The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1889-08-29
DIR. HAMILTON ON BRowN.sEoUARD.

DIR. Allen McLane Hamilton, who has
Just returned from abroad, was at his
home, 90 East Twenty ninth street, New
York. He talked very freely with Sun
reporter about the Brown Sequard elixir
of life.
sit is one of the sensations of the day
in ParIs,' he said; sin fact, it is the
chief sensation. At the time / left there
only two men had taken the Injection
the Doctor and one other. .sF.t
eff il had not been the work Of man
Of standing l should not have considered
the matter at all; should have put il
down as an arrant humbug. But l in
vestigated the matter sufficiently, and l
am sure the attempt TO renew a mans
youth in that way is absurd. Ihave not
made any experiments, and do not in
tend to make any. The theory is OPP
posed to all the laws of physiology and
chemistry. .E.s...Es. ....--.4 ..,
Further than that, believe it is a
very dangerous proceeding, and that it
is time for reputable physicians to ex-
press their disapproyal of the expert
ments."
I'm what way is it dangerous p the
reporter asked.
"There is great danger of introducing
virUlent poison into the system, 1t Is
we'll known that the putreiaction Of al
bumen produces some of the most dead
ly poisons. 1t is quite impossible that
this substance injected into the veins
should act there as the arrow poison does
which Is used by the South American
Indians.
"When the elixir is steril zed by heat
or the admixture Of substances to pre-
vent decay, 1t is quite certain that the
elixir must be 80 changed as to lose any
beneficial element it may have had when
perfectly fresh. But do not believe It
has any beneficial element when fresh,
When skillfully prepared and injected
before decay sets in it would have no
more effect than water would.
"But there is always danger. 1t Is
hard to tell when the moment has passed
at which the harmless substance be
comes dangerous. The juices of new
ly dead body, as undertakers and medi-
cal students know, are much more dan
ger GUS when absorbed through wound
than those of a body that has been pre-
served some time. DIR. Brown-Sequard's
injections were all very painful. be-
lieve that many cases of erysipelas has
followed them" ,..-.... ......
ION the theory that it might have the
effect claimed for it, how could the sub.
stance act on the system n
ut couldn't act. Those who have
tried it offer no explanation of the re-
suit obtained, They say practically that
vital fluid has been given to the pa
tient. 1t is return to the medical sys'
TENS of the middle ages. 1t affects some
through mental exhiiaration. Its hold
on the public is due TO a love of the mys,
terious.
SIT is not new idea. Mention of its
use was made three centuries ago. AL.
though DR.. Brown Sequard is well ad.
yanced in years, believe that antedates
his time"
"Have you been requested to prepare
the fluid for any of your patients Z"
"a gentleman came to me with such
request the other day. l refused his
request, but if, under any extraordinary
condition of affairs should be persuad
ed by pat ent to try it, ! should inject
the fluid with the same confidence that
| should inject water. People do live
longer now than they did formerly, but
leng thened life is due solely TO the ad-
vance of sanitary science-to the care
which people take Of themselves" -
AS an offset to the Brown. Sequard
elixir there is device for the treatment
of nervous diseases, which DR.. Hamilton
brought from Paris with him, and which
he says ia we'll worth consideration. II
IS the invention of DIR. Luis of Paris. II
ia a simple affair. There lie a little cher
nv box about five inches square, above
which project two shafts, one within the
other, sleeve and arm fashion. On each
shaft is balanced black bar nine inches
long, an inch wide and a quarter inch
thick, edge up. BY clockwork in the
box these ebony arms or bars are made
to revolve in opposite directions. Six
little round mirrors are placed on each
side of each bar. The patient is placed
in chair in a dark room, facing the
machine. An electric light, or any bright
light, is concentrated on the black arms
of the machine by a convex mirror
placed behind the patient, and then the
arms are set awhIrling. The patient
watches them whrl. The motion and
the flashing lights Operate on the nerves
through the eyes. DIR. Hamilton sad he
had seen patients put to sleep by this
means and some extraordinary cures &C.
complished.
The explanation of the effect of the
whirling arms and fl ishing lights is that
they change the habit of the brain. The
effect is analogous to that produced by
soft music on a nervous or irritated man,
but the rhythm of regularly fl 'shing
lights has a more powerful effect upon
the brain than the rhythm of music -
Mem York Sun