The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1873-04-08
The March of Science.

A little while ago there came the report
that European surgeon had succeeded
in restoring the dead to life. The story
proved to be only partially true; but an
attempt at resuscitation, made upon the
body of criminal who had been hanged
10y the neck until pronounced dead, near
ly succeeded the subject seemed at the
point of restoration, but conld not he
quite brought back to life The expert
ment made many people sanguine that
the object aimed at might he eventually
accomplished Later still, an experiment
even more startling than. the 6rst, has
been tried in suraery There is no spe-
cla! novelty in attempts to restore life
to the apparently dead human body; the
near success 81 the case here cited is all
that distinguishes it. But the expert
ment we are about to speak of is abso-
lutely SUI generis The great Prussian
surgeon, Prof Muller of Weisswicht,
has succeeded, if the Paris correspond
ent of the New York World is to be be-
lieved, in transferring portion Of the
brain of one man into the head Of an
other. The Professor experimental
sufficiently upon the brute kingdom TO
convince him that he was correct in the
Ory, and then cast about for human
subject 80 work upon. This was found
in the person of Leipsic soldier who
had murdered his Colonel, and was,
therefore, in Prussian military law. out.
side the official pale of cIemency or mel.'
cy The poor wretch was handed toj
Muller and his assistants to do with as
they chose, in the illustration OF the Pro-
fessor's extraordinary theory. They re-
moved their man to hospital, where the
keeper of beer cellar had been taken to
die of acute inflammation Of the heart.
The keeper of the Saloon and the soldier
were of about equal size, and their gene
raj appearance was quite similar 1t was
known that the saloon keeper could live
hut a short time, and every preparation
was made for prompt action. The saloon
keeper hal no sooner died than he was
placed upon the edissectingtable beside the
soldier, who had been chlosoformed The
surgeons then went to work and skill
fully removed the hemispheres of the
living mans brain, and supplied their
places with the saloon keepers brains,
which was sound, the heart disease hav-
ing left it intact. The following as to the
result of the astounding performance is
from the Gazette Hebdomadare
The patient remained in sound sleep
for two weeks, as in case of apoplexy.
the circulation, digestion, and all the
vegetative functions of life being inter-
rupted. The gradual union of the parts
was shown by faint but gradually in
creasing movements of the limbs, of the
jaws, and Of the muscles OF. expression
in the face. Speech did not become pos
sible until the close of the third week,
and then it was hesitsiing, stammering,
as child learns Although it was evil
dent that the patient tried to utter words
and sentences,it was very gradually that
the power of ineligible articulation re-
turped
When speech became ineligible it
was that the soldier, as he seemed, had
forgotten entirely his military training
and discipline; on the other hand he
told, at a formal examination, in the
presence of number of witnesses, the
prices of all the wines and beers. such
as the saloon keeper had been in the
habit Of buying and selling. manifesting
the unimpaired cerebral activity of the
latter, His memory recalled the saloon
keepers relatives, friends and customers.
whom he called by name. The soldier,
had been ugly, taciturn, revengeful; he
now had the saloon keepers frankness
and even garrulity, in spite of his STAN
merin9 utterance. He was totally blind.
Although the nerves of smell and sight
bad been approximated in the operation.
they failed to unite It was both sad
and strange to see and hear the soldier
cropping in his infirmity of blindness, and
giving proof of all the patient endur.
ance and goodness of heart which had
made the saloon keepeF deservedly es-
teemed and prosperous.