The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1873-03-12
AN EXTRAORDINARY STORY
4 DEAD MANS BRAIN TRANSFERRED
TO Il QUICK SUBJECT.

4 DEAD MANS BRAIN TRANSFERRED
TO Il QUICK SUBJECT.
Is the Compound the Party of the First
or Second Part :!
correspondent of the New York World,
writing from Parla, gives the following
strange and hardly credible account OF the
| recent TRANSMISSION of dead mans brain into
living subject. The facts are reported by
the World correspondent as recorded In the
Gazette Hebdomadaire, taken from Vlrchow's
| Archives, medical journal published at
Berlin:
It was at Leipzig that the experiment was
performed. A soldier VINO had Killed The col.
onel of his regiment In cold blood, and whom
| the severity of Prussian military discipline
| would have caused 10 die hundred deaths
| had 1t been possible, was deliberately hauded
over TO the surgeons, by sentence oil court
martial, and was confined In strong room IN
the military hospital, entirely in the dark as
| to the fate which awaited him. He was Kept
there ready for an emergency, which did not
fail to occur. A, keeper OF beer cellar 10
Leipzig, q man resembling In many respects
the condemned soldier, and VINO mad oeen
seized with Inflammation of the heart,
or rather of its Investing membrane, was
brought to the hospital to die of that incurable
and promptly ialal malady. No sooner mad
| the antIclpated death taken place than The
dead ealoon-keeper was placed on tne taoie oy
the side of another operating table, on "nlcn
was the chloroformed but living body OF the SOL
dier, Two surgeons, with assistants, proce sded
alike in both cases TO divide the scalp over the
summit of the skull from ear to ear, turn
| back the division, and remove the skull-cap
by ipcIsIons passing around the skull Ike
crown. In the soldier, whose carotid arteries
had been prepared foT compression, these
vessels were clamped 30 as 10 prevent hem-
orrhage, and but lew drops of blood were
lost during the entire operation. In each the
dura mater was incised, and the hemispheres
of the brain were removed by an lnclslon
with sharp, thln-bladed knife passing above
the cerebellum, or narrow portion oil ABOUT
two inches In diameter called Inc crura
cerebrl. The brain of the ssloon-keeper,
which was sound, the heart disease having
left It intact, he having been sensible 10 the
last, was transferred TO the skull OF the col
dIer, and by on ingenious contriVance Inc
continuity Of the arlerlal and VeLous tubes
was established. The greatest care was laken
In securing the natural adaptation OF the
parts TO O fraction of line, and the skull,
having been replaced simply, was held down
aud 10 position by the scalp, which was
drawn over, and its edges confined by strips OF
adhesive plaster, and over all was placed o
bandage. 1t was not until several days nad
passed that the pressure upon the carotld ar
teries was entirely relaxed although before Inc
skull was replaced the flow OF blood In the
vessels OF the brain was proved TO be restored.
The chief fear was from the results oil imam
nation and suppuralion, but fortunately
neither ensued, aud the wounded parts healed
kindly. There was from the first no dltncuIty
In feeding the patient, nor was dllnculty an-
ticipated, for II is we'll known ihat In puppies
and Kittens 10 which The entire brain has
haa
as we'll as before tue operation, and In this
case the nerves which preside over deglutl-
tlon and digestion were far below The point OIL
suction. The patient remained 10 sound
sleep for two weeks, as in case OF apop:eXy,
the circulation, digestion and all the vegeia'
tive functions OF life being uninterrupted.
The gradual union Of the parts was SHOWN py
faint but gradually increasing movements OF
the limbs, of the laws and oil the muscles OF
expression in the face. Speech did not De-
come possible until the close OF the third
week, and then 1t was hesitatlng, stammer-
Ing as a child learns. Although 1t was evil.
dent that the patient tried 10 utter words and
en.ences, it was very gradual that the power
of intelligble articulation returned.
The Gazette contains The report, 10 taon-
lar form, of the increasing voluntary power
over the arms and hands, as measured from
day 10 day by the dynamometer, the measure
menls given in kilogrammes; also the daily
temperature OF the limbs, as shown oy tne
thermometer In degrees OF cenligrade; also
the measure ofretulrning senslbiIty OF the hng-
ers aud lips, as given by On instrument called
an a,thesiometer; bnt omit these, as yonr
readers will be Interested In the main fscts
| only.
When speech became Ineligible 1t was
fouud that the soldier, as he seemed, had for
golten entirely his military training and dscl-
plne; on the other hand, he told, at formal
examination, In the presence OF number ot
witnesses, the prices of all the Wines and
| beers, such as the saloon keeper had been In
/ the habit of buying and selling, manlfesting
| the unimpaired cerebral activity OF tne latler.
| His memory recalled the saloon Keepers reia-
tives, friends and customers, whom he
| called by name. The soldier had been ugly,
| tacilurn, revengefnl; he now had the saloon
Keepers frankness and even garrullly, In
spite of his stammerng utterance. He was
totally blind. Although the nerves OF smell
aud sight had been approxima,ed In the ope-
| ration, they failed l9 unite. 1t was ooth SAD
and strange 10 see and hear the soldier groop'
| Ing In his infrlnity oil blindness, and giving
proof of all the patient endurance and good
ness of heart which had made the saloon
keeper deservedly esteemed and prosperous.
These are the main facts 10 the case as far as
detailed In the Archtve, but the subject OF eX-
pertinent presents 40 many important prob
| lens of the relation between blood aud brain,
/
NAV be we'll assured That no facts OF Interest
| in the changed condition of the cnlprit will
be permitted to escape notice and record.
grave int OF discussion is whether he must
Still be considered criminal, and suffer exc
cuLion as a guilty soldier, or shall be PEN
stoned and lioerally cared for In his inhrmlty
| as gulltless and understanding beerseller.
Public sentiment ia divided. Emperor Will
liam says "Ya." peremptorily. The Emperor
Williams judges, therefore, all say IA wohl."
The Emperor Williams professors of meta
physics in the Emperor's universities say 1t IL
clearly case oil ego and non-pgo, and the
people seem willing that the matter should
rest there as far as the metaphysical aspects
of the question are concerned.
For my part merely give the facts OF The
case and the proof on which they rest.
| SPARKS FROM THE WIRES.
Il II Do r;1 hoa nol