Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-06-13
POINTS ON THE PROG.
Why the Poor crr.sur- ro.-. ~ v,css- %
1 Science.

ny tuc Icof Nrcuture fosre q Victim q
Science.
0sTEoLoGIsr LUCAS OF THE SMITH,
" sonisn Institution was on his way thither
yesterday. holding By one hind leg large bull
frog which he had just captured at the fsh
ponds with seductive bit Of red flannel on a
hook. when he was accosted by srsR reporter.
who asked for what purpose the specimen ws.
intended In response il shown that the
captive was a curiosity In the anatomical vnv.
having three forearms on one side OF ~. BODY.
all OF full size. though the creature was not
otherwise remarkable in any respect The in
teution was 20 dissect him for scientific pur-
poses. and il was explained that the freak vac
very likely due 10 the animals having started
in life two individuals. which had become
mixed up. like the foster children OF Little
ButtercDp, at an early stage Of their being.
VICTIM or SCIENCE.
''The frog has been called the victim -
science, because he is always being dissected
Tor the purpose Of seeing how he can get along
without his most essential organs, how has
blood circulates and how his nervous system
acts, said MIR. Lucas. He is selected for such
ends not rs Is commonly imagined. because
ms structure Is at all human-like, but for the
reason that he will endure being chopped IN
20 such a remarkable extent and still retain
hfe lou can remove his brain aud he will
get along fairly well without IT, swallowing
whatever ~ pat into his mouth aud otherwise
behaving usual, slough in an automatic
sort OF fashion. In fact the animal will live in
definitely under such conditions as experiment.
has shown. IL you cut out his lungs he will
not die for long time, because he can breathe
very well through his skin. Human beings
breathe through the skin all over the body in .
small degree, the blood in the superficial vessel
taking up a certain amount Of oxygen. but the
function is exercised more satisfactorily by the
frog. Besides, his nervous system affords an
interesting study under ingenious torture by
the anatomist. and. the corpuscles in his blood
being remarkably large, that fluid serves I'D
mirably for the instruction of the seeker after
medical knowledge
mo. 1t is not customary 20 administer anss-
thetics 10 frogs while undergoing yiyi-ection
They would render experiments upon the
nervous system unsatisfactory. Does not the
animal suffer very much, you ask Perhaps
IL Is impossible TO know how much. great
scientific authority has said that death is the
only measure Of pain. A certain amount Of
pain will in itself cause a man 90 die. Chop OF
mans leg and he is likely to give
no the ghost. Cut of a frogs leg, and,
If bleeding Is stopped. the creatures
general health is not apt 20 be seriously
interfercd with. Descend lower in the scale
and pull of the leg of crab or starfish; il will
grow another. A turtle is likewise victim of
science. because it will live through all sorts OF
dissections and its heart will pump salt and
water through its veins as il II were blood
Narnish a frog, without cutting out its lunss
however, and Il will die promptly.
THE FRoa's BoNY sYsTrx
''Tbe frogs bony system is very simple 10
has only nine vertebra in its backbone-fewer,
believe, than any other animal, and it poe
sesses no rios at all Thus il is obliged 10 lit
orally swallow by gulps the AIR il breathee in.
stead OF projecting Its chest as we do aud Gre
atlng a vacuum for the atmosphere to pour
into. Its hind legs are very peculiar in one re-
spect the two bones which form the heel in
man being greatly elongated, 10 as to give an
extra JOINT in the middle of the big 'splay' foot
besides the pelyis hinges on TO the backbone,
so as TO give a joint in the middle Of the back.
How much these extra hinges assist in leaping
you can see II you will take a strip Of sun
paper and fold IT several times Press the
folds together and you will find that the paper
strip has spring to it. Three or four folds
give a certain amount of spring, five or six
folds make the spring much stronger aud every
additional fold adds much spring power.
IL Is the same way with the frog. which, be-
sides having enormously long and muscular
hind legs, as assisted in Jumping by a hinge IN
MS back and another IN his foot, which you
and don't have. II you were built like frog
you would think nothing Of leaping across
pennsyivania avenue at one hop. In the scien-
ufic phrase. the frog is modified for jumping,
that being his method OF progression. He has
no knee pan, the bones OF the upper and lower
leg being connected by a hinge Of cartilage
merely. On each hind foot he has q sixth
toe. that has become rudimentary. The
fore feet have only four toes each,
the thumb being absent. Evolutionists say
that in the development OF species the thumb
Is the first digit to disappear, next goes the
little finger. next the forehnger and lastly the
fourth or ring finger. Thus they assert the
horse originally had five toes on each foot, ios-
ing four OF them one after another until now
only the middle toe he left, upon the nail Ut
which the animal walks. Similarly the cloven-
footed beasts have come down to two toes
A WELL DEVELOPED SKULL
''The frog has huge skull, with very small
brain cavity and an enormous mouth for the
purpose Of swallowing fish, small ducks or any
other prey Of size, whole. Dan Beard, the
artist. tells story Of pet frog he had in an
aquarium that attempted 10 get away with
baby alligator newly imported from Florida.
On coming home he found Mr.. Frog, who had
taken down the small saurian head first, Jump
ing against the glass side of the aquarium in
vain efforts to drive down the tail Of the vic
tim, which was too long 20 find room IN
side for Its accommodation. The frog.
like the toad, has Its tongue fastened in
front and loose behind. so that il can cap
ture insects by whipping il over and outwRrdly.
Unlike the toad, however, il has teeth in It's
upper jaw. The toad is "a higher animal than
the frog because it gives birth directly to little
air-breathing toads, whereas the frog lays eggs
that produce fsh-like tadpolcs, subsequently,
transformed into the final shape. The tadpole
breathes through gills like fish, has q tail and
no legs aud is a vegetable feeder. The metamor-
phoss IL undergoes Is one Of the most marvel
ous things in nature. IL il were not COM
mon il would astonish the world. Think Of Q
vegetable eating fish with tail and gills turning
into an air-breathing land animal, developing
teeth and becoming a carniverous quadruIed.
Isn't II amazing when you come 20 consider 10
A wonderful beast is the frog truly"