
D extraction of the brain. Nobody wi
le say that the brain still continued
ID act and think, though the muscles sti
n responded to the electric excitation.-
re Beyond doubt the BRAIN was as lifele
during the first part of the experimel
as during the second. Indeed, at Il
very moment of the execution, throup
10 the sudden interruption of circulation
n and consequent syncope, the brain W
he quite as unable to feel rs to express
Is sensations.
K This view NM. Evard and Beaume
of base on the condition of the brain al
n its envelopes when examined. The
I'd was no fluid in the large arachno
ur civity; the vessels of the piamat
of were almost bloodless, filled with @l
lis form fluid; the lateral caverno
be sinuses were absolutely bloodless. II
Is. yentricles contained scarcely e
81 spoonful of fluid, and In no SITUATE
ur was the brain injected. Phese fat
gs entirely overthrow what has been a
ne vocated by some with regard 10 /
sir persistence of the cephalo-spinal liqu
ng and of cerebral nutrition.
's- The theoratic viscera were alro {
op amined. The heart was found TO
X enormous; and was seen TO beat unC
he the pericardium; the lungs shrunkC
pr and of blacksmith hue. There "
,es an enormous dilatation of right auric
he and the ventricle Of the same side v