Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-10-19
A CASE OF VIvIsECTIoN.

| The Heart of a Living Calf Exposed to
| View for a Full Hour.
Vivisection is allowed under certain re.
strictions in New York State, says the New
York Herald. and that paper gives the fol.
lowing account of DR.. John Green Curtis
operation on a calf to show his class the
physiology of the hearts action:
| DR.. Curtis was covered from neck to knee
by a gown for protection from blood stains,
and as he waved his hand to the janitor and
| his young assistants he looked not unlike
/ some ancient high priest awaiting the vic
| tim of sacrifice. The calf had already been
strapped TO q frame that conformed closely
to the shape of its body This was mounted
on wheels to facilitate its easy movement in
various directions. The ether was given while
the doctor talked, and he was frequently
interrupted by plaintive "bah," or a deep
sigh from his victim. He first performed
tracheotomy and then resorted to artificial
respiration, which was done BY applying a
piece OF rubber hose from a stationary pair
OF bellows to the tracheotomy tube inserted
into the animals windpipe, and thus pump
ing in air, the ether sponge being applied to
the valve of the bellows, etherizing all the
air forced into the animals lungs.
A triangular section of the ribs and
cartilages and breast bone was cut away,
and the parts directly beneath dissected
from it carefully. Beneath was revealed
the serous sac containing the heart and the
roots of the great arteries. This is known
as the pericardlum. The Professor
to top with pair Of scissors,
and on opening 1t the heart, with its
appendages, came TO view. The motion of
the heart as it beat, sending the fluid of life
through the system, was thus shown, its
right side being rather darker than the left
from the venous character of the blood
passing within, while the brilliantly colored
arterial blood gave the lett side its higher
color.
"Observe," said the Professor, "that the
same action is taking place in both sides of
the heart at the same time, the two ventricles
contract and expand at the same moment
and the long axis of the organ shortens in
systoles and lengthens slightly in diastoles.
In systole its circular fbers slightly twist
it, while in diastole it untwists again.
1.-THE circulation OF the blood is best
shown by the puncture of Harvey. This is
to push a trocar into the ventricles, which,
if blood is passing into it, will squirt it out
jet after jet in the air." After giving the
class a good chance to study the hearts
movement beat the professor plunged hol-
low needle or trocar about one-eighth of an
inch in diameter into the left ventricls and
jet after jet came jumping out, driven by
the pump-like action of the organ, thus
showing that blood was being constantly
forced onward or kept in circulation by the
contraction of the.organ.
This completed tine yivisection, and to be
sure that tie animal should not suffer any
pain the professor and his assistants now
opened the back of the animals neck and
severed the medulla oblongata as high as the
base of the skull The heart ceased beating
the victim was dead. The animal had
lived over an hour with its heart exposed,
and so perfect was the viyisector's skill that
the hearts action did not even seem to
weaken in all that time, nor was there the
slightest sign of pain.