The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-12-28
DIssECTING AN ELEPHANT.

CURIOUS posT-MoRTEM AT THE COLUMBIA
VETERINARY eoILEGE-PooB MIMI's VISIT,
TO coSEY ISLAND AND ITS AWFUL CON-
SEQUENCES. Ae Et4sfta t#MYsat
Mimi sir, Nubian." said Mr.. Reiche 10 .
HERALD reporter afternoon. "and had history. She
was captured in her infancy on the banks of the
White Nile. and from her FIRST view of the sea
evinced strong dislike to it, Her conduct on the
suez Canal and down the Mediterranean Marseilles
outrageous and strangely in contrast with
her docility on the road through France and
Germany to Bremen. During that portion OF
her journey she seemed to enjoy the excite
ment Of travel but the moment she shifted the sea
air at Bremerhaven she again commenced her tan
trums and gave excessive trouble all the way to this
Western World She landed here early last spring,
and at taken TO Coney Island where, in the
aquarium. she frequently expressed her dislike to
the salt air of that popular resort until in Sep
tember. she exhibited such symptoms Of it's effects
on her lungs that she sent to Central Park
Here under the genial influence of her surroundings
and the of the keeper Mr. Field. she rallied and
seemed entirely recovered. At times. however.
and especially during inclement weather. she
found Difficulty in breathing that excited the
anxiety OF her attendants and the greatest
taken of her, The recent cold spell proved too much
for her. On Christmas Eve she taken with
congestive chill that settled lungs. and she
fingered in great pain till the afternoon. when she
breathed her last. She tenderly conveyed in
ambulance of the Health Board to the Columbia
Veterinary College Christmas present to its
Faculty"
A roNDERous SUBJECT.
The gentlemen Of the College, in the interest Of
science, determined to make autopsy the body.
M as s,lch n az n exam
alton of the body of elephant an unusual
event. HERALD reporter wendell his way to the in
sttution on Thirty-fourth street near Third avenue
In the dissecting room on the second floor of the
building attached to the College he found the
carcass, already deprived OF its skim on the table
awaiting the keen knives of the operators The group
around eagerly awaiting the arrival of Edward
G. spitzka who was to superintend the autopsy as
sisted by the Demonstration OF Anatomy, Mr.. Richard
A. Finley. On his arrival Professor Spizka jovial
practitioner. responded to request tor information
tering the court yard found there the body OF elc
phant and for the moment was nonpussed as to what
quickly to my aid however and with the rapdity of
experts they quickly robbed the Of its cpl
derms and when thus relieved OF at least 100 pounds
OF extraneous weight by the Archimedean device
of incline plane they drew the other 900 pounds
to the dissecting room. Then by the aid OF ropes
and levers, sixteen pairs of hands at the former and
four at the latter they raised it the table you
now see it. ready for operation
KNIFE AND SAW.
The arrangements for the operation made at
once. Two advanced students with the Professor,
stood at the head and four with the Denonstrator
the body of the animal, and after preliminary
sharpening OF knives the word given and the
primary incisions made. As each organ laid bare
due comparisons were drawn and much vain-
few moments nothing was heard save the rasping
of the saw or the cutting of the knives, inter
rupted at intervals by q CHEEKY laugh or smothcred
exclamation from the floor above, where the female 1
students of anatomy from the Women's Medical Col I
lege had been furnished with . dissecting room for
reua Occasionally a
nuid would drop from the ceiling = close proximity
to the reporter which, catching the Professor eye
as he rested from his work. he remarked:-'.Step a
little this X You please. Those the first
drops from the subject up stairs. and might not be
and a better opportunity was afforded to view the
autopsy of poor Mimi, whose aspiration for return
to the tropics and its more genial atmosphere had
been summarily checked. The Professor had
sawed OF section Of the skull horizontally reveal
ing the brain, nestled in its inner skull and almost
surrounded by series OF air cells tubes, connect
ing directly with the nasal cavity, which, i'll
ton with the very thick outer skull, formed
almost impenetrabe protection to the seat of life and
intelligence.
A WELL FORTIFIED BRAIN.
The operation then stopped to admit Of brief lee
brain he talked. His language, robbed Of its nee
essary tschnicality, was to the following effect:
This outer skull furnishes the massive ap-
pearance familiar to the eye. while the inner cas-
ing. containing the BRAIN Is of more delicate
texture and is easily. penetrated The air cells be-
tween evidently for the purpose of greater
protection. He instanced here the case OF
insane elephant at the Geological Gardens London.
where over one hundred bullets fired into the
animals skull only OF which penetrated with
fatal effect. Most OF those which had penetrated the
outer had been lost in the air cells. their effect
not iniuring the recipient in the least. He also
showed the fallacy OF the idea of tender or weak
spot between the eyes that being equally wen pro-
tected with the top and back of the skull. The eyes
therefore the best and only direct means
OF penetrating the brain. He then called
which the head was supported and showed the add.
tional protection they afforded the brain from the
obtrusiye bullets adding dryly. however, nothing
All elephant from the explosive bullet now
in their destruction il they burst all in the
body, matter where, they have a fatal result.
lie next lifted the brain, which weighed five pounds,
calling attention TO its intensely congesed cond-
ton. suggesting death by asphyxia The eye
then removed and proved not larger than that Of
horse. the spinal cord ALSO comparing with that OF
equine size was concerned. Descending
next the trunk. that organ found to be richly
were eight teeth to each jaw. two OF which
lars and II is said that full sized elephant is entitled
10 SIX sets OF molars following each other in rota
ton, growing underneath the other and pushing
the former growth out. With the sixth set OF nolars
the span OF the elephants life is run.
USDoUBTED coNsUArTrvE
Meanwhile, and not losing an iota of the lesson
derived from the head, the knives of the operators
under Demonstration finlay. had land open the body
perfectly healthy, and when raised showed marked
pifurcated structure IN the lower end, resembling ia
this respect the heart OF the dugon, o singular
ifsh which gave rise To the fable of the mermaid
The other organs aud the abdominal vscera were all
healthy save the lungs, aud mere was found the I'M
mediate canse OF Minis death They were intensely
congestod. much 40 as to sink IN water. For the
purposes Of preservation the work of cutting was
continued until In about two hours. the of
Mimi In sections. laid shelves around the
room for future treatment.
The lessons to be derived from the postmor tern
were duly appreciated by those who witnessed it. AZ
the reporter getting his notes together horse
which had been operated for dphtheria by trachy-
nometry brought Ia and placed under the innii-
OF chloroforn preparatory TO killing IL for the
dissecfing table
A DETECTIVES PRIZE PACKAGE