The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-09-11
xre Auiuaa,s Aassaaassf'

N Sisc,nsing this question oesosS vi WIG =,
s~prit,sh ASSOCIATION at Belfast last nscntn
ProIessor. Huxley told the following story :;
nned not say that sIuce those days OF COM
5 .ynenrinV anatomical science when criminals
we're handed oyer to the doctors, we cannot
marc rxnerisnentso on human bciags, but some
Nn,ea tiav arc made for US, and are mace ia
very remarkable manner. That operator,
called war is great series OF rbysfoiogicaa
eynerimants. and sometimes Il happens .slas
these genealogical experiments bear very re-
r,ssrafle ffl1i,. Al French soldier, q ser
peaI,t. was wounded al the bassse OF baie".s,.
Tea man Sas shot Ia what we eau tue
80 ,sta, hone. The bullet, L pre-
.,,n,c uianced off. bot 1t fractured tue
hnne. He bad enough yigor LETT 70
send his bayonet through the Prusssan VINO
shot him. Then be wandered Anew bonorea
rards ont OF the village, where he was picked
nm and taken 10 the hospital, where ne re-
nalned some time. When ne came 70 Dun
self as ususl in such cases ofdipjury, he was
naralyzed on the opposite side OF the Dooy,
that is to say. The right arm and the rignt ieS
were completely psrsl, zsd: That state OF
things lasted, / think, the better part OF Two
wears, but sooner or later be recovered irolu
. it, and now he il able towaik aoout WIN
activity, and only By careful measurement eau
nuyldiffereuce between tbeftWo sides OF MS
body besscertained. Atpresent this man yves
two lives. formal life and an abnormal, me-
In his normal lite he is perfectly well. cheerful,
and a cspital hospital attendant, does all DIS
work well. and Is respectable, we'll con-
Sl1ctetl man. The normal life lasts for about
seven and twenty days, or thereabouts, out
OF. eSery month; but tor day or TWO IN
each month-generally at intervals OF about
that time--he passes into another life. sud-
denly. and without warning or intimatioa..
In this life be Is still active, goes ABOUT JUST
as usual, and is to all appearance just the
same man as before; goes to bed snd un-
dresses himself, gets up, makes bis eigarette
and smokes ii, and eats and drinks. But ID
this condition he neither sees, nor hears, nor
tastes, nor smells, nor is he conscious OF any
thing whatever, ard has only one sense organ
in state of aciivity--yiz, that OF touch,
which is exceedingly delicate. If you put
an obstacle 10 bis way he knocks against it,
feels II. and goes to The one side. If you
push him IN any direction he goes straight
on, illustrating, as we'll as he can, the first
law OF motion. You see l have said he
makes his cigarettes, but you may make his
tobacco of shaviugs or Of anything else you
like, and still be will 60 on making bis ciga.
rettes as usual. His action is purely mechan-
ical. AS said, he feeds Yoraciously, but
whether you give him aloes or assafG. ida, or
the incest thing possible [laughter] 1T is
all The same to him.
HONEST AT ONE TINE, AND THIEF AT ANOTHER.
Wnen be is in this condition the functions
of his cerebral hemisphere are, at any rate,
largely annihilated. He is very rearly-I
don't say wholly, but very nearly-iD the
condition OF an animal in which the cerebra!
hemispberes are not entirely eXtirpated, but
very largely damaged. And bis state is Won
flerfully interesting to me, for it bears on the
phenomena of mesmerism, Of which l saw a
good deal when was young man. In this
state he is capable Of performing all sorts OF
actions on mere suggeslions-as, for exam
pie, he 'dropped bis cane, and person near
him put it into bis hand, and the feeling OF
the end of the cane evidently produced in
him those molecular changes Of the brain
which, had he possessed consciousness,
would have given rise TO the idea of bis
1iflc; for he threw himself on bis face, be-
gun feeling about for his cartouche, went
through The motions Of touching his gun,
and shouted out to an imaginary comrade,
ssHere they are, q score Of them; but we
will give good account Of thcm." This
paper to which refer is full of the most re-
markable examples of this kind, and what is
the most remarkable fact of all this is the
notifications W bicb this injury has made in
the mans moral nature. In his normal life
he is one of the most upright and honest oil
men. In his abnormal state, however, he is
an inyeterate thief. He will steal everything
he can lay his hands upon [laughterl, and il
he cannot steal anything else he will steal
his own things and hide them away. Laugh