Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1933-07-23
Inventor of Artificial Heat
Joins Georgetown Faculty
DR.. O. s. Gibbs Device
Has Kept Animals Alive
for Several Hours.

A living creature, rendered inanimate
by the removal Of It's heart, can be re-
vived and kept alive for three hours
or mere by the introduction Of an arti-
ficial cardiac organ.
The man who has done most. per-
haps, to advance this intensely interest
ing phase Of medical exploration. DR..
Owen Stanley Gibbs. 35-year-old British
medical scientist. has taken up his resi-
dence In Washington. He has Joined
the faculty Of Georgetown University,
where he has become head Of the de-
partment Of physiology in the School OF
Medicine. There he will continue to
pursue these peculiar experiments
which ere Is . hobby 70 him In his
lines Of medical research.
The advantages Of an artificial heart,
applies 70 humans, opens wide avenue
to medical speculation. The problem,
according to scientific journals, has
fascinated the greatest medical minds
since Harvey's discovery Of the ctrcula-
ton Of the blood.
Studies Effects Of Drugs
So far as DR.. Gibbs is concerned, his
purpose in engaging in these studies
was with q view to determine the exact
effects CT certain stimulating drugs on
the blood pressure of an animal minus
its own heart. These experiments al
ready have shed much interesting light
on the subject, especially in determining
the cause Of death following severe in
jury and show that heart failure Is not
usually the primary cause Of death to
healthy animals under such conditions
The result Of his studies. it Is hoped,
Will further clarity our knowledge OF
surgical shock.
DR.. Gibbs has been experimenting for
some time with artificial hearts. In one
way his apparatus is different from all
others in its usage. DR.. Gibbs Is the
only scientist who has succeeded in
using solely the blood CT the animal
that actually is being operated upon
In all other experiments the blood
which the artificial heart pumps into
circulation is blood Of an alien origin,
Record Exceeds Three Hours.
The longest time that Dr.. Gibbs has
been able to keep an animal alive by
means Of this artificial pumping ar
rangement, which operates exactly as
the heart, has been three hours and a
half. BY the very nature Of the ap-
paratus, the animal-usua.ly a dog OF
q Al0ot VIC ACPt AL dIl6S-
thetic. The slightest movement would
dislocate the delicate apparatus. max
ing continued operation impossible In
that way the experiments are conduct
ed in the most humane way possible
It took him about eight months OF
careful work to perfect this device. It
Stimulates the functioning Of the heart
reasonably well in its main pumping
features, and is fully capable Of main
tanning perfectly the blood circulation
Of the animal during q certain period
This artificial heart is described In
a Paris scientific journal as an appa-
ratus consisting of two pockets Of rub
Der contained in q metallic envelope.
A current Of electricity and q bat
terry regulate the flow of the blood
into the apparatus. which in turn d.
lates and contracts. The technique OF
the experiment is as follows:
The animal Is put to sleep to avoid
making 1t suffer needleSsly and to keep
1t perfectly still. Its body Is opened
and its heart taken out.
Operation Demands Speed.
To its arteries are adjusted tie glass
tubes Of the artificial organ. The
operation must be done very quickly
few minutes at the most, although
the life of a human being IS not ex-