Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1892-05-28

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INSTRUMENTS USED IN p1ssEcTING.
Thumb forceps. 4-Dissecting knife
2-Dissecting scissors. b-Cartlage knife.
9-Director. 6-Bone saw.
received the body of a beautiful girl
which had been found in the river q
few days before. Smithfield was Sc
lected to operate, but as soon as he saw
the corpse lost consciousness The ex-
citement caused by this queer incident
was augmented and spread through the
entire college when it became known
that the body was that of the young
mans sister. We learned afterward
that the girl had fallen in love with a
good for nothing musician who per-
suaded her to marry him. The couple
came to the city where the man forsook
his wife. After battling nobly against
adversely for some time, her mind be-
came unbalanced and she committed
suicide by drowning. Young Smithfield
was not familiar with his sisters story,
and the shock of seeing her body on the
dissecting table brought on a serious
illness. After his recovery he gave up
his medical studies and entered COM
mercial pursuits. The body was, of
course, turned over to the woman's fam
lily. The incident made deep impress
sion on many of the students and for a
time they absented themselves from the
dissecting room lectures"
1.-THE professors story" remarked .
physician who had listened to the re-
cital of the Smithfield case, sis
grewsome enough, but when | was
student at one of the Chicago colleges
the boys had an adventure which
touched them deeply. Cadavers in
those days were hard to secure, and
when the faculty succeeded in obtain
ing choice specimen joy reigned
supreme. One day the clerk announced
that the corpse of a physically perfect
negro had been turned over to the
college authorities. A day or two later
the specimen was placed on the oper-
ating table and the demonstrator
fourished his scalpel preparatory to
making an incision. He made few
pertinent remarks, spoke feelingly
about the perfection of the body, and
deftly inserted the knife. His flow of
language was suddenly stopped, for at
that moment the supposed corpse
uttered a deep grunt and finally raised
itself to sitting posture. Professor,
students and attendants left the room
| since have heard of such a complete
panic in medical college. When
| reason reasserted itself, the professor
and his pupils returned to the dessect-
ing room. They found the negro rub
bing his eyes and looking for all the
world as though he had just awakened
from long sleep. He was given
| square meal and sent on his way rejoic-
ing. After awhile the incident became
q sort of joke among those who had
WITNESSED it, but when it happened it
created great CONSERVATION, and as far
as am concerned am free to admit
that when saw that negro raise him
self each individual hair on my head
stood up like the quilts upon fretful
porcupine."
The most peculiar case, however, of
which the writer heard, was that of
surgeon who lost his right leg while
studying medicine. He insisted upon
having the member placed in the pick
ling vat for his own use, and when he
had recovered from his illness articu-
lated it nicely and had it sent home to
his mother out in Iowa. He admitted
that his maternal ancestor never learned
toregard the quaint article of bric-a-brac
with affection, but confessed that as far
as he was concerned he looked upon it
with feelings of pity and tenderness.
He teaches his children to view the
bones with reverence and when in par
ticularly good humor repeats to them
the story of the loss and subsequent
preservation of the skeleton leg.
The stories here related are true, to
the best of my knowledge and belief,
and there is no doubt that every medi-
cal man could duplicate them without
resorting to storytelling. A volume on
the mysteries and adventures in the
dissecting room would be most inter-
esting and instructive reading, and I
have often been surprised that some
physician with literary abilities has not
long ago undertaken the collection Of
well-authenticated cases for the pur-
pose of presenting them to the reading
public in compact and truthful form.
G. w. WEIPPIERT.
Railroad Accidents Prevented.