Daily Kennebec journal., 1884-05-02
Gales sna 2etfhss.
DEAD, YEe ALIVE.
A PHILADELPHIA DocToR's ExTRAORDI-
NARY CONFESSION.
fCo.sinueo from yesterday. }

(C0nf1uue0 IIOm ycttStuAy-J
An ounce of gray matter vas removed.
and then fearing to risk further removal
that day, replaced the flap Of the scalp.
and when the patient came to himself
administered An aterial sedative. There
was slight hemorrhage, but nothing dan
gerous, and rs the sedative brought the
pulse down to fifty. / hsd no fear Of in
dammation. When the effects of the
anasthetic had passed of entirely was
little alarmed at the result of my work.
There was twitching of the entire muscu-
lar system in the left side. and continual
drawing down of the left side of the mouth.
| shall never forget the expression 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 70
speak. seemingly, and gave utterances to
unintelligble sounds from one side OF the
mouth. The result was somewhat unex-
pected, must confess. and | then determ-
ined to take the desperate chance OF re-
moving corresponding cell from the left
side to equalize the robbery. You will
recol!ect how shocked you were at the
time | speak of, to learn from me that
Henry had suddenly berome an idiot. l
remember well the wicked lie | told to
hide my crime. My theory about equal
ization was altogether unsound. as after
ward proved, because fslesly reasoned
that the removal of cell from the right
hemisphere of the brain would act on the
right side of the muscular and nervous
That in ntroH Hiotin0
early teaching. and was conclusion
drawn from an experiment l made with
rabbit do not wish to enter too minute
ly into the details of the second operation
and of the terrible thoughts that then took
possession of me. Three weeks later the
idiot as you Nigh call him. was in the
chair again"
1t is impossible to recognize this por-
ton of this diary with the brief entries
that precede the history of the operation,
because the doctor speaks of the second
time as though it were summer. The
word "weeks" may have been written in
stead of ''nonths," or else there is an
other part of the story missing.
at was bright summer day." contin-
ues the physician. land all nature seemed
filled with gladness and life. | felt no
pity tor the poor creature before me, be-
cause the moment cut into the scalp
was filled with mad desire to push my
skill to the uttermost. began to think
could recreate creature, whose viii, di-
vested of its Individuality. could be made
observient to mine. But enough OF my
thoughts. Let me hasten to the last and
worst part of my confession, for it is con-
fession. The boy was subjected to the
same treatment as before, except that the
trephine was used in the left parietal bone
instead of the right. The opening was
nearly opposite the other one. plunged
the curette into the brain and removed
portion OF the brain directly opposite
where the first removal had been accom-
plished. Then, impelled by some devil
ish thought, i reopened the first opening,
over which the Acknowledgements SUBJ
stance was beginning to grow. and forced
a 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 nervous, and leaving
the room locked the door, and went into
the street. Feeling the need of stimu-
liant. went into saloon and took heavy
draught of brandy. and then walked
know not where. l seemed TO have lost
oil recollection or what had done, until
it suddenly flashed across nv mind that
the boy might come to and do HIM
self an injury. hurried back to the Of
fee and looked at the clock had been
gone nearly two hours. Henry was still
seated in the chair. He had not moved
ALI inch. The bandages on his head were
lust as | had left them. I shook him
made no sign or motion. Then sat him
in an uprig position. took him out
of the chair and placed him on his feet.
block of stone. lifted his arm and it
staid in whatever position il was placed.
drew up his closed eyelids, and they re-
mained open.
Like flash of lightning the thought
struck me that | was a murderer! Yes,
my dear wife. murderer. realized in
stantly what this cataleptic condition indi-
Gated. Henry Bastian was no longer an
accountable human being. I had utterly
destroyed his individuality. His executive
and directive power was gone. He was
simply piece of living clav-a vegeta-
BILE without a will; and as looked at the
expressionless face. the dull. sightless
eyes. the fixed limbs. felt the same
remorse. believe, as the assassin who
sees the hot blood squirting from his vic
TINS throat. You will remember that for
months after Harry became. as you sup
posed, an idiot; fed him with my own
hands. feared to permit any one else to
do this. because my guilty conscience told
me that it would result in discovery. You
will understand that the operation did not
interfere with the involuntary functions of
the physical system. and that to make him
eat it was only necessary to push soft food
down The throat until it touched the epi-
glottis. and then the contraction of the
muscles, made without will power, forced
the food into the stomach. Can there be
forgiveness for me in this world or the
next? Am IN reality" and here the
strange confession abruptly ends.
The doctors wife never saw what was
intended for her eyes alone, for she Joined
the silent majority at least year before
her husbands demise. leaving behind her
two daughters, who never knew of their
fathers crime. and the terrible remorse
that made his last days miserable Henry
Bastian died in the Blockley almshouse in
1873 HAVING lived sir vaara proot;cour