The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-07-22
Ses,etsar nisssst .ssains.

which took pl4ce ~ OUT s =. -.
Natural Scaences on the LIST lliim0 u fega III
to 6 the detection Of blood staiIisy I, which wiz
no doubt BE- Interesting TO many OF OUT Tau
ers. In order, however, that the meli.s =.
the discovery Gained to have 3peeu .n Nssle
nav be fully understood, We sho1io p.e.n.se
TINT TIE blood Of oil vertebrate anlInasoWss
its red color, as fs generally knoMn, ~ - a.
Shasnense number of LITTLE red l,srt,ciss, ~
rosr,nscles. 80 minute tllat 3,2Uo OF sthese
flnfn man. for instance, could oe Langsa
aide by side In the space OF an in n.y. III
onadrupeds these red blood corpuscies aIe
round like dollar, whilst in bifds, nsnes,
and reptiles they are oval. hence tne VI IL
tainty with which = microscopes can us
tiuguisk the blood Of q nan from that OF
bird in criminal trials, as was done ny r.o-.
fessor Leldy, Of this city, lnttne refna, hao,e
case of man named Armstrong, "uu az
tempted TO explain the presence OF certain
snofs Of blood from his murdered victim by
saving thew came from some chickens which
had been Killed for market. 1t is easy to see
that Il, MANY of the murder trials which take
nlace in our courts It would be very deslra-
HE to have It in our power to discriminate De-
swaen the blood of man and that OF an OK
ar sbeen. az. for example, when the supposed
criminal asserted that the tell.tale crimson
snots upon his clothing were from the biooo
nf heef or mutton and obtained from some
sI,nebter.house or butcher-stall. Such re-
cornition of the particular animal from
Rich a blood-stain Is derived has been ad-
Judged impossible hitherto by some OF the
HIGHEST authorities both here and in Eng
iand. as welt us on the continent OF Europe.
The author Of the paper read at the Acad-
emv- DR.. Joseph G. Richardson, claims, how
ever. that by the use of the very powerful
lenses constructed within the last few years
II il POSSIBLE first to see all the outlines of the
corn,scles in fragment of dried blood-stain
when properly prepared and second, to dis
t;npu;sb by measurement these outlines,
when very highly magnifed (say $500 dame
ters). of human blood corpuscles from those
of domestic animals likely to be confounded
With them. and this even five years from the
time the spots were first produced. In proof
of this assertion he narrated experiments by
which in six different instances unknown
blood. stains from man, On OK, and sheep
were correctly referred to their respective
origins by the aid Of mcroscopical examine
ton.
Dr. 7. Gibbons Hunt observed that from
the time these corpuscles of human blood
had been first seen by LeuWcnhock, two hun
dred and one years ago, they have been the
objects of almost constant attention from
microscopists, and yet we cannot say to-day
that the structure, the size, or even the shape
| of the red blood discs has been positively de.
termined, He had himself seen the appear
ances in moistened blood clot described by
this writer, under lower powers, but had
| olaced O different construction upon them,
and he was by no means prepared as yet 70
accept DR.. Richardson's theory of cell wall.
Not that he was disposed to under.yalue the
researches which had just been laid before
the biological and nicroscopical section ofthe
| Academy. On the contrary, as he had
previously remarked, there was no
doubt that they constituted real adj
vance in science. The fact that in
six different cases DR.. Richardson had
determined the kind of blood with
out single error, proceed that his diagnoses
! were founded upon actual and perceptible
differences in the magnitudes Of the dried
cofpuscles, as this accurate discrimination
could not certainly in so many instances be
the result of mere guess work. But it should
be remembered that Professor NirchoW and
other earlier observers performed their in
yestigations with inferior lenses. Had they
worked with improved tools, such as the
| 1.25th and 1-50th of an inch detectives, used
| in these experiments, they would no doubt
have made the same discoveries. For his
own part be would like very much to have
seen some of the specimens referred to, and
| to have enjoyed an opportunity of verifying
| for blmsef the exact value of this high
power amplifcation and definition.
| DR.. Richardson replied that he had more
than once tried the experiment Of showing
objects under high power at the semi-annual
| exhibition of the Academy with unsatisfac'
tory results. He would, however, be very
happy to exhibit specimens from these sam.
pies of blood.stains ut his own house TO any
of the members present who felt specially
interested in the subject. DR.. James Tyson
suggested that this very difficulty of show.
| ing the corpuscular forms publicly, as, fol
example, to jurors in courtroom, would
prevent the discovery from being really
and practically valuable for the diagnosis
of bood-stains in medical Jurisprudence
DR.. j. Ii. McQuillen remarked thai
| some years ago, when engaged upon
an extended series of experiments &c
| determine the action Of an9sthetlcs upon
the blood corpuscles, he had examined, Will
low and moderate powers OF the microscope
| the blood of man and large number OF an
| imals, and also blood stains IN murder cases
that had been handed to him by bis friend
DR.. X. j. Lewis. The result OF these exam
nations had made him hitherto very skeptl
cal about the possibility of distinguishing
the blood corpuscles of various animals from
those of man. He could not, however
deny the value of the experiments just de.
| scribed. and accepted them as conclusive
evidence of the possibility of determining
this important point. 1t might, OF course
| require corroborative evidence on the part o.
other experienced microscopes when the life
Of human being was at stake, but the ar
gumentS which had been presented relative
to The difficulty of making microscopical
| demonstrations that would be satisfactory to
Jury, although plausible, were open to de-
/ cided exceptions. He had no manner ol
ihloubt that expert testimony, founded on in
lyestigations carried on by the observer in the
seclusion of his laboratory, would be &C.
cepted by our judges as valid evidence, even
| though the expert could not demonstrate hi;
4 experiments to unskilled eyes in crowded
courtroom. Were is not SO, it seemed tc
him that the whole system of depending
upon experts was an error, for who, indeed
1 was an expert witness but man who, il
consequence of special study Of subject, wa:
better qualified TO form correct opinion il
regald TO that subject than were persons or
dinariIy engaged in other pursuits ?-Phila
delph,a Bulletin. = @
1 A MOUNTAIN STOCK FARM IN GARRETT
CoUNTY.-A correspondent of the Chicago
| Tribune writes as follows of settlement in
Garrett county near the line Of the Baltimore
| and Ohio railroad:
About 1870 young man Of good yeoman
family in Deyonshire, named Broad, resolved
70 settle in America rather than spend his
lite in an English cOuntry-house. He had