The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1881-07-27
Shooting at CadaverS.
pueer Experiments in the Interest OF Sc-Calieo
Science.
Corresdondentce News ana Courier.

New YORK, July lG.-Qulte an
amusing little discussion has followed
Dr.. F. 4. Weisse's much talked oi
experiuer. upon cadavers. Dr.
Weisse is a professor Of practical sur;
rerv in the medica! college attached
to the University of New York, and
like most of the surgeons and physl-
clans of the land, has been only too
anxious to olake some capital out OF
the Presidents misfortune. &c
not pretend to SaE that his experl
ments have been worthless, but at al
events they have been of no percept''
BILE value to laymen. Casting about
him, therefore, for some meaus OF
getting his 6nger in the pie, DF.
Wiesse hit upon the brilliant idea OF
hanging some ccrpses up BY the neck'
with their feet touching the ground
and firing balls at them from bulldog
pistol similar to that used by Gulteau.
The newspaper men were invited to
90 and see the show-two pertor'
maoces day, 40 charge for adm.s'
sion, and fresh subjects provided for
every performance. Impelled BY
sense of duty I accepted the invita-
ton last week and hunted out the
medical college Of the University. 1t
is situated right opposite Bellevue
Hospital, the patients of which were
doubtless able to hear the sound OF
the pistol practice upon what re-
NAMED of their late fellow patients,
these experiments adding q new ter,
ror to dying 10 hospital: as one
cricsic remarks. Mounting to the
top of the building I found big dis
sectipg roou with slate slabs for at
least twenty-five subjects. When l
arrived there were two medical stu
dents, two reporters and a sort OF
iapitor present. l said that the fame
of Dr.. Weisse's experiments had reach
ed me. No one had been asked to come,
said one Of the medical students, but
If the press took auy interest 10 the
matter the doctor wou!d be glad to
see newspaper men at all times.
Would I like to see the results OF the
last performance at which DrS. Ham
ilton and Hammond had been pre-.
sent and much cdi6ed? Of course |
wonld. / was conducted to the rear
part of the big room where four
bodies, in different stages Of CHASTITY
decomposition, lay upon the slabs.
One of the bodies looked as if half
petri6ed.. 1t had been in the picking
vat for some months, I was Informed ;
another was quite fresh, the subject
having died oaly two days before and
; the practice having begun upon him
within a few hours after breath left
the body. The body was that of a
large, muscular man weighing at least
one hundred and eighty pounds; he
was considered enough like President
Garfield in weight and size to make
the experiments peculiarly instructive:
Judging from appearances he had
been riddled with bullets.
These bull dog pistols are not
worth a cent to aim with,' said one Of
the medical students, in explanation
sThey kick so that when you want tc
bit the lungs you have to aim at the
head
what was the object of the ex-
perimen:s I asked.
sOh, variety Of objects interesting
only to medical men. We wanted tc
see, for instance, whether or not a
bullet from the bull dog would &C
through heavy man. in most cases
it went clear through. The bodies
we're hung against that partition and
YOU can see where the balls pene
trated the wood. In the next place
We wanted to cut an artificial wound
such as We suppose the ball inflicted
upon the President in order to see
inst what organs must have been in-
jured.y Here is the dissection, speak
Of pointing to a clammy subject
which had apparently been picked
for years. You see the ball entered
at this cut between the tenth and
eleventh rib, and ran down, we now
think, behind the liver and fell down
10 front Of the spinal column i'll the
mass Of fat which lies there. If you
will bare your arm you can feel for
Yourself that the course Of the ball
may have been perfectly easy |
thanked him for his kindness and
said that | would take mis- word for it.
At that moment a timid newspaper
reporter, who had apparently never
been in dissectiug room, appeared at
the deor and inquired for DR.. Weisse.
He's not here yet shouted my
friend. Come over here and III ex-
plain the whole thing to you
No thank you. I'd rather not,
answered the reporter. L can smell
and sec enough from here
The day was warm and the odor Of
the room was not that Of new mown
hay. As DR.. Weisse did not appear
l accompanied the jauitor down
stairs. He explained to ME that mat.
tiers were dull in the summer. The
dlssecsiug room is pleasant place
when the college is IL session. he
said.
DR.. wElSSE'S EXPLANATION.
The next morning l called upon
DR.. Weisse at his house, and found
him reading the violent attack which
John Swinton made upon him in the
Sun. Swinson is the literary Com
D,nnist of Nov, Norl. HI b,e hoon