The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1929-02-01
SOVIET DOCTOR
DESCRIBES DOG
.HEADEXPE EMINENT
Mechanical Heart Aids
Reactions

Continued from Page One)
feed vhe brain. Various substances
cou' be placed in the blood flow.
ing through the artificial heart and
the effects recorded In the same
way the scientists propose to study
brain toxins, which are supposed to
explain fatigue and the need for rest
and sleep.
This. however, is merely one fea-
ture of the extensive experiments
being carried out with government
aid DR.. Brukhanenko emphasized
first that only dogs which had been
condemned to death because of mad
ness were used in the experiment
and every effort is made to render
the experiment painless.
Before explaining the experiment.
DR.. Brukhanenko said he was not
prepared to assert that the head was
"alive" during the three and one
half hours of the experiment, in the
complete and ordinary sense of the
word. He did statsb without quail
fication, that the fead was alive so
far as appearances were concerned
and that the natural functions of
the brain were revived This state
ment he supported by photographs
and the fact that number of noted
scientists have witnessed several
such experiments here.
The words life and death, he con-
tinued, are not so simple as is gen.
orally presumed. Only when science
can define the words life and death
will it be possible to accept or re-
ject the statement that the head
was or was not alive, he pointed out.
"a clock that stops working is
not necessarily dead. Neither is a
body of necessity dead when it stops
working"
In making the experiment, the
scientists used preparation known
as "Germanin" or "Bayer 205"
which was created by DR.. 0. A.
Steppuhn of Moscow, and has at
tracted wide attention in medical
circles because it simplifies blood
TRANSMISSION and, in this case, pre-
vented congealing which would
have ruined the experiment.
DIR. Brukhanenko explained that
a delicate operation on the dog was
performed, leaving the main arteries
of the neck until the last. Then the
final separation was completed and
the artificial arteries of the me-
chanical heart were quickly at
tached to the four arteries in the
neck. .ss.'
Because of the chloroform which
had been administered, the head re-
manned apparently lifeless for some
20 minutes while the artificial heart
pumped and elected blood and oxy-
zen Just as a real heart works.
When the eyelids were touched,
however, they reacted as in life and
at the end of about half an hour
increasingly clear signs of life were
noted.
"The eyes were then opened" said
DR.. Brukhanenko, "and had every
appearance of life. The head re-
sponded to the slightest touch. If
touched the ear, the head re-
sponded in typical life-like move
ment. Our assistant, Volodia Drug
kov, accidentally touched wire to
the nostril and the head jerked vio-
lently.
"When a strong light was flashed,
the eyes shut instantly. A piece of
cotton soaked in acid was placed in
the mouth and it was Immediately
elected. A piece of cheese was
placed on the tongue and it was
swallowed. Every test made during
the three and one-half hours showed
normal responses.
"Why were we unable to prolong
the process ?" DR.. Brukhanenko con-
tinued. 1.-THE cause seemed to be a
change in the blood. 1t became
darker and seemed to contain less
oxygen. Toward the end of the ex-
pertinent, the dog appeared to need
air and opened the mouth as though
breathing or yawning."
He pointed out that, when the ar
tificial blood circulation was shut
off, the head developed symptoms
of dying" If it was dying" he
said, it might be presumed that it
had been alive previously.
That question, however, remains
for future experiments to develop
in detail.