New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-06-10
MEDICAL TALK At CORNELL.
PROFESSOR WILDER AID DIR. NORRIS DISCUSS
MANS USELESS ORGAH-A RARE FISH
THE BRAIN or GUITEAU.

PROFESSOR WILDER AID DR. NORRIS DISCUSS
MANS USELESS oRGAH-A RARE FISH
THE BRAIN or GUIrEAu
Ithaca Y Y. June (specaD.--At the joint meet
tho - tho Cornell Medical and Natural History So
clei,es last Wednesday Professor Burt q. Wilder
gave some account Of the recent Congress Of AreTl-
.can Physicians and Surgeons at Washington. II. Z.
lie also said that the brain or Huiteau' VINO was
hanged I'm 1852 for the assassnation OF President
Garfield had been loaned him for further study.
Although mutated for microscopical purposes. 1t Is
capahle OF reconstruction In some degree lie mado
the announcement that. through WARDS Natural
History establishment at Rochester, n Y, the
university at last able to obtain n l'epidosreh
paradoxa. This is OF the three genera or the
Dinnoana or lung fishes Flsh-ke I'm form, they
have lungs as we'll AZ gllls. n trilocuar heart ana
cerebral hcmispheres that grow down from the gen
era brain axis instead of up. MS with other ar
breathing vertobrates. The Australian ceratodus
and the Egyptian Proopterus are not now very dill
cult to obtain: but although IepIdosren was found
first in Brazilian swamps half century ago. Ne.y
few examples have been collected since and for the
last twenty years Professor Wilder has been IN the
habit OF saying that for specimen not TOO DIG no
would give rs weight IA gold he values it. however.
no, from it's rarity, from IT'S peculiar and In
DT r. T. Morris OF New-York city described
the advances in the knowledge Of appendicitis dur
ing the year since his last communication lie
shovc,.I many specimens in various conditions and
Concluded that The disease usually originates in an
injury from a blow or from muscular effort, and
thai the abrasion OF the mucosl. 80 caused forms
an infection atrium' FOR the attack OF me colon
bacillus which is always present IN tnat part or the
intestine Notwithstanding the practical immunity
with which the abdomen may be opened ana the re-
ctlon Of mortality IN early operations 10 less than
/ per cent he was not Yet ready 10 act upon Or.
Wildcrs proposition that the dangerous and useless
organ should be removed from all Infants ana from
adI,its when opening the abdomen was required for
"tber nrrpoaes As to the Flea that the ravages OF
bacil might be prevented by the Injection Of some
gcrmlcile he feared the liquid would be absorbed
and removed before the greatest need for II arose
H. further called attention to the fact that breed
ing OUT the appendix would require that for sew
erL successive generations, both parents should be
deprived OF the organ .,
In closing the discussion. Professor Wilder com
ented upon the peculiar conditions OF the problem
With the possible exception 9f a rev rare animals
he appendix occurs only in the tailless ape gorilla
chimpaizee ornng and gibbons. The rarity and cost
OF these render experimentation upon them
imnractlcab!e hence IL Is impossible 10 serve man
kind in this respect except by trying various meth
ods upon the patients them selves. He declared that.
were the appendix possessed By any common form
like the. cat dog, sheep or monkey, IL would be In
cnnhent upon surgeons and Psychologists 10 deter
mine ali doubtful points by repeated experiments.
even II It involved the determination OF an entire
EDecies