The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1873-02-27
TRANSMISSION OF THE BLOOD.
A Wonderful Experiment.

From the Chicago Post.]
/ According to the calculations of some en-.
thusiasts of The healing art, the day ls not far
distant when science shall prevail over ma.
ture, and human life may be prolonged to an
indefinite period; when old age will be
thing of history, and men will date their
years from the last operation at the hands OF
the skilled transfusionist. That this happy
consummation will ever be reached, nobody
will believe, but that wonderful results may be
attained by the TRANSMISSION of blood, Ia q
demonstrated TACT. DR.. J. W. Freer, professor
of physiology, and occupying that Important
chair In the Rush Medical College, expert
mented In the science Of vivisecuou, or Trans
| fusion, before the graduating class OF mat In
stilution this morning. There were present
about one hundred students, who are TO re-
ceiye their diplomas to morrow evening, and
20 forth armed with sheepskins enough 10
| KIN or cure all the sick people In the North
west.
The subject selected was dog, the livelest
of q lot, yellow as the autumn leaf, out WIN
| fery ewes and distended Dostrlls, muzzed,
thrown upon his back, and treated 10
snuff at chloroform, administered with an
ordinary towel. The qaadruped didn't like It..
He kicked like q young steer, howled pite.
ously, and refused to be comforted by pats on
bis solt. yellow belly, by the kind, well-mean-
ing old Professor. The operation of the drug
soon had its natural effect. The canine De-
came less violent 10 Its demonstrations. the
howls were reduced TO whines, and nnallv ne
submitted without O murmur oil any KIM.
While the dog was engaged In getting ready
| for the sacrifice of his blood, Professor Freer
entertained the students with history OF Inc
science In the seventeenth century, he said,
TRANSMISSION was pracl!ced on the lower ami
mails, at which time 1t was ascertained That
consciousness could be restored oy the rein
PRODUCTION of the same blood, or that OF some
similar animal. At that time it was restored
In Its natural state. The successful operations
on animals led 10 The supposition that II
could be practiced on human beings. The
first Instance Of this kind occurred IN 1857,
and was performed by Drs. Dennis and Emo
ry. on an Insane man. HIS blood was e3-
lracted and eight ounces OF that of a calf sub
stituted. The operation was crowned Win
success, and The msn was In consequence re-
stored to reason; but second experiment,
some Time after, was not 30 successlul, lor
death resulted. The theory at that lime was
that By renewing the blood the Wnoie nature
was changed; that an old man could be made
youpg eg Ain BY the TRANSMISSION 10 his veins
of youthful blood. The operations were then
performed in q most careless manner,
and for trivial reasons, and were frequent
| ly attended by fatal results. The en-
thusasm over the new discovery was 80 great
and tho resort to the measure 80 frsquenI,
that the authorities interfered and made the
penalty 80 severe as t. stop the dangerous
practice IT, was revived, however, In 1878
by Dir. Blondel, who had invented improved
apparalus, rendering the operation as sale as
that of any other experiment In surgery, ana
has been more or less practiced from that day
to the present. While the doctors nad oeen
talking. the dog had been gradually losing
consciousness, and, explaining as ne progress
ed, the professor proceeded 10 his Task. Inc
first ep Is the exposure OF the external 1ugu-
lar vein, and then glass tube Ia inserted INTO
the carotid artery. The greatest danger (tne
doctor said as be ripped open the insensiole
CANNES throat, exposing the veins and arte'
ries) is the Introduction OF alr Into
the vein, causing instant DEAN. ,ha n,doe poe
produces soap-ke bubbles, preventing
circulation. Before the artery was pune
tured. the dog was permitted to recover from
the effects OF the chlnroiorm, In order TO make
known to the spectators the gradual SINKING
from loss Of blood. When the animal opened
its eyes, and pegan to struggle, the blood was
permitted to escape through The tube inlo a
vessel. and the professor proceeded with hls
explanations. Formerly. he said, It was sup
posed 10 be necessary to preserve all the con-
sliluents OF the b:Ood, In order 10 preserve
life. 1t had been ascertained by experiments,
however, that the form, the portion Inat CO.
a2Gla. es on exposure TO air, Is not pssentlul 10
| lite and hence TRANSMISSION can now be accom-
plished at the leisure of the operator, where
| before 1t required instantaneous aclon. AS
the blood OF the dog descended, 1t was whip
| ped with wisp OF broom corn, and the coagu-
lated portion separated from the lqnld. la
the meantime the canine gradually sank, his
| legs became limp, his eyes protruded as IN
death, the mucous membrane became white,
and the whole body paralyzed. His heart
| beat with fJurfold velocity, and he may De
said 10 have been at deaths door. If not really
| beyond the portals. The doctor explained
| everything; that the heart, by the wlse provl.
sion of nature. was the last to cease lts lunc'
| tions, heating long after consciousness leaves
the BODY, and when the vitality OF all lhe
other organs has ceased; That, be the subject
dt or q human being, there Is no occasion
for haste; that the blood 10 be transiused mus
| be at a temperature oil about one hundred de-
grees: thai the blood should be strained In
0rrer TO exclude the smallest particle o!
ibrin: aud many other suggestlo3a, OIL
| which these were the most important.
"rhe dog is dead" said the ,proies'
sor, .'lo all intents aud purposes, 1nl we
will make on effort to save nlm. WIN
small rubber syringe, DR.. Wentworth, the as
sIstant of the professor. injected about quar-
Ter oil an ounce OF blood into The jugular. Tne
very instant the liquid passed into t.e oogs
veins its life. giving properties were apparent,
and respiration commenced, though VIII
great Ieebleness. He gradually recovered as
| the process was continued, and when less les
| than a quarter of the blond was restored lne
animal opened his eyes, wlnked, gazed ABOUT,
| wagged his tall, and evidently knew very
ltllr, but not enough 10 make ,s any
demonstrations OF approval or oisap
provaI. Shortly after he began 10 e&'
hibit specimens of canine intelligence,
lifted up his head, and was declared oy
the gravely humorous professor to oe "a
saved dog" A hgameut was applied, the
tubes removed, and Fldo, or Tiger, or Watcn,
or Pet, or whatever his n;tu-e might De, was
consigned to the corner to recover at leisure,
and If anybody has lost yellow dog he can
| have him and welcome, minus q pint or 70 o.
hbr4n, on application at the back door OF Inc
college, DR.. Ereer 10 confident that at no re-
mote period tranfusioa will be looked upon a.
cne OF the essential sciences of surgery. II
will be opposed, he thinks, by The pubic, on
account of the bugbears created (oot without
reason) by accident, but that life can oe
greatly prolonged by the art is fact which
numerous experiments have clearly and IN
mistakably demonstrated. Several operations