Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1884-02-14
LIVING, YET DEAD.
A Medical Scientist Opens the Skull 8
Scoops q Subjects Brain Out.

LIVING, YET DEAD.
Medical Scientist Opens the Skull and
Scoops a Subjects Brain Out.
Fifteen years ago in March next Henry
Bastian, then an intelligent colored boy
of II, was servant in the house of
fairly prominent Philadelphia physician,
who was regarded by his professional
brethren as man of rather eccentric
ideas. He made diseases of the mind his
specialty-Or more properly speaking his
one peculiar hobby-and dabbled in the
unrecOgniZed sciences Of psychology and
mesmerism. The boy Henry was singular
ly apt for one of his years, and took the
greatest delight in arguing with his mas
ter on such subjects, andin gaining know
ledge Of medicine and surgery whenever
the opportunity offered.
Two years ago the physician died, leav-
ing behind him strange story of how
this youthful enthusiasm proved to be
the lads mental ruin and caused him to
| become living physical organism, but
bereft of everything that made him &C
countable to his Maker or his fellow man.
| The history OF the case is probably with
out parallel in medical annals. Ina diary
of 1869 belonging to the dead physician
under date of March 9, was found the
following entry, which is probably the
starting point for what follows:
"Henry's theory about superfuous
brain cells is certainly novel, and if the
boy were not so precocious would laugh
at it. There may be something in it, but
how can it be proven?"
DESPERATE VENTURE,
It would seem from this and other
memoranda that the physician had
studied over the matter for some weeks
before he concluded to make an attempt
to remove portion of healthy human
brain simply as an experiment That
he did make the attempt, and did sue
coed in accomplishment the object, is prov
en- by an entry made under date of May
80. Stripped of the greater part of its
technical verbiage, the history Of the
operation is as fellows: "I feel that [
have brought down the anger of Heaven
upon my head in attempting to tamper
with the nOblest part of the Creators
handiwork. Henry Bastian, who has
been beneath my roof since childhood,
still lives. He exists, he breathes, he di-
gests, but that is all He is no longer an
entity, and by my hand. To you, my
beloved wife, confide this horrible Sc
cret, and beg of you to do all you can to
prevent my memory from being tarnish-
ed, BECAUSE I feel the grave to be near.
sent to an asylum. 1t was because his
presence was to be constant knife in
nv soul. Know then, dear--that
three months ago yesterday" (this is an
unexplained discrepancy 81 determined
to perform an act which would make me
famous in the eyes Of the scientific world.
It has made me infamous in the eyes of
God and Ofman. You have toiIed patient
ly with me in all my studies, and will
understand what I am about to relate.
All 1 ask is that the children may never
know it, and that you will keep my Sc
Cret locked within your own breast
GA remark made by the lad some time
ago led me to think that could safely
remove portion of the cerebrum, and
thus prove the existence of separate
| functions. Henry talked with me about
it, and without any preliminary thought
offered to submit himself as a subject
1 did not take kindly to the idea at first,
but by degrees became accustomed to it,
and then accepted it.
sCOoPING OUT BRAIN NATTER
con the morning of that terrible day I
placed Henry in the operating chair in
| the back office, first telling him what [
| intended to do. I administered five
ounces of ether, and when he was
| thoroughly under the influenced used
the trephine. A semi-circular opening
was made in the right parietal bone, one
and half inches above and in front of
the ear. The brain was exposed, and
| then without hesitation l inserted a
curette Ga little SCOOP and pushed 1t for
ward towards the posterior part of the
longitudinal fissure, where, phrenOlogy
teaches us, the seat of veneration lies.
An ounce of gray matter was removed,
and then fearing to risk further remOv-
al that day, [ replaced the flap of the
scalp, and when the patient came to
Observation-Disclosures an arterial sedative.
| There was slight hemorrhage, but no
thing dangerous, and as the sedative
brought the pulse down to so, had no
fear of inflammation. When the effects of
the anRsthetic had passed off entirely I
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
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.
ga singular effect was produced upon
the larynx and pharynx. He was I'M
able to speak, seemingly and gave utter
ance to unintelligent sounds from one
side of the mouth. This result was some
what unexpected, I must confess. and ]
then determined to take the desperate
] chance of removing corresponding cell