“RAISED FRO MTHE DEAD."

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 2792, 2 October 1924, Page 1

“RAISED FRO MTHE DEAD."

By n Physic-inn. This was Hip rather startling heading in a newspaper, and ninny people mast have read with interest of the ease reported—a woman whose heart had ceased to heat, while lying on the operating table, and the restarting of that organ by massage with the surgeon’s hand. It is true that some of the marvels of surgical science reported in the Press are either stale news’to the surgeon, or so distorted from actual fact as to make him smile, but this stimulating of the dead or dying heart is one of the wonderful new things of science. Perhaps the day is at hand when provided there is no serious organic disease or irreparable injury, it will be possible to raise the newly' dead, as after syncope or shock, by forcing the still heart to take up its work again.

There is on record (he strange ease of a man who had the curious power of stopping the heating of his heart at will, and restarting ii again. lie was rather pleased with his own cleverness, bin performed the trick once too often, and ‘‘the last time was the last of all, the finish was the end.” It is probable, however, that bad a surgeon been at band, a little cardiac massage would have set the organ at its accustomed job again. The heart is a pump, and its work can lie done for it quite well for a little while by hand, while its own power fails, and it takes a rest. One has to remember that, normally, il never has a rest from the moment of' life until death. And what happens in these cases of massage is that the surgeon rapidly makes his v,ay to the heart, and, taking it firmly and gently in the hand, squeezes the organ so many times to the minute, thus keeping the stream of blood circulating. If all goes well, the heart gradually recovers itself and begins to heat on its own accord.

Thus it practically amounts to this —that a person may actually die and lie brought’ to life again. There was a time when it would have been thought madness to touch (he heart. Yet wonderful things were done in the late war in removing bullets and shrapnel and in repairing heart rents, tin.ugh. even to-day there are men still going about with bits of war material in their heartwalls —for sometimes it is better to lei sleeping dogs lie undisturbed, and the surgeon is still very chary of touching the great vital organ, for, though the heart is not so fragile as we once fancied, if has a queer temper. Its nervous mechanism is not a little touchy and easily thrown out of gear.