The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1884-10-31
Injarles Of the Heart.

I Injuries Of the Heart.
Tho heart forces the blood into the
lungs when it receives oxygen, or in
other words, is aerified, aud thence
drives the current throughout the sys-
tenn to supply every part with nourish-
| ment, aud in return remove all impur-
| tiles.
The heart is placed in the left side.
This is so in the vast majority of cases.
But there are those who have their
, hearts on the right instead of the left
| side of the throax
remember seeing a number Of
years ago, man about forty years of
age, with his heart situated on the
right side. He said he had noticed
this curious phenomenon ever since the
age of four He suffered no inconven-
fence nor disease from the condition.
He was at the time suffering from
some disease of the chest, but that was
not at all due to the strange situation of
his heart. Sometimes disease of the
chest will thrust the heat to one side;
but of such cases we do not at present
intend to speak.
BY involuntary / mean something over
which we .have no control The breath
or respiration is both voluntary and in
voluntary. We can cause it to stop,
but only for a short time In the case
of the heart. however, we cannot check
its action. For it beats night and day,
month after month and year after year,
from birth to old age and desth, with
out resting at all, and when it does
rest, but for n moment, or is Irregular
in its action, we consider it diseased.
Now, curiously enough. we have one
or two exceptions to the above state
NEXT. A well-authenticated case of
this anomaly is that of Colonel 'gho
died not long ago in England He
possessed the power of stopping tn. ac-
ton of the heart and the beating of
the pulse al pleasure. living down for
short time andcomposing himself, he
would, to all appearance. become like
q dead purson. His heart would stop
beating; his pulse cease at the wrist:
pallor overspread his cointenance; and
the most vigorous and thorough exam
ination of his physicians could not de-
tect the least presence of life. After
a while, perhaps in half IN dhour, he
would recover and walk away as well
as before the experiment. 1 think the
gentleman finally died of some heart
disease.
Among other things in connection
with the heart, may be-. mentioned its
injuries; and these, strangely enough,
are not always so fatal as it is generally
supposed.
Soldiers wounded il the heart, in
battle, or other persoaS injured bv
sharp instruments, do not always die
Immediately. Sometimes hours, DAYS,
months and years elapse before death
occurs; and again. the wounded may
entirely recover. l shall give below a
few remarkable but Northumberland
eases of wounds of the heart. A man
who was wounded in the beart by
bullet lived for forty-eight hours. In
this case hemorrhage was gradual and
slow. A curious case is that of man
surviving for twenty DAYS with a
skewer in his heart. A surgeon gives
us the account of boy who lived five
weeks after being wounded in the |
heart; smother of soldier who lived |
eleven days with bullet imbedded in |
the fieshy substance of the heart; and |
another, six years, of person who |
lived with wound, and died from q |
disease not at all connected with the in
jury of the heart.
Even after the heart has been pierced
by sharp instruments, recovery has
taken place, or death has been delayed
for some time. A person died of some
obscure disease of the heart under
At his death pin was found sticking
in his heart, wherein it must have been
for that length of time.
Let us now turn to the consideration
Of another accident to which the heart
is occasionally liable; that is, rupture
Or the breaking of the heart. A
'.broken heart is generally regarded,
except in cases of previous disease, as
but existing in the imagination of poets
and sentimentalists. In these cases we
,an easily conceive how diseased or
weak heart may be ruptured by any
undue emotion of the mind, such as
fear, Joy, grief or other excitement
which Overstrains an already debilitated
organ. But it is very doubtful whether
! healthy human heart was ever ac-
.ually "broken." Some surgeons are
80 positive in respect to this point that
they consider it physical impossibility,
while others of equal authority declare
hat such accidents have occasionally
being due to the violent con-
traction of the heart under excessive
emotions of the mind.
If all cases of death by supposed
broken heart were carefully examined,
We might perhaps clear up this curious
and Interesting subject.-Dr. f. C.
Clark, in Touth's Companion.
A Premoniti0n.
One afternoon, q few years ago.