The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1890-08-15
CAN GRAFT BRAINS.
A New York Surgeon Makes Some Won
derful Experiments.

derful Experiments.
The progress of surgical science in
New York and the success with which
unusual demonstrations are attended
have attracted the attention of the
faculty in every center of technical
learning in Europe. Regularly the pro-
fession is RECALLED with Histories as.
they are called, of phenomenal opera
tions by prominent surgeons of this.
! city. One of the most famous of these
operators is DR.. w. Gilman Thompson,
Professor of Physiology in the New
York University College. DR.. Thomp-
sons latest experiment was the grating
of the brain of one animal upon that of
another. His success opens the ques-
ton of the possibility of the grating of
the brains of human beings. DR.. Thomp-
son says:
ut occurred to me recently, while
studying cerebral localization in the
lower animals, that it would be int =
esting to graft a piece of brain tissue
from one side of a dogs brain to the
other, or from one animals brain into
another's, and study its vitality. OF
| course, | had no expectation of being
able to restore abolished function by
the operation, but the question of vital
ity of the brain tissue and the course of
its degeneration are subjects of very
vide interest The first experiments
were preliminary, made in order to as
certain whether the transplanted brain
would be Immediately absorbed or would
slough away.
81 cut open the skulls of two large
dogs, and intcrchanged pieces of the
brain tissue of each On the third day
both dogs were killed, and the trans
planted pieces of brain tissue looked
normal, and in each case they were so
firmly knitted together that it was i'm
possible to pull them apart with for
cops without laceration.
'The next experiment was with cat
and a dog. Three days later the cat
was killed. The transplanted dogs brain
was found where it had been placed,
firmly adherent to the cats brain. No
microscopic examination was made in
connection with the experiments, as
they were intended only to determine
the possibility of the transplanted tissue
adhering. Being satisfied in regard to
this matter, proceeded to another ex-
pertinent.
81 procured street mongrel dog,
opened his skull over the left lobe of the
brain, and through the opening removed
small portion of brain tissue. A cat
was simultaneously operated upon in the
same manner, and the brain tissue of the
cat and dog were interchanged. The
openings were closed and treated. The
dog made a good recovery from the oper-
alton, although he was very feeble for q
few days and had to be fed artifcially.
Subsequently he appeared normal in
every way except the loss of vision He
was killed at the end of seven weeks,
when the piece of transplanted cats
brain was found firmly adhered to the
dogs brain, with the pia mater intact.
"Now, the features of interest in this
experiment are the facts that, first;
There is complete union through organ
lied connective tissue of the contiguous
portions of the two brains; second, after
seven weeks the cats brain still main
tanned enough vitality to be distinctly
recognized as brain tissue; third, brains
of animals of two very different species
were thus made to unite. l think the
main fact of this experiment, namely,
that the brain tissue has sufficient vital
ity to survive for seven weeks the oper-
alton of transportation without wholly
losing its identity as brain substance,
suggests an interesting field for further
research, and l have no doubt that other
experimenters will be rewarded by in
vestigating tn. Y. Star.