378 USE OF ARTIFICIAL EESPIEATION AND TRANSFUSION. 



beating; the circulation of arterial blood through the brain 

 may gradually restore its power ; the rhythmical movements of 

 natural respiration will again begin, and the life of the animal once 

 more be securely established. This is no mere fanciful dream, 

 but sober fact, as the successful efforts of the Humane Society 

 to resuscitate persons apparently dead abundantly prove. It 

 has, moreover, been lately demonstrated in a striking manner 

 in some experiments of Schiff'.* These were made for the pur- 

 pose of ascertaining what the use of artificial respiration would 

 be in concussion or compression of the brain, or in cases of 

 apoplexy where a clot has formed in the medulla oblongata, and, 

 by pressing upon that part of it which presides over the inner- 

 vation of the muscles of respiration, has put a stop to these 

 movements. In order to imitate the effect of an apoplectic 

 extravasation, Schiff anaesthetised a dog with ether, and, after 

 exposing the medulla oblongata, destroyed a considerable part 

 of it with a scalpel or sound, though he always left one lateral 

 column at least intact. Immediately after the injury the respi- 

 ration ceased, the tongue became swollen and livid, convulsions 

 occurred, and the animal appeared to be dying. Tlie heart 

 became weaker and weaker ; but, when it had almost ceased to 

 beat, artificial respiration was begun. Very shortly the pulsa- 

 tions regained their normal strength, and the death-like lividity 

 of the tongue gave place to the rosy hue of health. After 

 respiration had been kept up for a few hours it was discon- 

 tinued, and then, if the injury to the medulla had not been too 

 great, spontaneous respiratory movements commenced, but they 

 were still feeble. They became much stronger if artificial 

 respiration were again renewed for half an hour longer — strong 

 enough, indeed, to keep the animal alive without any artificial 

 assistance. It is true that, when the lesion had destroyed the 

 one side of the medulla, only one-half of the thorax took part 

 in the respiratory movements ; but this was in many cases 

 quite sufficient for the wants of the animal. In the only case 

 in which Schiff attempted to keep the animal alive permanently 

 he was perfectly successful. The beneficial effects of artificial 

 respiration were equally encouraging when natural respiration 



* La Nazione, 1872, No. 102. 



