Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-01-27
LIVING. YET DEAD.
A Medical Scientist opens the Skull
and scoops a Subjects Brains Out,
Leaving Him POwerless a. a Statue
An EnhnnOred Grave.
Philadelphia Press.

"A M GulGAA CGACuAiFA NBUAs bnC HAuAA
and scoops n Subjects Brains Out,
Leaving Him POwerIess Statue
An EnhOnOred Grave.
Philadelphia Press.
Fifteen years ago in March next, Henry
Bastian. then an intelligent cOlored boy
of II. WAS "A servant in the house of a fair
" prominent Philadelphia physician. who
was regarded hy his professional brethren
as a man of rather eccentric ideas. He
made diseases of the mind his specially
or more properly speaking, his one pecu-
liar hObhy-and dab5led in the unrecog-
nized sciences Of psychology and mesmer-
ism. The boy Henry was singularly apt
for one OF his years, and took the greatest
delight in arguing with his master on such
subjects. and in gaining general knOwl-
edge Of medicine and surgery whenever
thu opportunity offered
Two years ago the physician died. leaY-
ing behind him strange story Of how
this youthful enthusiasm proved tO be the
lads mental ruin and caused him TO he
come a living physical organism, but he
reft of everything that made him account
able to his Maker or his fellow man. The
history Of the case is probably without
parallel in medical annals. In diary OF
1859 belonging to the dead physician,
under date of March 8. was found the fol-
lowing entry. which is probably the start
ing point for what follows:
''Hpnrv's theory about superfiuous
brain cells is certainly novel, and if the
boy were not so precocious ] would laugh
at it. There may be something in 1t, but
bow can it he provenp
A DESPERATE VENTURE.
It would seem from this and other mem
Oranda that the physician had studied
over the matter for some weeks before he
concluded TO make an attempt TO remove
a portion of healthy human brain SIM
ply as an experiment. That he did make
the attempt and did succeed in accom-
plshing his object, is proven by an entry
made under date of May 80. Stripped of
the greater part Of its technical verbage,
the history Of the operation is as follows:
II feel that | have brought down the
anger of Heaven upon my head in at
tempting to tamper with the
nOhlest part OF the Creators handiwork
Henry Bastian, who has been beneath my
roof since childhood, still lives. He
exists. he breathes. he digests. but that is
all. He is no longer an entity, and by my
hand. To you, my beloved wife, ! cOnfide
this horrible secret, and | beg Of you to
do all YOU can to prevent my memory
from being furnished, because | teel the
grave t. be near. You will now know why
the lad WAS sent to an asylum. 1t was
because his presence was to me constant
knife i'm my soul. Know then dear. -,
that three months ago yesterdays this is an
unexplained discrepancy Il determined
TO perform an act which would make me
famous in the eyes OF the scientific world.
1t has made me infamous in the eyes Of
God and Of all men. You have tOiIed
patiently with me in my studies, and will
understand what am about to relate. All
ask ls that the children may never know
it. and that you will keep my secret lock
ed within YOU own breast.
"a remark made by the lad some time
ago led me to think that | could safely
remove a portion Of the cerebrum. and
thus prove the existence OF separate
functions Henry talked with me about
il. and without any preliminary thought
offered to submit himself as IA subject.
did not take kindly to the idea at first,
but by degrees became accustomed to it,
and finally accepted 1t.
sCOOPING OUT BRAIN MATTER.
"On the morning of that terrible day
placed Henry in the operating chair in
the back Office, first telling him what
intended TODD. Iadmi listered five ounces
of ether, and when he was thoroughly
under the influence | used the trephine.
A semi-ciTculaT opening was made in the
right parietal bone a inches above and
In front OF the ear. The brain was ex-
posed, and then without hesitation
inserted a curette { a little SCOOP and
pushed it forward toward fine pOsIeriOr
part of the longitudinal assure. where,
phrenOlogy teaches us, the seat of Venera
ton lies. An ounce OF gray matter was
removed, and then, fearing to risk fur
! tker removal that day, l replaced the Zap
/ OF The scalp, and when the patient came
to himself administered an arterial soda
tive. There was slight hemOrrhage, but
nothing dangerous. and as the sedative
/ brought the pulse down to fifty, | had no
/ fear Of inflammation W hen the effects
I OF the an8sthetic had passed of entirely
! / WAS a little alarmed at the result of my
work. There WAS twitching OF the en-
| tire muscular system on the left side, and
( a continual drawing down of the left side
! of the mouth. ] shall never forget the eI-
! preston of the boys eyes to my dying
! day. His right eye was sparkling and
! intelligent, but the other was dead and
/ stony, and the contrast between the two
was amazingly strange.
"a singular effect was produced upon
/ the larynX and pharynX. He was unable
| to speak seemingly, and gave utterance to
! unintelligIble sounds from one side of the
| mouth. This result was somewhat uneX-
/ pected, / must confess, and | then deter
/ mined TO take the desperate chance OF re-
! moving corresponding cell from the left
! side to equalize the robbery. You will re-
collect how shocked you were at the time
! | speak OF to learn from me that Henry
! had suddenly become an idiot. i remem-
/ Der we'll the wicked lie told to hide nv
! crime. My theory about equalization was
altogether unsOund, as | afterward
proved, because l falsely reasoned that
the removal OF a cell from the right
hemisphere of the brain would act on the
right side of the muscular and nervous
systems. That was in contradiction to
my early teaching, and was a conclusion
drawn from an experiment ! made with a
rabbit. | do not wish to enter too mi
nutely into the details Of the second opera
ti0n and of the terrible thoughts that then
took possession of me. Taree weeks later
the idiot, as you thought him. was in the
chair again."
1t is impossible to reconcile this portion
of the diary with the brief entries that
precede the history of the operation, be-
cause the doctor speaks of the second
time as though it were summer. The
word ''weeks' may have been written
instead of "mOnths," or else there
is another part of the story missing.
sCOOPING OUT THE OTHER SIDE.
cit was Il bright summer day." con-
tinues the physician, land all nature
seemed filled with gladness and life.
felt no pity for the poor creatures before
scalp was filled with a mad desire to
push my skill to the uttermOst, and began
TO think that | could recreate creature,
whose will. Invested of its individuality,
could be made subservient to mine. But
enough Of my thoughts. Let me hasten
to the last and worst part of my confess
sion, for it is a confession. The boy was
subjected to the same treatment as be-
fore, except that the trephIne was used in
the left parietal bone instead of the
right. The opening was nearly OppO-
site the other one. l replunged the
curette into the brain and re-
moved a portion of the brain directly
opposite where the first removal had been
accomplished. Then, impeled by some
devilish thought l reOpened the first
opening, over which the tibro cartilage
nous substance was beginning to grow.
and forced catheter from one hole to
the other. A rather prOfuse hemOrrhage
warned me to cease, and | replaced the
scalp flaps and awaited Henry's return to
consciousness. The excitement following
the operation made me weak and ner-
vOus, and leaving the room l locked the
door and went into the street. Feeling
the need of a stimulant wentinto a saloon
and took heavy draught of
brandy, and then walked l know
not where. l seemed to have
lost all recollection Of weat l had done
until it suddenly flashed across my mind