Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-11-19
REEVES DEAD RABBIT
Woman Doctor Restores Life
in Three Minutes. .
ELECTRIC RESUSClTATlON'
Physicians Had Pronounced Animal
Without Vital Spark.
SHOCK KILLS AND TEAMMATES
DR.. Louise G. Robinovitch Conducts
Wonder-Exciting Demonstration
Before Scientists.
ELECTRIC RESUSClTATION'
KILLS AND TEAMMATES

NEW YORK. November l9.-Dr. Louise
G. Robinovitch gave successful demon
stration yesterday of her methods of
electric resuscitation' and electric an
esthesia.''
She brought 10 life rabbit which had
been electrocuted and pronounced dead by
physicians present.
The demonstration was made before DR..
John Woodman of J6 West 18th street,
General Manager J. w. Lieb. jr.. and for
ty invited guests of the New York Edison
Company. The company is deeply inter-
ested i'm the method of resuscitation be-
cause of the number of their employees
shocked i'm their work.
Reporters were excluded. All admitted
were scrutinized by two directors of the
company.
DR.. Woodman explained that both DR..
RObnOvitch and her work have suffered
from the sensational and erroneous claims
which the newspapers have attributed to
her.. He referred inquirers to tine rec
ords of the Academy of Medicine. where
a similar demonstration was given No
vember 4.
Story of the Tests.
From one of those present yesterday it
was learned that when the appliances
were declared ready DR.. Robinovitch pro-
duced rabbit. the fur of which had been
clipped from the lower part of the back,
the back of the head and the chest. To
the bare spots on the head and lower
back the plates of the electric appliance
were fastened.
"A very mild current was used, only
five volts, the witness said. Scarcely
had the current been turned on, when a
tremOr passed through the animal.
Within minute it was lying down
Needles inserted through the legs did
not bring any movement 1t seemed TO
be wholly insensble to pain. and was
apparently completely under the infiu-
ence of the electric anesthesia.'
The current was then increased and
finally the heart ceased to beat. The
wire attached to the chest plate. Sew
eral minutes passed and physicians eX-
amined the body. and declared life ex-
net.
DIR, Robinovitch then brought the re-
suscitating apparatus into play. 1t APP
pears to he simple arrangement of
coils and magnets and the current is
controlled by small switch. There Is
a coil similar in appearance TO that on
telegraph instrument. but much
larger, and at the end a circular magnet
in four sections. This magnet revolves
at a speed of 1000 revolutions a minute.
and as each section breaks the current
there are 12.o0o Interruptions a minute.
Brought Back to Life.
Opening the switch for a moment. she
closed it again. There was a nervous
tremor through the body. Again and
again she opened and closed the switch,
and within a few seconds the rabbit drew
in it's breath, making a sound distinctly
heard in all parts of the room.
AT this point extreme care had TO be
used. She gave the animal chance to
breathe again, and then helped II along
with a couple of shocks.
IAN instrument showed that the heart
action was restored, but II was feeble at
first. Within three minutes, however, the
rabbit was on its feet and apparently as
well as ever 1t was one of the most
weird and wonderful things l ever saw.
1t was said yesterday that one of DR..
instruments might be placed
in a hospital here, and a series of tests
made which, il successful. would probab bly,
result in the electric resuscitation" ap-
paratus becoming an important part OF
hospital equipment.
The principle upon which the method is
ba sed is that of the contraction of muscle
when a current of electricity is applied
and it's relaxation when the current is
shut off
In these demonstrations the heart and
muscles are contracted and
relaxed by alternate applications of the
current, and where vitality still exists Ii
is excited into natural action. Without
this vitality, as in cases OF absolute
death, the method is. Of course. OF no
benefit.