Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-01
BY KARL SCHRIFTGIESSER.

i most mechanical perfection, are
now turning their thoughts
to the discovery of ways and means
whereby human enjoyment of this per-
lection may be made eternal.
Line the alchemistS of old, they are
seeking an elixir of life that will restore
the beating heart after mans allotted
threeScore and 10, that will make a fact
as well as fancy of the term "the
life everlasting" In the test tube they
hope to find the seed of eternity, and
there, too they hope to find the secret
that will make it grow. Science is on
the trail of what men have dreamed OF
through the ages-and the trail is get
ting warm.
Out of the universities of the world,
speaking all manner of foreign tongues,
men whose lives have been devoted to
research into that physical mystery
which is known as "life" gathered in
Boston last week. each to listen to the
others tale of seeking in darkness, 1905
strong. They came from the labora-
tories Of all the nationS-famouS Ger
man scientists, noted British physi-
ologiStS professors from the universities
of the two AmericaS-and they listened
to tall, gray-haired, SWarthy man tell
them that life after death is no longer
a dream of the poets but an actuality
almost within the grasp Of scientific
men.
Thanatology Made Study Basis.
The man who challenged inevitable
death was Cuban, Prof. EuSebio Adolfo
Hernandez; the place was the eight
cath International Physiological Con-
gress meeting at Harvard University.
Prof. Hernandez, who holds chair at
the University of Paris. has devoted
his life to what is called thanatology, or
the study of the phenomena of death.
Ever since mans beginning life has
been a mystery to which no one yet has
found the key. Now, realizing perhaps
the futility of search in that direction,
Prof. Hernandez. following the lead of
two other scientists, urges that co-or-
Ginated efforts be made toward the con-
troll of the mechanism of death. To
prevent death without explaining the
phenomena of life is his aim.
After one has listened to Prof. Her
nandez'S description of what has al
ready been accomplished in this direc-
ton, the possibility of recurrence OF
the miracles of old does not seem so
remote. Through his telling of single
organisms that have been revived after
having once ceased functioning, sup
posedly forever, it does not seem beyond
the stretches of imagination to believe
that some one may yet again say, Take
up thy bed and walk" and see lifeleSS
human beings arise and go their way
Nor does it seem wild communicating to
believe in a future race of MethuSelahS
living for hundreds of years-perhaps
never dying.
Death Is Not Inevitable.
Already Prof. Hernandez and two
other psychologists have found that
proof exists that death is nowhere
near as inevitable and unacceptable as
hos
Even as far back as 1912 life was
preserved in an isolated head for three
hours. This was accomplished by Prof.
j. P. HeymanS, the first scientist TO ap-
proach the path to immortality. Her
nandeZ himself has seen this demon
stration which for II years has been
known as possibility OF physiology;
But Hernandez and HeymanS anu an;
Prof. A. Koubliabko, the Russian SCI
enlist whose work has continued under
governmental support even during the
Soviet regime, have gone farther than
that.
Their work has progressed slowly.
Today they are a little advanced over
Koubliabkos original work, and they
have established theories of resurrec-
ton. 1t is their belief that If some way
be found whereby circulation and res
piration can be started simultaneously
in one who is dead, life could be re-
stored. But even then, Prof. Hernandez
explains. it would be life without con-
seriousness. And, too, the restoration
of life in every defunct human being
would probably not be possible. But
death caused by surgical accidents
would be eliminated. That is the i'm
mediate aim. What the future after
that would be is any mans guess.
Prof. Hernandez following the lead
of Koubliabko and Heymans, is seek
inG three definite things. They are:
% To find out whether respiration
Is possible several hours after death.
CD To determine the length of time
in which the brain can resist the stop
page of blood supply.
go To discover whether it is posi-
bic to harmonic respiration with cir
culation after death.
At the present time. he said. the
theory is that once the blood supply is
cut off the brain cannot again func-
ton.
But that is only theory. Scien-
tific experiments have neither proved
this true nor untrue
In fact it is the fallacy of this theory
upon which Hernandez bases his hopes.
Since Heymans' initial experiments with
the isolated head Koubliabko has kept
a human heart alive for 80 hours after
life had definitely passed. Other eX-
periments into the strange realm of
physical mystery have succeeded to
certain extent" in re-establishing the
general circulation. And Profs. Her.
nandez and Pugliese, the latter from
Milan, together have obtained results
in restoring the respiration of a dog
which. Hernandez cautiously puts it,
are mot altogether negative"
Can Restore Circulation.
1.-THE work which has already been
done in this special and important
branch of physiology" explained the
Cuban, "shows definitely that the re-es-
Enlistment of both circulation and res
including Prof. o. zeller, have succeeded
already in setting up general circulation
a short time after death, and other re-
search workers have accomplished this
same feat. But so far as I have yet
been able to learn none has been able to
re-establiSh respiration" Prof. Her.
nandez, with characteristic scientists
caution, limited that proof that this is
possible may soon be found.
He bases this belief upon the fact
that many research workers have been
able to keep certain isolated parts of
the body alive after death. At the
congress in Boston Prof. E. Newton
Harvey of Princeton University demon
strated how dead heart might be set
Eeathing rhythmically by the use of
supersound waves. The heart used in
that demonstration was one of toad,
but the fact that human heart may
be used instead is known.
Prof. Hernandez, who was at the con-
gress primarily to plead the cause of
thanatology before the largest body of
Psychologists ever to gather in one place,
had his eye as much upon the future
as upon the present or the past. In
his investigations into the success of
ntlaar. laucie, lists in this 1rnrIr he