The Project Gutenberg EBook of Sociologia Chinesa: Autoplastia, by
Daniel Jerome Macgowan
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Title: Sociologia Chinesa: Autoplastia
Author: Daniel Jerome Macgowan
Translator: Demétrio Cinatti
Release Date: December 2, 2008 [EBook #27388]
Language: Portuguese
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SOCIOLOGIA CHINESA: AUTOPLASTIA ***
Produced by Pedro Saborano (produced from scanned images
of public domain material from Google Book Search)
Sociedade de Geographia De Lisboa
Sociologia Chinesa
AUTOPLASTIA
Transformação do homem em animal
estiolamento e atrophia humana, casos de teratologia.
Pelo
DR. MACGOWAN
Nota destinada á x sessão
do
congresso internacional dos orientalistas
pelo traductor
DEMETRIO CINATTI
S. S. G. L.
LISBOA
IMPRENSA NACIONAL
1892
AUTOPLASTIA[1]
TRANSFORMAÇÃO DO HOMEM EM ANIMAL NA CHINA
Proclamações officiaes e noticias publicadas pelas folhas periodicas
sobre a recrudescencia do roubo de creanças, nesta (Kuangsi) e nas
provincias adjacentes[2] revelam dous factos importantes da Sociologia
Chinesa. Consiste o primeiro na crença de que os que roubam gente
possuem certas drogas que, administradas ás victimas, as põem sob
completo imperio da vontade do propinador, assumpto de que não vou agora
occupar-me. O segundo facto informa-nos que as drogas produzem a aphasia
tornando o individuo inteiramente incapaz de fallar, e, estiolado este,
pela reclusão em logar completamente escuro, ou deformado por mutilação,
faz-se d'elle objecto appropriado para os pelotiqueiros exhibirem ao
publico. Mas, ainda que estes flagellantes crimes sejam offensa capital,
não são susceptiveis de completa repressão. Infelizmente estes actos de
inhumanidade praticados no homem pelo homem, apenas indicam uma parte
das atrocidades praticadas pelos roubadores de gente. De todas as
torturas que o odio politico e religioso tem inventado, nada excede o
queimar e esfolar em vivo. Mas se a extracção da pelle se fizer por
operações successivas, parte por parte, como se faz ao individuo roubado
para o transformar em homem animal, os soffrimentos devem ser
agonisantes, alem do que a imaginação pode conceber. É o que acontece
quando a pelle humana se remove para a substituir pela do animal, urso
ou cão, porque em tal caso só pequenas secções se podem praticar de cada
vez, afim de que o individuo possa sobreviver.
Que longo periodo não é necessario para conseguir o processo completo de
transformar o homem em animal?! Que martyrisantes torturas lhe não
inflingem antes de adquirir a apparencia e condição do bruto?! O
embrutecimento está longe do seu fim quando a pelle do animal se adaptou
á carne do homem.
Falta ainda emmudecel-o, destruindo-lhe as cordas vocaes, o que se
obtem, affirma-se, pelo emprego de carvão. Não é preciso destruir-lhe a
faculdade de ouvir, mas a victima é sujeita a um regimen muito egual ao
que soffreu Gaspar Stanse. O _Hupao_[3] descreve o apparecimento de um
homem transformado artificialmente em besta, que foi exhibido no
Quiangsi. Todo o seu corpo era coberto de pello do cão, que fôra
substituido pela sua propria derme ou verdadeira pelle. Andava de pé
(muitas vezes são mutilados de forma que só possam andar com as mãos no
chão) podia pronunciar uns sons inarticulados, sentar se, pôr-se de pé,
fazer cumprimentos á chinesa e, emfim, conduzir-se em geral como um ser
humano. O magistrado, tendo ouvido fallar no homem animal, deu ordem
para que o trouxessem ao seu palacio, onde o felpudo do corpo e o todo
selvagem causaram admiração e terror. «Sois vós um ente humano?»
perguntou o magistrado ao extraordinario individuo, que respondeu com um
aceno affirmativo de cabeça. «Podeis escrever?» Novo aceno de cabeça
affirmativamente feito, foi a resposta; mas quando lhe deram um
pincel[4] não poude escrever por não poder pegar-lhe. Lançou-se, porém,
cinzas no chão, e o homem-cão, abaixando-se, escreveu cinco caracteres
que representavam o seu nome e a terra da sua naturalidade Changtung.
Inqueritos subsequentes revelaram o facto de haver sido roubado; o seu
captiveiro, e as horriveis operações de que fôra victima. O seu dono foi
punido, é claro, com a pena capital, porque declarou que só um d'entre
cinco sobrevivera á operação.
Conhecem os leitores não professionaes a operação denominada taliacoção,
porque a terão lido nas encyclopedias. O seu nome é tirado de
Taliacotius, cirurgião italiano do seculo XVI. Consiste em transplantar
a pelle, como quando se substitue o nariz pelo tegumento da testa ou
pela carne do braço, operação particular a que se chama rhinoplastia.
Ainda que não haja noticia de que os chineses praticassem esta arte,
sabiam que a pelle de um animal pode ser adaptada a outro que haja sido
escoriado para esse fim, muito antes da anatomia e cirurgia serem
estudadas e ensinadas em Bolonha.
Menos horrivel, se bem que espantosamente cruel, é a revelação de uma
monstruosidade artificial que encontro entre as minhas notas
teratologicas e que, consiste em fazer um parasita humano pela adhesão
de uma creança a um homem, thorax com o thorax, formando-se por assim
dizer uma epiphito animal. A união produz-se pela extracção da pelle dos
dois pacientes ligando-os depois de maneira que as regiões escoriadas
fiquem em contacto, até se effectuar a adhesão pela ligação vascular[5].
Assim se preparam as infelizes creaturas para se mostrarem ao publico,
conservando-se a creança suspensa por fitas appropriadas. A privação de
luz por alguns annos dá ás creanças uma apparencia mui curiosa,
especialmente quando lhes destroem a voz por meio de drogas e se lhes
manteem a existencia com dieta particular. Um bonzo do Hingpo diz a
tradição, sujeitara uma creança roubada a esse tratamento para ser
apresentada como Budha. O estiolamento era completo, porque nem um raio
de sol chegava ao individuo, que parecia de cera quando tirado da cella
subterranea em que permanecera, o que fazia imaginar os espectadores que
se sustentava só de toucinho e assucar branco. Curvado e de mãos postas,
apresentava a apparencia de um monge em extasis e absorvido em
contemplação. Conservando-se sempre nessa postura, não ouvindo nunca uma
unica voz a não ser a do seu guarda, tornou-se um simples idiota, quasi
um vegetal. Saciada a curiosidade publica, minguaram as offertas, e
portanto fixou-se um dia para a sua cremação.
Comtudo, um resto de intelligencia que conservava ainda esse
desvitalisado cerebro, deixou-lhe comprehender que ia ser queimado, o
que o magistrado do logar evitou, porque vendo deslizar uma lagrima
d'aquelles olhos sem brilho, ao longo das faces immoveis, descobriu a
piedosa fraude e por subsequente inquerito os factos acima narrados. O
bonzo escapou pela fuga e o templo foi derrubado. Uma illustração das
atrocidades que ás vezes accompanham o roubo de creança, foi descoberta
em Changhae pouco tempo depois da abertura d'esse porto. Foi ali
exhibida uma creança cuja cabeça indicava ter chegado já á maioridade,
tendo porem o tronco o os restantes membros dimensões infantis. O
atrophiamento tivera logar pela conservação do individuo dentro de uma
jarra durante muitos annos, só com a cabeça de fora durante esse longo
periodo. Essa exhibição foi prohibida pelo prefeito.
Por estes casos se verá a razão por que o crime de roubar creanças é
considerado pelos tribunaes chineses como dos mais graves, e porque os
seus autores são tão detestados e execrados pelo povo.
[1] Autor e traductor dizem sempre:--_autoplastia_,--e realmente
esta palavra emprega-se tambem no sentido contrario ao que a sua
formação etymologica indica. Mas porque não usar antes da
palavra:--_alloplastia_,--neste caso mais exacta, como
disemos:--allochézia, allochromasia, allomorphia, etc.? É certo
porem que se tracta, no artigo, de operações alloplasticas e
_autoplasticas_. (_L. C._)
[2] E em toda a China. (_Nota do traductor._)
[3] Jornal chinez publicado no norte. (_Nota do traductor._)
[4] Na China é com um pincel que se escreve. (_Nota do traductor._)
[5] Nas minhas notas encontro um caso interessante de autoplastia
teratologica que me foi referido pelo sr. Eduardo Marques,
interprete sinologo da repartição do expediente sinico de Macau.
Appareceu n'aquella cidade um curandeiro a vender um unguento, cuja
qualidade recommendada era sarar com notavel proficuidade qualquer
ferimento. Como reclamo ao seu medicamento, cortava as pernas a uma
gallinha e a um pato com um rapido golpe de parão (termo de Macau
que significa faca de cortar lenha ou carne) e com a mesma rapidez
adaptava as de um nas do outro, rodeando a junctura com uma grande
cataplasma do seu unguento e com uma boa ligadura. Postos os animaes
em capoeira apropriada, onde lhes não era possivel o movimento, ao
fim de alguns dias as pernas de um estavam perfeitamente adaptadas
ás do outro. Não ha duvida que o principio da autoplastia extensivo
ao systema osseo, recommendava o unguento, que naturalmrntc não
tinha influencia alguma na operação. (_Nota do traductor._)
Nota do transcritor:
Foram corrigidos diversos erros tipográficos. Na lista que segue estão as alterações mais importantes.
Original Correcção
taliacocão taliocoção
Ialiacotius Taliacotius
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Daniel Jerome Macgowan
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