Weekly Trinity journal., 1874-05-16
CURIOSITIES OF MEDICAL SCI.
ENCE.

SCI ic> VI leCluISs Ill DOslOI, WHICH aUOunu
in curions medical facts. The Chicago
Tribune, in review of these lectures,
condenses into brief space the most in
teresting facts contained in them, which
We reproduce for the benefit of those who
like to read the marvels of medical sur
gerry: The doctor believes that the mus
cles can move Independently of the nerves
or the brain. He once cut off the arms
of two decapitated men. About fourteen
hours after, all signs of life died out oi
the arms. Then fresh blood was injected
into both, in one case from a man, in the
other from dog. The muscles of both
moved violently. The arm which had
received human blood was at least four
times as strong as it had been during life.
The almost completely decomposed eye
of an eel showed muscular irritation un-
der the influence of light sixteen days
after it had been taken from the body.
The muscular movement of the heart
may continue some time after all action
has ceased. The heart of man decapi.
tated at Rouen beat for thrty-six hours
after the execution. The heart of dog
has beaten for torty-eight hours after il
was removed from the body. Every
muscle in our system, as well as in ami
mails, can, in certain circumstances, have
perfect rhythmical movements" Her
bert Spencer has treated this fact in phil
osophy and Emerson in poetry. The
proofs already given of muscular action
Independent Of the nerves have all been
drawn from involuntary mechanical
movements. Examples are not wanting
of the other sort. Apparently voluntary
movements have been performed without
the aid of brain or nerves. DR.. Brown
Sequard was called upon once to cure a
dead man. His friends would not be-
lieve he was dead, and no wonder, for he
lifted his arms at full length above his
face, knit his fingers as if he was in pray
er, dropped his arms, separated them
and did the same thing again. Yet the
man was undeniaby dead. The move
meEt grew slower and slower and finally
ceased. Disease causes extraordinary
freaks before as well as after death. a
young woman in Paris had fits OF relg-
ious ecstacy every Sunday morning. AT
precisely 10 O'Clock she would balance
herself on her back on the edge of heI
bed, keep the rest of her body perfectly
motionless, and pray to the Virgin Mary
The position was an impossible one for Il
person in health. A "most beautiful
Irish girl" whom the lecturer knew, haC
received blow on the side of the head
which made her walk in half circles. Ii
she wished to go east, she started north,
and so finally tackled around to her des-
tination. Save for this curious incapaci-
ty, her health was perfect.
The imagination plays queer tricks
with the body. DR.. Brown-Sequard re-
CARDS this fact as the foundation stone OF
mesmerism. The mcsmelizer, by ex-
citing the imagination, acts on the body
and 50 moves the muscles and cures dis.
ease. The fact that mesmerized and
entirely unconscious person can tell the
time by watch held at the back of the
head, may be explained by referring il
to the same mysterious faculty which
gives almost every person the power ol
waking up Mt any hour. One who can
do this must in some way tell time in his
sleep. 1t is not the process of mesmer-
ism, then, which gives him this power
The imagination is IA great medicine, eli
ther to kill or to cure. 1t may almost
wholly destroy sensation. The convul.
sionaires Of st. Medard trampled cacl
other under foot in the most violent man
ner, but they were rarely hurt. One o
these Sisters of Charity was knocked
down and trampled upon by dozen per
sons, and suffered no pain whatever
When the use OF ether became generally
known, it stopped practice that wa,
gaining ground among good surgeons o
exciting the Imagination OF patients unit
they were obliyious of pain. This wai
unfortunate. 1t is much easier to ust
ether, but much more dangerous. The
other process is much more harmless
The Imagination can change the effect o
a medicine. A theological student, who
thought "pill " meant purgativc, looked
up the word in his dictionary and founC
n description Of pill composed of tive
strong astringents. He took it, and i
acted rs purgative. Bread-crumb pill
taken with faith have had the same re
suit. A nurse in French hospital gave
100 patients some harmless medicine anC
told them that she had by mistake ad
ministered to them a powerful emetic
Some eighty of them became very sick
Sea-sickness is generally caused by i'm
agination. A man who heard violir
for the first time while he was sea-sick
always suffered aiterward in the same
way whenever he heard another. ThC
stlgmata, or marks representing thu
wounds of Christ, which unquestionablJ
appeared on the bodies of St. Francis o
Assist aad other devotees, show the re
markable bodily effects of imagination
A mother who saw window fall anC
crush three fingers of her child, felt M
instant pain in the corresponding fingers
of her own hand. They liberated rap
idly. She was cured with difficulty. The
most striking example OF the power o
mind over body is shown by the takirs o
India, who can suspend all the processes
of life for weeks and months and ther
rise from their apparent death unharmed
This long doubted fact is, DR.. Brown
Seauard says, at last fully proved. HC
closed the final lecture with few laws o
health Exercise all parts of the body
moderately. Make no overdraits on thu