The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1872-10-04
MEDICAL AND SCIENCE.
Wo

1t has commonly been imagined that
the action of eurare, when applied to 8
wound, Is to cause death without ANY
visible struggle, and without pain.
DR.. Gland Bernard has, however,
shown this notion to be utterly errone-
ous. He states that the paralysis
creeps gradually on from limb to limb,
depriving the subject of motion, and
yet without in the slightest degree af-c
fecting the intellectual faculties or pow
er of volitiOn, which remain unimpair.
cd until the last moment. This he
considers one of the greatest tOrtures
to which an intelligent being can be
subjected. Death is caused by the
paralysis of the respiratory organ,
which cease to provide blood with the
quantity Of oxygen 1t requires.
ARTIFICIAL EYES. -1 ~,
CHLonoFoRM AMONG THE CHINESE.
According to the reputed discovery
by M. Stanislaus julien, Ii appears
that 30 far back As the third century Of
our era the Chinese we're In possession
Of an an@sth-tic agent which they en-
plOyed in Same manner a. we use chic.
rofOrm aud ether for producing insen-
sibility during surgical operations. A
description Of this was discovered by
NJ. Julien In o work preserved In the
"Bibliotheque Nationally called
" "Kou- kin-i-tOng, or . !" General col
lection Of Ancient and Modern Medi-
cines (which appears to have been
published in the sixteenth century. In
biographical notice Of Hoa-tho-who
aourished under the dynasty OF Wei,
between the years of 90 and 30 OF our
era-it il stated that he gave the sick q
preparation of chanvre (MS-yo) who
in few moments became ss insensi6ie
xs one plunged III drunkenness or de-
prived of life; then, according to the
case, he made incisions, amputations,
and the like. After certain number
of days the patient found himself re-es-
tablished, without having experienced
during the operation the slightest pain,
Itappears from the biography OF Han
thatthis chanvre was prepared by boil
ing and distillation. r.5lo5 t,., -ff'l,.
NEW THEORY OF sEA-sICKNEss. g.
Sir James Anderson, M. D., F. r. g.,
has an elaborate article in the British
Medical Journal, in which be discusses
the cause aud ameliOrstion of sea sick.
ness. Referring to the experience OF
sufferers from this strange and gloomy
malady, he says it is admitted by All
that they are sensible Of the miserable
feeling ut the moment of the descent
of the ship. They are also conscious at
that particular time of an instructive
effort to sigh, or take deep inspira-
ton, the meaning Of which Is manifest.
During deep inspiration the chest Is dr.
lated for reception Of air, and It's vessels
become more open to receive blood, 80
that return of blood from the head 1s
then more free than at any other period
of complete respiration, while, oD the
contrary. by the act Of expelllng air
from the lungs the iDgress of blood is
obetructed. According to DR.. Alder
son, this obstruction is proved by OBJ
servation when the surface of the brain
Is exposed by the operation Of trephin-
ing; q successive turgescence and sub
sidence of the brain is then seen in al
ternate motion with different states Of
the chest. Reasoning from this we'll
known phenomenon, DR.. A. concludes
very plsusibly, that deep inspiration
at the time of the descent Of the ship
tends to counteract the turgescence OF
the brain.