Omaha daily bee., 1898-06-26
HE EXONERATES THE HEART
DR.. Rodemund Announces a Startling
Physiological Theory.
LUNGS THE CENTER OF CIRCULATION

LUNGS THE CENTER OF CIRCULATION
Oxygen the Great Propeller OF the
Stream OF Life, while the Heart
Merely Acts nv the
Governor.
During the session Of the National Eclectic
Medical association last week DR.. NJ. ].
Rodermund of Appleton, Wis, made an an
nouncement that startled his professional
brothers, and will very likely startle the
scientific world. DR.. Rodermund contends
that the blood receives its propulsive power
in the lungs, not the heart. That the cir
c~ulation is kept up by the oxygen breathed
and not by the muscular contraction Of VEN
tricle and auricle. He has devoted many
years OF study to this topic, and believes
he is thoroughly capable of demonstrating
the correctness of his theory. DIR. Roder-
mund's paper in full follows:
Mr.. President, Ladies' and Gentlemen-It
is nearly 800 years since Harvey demon
strated that the blood circulates in the
blood vessels. During these centuries we
have been taught by all writer's and teachers
on physiology, that the heart is n pump,
and by its muscular contraction propels the
blood throughout the body.
This theory that the heart propels the
blood is erroneous, absurd and an absolute
physical imposslbility. The heart has no
more to do with propelling the blood through
the arteries than the stomach or liver.
Just what does propel the blood is of
immense Importance, for it concerns vitality
all human beings throughout all times and
places, and all who think will search out
the philosophy of the circulation of the
blood as one of the most wonderful opera
lions of nature, and when the real power
which does circulate the blood is generally
known, and the functions of the heart under
stood, we will have found the long hidden
cord that unites and accounts accurately
important phenomena by which we are sur
rounded-also remove from the profession
and the world at large many mysteries that
have beclouded us all-causing much diver
sity of ideas and theories, as well as false
conclusions regarding health and disease.
To state the purpose of this paper in one
sentence would be simply to say that the
5 power that propels the blood is received
through the lungs and not performed by
the heart.
2 My first forcible thought that the heart
| does not propel the blood was in observing
the pulse of sick people. We find in the
l sick that the weaker the patient and the
weaker the action of the heart the faster
D the circulation; again at other times we
e have a very quick circulation of the blood
where the pulse is as full and strong as in
the healthy subject. Once impressed with
, this interesting problem, new observations
= and proofs began to present themselves, and
t was really surprised to think that l had
e not noticed them before.
shown It Moment of Birth.
Second-Take for instance the circulation
= of children, the younger or the more deli
cate the child, the faster the circulation.
Tracing these well known facts to fetal lie,
t it is still faster; but at the birth OF an In
FAINT we can notice several changes that are
strong and incontestable evidence in demon
strating the power that propels the blood
What are these changes? First, the pla-
centa detaches itself by contraction of the
uterus, and the umbilical pulse-beat contln-
ues a minute or two and gradually becomes
more feeble until it stops and the child is
II dead. But If the child makes a sudden gasI
and begins to breathe, life goes on. VIVA
, are the explanations of these two phenom-
email changes? One is that the placenta Is
a storage battery and when exhausted OF It's
supplv it stops; the other is that the lung:
r of the newborn child are charged. by all
W pressure-this air pressure, as Is wei
known, is about 2,cao pounds to every
y square foot of the body's surface, and by
breathing the lungs stay charsea from piFtt
until death.
Tbird-Another proof Of the power
i that propels the blood is furnished by hold
ing the breath. The longer you hold, the
- breath the slower and feebler the pulsatior
d becomes in every single person, well or SICK
it never fails. Try it on yourself, but not toe
d long. and note the slowing of the pulse, anc
see how full and bounding the circulation
becomes after taking a few good inspirations
of pure air-in many instances the rate OF
the pulse will increase from seven tt
y twelve beats-besides being much stronger
Fourth-By suddenly cutting off the
breathing as by hanging or drowning the
h pulsebeat keeps up full for a few moments
but gradually becomes feebler, and as the
y lung cells become exhausted of their all
De supply, the circulation stops and life Il
! extinct.
Fifth-Another strong argument that thu
~ heart cannot propel the blood in that siZ'
(all other things being equal, is a measure
of power. 1t is estimated that the hear
is in order to accomplish the task of propellinl
lg the blood to all parts of the body eXerts
ly power at every pulsation equal to fift,
or pounds, varying in different persons accord
l. ing to health, labor, etc. This would b
OF equal to 200, 600 pounds every hour awak
j, and asleep-and this would mean that tn
te heart puts forth energy, sufficient to rails
nd its own weight 10000 feet every hour-wher
lie. an active pedestrian climbing a mountai
ct, can raise himself less than one-twentiet
ny of that distance.
~ Heart Cannot Do 1t.
ev These estimates refute themselves an
en- prove an impossibility for an organ of II
cir size; they are not made from the size of Il
ng muscles, nor from what 1t is actually know
er, to accomplish, but from what it must az
~ complish in order to send the blood through
Nd out the system as fast and powerfully as v
OIL know it actually does circulate; and that a
'th this immense power is needed in order to az
complish the circulation is admitted; b'
that the heart does not and cannot supp
this power its size alone would prove.
That It Is some tremendous force tn
RS does send the blood through the arteries
nd above estimated is easily seen by its spur
ing for yards when an artery is cut. b
an that the heart and blood vessels could will
Al stand all this dynamic pressure from birt