The Orangeburg democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1879-1881, 1879-02-28
THE NEGRO THOMAS.
III o.
ANOTHER EXPLA NATION OFIIIs CAS-


known and accomplished Professor
of Physiology and Histology IN tho
Medical College of South Carolina,
recently contributed to the "Boston
Medical dnd Surgical Journal," q
most original and vigorous article
upon the case OF the negro, Thomas
a case which SO ME weeks ago, at
tracted so much attention among our
own savants, here in Augusta.
DR.. Michel is evidently skeptic
in regard to the dusly gentleman's s
main performance, as the very cap
tion of his article indicates this cap
tion reading as follows: -
discrimination Of the Negro, Thom-
as, who arrests his Hearts Action,
and pretehds TO throw his Heart into
the Abdomen"
After b graptic description of
Thomas physluue, aid OF "lhe extra
ordinary play of his abdominal mus
cles, which are made to contract, not
simultaneously, as mhy he done by
any. one, but in seperate layers, and
In the several divisions of the recti :"
the Doctor procteds to depict with
wonderful clean ess that which
Thomas considers his great feat, the
feat par excellence, of his novel c4hi-
bition.
"Invariably, Thomas bends the
body forward to a greater or less de-
gree; takes deep inspiration; not
suspending the breath, but on the
contrary, maintaining the diaphragm
as depressed as possible, by keeping
up very imperfect movements Of ex-
piration then he throws certain alb
dominal muscles into contraction,
depressing the greater portion Of the
walls Of the abdomen, while he bulgcs
out the uspot where he assumes the
heart to have migrated"
= ="
Ellis next performance consists in
arresting the hearts action, and the
pulse at the wrists Ga phenomenon
we'll comprehended by physiologists) =.
Here, again, lie takes u deep inspira-
ton, but suspending his breath COM
pletely-a necessary condition to sue
cess--when all cardiac pulsation
ceases and the pulse wave is NO long
er felt at the wrist
Thus, the reader perceives that bis
special achievements are these three,
viz: Abdominal muscular contor-
tions, displacement of lie lfeart, and
temporary suspension of its action.
All these, DR.. Michel maintains,
"resolve themselves simply into q
display of unusual muscularity and
muscular tension"
Hitherto; the chief explanation Of
Thomas apparent hear:-displacement
has been an assumption of'"a tissure
of the diaphragm"
Our esshyist unco mplomisingly re-
jects this notion rs fat-fetched and
unphilosophical.
The negro, lie says, is an athlete
in frame, with no discoverable NAL
formation. The play of perfect
diaphragm during his lorced respira-
tions becomes evident in the ascend
ancy of abdominal over costal respi-
ration. :
Emphatically he adds, "there is no
fissure of the, Diaphragm" BECAUSE
the violent play 6f abdominal murcles,
previously described with such de-
formity present, would drive the Wis
cera either from the abdomen into
the thoraX, or from the chest into the
abdomen, and render any such per-
tormance, painful, dangerous, per-
haps impossible.
Consequently, upon tie ground Of
normal diaphragm, land not upon
any narrow theory as to the impossi
bility of the translation of the heart
through a fissured diaphragm from
thorax to abdomen,) the assumption
is rejected Of q migration of the
heart from its natural position.
At the same time, Dr.. Mitchell ac-
knowledges thai Thomas does effect
something positive in his attempt,
that he Stimulates wonderfully a dis
placement Of the heart; but the ex-
planstion of the phenomenon, he con
cludes, rests upon physiological and
not pathological condi tions.
ThrOuph the min,,ti ne Of tho Dnc-