Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1873-03-22
WONDERFUL. SURGERY.
A Dead Mans Bran Placed in a Living
Mans skull-The New Brain Produces
a New Character.

We often hear OF one man using another
mans brains but " We are to accept as
true story that y e find going the rounds,
this expression may come TO represent
fact instead Of a metaphor.
Virehoio's Archievss, a medical journal
published In Berlin, tells the story Of a
transfer Of the brain from dead 10 lly-
'ng man as follows;
II was at Leipzig that the experiment
was performed. A soldier who had killed
the colonel Of his regiment In cold blood,
and whom the severityof Prussian military
discipline would have caused to die hun
dred deaths had II been possible, was de-
iberately handed over TO the surgeons by
sentence OF court-martial, and was con-
fined In strong room 10 the military
hospital, entirely In the dark as 10 the fate
which awaited him. He was kept there
ready for an emergency. which did not fan
to occur. A keeper Of Q beer cellar In
Leipzig, a man resembling, In many re-
spects, the condemned soldier, and who
had been seized with acute Inflammation OF
the heart, or rather Of Its investing mem
orane, was brought to the hospital to die
of that incurable and promptly fatal
malady. No sooner had the anticipated
death taken place than the dead saloon
htiHti Muh llhNNN 0h a hAoAN " 49, ''HN
of another operating table, on which was
the chloroformed bat living body of the
soldier.
The skulls Of both were opened and the
brain Of the living soldier was carefully
removed and that Of the dead saloon
keeper, which was sound, the heart disease
having left Il intact, he having been sensi-
BILE to the last was transferred TO the skull
Of the soldier, and by an Ingenious con
trivance. fully detailed In the Gazette the
continuity of the arterlal and yenous
tubes was established. The greatest care
was taken in securing the natural adapta-
ton OF the parts TO a fraction OF a line,
and the skull, having been replaced sim
ply, was held down and In position by the
scalp, which was drawn over, and Its
edges confined by strips Of adhesive plas-
ter, and over all was placed a baRdage.
| No Inflammation ensued and the full flow
Of blood which had been checked by
pressure on the carotid arteries, was per-
mitted 10 about six days. There wds from
the first no difficulty In FEEDING the patient,
nor was difficulty anticipated, for II Il
well known that In puppies and kittens In
which the entire brain has been removed
sucking and swallowing 60 on as well as
before the operation, and In this case the
nerves which preside over deglutltlon aud
digestion were far below the point OF sec
ton.
The patient remained in a sound sleeE
for two weeks, as In a case Of apopleXy,
the circulation, digestion, and all the
vegeiative functions Of life being unlnter.
rupted. The gradual union Of the parts
was shown by faint, but gradually in
creasing movement is of the limbs, of the
jaws, aud Of the muscles Of expression In
the face. Speech did not become possible
until the clo,e OF the third week, and theI
II was hesitating, siammeriug, as a child
learns. Although 1t was evident that the
patient tried to utter words and sentences
, Il was very gradually that the power o.
Ineligible articulation returned.
T When speech became Ineligible II wal
found that the soldier, as be seemed, hat
forgotten entirely his military training
aud discipline on the other hand he told
at formal examination, In the p. esencl
of number Of witnesses, the prices of al
the wines and beers, such as the saloon
keeper had been In the habit of buyinl
and selling manlfestng the unimpairet
cerebral activity Of the latter. His mem
: DRY recalled the saloon keepers relatives
friends, and customers, whom he callel
! by name.
! The soldier had been ugly. tsciturn, re
. vengetul he now had the saloon keeper
frankness and even garulity, in spite o
his stammeung ult-rance. He was total
. blind. Although the nerves Of smell anl
sight had been approxlmated in the oper
alton, they failed to mite. 1t was bot
sad and strange to see and hear the sol
der cropping In his iullrmity of blludnes
and giving proof Of all the patient endur
ance and goodness of heart which ha
made the saloon keeper de ervedly es
teemed and prosperous. These are tn
man facts in the case as far as detailed /
the Arcbiepes, but the subject ofeXpcrimer
presents so many important problems {
the relation between blood and brain, G
. heart power aud nervous ehergy, that "
may be well assured that no facts of intel
est in the changed condition of the culprl
: will be permitted to escape notice an
record. A grave point Of discussion
Il whether he must still be considered
criminal and suffer execution as guilt
soldier or shall be peusioned and LIBERAL
cared for in his inlrmity as Il gultle
aud much-suilcring becr-sellcr.