Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-07-26
SELF-SACRIF|CE Of PHYSICIAN
ALLOWS HIMSELF TO BE vIvI-
sECTED FOR SCIENCES SAKE.
Colleagues Make Experiments on
Man for Series Of Years-Inves-
tigation Of Nervous System.
From Pearson's Weekly.

From Parsons Weekly
It is well known that in the pursuit Of
their medical studies. as well as in post
norton operations, doctors incur many
grave risks, but 1t has been left to the
present time to record the case of well
known physician submitting himself to
vivisection
Purely In the interests Of medical sci
ence a famous London physician placed
himself in the hands Of his colleagues
for certain investigations with respect to
the nervous system. The experiments
have extended over four to five years
and have only recently been completed.
The special object in carrying out the
work was to determine the precise func-
ton of certain nerves. ard to study the
various messages of sensation Which are
constantly passing upward from the sew
eral parts Of the body to the brain. The
doctor in question submitted himself to
the ordeal of removal of portions of inn
portant nerves. in order to break the con-
tinuity, and thus interrupt the passage
of impulses nerve messages) to and fro.
The operations were performed by a
very eminent surgeon, and, of course, the
usual anesthetics had to be administered.
Such piece of heroism on behalf OF
his fellow-creatures entities this doctor
to unstinted praise. Yet he has insisted
that for the present his name shall not
be made public.
Still Suffers From It.
Courage is always demanded when one
has to face the surgeons knife. but there
is always the inspiring hope that the re-
suit of the operation will restore health
or prolong life. But in this particular in
stance the doctor gave himself up to the
ordeal of vivisection purely and simply to
benefit his feilow-creatures And to this
extent he has become a martyr in the
science of medicine. for he reports him.
self still suffering from the effects of the
operation on his nerves. Now, what Is 1t
that has led to such an unself1sh sacri-
flee?
The wonderful system of nerve cords
and fbers which send their ramifications
into every part Of the human body con-
meets 1t up as a telegraphic system and
unites the whole with the brain. Owing to
the very great difficulties which natural
ly presented themselves, little. beyond @
few elementary facts of the working OF
the human nervous system, has become
known.
BY means of vivisection on lower ami
mails. many problems of mental and nerv-
Gus action have been elucidated. but un-
fortunately there has not been any meth
Cd of comparing human perception and
sensation with that which occurs in the
lower orders of animal life.
Opportunity has been afforded of late
years for investigating important nerves
of the body and limbs, through the large
number of accidents taken to our big
hospitals.
Here careful observations have beer
made and duly recorded for the future
guidance of the medical profession Il
has Invariably been found that when ar
important nerve has been cut across there
has been loss of sensation and power II
the parts which that nerve supplied. Con.
sequently all communication with the
brain has ceased SO far as those parts
were concerned.
Hundreds of messages nerve impulses
are carried to and fro every minute by
the many tiny nerves of our bodies. sc
long as these nerves remain intact. but
like telegraph wires. II one or more art
severed, all communications must cease
at the point where continuity is broken.
For example. take the case of a soldier
who. I'm the Boer war. was shot in the
right arm, and an important nerve trunl
was divided by the bullet. All message:
normally carried to and from the brair
were stopped at that point, and the exac
nature Of the injury was. to some extent
ascertained by the loss of power and sen
sation which followed the gun shot
Surgical skill is frequently able to, bring
together the separated nerve ends. and II
place But when this reunion cannot bt
secured there is more or less loss of sen
satiOn and power in those parts or the
limb below the injury.
I. is now some little time since the
operations were performed on the eminent
doctor. and so far as experimental science
is concerned the results have been partic-
ularly successful. On the other hand. the
doctor himself is. up to the present time
and to limited extent, damaged man
a, ~
the divided nerves have been Joined to.
gether, there is still a definite loss OF
sensation on the back Of his left hand
Yet the record of the experiments in
human vivisection will remain classic
study and has been published in the
journal OF the Neurological Society called
Brain.
What ultimate benefit TO mankind is to
be derived from these painstaking re-
searches into the functions OF our nerves:
The answer is. that knowledge Of flnc-
ton helps us to diagnose and picture to
ourselves the workings of obscure or in
ternal disease, and especially as regards
the nervous diseases themselves.
For example. tumor may be growing
slowly I'm some hidden part, and the only
indication Of it's existence there may be due
to it's pressure on a nerve trunk. This pres
sure gives rise to certain symptoms OF
which the patient complains. BY test
ing sensation and power, and with his
knowledge of nerve function. the physi-
clan Is able to trace the trouble to its
hidden but real source.
In many such instances, in the old days,
these slender indications would have been
misunderstood. but in the light of modern
discovery the surgeon is enabled to Oper-
ate in time. and thus save. a life.