Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-04-28
SUPERIORITY OF MAN
Human Machine the Most Dur
able Mechanism Known.
ITS IMMUNITY TO P0ISONS
How It Often Survives Seemingly
Fatal Injuries.
WOUNDS TO VITAL ORGANS
Some Interesting Operations Which
Have Saved Lives--Bullet Through
Mans Brain Not Fatal
WOUNDS TO VITAL ORGANS
Copyright. 1907, by Ellery Sedjard.


To the layman it often seems strange that
a large and vigorous animal like man is so
easily destroyed by apparently puny agen-
cies. Half a dozen disease germs, each no
more than 1-5.O00th of an inch in length.
enter the veins of a healthy, muscular man
and in ten days he is dead.
\ few drops of prussic acid are placed
on the tongue of another man-and In five
minutes he, too, is dead. A minute pin
prick is made In the heart wall of still
other man-and he dies in ten seconds.
But as matter of fact the real wonder
is not that man dies 50 easily, but that he
resists death SO efficiently. The human ma
chine is by long odds the most perfect
mechanism that ever appeared on earth. 1t
can stand Injuries that would make any
man made machine fall to pieces, and it
may be hacked, mutilated and clogged in
a perfectly amazing manner without per-
ceptibly reducing its usefulness.
Indeed 1T appears at times to transcend
and overcome the very laws of nature. No
conceivable injury short of absolute disinte
grafton is instantly fatal, and there are
very few injuries that necessarily and in
evitably mean death. either at once or in
the course of measurable time.
The Human Brain.
For instance, consider the of the
human brain. 1t is the popular opinion that
major injuries to this organ mean imme-
date and certain death. man who de-
sires to commit suicide ana wants to make
sure of it commonly places a pistol to his
head and blows out his brains And yet
such injuries to the brain substance. no
matter how terrible they may be, seldom
cause instantaneous dissolution, and in a
very considerable number of cases fall to
cause death at all
Every hospital surgeon is familiar with
the fact that men who have shot themselves
in the head commonly live at least an hour
or two. The shock of the bullet striking the
brain often produces instant unconscious
ness. but this Inconsistencies does not
differ materially from that caused by blow
on the angle of the jaw in the prize ring,
In word, the would-be suicide is knocked
out. but not dead.
If he does die later it is usually matter
of a good many minutes. His shattered
brain continues to discharge a part of it's
functions and his heart struggles on. When
he gives up the ghost it is commonly as a
result of secondary disturbances.
Only when his bullet destroys those parts
of the brain which control his involuntary
functions does he die with anything
sembling suddenness. And sometimes even
then he doesn't die at all.
The of Phineas r: Gage, a railroad
man. is classic in the annals of American
medicine. Gage was engaged in blasting
| and at the time of his accident was tamping
powder into hole in the side of vast
mass of rock. The tamping rod was a piece
of iron an inch and a quarter in diameter
and weighed more than thirteen pounds.
nhe powder exploded prematureIy and
shot this iron clear through the poor fell
lows head.
1t struck him on the left cheek imme-
diately under the cheek bone. and passed up
through his brain, behind his left eye and
out the top of his head. In a word, there
was a ragged wound through his brain at
least two inches in diameter and nearly
six inches long. But instead of killing the
man instantly, this CHASTITY injury merely
stunned him.
He was carried to shelter nearly a mile
away, and then without assistance walked
up long flight of stairs to bed-talking
to those about him all the while. Several
hours later a surgeon arrived and found
him resting easily and absolutely clear in
mind.
His splntered skull was trimmed, the
wound through his brain cleansed
as much as possible, and he was given
a mild sedatve. In a month he was at
work again, and saving that he was bind
in his left eye, he suffered permanent
injury. He was just as strong as ever and
his mutilated brain managed his voluntary
and involuntary functions just well
before.
Not Uncommon Cases.
Strange it may seem. such cases are
far from uncommon. During the Spanish
American American volunteer Of
ticer was shot in the eye and the bullet
passed clear through his brain. coming out
at the back of the skull and making
immense and jagged wound.
He was given first aid treatment in the
field and later brought to the United
States on a hospital ship. He made a COM
plete recovery and suffered no permanent
injury other than the loss of his eye and
certain awkwardness in certain move
mentS.
Again there is a famous case of a man
who lost a section of his brain five inches
long and yet lived for years. A multitude
of other such examples are to be discovered
in the files of the medical Journals
Injuries to or complete loss of other
organs besides the brain not uncommonly
fail to result in death. AS every one knows,
it Is possible for man to live for years
with but one lung. 1t is also possible to
live with one kidney. 1t is possible, again,
to live without stomach, without larynx
or without half a dozen other organs. just
as it is possible to live without eyes, nose
ears, teeth, legs and arms
A century or more ago a certain French
soldier had his whole lower jaw shot off
In battle and yet be survived to hale and
green old age. Another soldier lost what
was substantially all of his face except one
eye-and lived to become an oldest nhabi-
tant.
1t used to be believed that any wound of
the heart was necessarily fatal, but of late
a multitude of proofs to the contrary have
been collected. Today 1t Is almost COM
monplace of surgery to sew up breaks In
the heart wall.
A blow the chest sometimes ruptures
the heart. and yet the victims of such in
juries not seldom recover Wounds in the
heart made by knives and bullets are now
treated with some approach to certainty,
and although the death rate in such cases
is of course high it is being lowered year
after year. and it would be rash surgeon
today who would call any small injury to
the heart inevitably fatal.
1t Is impossible. indeed to say that an
injury to any organ no matter what its
extent Is to result in DEATH The
human machine was designed to stand all
sorts of shocks. and even when science is
utterly unable to repair 1t, it often repairs
itself
Exposure to an injury. indeed, always
increases the body's ability to withstand
that injury. This ability in one FORM be-
comes what Is known as immunity-which
is utilized to great advantage in modern
medicine. The man who is forced to live in
strong draughts soon becomes accustomed
cold no longer.
This exnlaips in mart the good health of