The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1888-08-23
A RABBITS NERVE
GIVEN TO A VIENNA PHYSICIAN az
A SURGICAL OPERATION.


Case-The Results.
The operation was performed by DR.
Gersung, of Vienna, and the patient was
Professor Won Fleischl, the distinguished
occupant OF the chair of physiology in the
university of that city. 1t appears that
Ut Won Fleischl, sixteen years ago, acct
dentally wounded himself while conduct
ing post mortem examination, and that
the consequent inflammation of his RIGHT
arm and hand led ultimately to the loss
OF the terminal joint of his thumb. The
END OF the stump became painful, and in
the hope of relieving this pain amputation
somewhat further back was performed.
put was followed, according to the report
by the formation of ''neuroma. At this
point the history becomes a little vague
because the word "neuroma." which is
most properly applied 10 class of tumors
winch form upon nerves and which con-
slst mainly of redundant nerve tissue, is
appAed with less exactness to tumors of
other kinds of which nerves may be the
seat, and is applied also to dubious en-
largements of the proximal Examinations
OF divided nerves, engagements which
sometimes occur after the best performed
amputations, which seem to depend on
some personal popularity of the patient,
winch are liable to recur again and again
after repeated amputations further back.
and which are attended by the most ago
nlzing suffering.
NERVE FROM a RABBIT.
1t may be presumed that the neuromata
OF Professor Won Fleischl were of the lat.
ter class; and, in the hope of obtaining
reIlef, he underwent several fruitless
operations, which were directed to dis
sectlng out and removing portions of the
nerves implicated, without recourse being
mad to more extended amputation of
other structures. He appears to have
peen deprived, in succession, of consider
able portions of the nerves supplying the
stump of the thumb, both sides of the
forefnger, and the inner side of the mid
die finger; but after every such operation
the former conditions were renewed in the
portions which were left, while the his
tory OF many similar cases had been such
as to justify the most dismal forecasts of
his future. In these circumstances the
Ideas OF repairing the nerves and of re-
placing the missing portions by fresh
nerve taken from rabbit suggested itself
TO Or. Gersung, and this proceeding
seems, as far as can at present be judged,
to have been attended by complete and
most gratifying success.
The nerves of the animal body are
tbers of peculiar organization, which; are
more or less packed in bundles or
trunks" for the purposes of distribu-
ton, but which are individually separate
and continuous from origin to terrnina-
ton, and which have no other function
than to convey the impression from the
outposts of the body to the brain or spi.
nal cord, or, in the opposite direction,
stimuli from the brain or spinal cord,
which call external parts into action. All
nerves appear to be alike, and the. differ.
ent functions to which they are subser-
Went depend not upon any difference of
the nerves themselves, but upon differ
ences in the parts from which they 90.
just as the same telegraph wire will
move needle or ring bell, or perform
any other duty to which electricity may
be applicable, according to the character
of the apparatus with which it is con-
nected, so any nerve will do the duty of
any other if it be brought into connection
with the apparatus to which the other
rightfuuy belongs. Whatever stimulus is
applied to the optic nerve of hearing pro-
duces sensation as of light, and no other
THE INwARDNEss OF IT
But the effect thus produced by stimu-
the nerve itself, which is mere trans
uniting medium, but entirely upon the
central organ, in the brain or spinal cord,
to which the stimulus is conveyed If we
could connect the auditory nerve with the
center of sight and the optic nerve with
the center of hearing, stimulation of the
former would produce impressions of light
and stimulation of the latter would pro-
duce impressions of sound-a fact which
has been abundantly demonstrated by ex-
pertinent on nerves in more accessible
situations. And, just as there is nothing
special in any individual human nerve
and as any one of them would be capable
of discharging the duty of any other, SO,
it may be assumed there is no difference
between the endowments of the nerves of
man and those of the lower animals, which
fulfill identical functions in an identical
manner.
1t was therefore inherently probable
that the nerve of an animal if piece
could be obtained of the proper size and
length, and if transportation and union
could be successfully effected, would
suffice to make good any loss of nerve in
man, and in the present instance, which
is, we believe, the first of the kind on
record, not only have the transportation
and union been successful, but the new
piece of nerve seems to have overcome the
tendency of the old to undergo degenera-
ton of structure at it's divided extremity.
A portion, six centimeters in length, of
the great nerve of the rabbits thigh was
selected, and was SO removed from the
freshly killed animal as to include the
natural bifurcation of the main trunk into
two branches. The divided stem was Sc
cured by stitches to the stump of the
nerve in Professor Won Fleischl's arm,
and the ends of the branches were
secured in like manner to the nerve
examinations which remained in his fingers,
and which wero rendered useless by
their separation from the trunk to which
they belonged.
The whole operation, as matter of
course, was conducted with strict adj
herence to those principles of antiseptic
surgery without which failure would have
been more than likely, but by the observ-
ance Of which, union. almost anywhere or
of any thing, can with near approach to
certainly be secured. The wound healed
kindly, the transplanted nerve soon be-