Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1879-11-18
A WONDERFUL CURIOSITY.
A Dog Accidentally Decapitated
and Still LiveS-What the Doc
tors Say About il.

Tors say ADOul Als
The Cincinnati Murine Journal tells
the following story to the marines:
On the ground at our feet, sitting upon
his launches, was the little black and
tan dog, the pet OF Col. DumOnt'S house
hold: the head, with the exception OF
the lower jaw and tongue, was entirely
gone, revealing the raw and ragged
edges OF the neck, out OF which protru-
ded an unusually large and Informed
windpipe, which may possibly account
i'm some way for the prolonged existence
OF the dog. Moving nearer 10 take a
closer lOol, at the animal, We were
shocked % see him get down on his feet
and instinclively run 10 his master ;
side as ii fearing harm; We shuddercd
at the thought of dcrapitated animal,
headleSS and sightlcSS, seeking his mas
ter for protection; il seemed incredible
and we almost doubted We were awake,
but We were, and the most wonderful
part of the phenomena was To be Wit
messed.
Col. Dumonts family,it seems have
made great pet of the dog, whose name
is Trip. teaching him q great many tricks,
and il is here where the wonderful part
enters. The head, as we remarked be-
fore, Is cut off clean excepting the lower
Jaw, the rear being entirely gone, but
nevertheless the writer saw Trip stand
and walk ON his fore feet and hind feet,
lump over a box, set up on the box on
his launches, jump through a hoop, all
upon command of Col DumOnt. OF
course this is a hard story for our read
ers 10 believe, and would be 20 us with
out seeing il, vet those who doubt ltcan
70 and convince themselves OF its truth.
The dog. now two DAYS since the decdp-
itatiOn, appears rs likely to live as be-
fore its head was cut OF how this was
done the Colonel Is able 10 explain only
hv finding the head on the
floor beneath the shears used at the
boiler shop IN cutting sheet iron, upon
which the dog must have climbed, amt,
Earring the stand, the upper knife TELL
doing its work in very unsSIlltu. man
ner; but here another singular part OF
the phenomenon occurs. The boiler yard
where the accident occurred i nearly 4
square from where the dog wandered 10
and where he was first found. The last
seen of him was az the boiler yard where
the Colonel missed him, but presuming
he hal run home, which Is only q few
squares from the shop, he dismissed tie
dog from his mind. % find him m hour
aitprwarl i'm the foundry at the rear oi
the machine shop, without a head, but
Us playful a. ever.
This morning Drs. B~aduck and
Wood. two well known surgeons, made
a close examination OF the lJccrated
neck and the liicles~ head, ImbUcd with
the hope that they would be able 10
solve the mystery by the discovery that
the base of the brain had not been de
tached, and that enough OF IL was lett on
the trunk 20 prOlonc animal HE, but
their examination WAS I'M vain, mN-tlly-
iug them even more, as they discovered
that the entire head and part Ot the
neck were entirely gone, and that the
lower Jaw was hanging on simp." hgl-
ment. and held I'm place 10y the tongue,
which &, extraordinarily tough aud hdrd
While making tun examination the dog
was very restless. amt cndcavOred 10
free himself from the grip Ot the doc
tors.
They gave IL rs their opinion that the
DOGS ME would bc prolonged il il could
be- made To- eat by forcing food into its
stomach: il has been tried and failed;
consequently the doctors think II will
die of starvation. They are nom
pIuSygI a- % how 10 answer Tor the pro-
iougatiuu Of life i'm aphvsicaI form with
out the cooperation cd brain force, 50
necessary tu animal lie.
We are impressed with the belief that
the question with has 50 long baillcd
science i'm determining the function al
animal brain is answered. We think
the fact OF the dog living after the sepa-
ration OF the brain from the body proves
that animal brain Is 4 mere form OF
matter, no more capable OF impression
that the tail, probably one Otthe organs
of digestion. In man 1t is the motor
power of thought and action. 1t is GER
tainly a nut for Psychologists To crack.
Col Dumont will give such ample priv
ilr.e 10 investigate for the benefit OF
science.