Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1895-12-18
aIN0CKED OUT"
now SUDDEN UNCONSCIOUS
NESS is CAUSED.
Various Nerves Leading to a Common
Center In the Brain Are Affected
in Many Ways-Physiolog-
ical Phenomeua,
NXsTHY shonld the spirit of the
Nv successful pugilist be
Y Y proud when be Glands"

Y Y proud when be Glands"
under his opponents ear
snl, in the language OF the ring,
.'knocks him cnt?" asks the Chicago
.rimes-Herald. a boy could do the
same thing py properly directed
blow either on the neck or in the pit
of the stomach, and q consumptive
dentist could accomplish similar re.
tult with G little chloroform and a pair
of tooth forcep'. A weak woman
armet With darning needle, and
gently pushing it into the middle line
of the neck at the base of the skull,
could give a Corhett or Sandow an
everlasting knock-onk 1t is nature
that has made al the elaborate pro-
visions for knocking out the man; all
that the antagonist has to do is to
s'push the button" so to speak. For
purposes OF illustration it may be said
that the animal nervous system is o
complex series of electricalapparatus,
including batteries, wires, keys and
buttons, aud there is not tenth of
square inch on or in the whole body
that is not equipped with such appa-
ratus.
Nature has taken the most elaborate
precautions against delayed messages
on account of wires being down from
the more vital and sensitive portions
OF the body there are always numer-
ous wires to the main Office in the
brain, and not until the body iB dead
} the last key closed and the last wire
grounded. The Psychologist opens the
abdomen of frog, taps slightly On
the intestine, and the heart is imme-
diately slowed or stopped; the pugil-
ist lands blow on his opponents
neck, md the heart is slowed or tenn.
porarily stopped. In each case the
pbysiologal phenomena are the same.
A glance at the illustration will show
that the nerves Of the special senses
and some others spring from what is
practically comraon center far back
in the brain. These nerves are in
pairs, one on each side of the middle
line of the body. Their exact origin
jn.the substance of the brain has not
yet been found, hut from what hap
pens every day it is certain that all
are more or less intimately connected
at their origin. Gazing intently for
few seconds at q brilliant electric
light or at the sun will often cause a
person to sneeze. The odor OF savory
food will cause the mouth to water"
Az intensely diss.ereeable odor or
horrible object will often cause nausea.
Nausea causes fs.intness because the
heart is sympatlietically affected, is
:: sleTsa sn5 sSsss H9t 'iI ssRa 81 G;lss 'aos.
to the brain. Iulling hair out of
the nose, stickipga needle into the
nose, or tapping On q diseased tooth
will cause tears to come into eyes.
Mashing the finger with q hammer
will often cause faintness. 1t may be
said that all these phenomena are first
cousins of what happens when man
is 'knocked ont" The same is true
of these curious cases in which man
may have terrific earache from de-
cayed tooth, no pain being felt in the
tooth. or toothache from hardened
mass of wax pressing on 1.-THE drum of
the ear. or severe headache from some
eye trouble that can be relieved by
proper glasses or rest; and of the con-
dition of speechlessness due to sudden
fright or to the fainting from fright.
Several years ago little child that
had lost its voice and the use OF its
legs, and had Suffered all things of
many physicians" in Philadelphla, was
found to have tape worn, which had
caused all the trouble. The old reme-
dy OF curing hiccough by suddenly
startling the sufferer is but nm appli-
cation to the nerve running to the
diaphragm of what the successful
pugilist does to the heart branches OF
pueumogastric nerve, with the assist
ance of the sympathetic nerves. And
when foolish dentist gives person
chloroform to prevent the pain of
tooth-pulling, and the patient dies
suddenly, the dentist has applied the
s'knock-out blow"
Take the act of sneezing, for an
other example. The mucous mem
brane of the nose is irritated, the per-
son feels queer sensation, and in a
moment the diaphragm contracts with
great force, driving air from the lungs
out through the nose. The pugilist is
''irritated" under the jaw by blow,
the fact of the irritation is telegraphed
to the lower back part of the brain,
the message is switched TO the pneu-
mogastric nerve, which supplies the