New-York tribune., 1874-03-18

l
| s..a,s there we're phvaiooeists who admitted that
blcodvesses were controlled by nerves. but iac,s haa
| not been brought forward proving 1t positNop IN"
an opportunity with O friond OF mine, Dr. Tholosan'
| who Is now the eminent physician o' 'no o""
| OF Persia, to see how nervous Influences osn 'o
exerted on blood-vessels from dipping ONO manu-
| into cold water II one hand dppcu
into water nj nearly freezing point, We find that the
OF the other hand arc contracted ana aS
consequence OF that there diminutlon OF tempeia
ture In one case this dminuton or temperature ""'
so great owing lack OF circulation there tha my
friend lost 2o Fab. in ten minutes the temperature
the air being very low that day. We found that on GER
| tain davs WE were more excitable than Others The
mechanism was simply this The irritation OF nerves III
one arm when dipped into water propagaed py 'no
spinal cord and goes TO the bloodvesses IN the ono
hand and produces contraction uiere' "H'o .
] remains, so that no blood reaches tno P'''
such an effect we sometimes see in tpeope from an eA
posure to cold air, which may produce what mars"'
Hall calls Digis semi norts that is fingers haif oeau'
Tho fingers seem TO be dead and really there is no CIT
cuation in the part How life can be manaineu thero
is a mystery II may last sometimes for days ~'nou'
eangrene Most likely there is some serum thore "hcn
receives oxygen. Just as the serum In the oorne"
receives oxygen whom that part Is wounucu'
But at any rate 1t seems mysterious that there
ia no decay when there is such an absence
of crculaton. When galvanize the cerYlcai
sympathetic in the back OF the neck we produce con-
traction of tho boodvessels OF the face immediatey
and all the consequences that have noted az following
suoh contraction. There is dminuon OF the tenn
perature diminuton OF tho ssnsbihty, dminution
also OF the vital property II the reverse Is done' eho
nerve is divided instead Of galvanized then we nave
an opposite effect The bood-vessels are paralyzed;
they date considerably There ia more blood because
the channel is moro OPEN Tho heart sends blood win
the same force everywhere but If one part OF the sys
fem is more free 1t receives more blood ana IN conse
shn on In
creased temperature, increased sensphty, anu an
increase in the vital property OF the part
When made my first experiments on the galyanza-
ton Of thesympathec to the conclusion at once
that those nerves likely came In measure atleast
from the cerebrospna system although they belong 10
what we call the sympathetcS nerve was led 10
This conclusion by facts which have time to men
ton But the great point this asocrtaihed py are"
e1perments that ut chiefly from some nerves there
the first second and third dorsal in the spne
that the spmpahetc receive those branches This fact
WAS nut in moro clear and forcble way by two other
! psychologists, DR.. Bulge and Dr. Waller
| THE TREATMENT OF CHARLES SUMNER
When in 1851 saw MIR. Charles Summer for the first
time, he presented to Inc at once symptoms which l
could not but recognize dependent upon an irritation
Of some bres of that sympathetic nerve aud paralysis
~ others As you know he received q terrible blow
uron the head His spine as he was sitting had peeh
bent in two places, the cranium fortunately RESISTING
This bending Of the spine In two places had produced
there the effects Of sprain When saw him IN Paris
he had recovered altogether from the first effects Of
the blow. He suffered only from the two sprains
of the spine and perhaps a slight irritation
OF the spinal cord itself He had two troubles at that
time one that he could not make use OF his brain
at all He could not read newspaper; could not write
letter He in frightful state as regards the ac
tiyy Of mind every effort there was most pain
fu TO him. 1t seemed to him at times as II his head
IN Tn he
nusbine the pieces away from another Any emo
ZION WAS painful to him. Even In conversation any
thing that called for depth OF thought or feeling caused
him suffering. that had to be very careful with
him He had another trouble resulting from the sprain
which was at the level of the lowest dorsa vertebra.
The irritation produced intense and the result very
painful. When he tried to move forward he was COM
peed 10 push one foot slowly and gently forward but
few the other foot to level with the
first holding back at the Same time to diminish the
pain that had there 1t had been thought that ne
was parayzed in the lower limbs. and that he had dis
ease OF the BRAIN and the disease OF the brain was con-
strued as being Of this paralysis Of the lower
limbs
Fortunately the discovery made OF what we call the
vasamotor system led me at once 70 the con-
eusion that had disease OF the brain and had no
paralysis. He had only an irritation OF those yasa-
motor nerves. resulting from the upper strain Ia the
spine That irritation the cause OF the whole mis-
chief as regards the function OF the BRAIN The other
spraln caused the pain which gave the appearance OF
paralyss When 1 asked him II he conscious OF any
weakness in his lower limbs, he said Certainly not,
have never understood that physicians considered
me paralyzed only cannot walk on account OF tho
pain" -, -. 80. .
What was to be done was to apply counterirrants to
those two sprains. That done. told him that the
haSt nan of treatment would consist the application
OF Inoxas, and that they produced the most painfu
kind of irritation Of the SKIN that we Knew urged
him then 20 allow me to give him chlorofOrn 10 dnhSh
rho main II not take altogether. well Yemem-
her ms Impressive accent wncn he replied: III you can
say positively that shall derive as much baDent n
take choroform IL do not then or course wi taRe
N. hut II there be any degree whatever OF aneo-
ration do not take II, then snail not take u
did not find courage enough to deceive Dln. tOlu
him the truth-hat there would be more enect' as L
hought II he did not take chl0roform And 20 bad TO
submit him to the martYrdon or tpe greatest suHesns
thar can be inflicted Oh mortal Inan burned nun WIN
the first had the hope that ater Ine n'St aIp
cation he would submit the of ehl0roforn but Tor
I've times after that burned in the same way ld
refused take ohlOroform have never seen psuent
who submitted to such treatment Ia tnat way. .,.
cannot conceive that IL was from mere herosm tnat
he did il, The real explanation was TINS: heaps OF
abuse had been thrown upon him. He was considered
as amusing himself In Paris; as pretsnune 70 DO ~;
as possible. few days were OF great Importance 10
him And he passed through that terroe suHetin&,
the greatest that have inflicted upon any being,
mention This only TO show what the man was. and
sha only add that that have always found MIN
ready 10 submit TO anything for the sake OF what no
thought 10 be right; and In other spheres you Aho"
that such was his character. tApplause'I
At this point DR.. Brown-Sequard was 30 much
affected that he found himself unable to proceed.
and 30 stopped the lecture after having spoken one
half Of the usual time.
Az ryENING WITH MR. SUMMER