NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



299 



in, which is designed to catch the sap : Saw of 

 the end of the root, and it is accomplished. Ii 

 is asserted that the sap will run more freely tbii 

 way, than any other way yet discovered. 



Among the advantages attending this mannir 

 of tapping trees, is this : the sap can be shd- 

 tered from animals, and from leaves and dirt, 

 by placing a hoard over the hole. I hope hr- 

 mers generally, will make a proper application 

 of this important improvement. X. \. 



Fr«m the Af)p York American. 



Notice of some Experiments performed on the body )f 

 John Johnson, who was hung oh the 2d April, for tie 

 murder of .Ismes Murray. I3y a Committee of tie 

 Coneg;e of Physicians and Suro^eous of N^w Yor^, 

 consisting of Doctor A. H. Stevens, Professors Mitt 

 and .M'Nevin. 



The deceased was a stont, athletic man, about 

 45 years of age. He was suffered to drop 

 about four feet ; was suspended about 45 minutts, 

 and remained in his coffin, with a muslin drfss 

 over his ordinary wearing apparel, for half in 

 lour. Afterwards he lay 15 minutes, between I 

 buffalo skins, making in all, one hour and a half 

 Detween his execution and his arrival at the 

 IJollege. 



The temperature of the air at the time was 

 ibout 60° Farenheit. 



At the commencement of the experiments, 

 he extremities were three or four degrees be- 

 ow the natural standard ; the body not at all 

 0. The muscles were perfectly flexible. 



The neck was not dislocated. The face and 



€ck above the marks of the cord were livid. 



he expression of the face in other respects ta- 



iiral. 



The galvanic battery consisted of the plales 



F Professor Griscom, Dr. Smyth Rogers, and 



•r. Greenhow, added to those of Professor 



I'Nevin, in all, 328 pairs, of 4 inches square, 



'*■ it in action by dilute nitric, and sulphuric acids ; 



«"' 46 poles being provided with leade.i wires, 



med with platina vvires at their extremities. 



Exp. I. The surgeon made incisions under 



le tendo achillis of either side ; armed the 



St 'ndons with tin foil, and connected them with 



)pper wires, to which the wire of the nega- 



* we pole of the batterj' was applied ; the posi- 



re pole attached to a ball, being introduced 



"" ito the mouth. The jaws were instantly clos- 



9, and convulsive movements of the whole body 



nmediafely followed. They were not like the 



lakings of an ague, nor the tremblings of fear, 



at rather like a succession of starlings from 



rprise : the sight made the spectators shud- 



r. 



II. By an incision behind the Sterno-cloido- 



astoideus* muscle. Dr. Stevens now laid bare 



e phrenic nerve of the left side, as it passes 



er the scalenus muscle, and introduced a 



unt probe under it, while Dr. Mott made an 



lening in the chest, under the cartilage of the 



h rib, with a view to push a metalic plate 



ainst some of the branches of the phrenic 



rve going to the diaphragm. Some slight 



spiratory movements followed ; but by no 



ans so marked as those described by iJr. Ure. 



^ he result which followed another experiment, 



ply compensated for this partial success. 



*The phrenic nerve is much more accessible in this 

 ■y, than on the inside of the muscle, as proposed by 

 ■. Ure. 



III. One of the supra-orbitary and one of the 

 infra-orbitary nerves were now exposed ; armed 

 and connected with (he positive pole, while the 

 negative pole communicated with the wire, 

 connecting the tendons at the heel, as in experi- 

 ment I. 



The countenance was at first considerably 

 distorted ; it afterwards assumed a more natu- 

 ral play of expression, varying at each succes- 

 sive application of galvanic influence. The 

 motions of the lips reminded several of the 

 spectators of their expression during life. In 

 this expei iment, the wire connected with the ne- 

 gative pole lay on the right arm, near the inser- 

 tion of the deltoid muscle, and caused conside- 

 hle motion in the fore arm and fingers. 



IV. Communication being established between 

 the brachial plexus and the radial nerves at the 

 wrist, and between the former and the ulnar 

 nerves, the arm, was contracted by a sudden 

 spasmodic action, and the hand grasped firmly 

 the hand of a person who held it: by changing 

 the position of the arm, it was thrown across 

 the table in different directions. 



V. The two radial nerves at the wrist being 

 connected, the one with the positive, the other 

 with (he negative pole, both aims and hands 

 were contracted, and the deltoid and pectoralis 

 major were much swollen. 



V'l. In this experiment the positive pole was 

 applied to the spinal marrow by means of a 

 metallic instrument plunged in between the 

 cervical vertebrae ; the negative to the heels 

 as in experiment 1st. The results produced by 

 this arrangement were not so striking as those 

 described in experiment 1st. Had this e.vperi- 

 ment been made at an earlier period, while the 

 sensibility was undiminished, the effects would 

 probably have been more marked. 



V'll. The anterior crural nerves being now 

 laid bare, as they come out from beneath Pou- 

 part's ligament, were touched with the positive 

 pole ; the negative being applied as in experi- 

 ment 1st. The legs were thrown into strong 

 agitations, and when previously flexed were 

 violently and suddenly extended, performing 

 the operation of kicking. 



[At the suggestion of Professor Griscom, the 

 course of experiments prepared by the com- 

 mittee was varied, and the wire of one pole ap- 

 plied to the spinal as in experiment 6th, and 

 the other to a catheter introduced into the ure- 

 thra. No particular effect was observed.] 



VIII. In this experiment the positive pole 

 was applied to the great sympathetic nerve and 

 the par vagum in the neck, and the negative 

 was brought into contact with the branches of 

 these nerves going to the heart. The right 

 auricle contracted distinctly ; and slight tremu- 

 lous motions were observed in the ventricles 

 produced by partial contractions of their muscu- 

 lar fibres.* 



IX. The thorax being now open and the heart 

 exposed to view, experiment 6th was repeated, 

 (connecting the radial nerves,) and the results oi 

 experiment Slh were observed, but much more 



* The right auricle was found distended with blood ; 

 the right ventricle comparatively flaccid, supposing 

 that the valves which prevented the return of the 

 blood into the former might not be competent to their 

 functions from the emptiness of the ventricle, Dr. Ste- 

 vens pressed with his hand the blood from the auricle ; 

 it was after this that the ventricle was supposed to con- 

 tract, but 1 c«uld not satisfy myself of the fact. 



distinctly : the constracdons of the right auricle . 

 were very evident to all who stood near. Sim- 

 ilar results were obtained by applying the pole 

 to the ulnar nerves in place of the radial. 



X. Communications between the par vagum. 

 in the neck and the left phrenice, th; t runs on 

 the pericardium, partial contractions of the 

 heart were observed, but much less distinct 

 than in the two preceding experiments. 



In varying several of the last experiments, 

 by connecting the positive poles with the nerves 

 and passing the negative over the last 50 plates 

 of the battery, (he results seemed to be much 

 more striking, particularly when we consider 

 that the organic sensibility had by this time 

 been much exhausted.* 



The lacteals were observed, upon inspecting 

 the intestines, to be beautifully injected ; — 

 and part of the intestines with their mesentery 

 were detached and passed round the room, so 

 that many saw that which we rarely have an 

 opportunity of observing, the lacteals of a hu- 

 man subject distended with chyle. t 



This account of these experiments details 

 merely my personal observations; as far as it 

 goes, it is correct, (hough I may not have ar- 

 ranged them all in the order in which they took 

 place. I regret very much that 1 was prevent- 

 ed from taking a more accurate and minute ac- 

 count of their different results, by the number of 

 persons that crowded around the table, prompted 

 by a similar curiosity, and excitement, as well 

 as by some confusion (hat was necessarily pro- 

 duced by the desire of trying as many different 

 experiments as possible, before it should be 

 too late to perform them with success. 



The result of one of these experiments, par- 

 ticularly the lOtb, will afford an interesting and 

 useful subject of speculation to the pathologist. 



Df.'lJre conceives that no advantage is lobe 

 derived from passing electric discharges across 

 the chest. We see, however, that in those ca- 

 ses where (he primary object is to excite the 

 heart to action, this single experiment may be 

 of immense benefit, though for most practical 

 purposes it would be necessary to produce si- 

 multaneous artificial inflation of the lungs, as con- 

 gestion in these organs would prevent the suc- 

 cessful action of the heart. 



The contraction of the heart would also pro- 

 bably ensue, from moistening (he parts with a 

 solution of common salt, and pressing the end 

 of (he conduc(ors against the ulnar nerves in 

 their course over the elbow, or the radial 

 nerves at the wrist, and thus the heart might be 

 made again to beat, and the whole roachirery 

 of the body set in motion, when restor;i'ion 

 would bo perfe9tly out of the reach of ordina- 

 ry means. A SPECTATOR. 



* The experiments occupied from an hour to an hour 

 and a half 



t This agrees with the report of his having made a 

 hearty breakfast a few hours before his execution. 



The model of a machine, to propel vessels on the 

 ocean, without either wind or steam, invented by Mr. 

 C. Hoxie, of Hudson, is exhibited at the Tontine Cof- 

 fee House, New York, for the inspection of the curious, 

 and those disposed to promote useful improvemtnts. — 

 Its object is to convert that tremendous power, the rol- 

 ling of the sea, into a propelling operation, and nauti- 

 cal men believe in its practicability. Applicalion has 

 been made to Congress to grant the exclusive privilege 

 for 28 years, and the subject is now before the Com- 

 mittee on the Judiciary. — Philad. Reguter. 



