Richmond Palladium (Daily), Volume 43, Number 56, 16 January 1918 — Page 7

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How the BRAINS of

USED to I brains of hogs possessed the A nowar of rt.oWn. in., f hinnrt A Z , ? t , m due to accidents, surgical operations, etc., is regarded by medical men as one of the most remarkable achievements of surgical science. To be exact, "kephalln" Is the scientific name of the substance extracted from the brains of hogs and used to hasten the coagulation of the blood. Surgeons have long felt the need of a blood-checking dressing to be used where packing is now necessary In deep-seated operations, in many of which the bleeding is often considerable, necessitating that many strips of Iodoform gauzo be tightly packed within the wound, which frequently Is not entirely successful. When Prof. William H. Howell demonstrated conclusively that in kephalln science has found the best clot-forming substance, Or. H. L. Cecil of Baltimore made a number of experiments with surgical gauze dressings Impregnated with this wonderful substance from hogs' brains, and reported the results to the Journal of the American Medi- . cal Association. "In preparing the gauze, says Dr. Cecil, "the kephalln is dissolved in an excess of ether, about a 5 per cent, solution being made, and this concentrated kephalln solution is poured over gauze strips 6 feet long and 6 Inches wide. The packs are then folded, rolled, wrapped in two

muslin covers and' sterilized in the bleeding may have been from torn there was practically no bleeding at eteam autoclave at a temperature of mucous membrane. a n 120 C. for ten minutes. The heat "When these packs were removed, With such results as these to renecessary to sterilize them effective- says Dr. Cecil, "there was only one port it seems well to say a word of ly does not Interfere with the coagu- case in which more than slight bleed- caption in regard to the method of

lation action of the kephalln. "As soon as I began using kephalln gause packs, it became evident that hemorrhage ceased much more quickly than when iodoform gauze was used, and that It was unnecessary to introduce so much gauze as previously or to pack it as tightly, This was at once a great advantage, Another effect was that the postoperatlve bleeding which came through

MAKING the MOST of Your

IF cut flowers are sequeezea mio a vase so tightly that the air is a vase so tightly that the air Is excluded they will be smothered to death. That Is the reason why many bouquets do not last as long as thev should. A wide-mouthed vase tney snomo. a . is the best kind to use because it aa mits oxygen in plenty. Tall, "slender vases are very attractive for long-stemmed flowers like carnations, but they have one fault the water in them becomes warm very quickly, and this warmth Is transmitted to the flowers, causing them to wilt. The water In vases of this kind should be changed twice a flay, - Most flowers last longer if half an Inch Is cut from the stems every day. This cutting should always be done with a sharp knife. It is well enough to use scissors in the garden for convenlence, but they have a tendency to squeeze the stems together, thus reducing the amount of water which can be taken up. A diagonal cut with a knife has just the opposite effect. It is especially important to have a slanting cut if the 6tems are

Why HEART Can BEAT After DEATH

THE question, "When does a man or an animal die?" has been answered "When the heart tops beating." But any hunter or fisherman who has dressed his own catch can testify to tho fact that the heart does not stop beating at the moment of the animal's death. Often It will continue to pulsate rhythmically for several minutes after it has been removed from the carcass. Science's answer to the "why?" of this is that the heart muscles themselves possess the inherent quality of contraction and will contract, or beat, just as soon as or as long aa the coniiitlous or environment are right. That Is their business and they can no more refrain from doing it under the right conditions than a rose could help giving out its fragrance. In recent experiments It has been found that heat is the principal element necessary to the development of heart muscles and their subsequent action. Science has msde It possible to grow the heart muscles of a warmblooded animal in an Incubator. During this growth a single muscle cell has been observed to develop and

Stop BLEEDING

1-" Dr- Cecil says that the kephalinimpregnated gauze has been used in 34 operatloni -ad that in only four cases has the drainage from the surgical wound remained bloody for 48 hours. In these cases, Dr. Cecil says he believes that the packs did not reach the bleeding point, as the

How "Kephalin," a Substance from Brains of Hogs, Stops Bleeding KEPHALIN, m naw blood-clot forming .ub.tance which medical " cientists secure from the gray matter of the brain of Hors, has just been shown by Prof. William H. Howell of Johns Hopkins University to have the power to stop bleeding by hastening tbe coagulation of the blood. . Accordingly, surgeons have been experimenting with gauxe sur--gical dressings impregnated with kephalln, the preperation of winch is described as follows: The kephalin is dissolved in an excess of ether, about a 5 per cent, solution being made, and this concentrated kephalin solution is poured over gause strips 6 feet long and 6 inches wide. The packs are then folded, rolled, wrapped in two muslin covers and sterilized in the steam autoclave at a temperature of 120 C. for 10 minutes. It is said that the heat necessary to sterilise them effectively does not interfere with the coagulation action of the kephalin. Surgeons who have used kephalin gause paeks say that hemorrhages cease much more quickly than when iodoform gauses are used, and that it is unnecessary to introduce so much gause as previously or to pack it as tightly. In describing the results of using kephalin packs in 34 surgical operations Dr. H. L. Cecil of Baltimore says that "when these

packs were removed there was oniy one case in which more than slight bleeding occurred, there being about 150 to 200 c. c. of blood

tg occurred, there Doing aoout 150 to 200 c. c. of blood majority of cases there was scarcely enough blood to isings, while many of the patients did not bleed a drop, iidge by external appearances."

lost. In the majo stain the dressings if one can ju ing occurreu, iuci c wems to 200 centimetres of blood lost. In the majority of cases there was scarcely enough blood to stain the dresslngs, wnue many oi me patients did not bleed a drop, IT one can Judge by external appearances, u is important w connection that fewer packs were used than had been used previously, and thus tension within the wound jjy t. i. rAKKinuiun the bottom of the holder. for otherwise they will oe seaiea oy thn -ontftct. Peonies should be cut when the duqs are oniy awvv, wm last longer. It is not uncommon them Jn colfl gtop fi f r month. The Irises keep their color better when allowed to unfold in the house. If morning glory buds are cut very early and placed in a bowl on the breakfast table, their ..nfiin on Va iritnea&Ad While the meal ,g .Q progreS8i making a pleasant day.a beginning. Although poppies are not usually considered available for cutting, they will last fairly well if the stems are singeu uum black In a candle flame. Roses received in a wilted condition can be revived by placing the stems In very hot water. But if there is plenty of time it is better to fill the bathtub and let the flowers float there over night, The best way to rob violets of their perfume is to place them in an open vase of water. The fragrance will be retained if the vase is covered with a pi!ce of tissue paper, but the wander away from the mother cell and begin to beat of Its own accord. Again, several individual cells may attach themselves to each other In a colony and beat rhythmically together as long as the environment Is favorable. But let the temperature of the Incubator be materially reduced and the action of the heart muscles becomes sluggish. Reduce tbe temperature still further and gradually tbe rhythmic action ceases altogether. The cells cease to perform their natural function because their environment is no longer right. In other words, they die because they are cold. According to this theory, the heart muscles could live on independently of a body, if kept at the proper temperature for their best development. Perhaps the most gruesome of all war relics was one of the tirst Ashcntl war, in 1824, when Sir Charles McCarthy aud C00 men fell Into an ambuBh, and were slaughtered to a man. The skull of the leader of the gallant 600 was reported to have been rimmed with gold, and used as a drinking cup by the kings of Kumasi for half a century.

e to Btop the bLefIn! !I wn tried "Although kephalln has been tiiea In only a small group of cases, the results seem to be a striking improvement , over the plain or iodoform gauze which has been previously used and if one is anowea io juuS from four cases, the result in these cases was still more striking, as "e "tiii. i Deiieve, from the few times I have seen It tried, that If the gauze soaked with kephalin is used to sponge wounds, no good resun lH produced, since the sponge taKes away with it the clot hfnv. the vessel is plugged. In a like manbuwiUS oi Kepnaim on a wound to prevent bleeding is equally open to criticism. It appears to me that both of these methods are Cut FLOWERS violets will keep equally well if simply wrapped in damp paper and laid in a cool place. As a matter of fact, they take their moisture throne their petals and nothing is gained by Inserting the. stems in water. TWa 'f. v: " "- Dahlias W!ll usually keep fresh several days if the stemfi into water as hot as the hand can bear and left there until the water cools, then being placed in their regular holders. Of course, the leaves must be stripped from the stem before this is done. The foliasrn ahnnH always be removed from the lower part of all flower stems or it will foul the water in the vasesThis TitEE Grows The "Baseball" Tree Is a Native Large, Round, Woody Fruits, a Baseball, Even DID you ever hear of a "baseball tree"? There is actually such a tree, but it doesn't grow in this country, the home of baseball. It Is a native of tropical South America and scientists call it the 'couroupita guianensls." The strange tree Is also popularly known among the natives as the "cannon-ball" tree. It bears large.

HOGS

Science Supplies

theoretically and practically open to ,iwtM. .lug njuCOiCaU 1 mendation of such an application may serve, to condemn a method which if properly used, would be of very great benefit to surgery." .Dr.-A. D. Hirschfelder. who, following the work of Prof. Howell, used in an experimental way the same substance, but in a more impure form, says that ho found that it was of great benefit in bleeding from bone. Active hemorrhage and slow oozing, which together amount to considerable loss of blood in a few cases, have been a well recognized complication after many forms of surgical operations, in some - of which, surgeons say, the gauze packs can be so placed under visual guidance that this complication rarely causes any harm. In other cases,

however, many strips of gauze tightly packed are necessary to stop the the bleeding place. Elevation of the bleeding. This mass of gauze was bleeding parts always aids in conobjectionable particularly when trolling the flow of the blood.

time came for its removal. Hemorrhage is loss of blood and is usually caused by an injury or by a diseased condition of the blood vessels. The danger from

hemorrhage depends upon the may be made' to press on the artery amount of blood lost and the rapidi- and stop the flow of blood. Many ty with which it escapes. The loss of first-aid cabinets contain the United one-third of the blood in the body states army regulation tourniquet, usually results fatally. It consists of a strap made of .webThere are three kinds of hemor- bing with a buckle and a catch on rhage, namely, arterial, capillary one end. It can be used around a and venous. Arterial hemorrhage Is limb by Raasing the end through the most dangerous and most difficult to buckle and tightening up, making control. pressure on the whole circumference

Hemorrhage may be controlled by until the bleeding stops. through the loop and twist until the washing the thongs" of .gut are now pressure, position, heat or cold, tor- A pad made of clothing, a lump of blood barely oozes or is stopped. It 'placed for 4S hours in a bath of halfsion, or ligation or tying of the blood coal, a round stone or cork may be is desirable always to use a pad un- arid-half solution of peroxide for furvessel, placed under the tourniquet over the der the tourniquet and over the ar- ther sterilization. They are then imThe only methods which usually artery. Then the tourniquet is tery or vein when possible, as cut-. pregnated, by hand manipulation, can be employed by the first aid plan tightened until the bleeding stops, ting off the whole circulation by with a substance that strongly re-

are compression ana posiuon. : ompression is more imporianc ana ahould be applied by the fingers, compresses, tourniquets or constricting bands. In arterial hemorrhage the blood gushes forth In a bright red stream. The pressure must be made between the wound and the heart. In capillary hemorrhage the blood oozes away slowly and is bright red. The bleeding parts always aids in conplying a clean compress of gauze directly to the injury. In venous hemorrhage the blood is dark red or blue and discharges in a steady stream. The compression should be made on the side of the wound away from the heart. Usually the bleeding can be

controlled by applying a large com- were due to the effects of a close appress of sterile gauze directly over proach. to the planet, their orbits

"BASEBALLS" of South America and Bears Which Closely Resemble to the Seams. round woody fruit which contains many Beeds. When full-grown the fruit is described as being a little larger than a baseball, which is closely resembles, even to the seam. The fruit of the "baseball tree" is not used for food by the natives; In fact, it is not known to be of any particular value other than a curiosity. Newspaper Feature Service, Inc., IB 17.

SURGEON'S NEED of a SUBSTANCE to HASTEN

P7PRT Am WTRTHODS TO CONTROL BLEEDING. i ; At the Top Is Shown How an Improvised Tourniquet Is Applied to tbe Arm. In the Figure at the Right Is Indicated the Location of the Principal Arteries. The Arrows Show the Points Where Thumb Pressure May Be Best Applied to Stop Arterial Bleeding. (A) Temporal Artery; (B) Subclavian Artery; (C) Brachial Artery; (D) Tourniquet to Stop Bleeding- from Femoral Artery; (E) Femoral Artery. A tourniquet is used to stop profuse bleeding from arteries. It conFists of a strap to go around the limb, a pad to place on the arterv and some means by which the pad au .improved tourniquet, perhaps-the upe most commonly used in emersency work, may be made of a handKercuiei, icwei, triangular bandage, pair of suspenders, belt, strap, etc. fiace ana tie the improvised tourniquei arouna tne nrnb; pass stick

How Some PLANETS Actually CAPTURE COMETS

I T is often stated that the comets of about 70 years period have been "captured by Neptune." just as those of about six years' period have been by Jupiter. But, if the present ellipticity of their orbits 6hould still pass close to the planet's orbit (unless the date of capture were so remote that the orbits had been greatly modified by perturbations in the interval). "It is well known that this criterion," says Henry Norris Russell in Popular Astronomy, "is satisfied by the comets of period less than 10 years. The orbits of 17 out of 36 of these pass within 0.15 astronomical units of Jupiter's orbit, and all the others except Encke's comet within 0.65 units. But none of the six comets with periods between 60 and 80 years

How You Can WRITE LEGIBLY on a

WRITING legibly on a fastmoving train is difficult to a person unaccustomed to it. The railroad conductor knows the trick of it and manages to get along quite satisfactorily. He prefers to write in a standing position and holds his right elbow firmly against his side. The reason for this is that in a sitting posture there is too much lateral movement In the trunk of the body, while in a standing position this is more easily controlled. When the arm swings freely, as In ordinary writing, several joints of the body are affected In the process, each of which Is capable of its own motion. Holding the elbow against one's ribs "breaks' these motion tendencies, except that of the wrist, which movement is necessary in writing, and thus the pencil, or pen. is more easily controlled. The same principles modified apply In using a typewriter on a moving train. Many travelling men, news correspondents and others, carry portable typewriters and do much of their writing while traveling on trains, not to mention the various railroad and government ' men who travel in office cars and necessarily

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Three Kinds of Knots Used in Suturing Wounds (A) Reef Knot. (B) Jranny Knot. (C) Surgeon's Knot. .

pressure-on' the- entire Vcjrcuniference is likely to cause mortification If the aressure is continued for anv length of time. In cases where the tourniquet is left on for two or three hours.mortifl cation Is likely to follow. Always apply the tourniquet as comes nearer to Neptune's orbit than 3.8 astronomical units, .while all six come much closer than this to the orbits 'of Jupiter and Saturn. There is therefore no evidence at all that these comets have been captured by Neptune. "Extending the study to the 31 comets with computed oeriods between 10 and 1000 years, it is found that the orbitfe of seven of them nass within 0.5 astronomical units of Jupiter's orbit, of five within the same distance from that of Saturn, and of two within this distance" from Uranus. The closest approach to Neptune is 1.22 units and IS of the comets pass nearer than this to Jupiter. "It might be supposed that the comets which pass near the orbits of the various planets had been captured by them; but, if tbe comets orbits were distributed quite at random the number out of the group of must get out their correspondence en route. It is extremely difficult to execute neat typewriting on a moving train with free-arm movement, even though the central portion of the car where the vibration and swing is less severe, is selected. . One writer who is . employed In such capacity says that he has

DANGER in Filtering GASOLINE

STATIC charges of electricity of considerable magnitude may be produced when gasoline is filtered through chamois skin and other Insulating filtering mediums. Greater charges result when the air is dry and cold than when it is warm and damp. Recent experiments at the bureau of standards show that in cold, dry air It is extremely difficult to avoid the production of such charges, if tbe gasoline is filtered through chamois skin, but that the Be of fine wire gauze In place of the latter practically eliminates the danger. - In addition to the electric charge produced by filtering, charges may be produced by the friction of cloth

tUAUULAUUN of the BLOOD

near the wound as possible. . If the bleeding is from an artery, apply just above the bleeding point on the side toward the heart; if from a vein. Just below the wound and away from the heart, though a tourniquet need rarely be used for venous bleeding.Catgut, which is used by surgeon . in sewing up deep wounds. Is not catgut at all, but Is made from the small intestines of sheep. These are composed of three membranes the " outward or peritoneal known to the trade as "Gossamer," the Internal or mucous, . which Is designated 4 as "scrapings," and the middle or muscular coating, formed of toah fibres. The last aloiie Is n.ied. tbe Other two layers being altogether waste product. : As , soon as tbe animal is kilie.-i its intestines are purged cf blood and all other matter and is then put on Ice and conveyed to the factory. After an icewater bath the intestines are scraped to detach tho internal or ' mucous membrane, which process re-" duces the gut to about one-twentieth of its original volume. The tough, fibrous membrane which Is left is olunged in vessels of varnished sandstone filled with an alkaline solution and in this is taken to the splitting Toom. The gut is now cleaved longitudinally from end to end and the resulting pieces are put to soak in a solution of sodium carbonate or caustic soda. After a thorough soaking and

sists putrefaction and makes" subsequent' disinfection easier. This "step is necessitated by the ease with which the gut, once sterilized, be comes reinfected during the process of spinning into thread for the surgeon's needle. 31 which might be expected, by pure ctiance,. to pass within 0.5 units of the planets' orbets is 6 for Jupiter. 3 for Saturn, 1.5 for Uranus and 1 for Neptune. There Is therefore very little left to be explained otherwise than by chance. "It appears therefore that very few of the comets with periods between 10 and 1000 years can have been " captured by encounters with any of the major planets, unless these en counters were so remote that subsequent perturbations have destroyed the evidence of caDture. " This is rather surprising, for tbe researches of H. Newton indicate that, for every comet captured by a planet at so close an encounter that its period was reduced to less than that of the planet, there should be many more - captured at less close encounters, whose periods, after capture were longer." MOVING TRAIN evolved a plan to expedite the work, as a result of which he is ablo to t'.o typewriting quite rapidly by restfas the . palm of the hands, near the wrists, against the frcnt edge of the typewriter frame surrounding the keyboard, and using the swing of the finger instead of that cf the whole arm, as in ordinary typewriting. ing against tbe cushions of automobile seats, by gloves against other objects, etc. The danger due to charges produced in either of these ways may be avoided by touching the funnel against the metal tank at some distance from the opening before inserting-the funnel, and then Inserting it into the opening in the tank in such a way that it remains in metallic contact with the tan throughout the filtering process. These two precautions, says the bureau of standards, prevent the accumulation of charges -of opposite sign on the funnel and the tank, respectively, and eliminate tbe possibility of the passage of an electric spark between them. ..

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