David after seeing him operate but once.
For the sake of those who would like to perform it, we shall add that
Mr. David takes care to bend his body in the form of an arch in such a
way that the convexity shall be beneath. As Mr. Harmington never fails
to place himself in the center of the line that joins Mr. David's head
and heels, his weight is divided into two parts, that is to say, 88
pounds on each side of the point of support. The result is that the
stress necessary is less than that of a strong man of the Halle
lifting a bag of wheat to his shoulder or of an athlete supporting a
human pyramid. The force of contraction of the muscular fibers brought
into play in this experiment is much greater than is commonly
believed. In his lectures on physiology, Milne-Edwards cites some
facts that prove that it may exceed 600 pounds per square inch of
section.
[Illustration: FIG. 3.--THE PERFORATE ARM.]
The experiment on cadaveric rigidity is followed by others in
insensibility. Mr. David, without wincing, allows a poignard to be
thrust into his arm, which Mr. Harmington has previously
"cataleptized" (Fig. 3). This trick is performed by means of a blade
divided into two parts that are connected by a semicircle.
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