The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1890-07-25
He CAN CRAET BRAINS.
\ Now York Surgeon Proves That Bran
Tissues Can be Intrrchnngrd

Now York Surgeon Proves That Brar
Tissues Can he Intrrchangcd
The progress Oi surgical scicnc
in New York and the success witt
winch unusual demonstrations ar
attended have attracted the attcn
ton of the faculty in every centre O
technical learning III Europe. Regu
larry the profession is rcgaled will
"hlstorics; as they are called. O
phenomenal operations by n,.cs---4ey.
surgeons i'll. thiR=rSG!s0s1 IA,
most famous-6Tthcsc operates 7ta, DR.
w. Gilman Thompson. professor O
| physiology in the New York Univcl
sity College and visiting physician t.
the Presbyterian and New York Hos
pitfalls. DIR. Thompson latest cxper
imcnt was the grating OF the brair
of one animal upon that of another
His success opens the question of the
possibility OF the grating of the brains
of human beings. DR.. Thompson
says;
1T occurred to me recently, while
studying cerebral localization in the
lower animals, that it would be inter,
cst:ng to
GRAFT PIECE OF BRAIN TISSUE
from one side of II dogs brain to the
other, or from one animals = brain into
anothcrs, and study its vitality OF
course hadno expectation of being
able to restore abolished function by
the operation, but the question of
vitality of the BRAN tissue and tho
cause of It's degeneration nrc subjects
,T ,l,, .
pcrlments were preliminary, made
III order to ascertain whether the
transplanted brain would be imme-
dlatcly absorbed or would slough
away.
Il "ut open the skulls of two large
dogs and intrrchanycd pieces of the
brain tissue of each. On the third
day both dogs were killed. and the
tlansplantcd pieces of brain looked
normal, and in each crsc they were
so firmly knitted together that it
was impossible to pull th0m apart
with forccps without luccrntion.
Tho next experiment was with Il
cat and Il dog. Three days later the
cat was killed. Tho transplanted
dog brain was found where it had
been placed, firmly adhcrcnt to the
cat $ brain. No microscopic cxamin-
alton was made in connection with
the experiments, as they were intend
ed only to determine the possibil-
ity of the transplantcd tissue adhcr-
ing. Being satisfied in regard to this
matter, L proceeded to another cX-
pertinent.
Il procured n street mongrel dog,
opened his skull over the left lobe of
the brain, and through the opening
removed small portion of brain tis-
sue. \ cat was simultaneous by opcrat-
cd upon in the same manner, and
the brain tissue of the cat and dog
were intcrchanged. The openings
were closed and treated The dog
made Il good recovery from the opera
ton. although he was very feeble for
II few days and had to be fed urtiti-
cially. Subsequently appeared nor
NAL IN every way. except the loss of
vision. He was knlcu ut the end of
seven weeks, when the piece of trans
planted cat 5 brain was found firmly
adhered to the dogs brain. with the
pia mater intact.
S,ii.' ~. ....>..N ~ s.-~<- - .. H.,
first: There is complctcunion through
organic connective tissue of the con
tiguOus portions of the two brains;
second. after seven weeks the cats
brain still maintained enough vitality
to be distinctly recognized as brain
tissue; third. brains of animals of two
very different species were thus made
to unite. | think the main fact of
this experiment, namely, that the
brain tissue has sufficient vitality to
survive for seven weeks the operation
of transplanation without wholly los
ing its identity rs brain substance,
suggests an interesting field for furth-
cr research. and have no doubt
that other cXp"rimcntcrs will be re
warlcd by Investigating it.-Ncw
York Star.