The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1901-06-19
HOW THE BLOOD FLOWS.
Novel Scientific Continuance Acquired by
Uncle Sam.
NcwS and courier.

Gus, has been acquired by the United
States bureau Of education, and
some Of the things it does are cx-
tremcly interesting. 1t proves the
correctness Of the theory that the
blood flows to the brain when cne
thinks hard, and it also demonstrates
the fact that the vital fluid flows out
Of the head aud toward the feet ahcn
one IS asleep.
The instrument in question is a kind
of balance, provided with shallow
trough six feet long, on which you lie
down at full length. This trough is
accurately poised after the manner Of
secsa1, but is adjusted in such a
way, after you have occupied it, as to
be perfectly horizontal. That is
merely matter Of arranging few
screws and you are in position to
await further proceedings
Next you arc told TO t!iink ,f your
plans for the following day aud you
turn your mind to that subject which
necessarily requires some subject
which necessarily requires some work
by the brain machinery. Lo! almost
Immediately the end Of the trough
where your head rests begins t. de-
sccnd, and gently and gradually it
lowers itself until your body is in
clined at considerable angle, with
your feet up in the air. 1t is the
blood, flowing to the brain to assist
mental activity, that has upset the
balance and weighed down the head
end Of the apparatus.
For long time it has been sup
posed that thinking caused the blood
to flow to the brain, but until now the
fact has not been proved; this machine
demonstrates it. But another thing,
equally interesting in its way, is beau
tifully shown by the contrivance. and
that is the cmptying Of the blood
from the brain during sleep. Indulge
in a nap as you lie in the trough and
as soon as you fall asleep the end on
which you feet rest will slowly de-
scend. The same thing happens if
when thus situated you arc put into
an hypnotic condition.
It used to be supposed that sleep
was result of the departure of the
blood from the brain, but now it is
known that the latter phenomena is
only incidental. When the brain is
in a quiescent state its operations
going on only in very feeble sort of
way, as is the case during sound slum-
be, the vital fluid flows out Of it to-
ward the feet, leaving the mental ap-
paratus in temporarily bloodless con-
dition. A machine of this kind, with
an automatic recording attachment,
would show exactly when person
dropped off into the land of Nod and
the very minute he woke up.
The machine is in the Office Of DIR.
Arthur Macdonald, who is attached
to the bureau of education in the capa-
city Of professional wizard, as ono
might say. His official quarters are
filled with all sorts of mystical instru-
m.cnts for tho study Of matters con.
corning you and me about which ordi
nary folks do not think at all. In
connection with the machine just de-
scribed he has rugged up an apparatus
for observing the rapidity Of the heart
beat in various attitudes. A little
affair, called "cardiomcter," is
pl, ced over the heart, and is joined
through the medium Of rubber tube
with slowly revolving drum. The
drum is covered with a sheet of white
paper, and pen automatically make.
mark on the paper every time the
heart of the person lying in the trough
beats.
In this manner q continuous RECORD
is inscribed upon the paper sheet, ant
many experiments have proved tina
the heart of person lying horizon
tally beats at the slowest rate. If h.
is inclined toward the perpendicular
at an angle Of 10 degrees, the orga,
pulsates more rapidly, and it beat
fastest when he is standing erect. TIL,
reason IS simply that the individua
is erect, in order to overcome gravity
and drive the blood up to the head
In the recnmbent position ii has tn,
least labor to perform. This: indeed
is one important reason why the do,
tor sends you to bed when you ar
sick-so that your heart may take
rest.
Some of the most interesting of Dr.
MacDonald's recent investigation