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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..1f84075 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #50460 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/50460) diff --git a/old/50460-0.txt b/old/50460-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 92de9c1..0000000 --- a/old/50460-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,14825 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Premature Burial and How it may be Prevented, by -William Tebb and Col. Edward Perry Vollum - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - -Title: Premature Burial and How it may be Prevented - -Author: William Tebb - Col. Edward Perry Vollum - -Release Date: November 15, 2015 [EBook #50460] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PREMATURE BURIAL *** - - - - -Produced by Giovanni Fini, deaurider and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - PREMATURE BURIAL, - - AND - - HOW IT MAY BE PREVENTED. - - - - - PREMATURE BURIAL - - AND - - HOW IT MAY BE PREVENTED - - _WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO TRANCE, CATALEPSY, AND - OTHER FORMS OF SUSPENDED ANIMATION_ - - BY - - WILLIAM TEBB, F.R.G.S. - -_Corresponding Member of the Royal Academy of Medical Sciences, Palermo; - Author of “The Recrudescence of Leprosy and its Causation”_ - - AND - - COL. EDWARD PERRY VOLLUM, M.D. - - _Late Medical Inspector, U.S. Army; Corresponding Member of the - New York Academy of Sciences_ - -[Illustration: LOGO] - - LONDON - SWAN SONNENSCHEIN & CO., LIM. - 1896 - - - - -“What if in the tomb I awake!”--_Romeo and Juliet._ - -“How comes it about that patients, given over as dead by their -physicians, sometimes recover, and that some have even returned to life -in the very time of their funerals?”--CELSUS. - -“Such is the condition of humanity, and so uncertain is men’s judgment, -that they cannot determine even death itself.”--PLINY. - - - - -PREFACE. - - -A DISTRESSING experience in the writer’s family many years ago brought -home to his mind the danger of premature burial, and led ultimately -to the careful study of a gruesome subject to which he has a strong -natural repugnance. His collaborator in the volume has himself passed -through a state of profound suspended animation from drowning, having -been laid out for dead--an experience which has induced him in like -manner to investigate the various death-counterfeits. The results of -the independent inquiries carried on by both of us in various parts -of Europe and America, and by one of us during a sojourn in India in -the early part of this year, are now laid before the reader, with such -practical suggestions as it is hoped may prepare the way for bringing -about certain needed reforms in our burial customs. - -The danger, as I have attempted to show, is very real--to ourselves, -to those most dear to us, and to the community in general; and it -should be a subject of very anxious concern how this danger may -be minimised or altogether prevented. The duty of taking the most -effective precautions to this end is one that naturally falls to the -Legislature, especially under a Government professing to regard social -questions as of paramount importance. Fortunately, this is a non-party -and a non-contentious question, it imperils no interest, so that no -formal obstruction or unnecessary delay need be apprehended; and it -should be urged upon the Government to introduce and carry an effective -measure at the earliest opportunity, not only as a security against the -possibility of so terrible an evil, but to quiet the widespread and not -altogether unreasonable apprehension on this subject which is now so -prevalent. - -It has been found convenient to retain throughout the body of the work -the use of the singular pronoun, but every part of the book receives -the cordial approval of both authors, and with this explanation we -accept its responsibility jointly. - -We have to acknowledge our great indebtedness in preparing this volume -to many previous writers, including such as have investigated the -phenomena of suspended animation and the signs of death, and such -as, with a more practical intention, have dwelt upon the danger of -death-counterfeits being mistaken for the absolute extinction of life, -illustrating their counsels or warnings by numerous instances. Grouping -both classes of writers together, we may mention specially the names of -Winslow and Bruhier, Hufeland, Struve, Marcus Herz and Köppen, Kite, -Curry, and Anthony Fothergill; and, of more recent date, the names -of Bouchut, Londe, Lénormand, and Gaubert (on mortuaries), Russell -Fletcher, Franz Hartmann, and Sir Benjamin Ward Richardson. - -A work to which we are particularly indebted for the literature of -the subject is that of the late Dr. Félix Gannal, “Mort Apparente -et Mort Réelle: moyens de les distinguer.” Paris, 1890. Dr. Gannal, -having qualified in medicine and pharmacy, occupied himself with the -business of embalming, which he inherited from his father. He employed -the considerable leisure which the practice of that art left to him in -compiling the above laborious work. He examined many books, pamphlets, -theses, and articles, from which he cited expressions of opinion on -the several points--in a lengthy form in his original edition (1868), -in a condensed form in the second edition. His Bibliography is by -far the most comprehensive that has been hitherto compiled. Our own -Bibliography had been put together from various sources before we made -use of Dr. Gannal’s. It includes several titles which he does not give; -while, on the other hand, it has been considerably extended beyond its -original limits by transcribing titles which we have found nowhere but -in his list. The Bibliography, it need hardly be said, is much more -extensive than our own reading; but it seemed useful to make it as -complete as possible, whether the books had been seen by us or not, so -as to show in chronological order how much interest had been aroused in -the subject from time to time--in one country more than another, or in -various countries together. The titles of articles in journals, which -belong for the most part to the more recent period, have been taken -from the Index Catalogue of the Surgeon-General’s Library, Washington, -a few references being added to articles which have otherwise come -under our notice. - - W. T. - - - - -_CONTENTS._ - - - PAGE - - _Preface_ _1_ - - _Introduction_ _9_ - - - _CHAPTER I._ - - _Trance_ _21_ - - - _CHAPTER II._ - - _Catalepsy_ _32_ - - - _CHAPTER III._ - - _Animal and So-called Human Hibernation_ _40_ - - - _CHAPTER IV._ - - _Premature Burial_ _51_ - - - _CHAPTER V._ - - _Narrow Escapes from Premature Burial_ _64_ - - - _CHAPTER VI._ - - _Formalities and their Fatal Consequences_ _105_ - - - _CHAPTER VII._ - - _Probable Cases of Premature Burial_ _113_ - - - _CHAPTER VIII._ - - _Predisposing Causes and Conditions of Death-Counterfeits_ _120_ - - - _CHAPTER IX._ - - _Premature Burial and Cremation in India. The Towers of - Silence_ _129_ - - - _CHAPTER X._ - - _The Danger of Hasty Burials_ _144_ - - - _CHAPTER XI._ - - _The Fear of Premature Burial_ _153_ - - - _CHAPTER XII._ - - _Sudden Death_ _159_ - - - _CHAPTER XIII._ - - _The Signs of Death_ _180_ - - - _CHAPTER XIV._ - - _The Duration of Death-Counterfeits_ _208_ - - - _CHAPTER XV._ - - _The Treatment of the Dead_ _215_ - - - _CHAPTER XVI._ - - _Number of Cases of Premature Burial_ _220_ - - - _CHAPTER XVII._ - - _Embalming and Dissections_ _229_ - - - _CHAPTER XVIII._ - - _Death-Certification_ _238_ - - - _CHAPTER XIX._ - - _Suggestions for Prevention_ _257_ - - - _CHAPTER XX._ - - _Cremation as a Preventive of Premature Burial_ _275_ - - - _CHAPTER XXI._ - - _Waiting Mortuaries_ _285_ - - - _CHAPTER XXII._ - - _Conclusion_ _316_ - - - _APPENDIX A._ - - _Historical Cases of Restoration from Apparent Death_ _325_ - - - _APPENDIX B._ - - _Resuscitation of Still-Born and other Infants_ _341_ - - - _APPENDIX C._ - - _Recovery of the Drowned_ _347_ - - - _APPENDIX D._ - - _Miscellaneous Addenda_ _350_ - - - _APPENDIX E._ - - _The Jewish Practice of Early Burial_ _353_ - - - _APPENDIX F._ - - _Summary of Ordinances, etc., Relating to the Inspection of - Corpses and of Interments_ _360_ - - - _Bibliography_ _363_ - - - _Index_ _389_ - - - - -INTRODUCTION. - - -A CONCURRENCE of peculiar circumstances, beginning in May, 1895, has -directed public attention in England to the subject of premature -burial, probably to a greater degree, so far as the author’s -recollection serves, than at any time during the past half-century. -Amongst these may be mentioned the publication of several recent cases -of premature burial in the English and American papers; the narrow -escape of a child found in Regent’s Park, London, laid out for dead at -the Marylebone Mortuary, and afterwards restored to life; the issue -in Boston, U.S., of Dr. Franz Hartmann’s instructive essay, entitled, -“Buried Alive: an Examination into the Occult Causes of Apparent Death, -Trance, and Catalepsy” (a considerable number of copies having been -sold in England), and the able leading articles and correspondence on -the subject in the _Spectator_, _Daily Chronicle_, _Morning Post_, -_Leeds Mercury_, _The Jewish World_, _Plymouth Mercury_, _Manchester -Courier_, _To-Day_, and many other daily and weekly journals. - -It is curious, that while many books and pamphlets relating to -this important subject have been issued in France and Germany, no -adequate and comprehensive treatise has appeared from the English -press for more than sixty years past, nor writings in any form, with -the exception of a paper by Sir Benjamin Ward Richardson in No. 21 -of the _Asclepiad_, published in 1889, on the “Absolute Signs of -Death,” sundry articles in the medical journals from time to time, -and a London edition of Dr. Hartmann’s volume in January, 1896. The -section upon “Real and Apparent Death” in the 1868 edition of the -late Professor Guy’s _Forensic Medicine_ begins with the words, “This -subject has never attracted much attention in England, and no medical -author of repute has treated it at any length”--a remark not less true -after the lapse of a generation. The following chapters have been -prepared with the view, not so much of supplying this omission, as of -guiding the public to the dangers of our present mode of treating the -apparent dead, in the hope that reforms and preventive measures may be -instituted without delay in order to put an end to such unnecessary -domestic tragedies. - -In introducing the subject the author is aware that the great majority -of the medical profession in this country are either sceptical or -apathetic as to the alleged danger of living burial. Many do not -believe in the existence of death-trance or death-counterfeits, and the -majority of those who do believe in them declare that cases are very -rare, and that if consciousness is ever restored in the grave it can -only last a second or two, and that those who live in fear of such an -occurrence should provide for a _post-mortem_ or for the severance of -the jugular vein. Many persons, on the other hand, after much careful -inquiry, are of opinion that cases of premature burial are of frequent -occurrence; and that the great majority of the human race (outside of -a few places in Germany, where waiting mortuaries are established, or -where the police regulations, such as those described in this volume as -existing in Würtemburg, are efficiently and systematically carried out) -are liable to this catastrophe. Important as the subject is allowed to -be, and numerous as are the reported cases, no effective steps, either -public or private, appear to have been taken, outside of Germany and -Austria, to remedy the evil. At present a majority of the people appear -content to trust to the judgment of their relations and to the ordinary -certificates of death to safeguard them from so terrible a disaster. -That death-certificates and death-verifications are often of a most -perfunctory description, both as to the fact of death and the cause -of death, has been proved by overwhelming evidence before the recent -House of Commons Committee on Death-Certification. Such certificates, -when obtained, may be misleading and untrustworthy; while in many -cases burials take place without the doctor having either attended -the patient or examined the body. Nor, in spite of the appointment -of death-verificators by our neighbours across the Channel, is this -important precaution effectively carried out by them. M. Devergie -reports that in twenty-five thousand communes in France no verification -of death takes place, although the law requires it; and he demands -that no diploma shall be given without the candidate having proved -himself conversant with the signs of death. (_Medical Times_, London, -1874, vol. i., p. 25.) On personal inquiry from medical authorities in -France, during the present year (1896), we learn that this laxity still -prevails. - -It appears strange that, except when a man dies, all his concerns are -protected by custom and formalities, or guarded by laws, so as to -insure his interests being fairly carried out to completion. Thus we -see that heirship, marriage, business affairs of all kinds, whether of -a public or private nature, are amply guarded by such precautionary -and authoritative measures as will secure them. But one of the most -important of all human interests--that which relates to the termination -of life--is managed in such a careless and perfunctory way as to permit -of irreparable mistakes. To be sure there are laws in most of the -Continental States of Europe that are intended to regulate the care and -burial of the dead, but few of them make it certain that the apparently -dead shall not be mistaken for the really dead, and treated as such. -None of them allow more than seventy-two hours before burial (some -allow only thirty-six, others twenty-four, and others again much less, -according to the nature of the disease), unless the attending physician -petitions the authorities for reasonable delay--a rare occurrence. -And even if postponement is granted, it is doubtful if the inevitable -administrative formalities would leave opportunities for dubious cases -to receive timely and necessary attention, or for cases of trance, -catalepsy, coma, or the like, to be rescued from a living burial. - -In the introduction to a Treatise entitled “The Uncertainty of the -Signs of Death, and the Danger of Precipitate Interments,” published in -1746, the author, Mr. M. Cooper, surgeon, says:--“Though death at some -time or other is the necessary and unavoidable portion of human nature, -yet it is not always certain that persons taken for dead are really and -irretrievably deprived of life, since it is evident from experience -that many apparently dead have afterwards proved themselves alive by -rising from their shrouds, their coffins, and even from their graves. -It is equally certain that some persons, too soon interred after their -supposed decease, have in their graves fallen victims to a death which -might otherwise have been prevented, but which they then find more -cruel than that procured by the rope or the rack.” The author quotes -Lancisi, first physician to Pope Clement XI., who, in his Treatise _De -subitaneis mortibus_, observes:--“Histories and relations are not the -only proofs which convince me that many persons supposed to be dead -have shown themselves alive, even when they were ready to be buried, -since I am induced to such a belief from what I myself have seen; for -I saw a person of distinction, now alive, recover sensation and motion -when the priest was performing the funeral service over him in church.” - -After reporting and describing a large number of cases of premature -burial, or of narrow escapes from such terrible occurrences, in which -the victims of hasty diagnosis were prepared for burial, or revived -during the progress of the burial service, Mr. Cooper continues:--“Now, -if a multiplicity of instances evince that many have the good fortune -to escape being interred alive, it is justly to be suspected that -a far greater number have fallen victims to a fatal confinement in -their graves. But because human nature is such a slave to prejudice, -and so tied down by the fetters of custom, it is highly difficult, if -not absolutely impossible, to put people on their guard against such -terrible accidents, or to persuade those vested with authority to take -proper measures for preventing them.” - -Nothing seems to have been done to remedy this serious evil; and -forty-two years later Mr. Chas. Kite, a well-known practitioner, called -attention to the subject in a volume, entitled “The Recovery of the -Apparently Dead,” London, 1788. This author, on p. 92, says:--“Many, -various, and even opposite appearances have been supposed to indicate -the total extinction of life. Formerly, a stoppage of the pulse and -respiration were thought to be unequivocal signs of death; particular -attention in examining the state of the heart and larger arteries, the -flame of a taper, a lock of wool, or a mirror applied to the mouth or -nostrils, were conceived sufficient to ascertain these points; _and -great has been the number of those who have fallen untimely victims -to this erroneous opinion_. Some have formed their prognostic from -the livid, black, and cadaverous countenance; others from the heavy, -dull, fixed, or flaccid state of the eyes; from the dilated pupil; -the foaming at the mouth and nostrils, the rigid and inflexible state -of the body, jaws, or extremities; the intense and universal cold, -etc. Some, conceiving any one of these symptoms as incompetent and -inadequate to the purpose, have required the presence of such of them -as were, in their opinion, the least liable to error; but whoever will -take the trouble of reading the Reports of the (Humane) Society with -attention, will meet with very many instances where all the appearances -separately, and even where several associated in the same case, -occurred, and yet the patient recovered; and it is therefore evident -that these signs will not afford certain and unexceptionable criteria -by which we may distinguish between life and death.” - -Mr. Kite furnishes references to numerous cases of recovery where the -apparently dead exhibited black, livid, or cadaverous countenances; -eyes fixed or obscure; eyeballs diminished in size, immovable and -fixed in their sockets, the cornea without lustre; eyes shrivelled; -froth at the mouth; rigidity of the body, jaws, and extremities; -partial or universal cold.[1] - -The crux of the whole question is the uncertainty of the signs which -announce the cessation of physical existence. Prizes have been offered, -and prizes have been awarded, but further experience has shown that the -signs and tests, sometimes singly and sometimes in combination, have -been untrustworthy, and that the only certain and unfailing sign of -death is decomposition. - -Commenting upon actual cases of premature burial, the _Lancet_, March -17, 1866, p. 295, says:--“Truly there is something about the very -notion of such a fate calculated to make one shudder, and to send a -cold stream down one’s spine. By such a catastrophe is not meant the -sudden avalanche of earth, bricks, or stones upon the luckless miner or -excavator, or the crushing, suffocative death from tumbling ruins. No; -it is the cool, determined treatment of a living being as if he were -dead--the rolling him in his winding sheet, the screwing him down in -his coffin, the weeping at his funeral, and the final lowering of him -into the narrow grave, and piling upon his dark and box-like dungeon -loads of his mother earth. The last footfall departs from the solitary -church-yard, leaving the entranced sleeper behind in his hideous shell -soon to awaken to consciousness and to a benumbed half-suffocated -existence for a few minutes; or else, more horrible still, there he -lies beneath the ground conscious of what has been and still is, -until, by some fearful agonised struggle of the inner man at the weird -phantasmagoria which has passed across his mental vision, he awakes to -a bodily vivification as desperate in its torment for a brief period as -has been that of his physical activity. But it is soon past. There is -scarcely room to turn over in the wooden chamber; and what can avail a -few shrieks and struggles of a half-stifled, cramped-up man!” - -To prevent such unspeakable horrors as are here pictured, the Egyptians -kept the bodies of the dead under careful supervision by the priests -until satisfied that life was extinct, previous to embalming them -by means of antiseptics, balsams, and odoriferous gums. The Greeks -were aware of the dangers of premature burial, and cut off fingers -before cremation to see whether life was extinct. In ancient Rome the -recurrence of cases of premature burial had impressed the nation with -the necessity for exercising the greatest caution in the treatment of -the supposed dead; hasty conclusions were looked upon as criminal, the -absence of breath or heat or a cadaverous appearance were regarded -as uncertain tests, and the supposed dead were put into warm baths -or washed with hot water, and other means of restoration adopted. -Neither in the greater part of Europe nor in the United States are -any such means resorted to now, except in the case of apparent death -by drowning, by asphyxia, or by hanging. Premature burials and narrow -escapes are of almost every-day occurrence, as the narratives in the -newspapers testify; and the complaint made by a surgeon, Mr. Cooper, -a hundred and fifty years ago, that the evil is perpetuated because -we are slaves to prejudice, and because those vested with authority -refuse to take measures for prevention, remains a serious blot upon our -advanced civilisation. The _Spectator_, September 14, 1895, commenting -upon this unsatisfactory state of affairs, observes:--“Burning, -drowning, even the most hideous mutilation under a railway train, is -as nothing compared with burial alive. Strangely enough this universal -horror seems to have produced no desire to guard against burial alive. -We all fear it, and yet practically no one takes any trouble to avoid -the risk of it happening in his own case, or in that of the rest of -mankind. It would be the simplest thing in the world to take away all -chance of burying alive; and yet the world remains indifferent, and -enjoys its horror undisturbed by the hope of remedy.” - -The authors’ own reasonings, opinions, and conclusions are here -briefly presented; but as the majority of the public are more or less -influenced by authority, it has been thought advisable to furnish a -series of authenticated facts under the several headings to which they -belong, and to cite the judgments of eminent members of the medical -profession who have given special attention to the subject. The source -of difficulty has been an _embarras de richesse_, or how from a mass -of material, the extent of which will be seen by reference to the -Bibliography, to select typical cases without needless repetition. -The premature burials and narrow escapes from such disasters, which -are reported by distinguished physicians and reputable writers, may -be numbered literally by hundreds, and for every one reported it is -obvious from the nature of the case that many are never heard of. -Amongst the names of notable persons who have thought the subject -sufficiently practical for their attention may be mentioned those of -Empedocles, Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, Pliny, Celsus, Plutarch, and St. -Augustine in antiquity; of Fabricius, Lancisi, Winslow, Haller, Buffon, -Lavater, Moses Mendelssohn, Hufeland, and Alexander von Humboldt in -modern times. - -The subject has several times engaged the attention of the French -Senate and Legislative Chamber, as well as the Legislative Assemblies -in the various States of Germany. In 1871, Dr. Alex. Wilder, Prof. of -Physiology and Psychological Science, read a paper before the members -of both houses of the New York State Legislature at the Capitol, -Albany; but we are not aware that the subject has ever been introduced -in any of the other State Legislatures, or in the British Parliament, -or in any of the Colonial Assemblies. - -In an editorial note, as far back as November 27, 1858, the _Lancet_, -referring to a case of death-trance, remarked that such “examples are -sufficiently mysterious in their character to call for a more careful -investigation than it has hitherto been possible to accord to them.” -The facts disclosed in this treatise, the authors hope, may encourage -qualified scientific observers to study the subject of death-trance, -which, it must be admitted, has been strangely overlooked in England, -though it would not be easy to mention one which more deeply concerns -every individual born into the world. - -In order to prevent unnecessary pain to the reader on a subject so -distressing in its nature, the more sensational and horrifying cases -of premature burial have been omitted. They can, however, be found -in abundance in the writings of Bruhier, Köppen, Kempner, Lénormand, -Bouchut, Russell Fletcher, and the Boston (U.S.) edition of Hartmann. -In England and in America it is the fashion amongst medical men to -maintain that the tests known to medical art are fully equal to the -prevention of live burial, that the cases quoted by the newspapers -are introduced for sensational purposes, and that most of them are -apocryphal. The perusal of the cases recorded in this volume, and a -careful consideration of the weight of cumulative evidence represented -by the very full bibliography, must satisfy the majority of reflective -readers that the facts are both authentic and numerous. - - - - - PREMATURE BURIAL, - AND - HOW IT MAY BE PREVENTED. - - - - - _SOME FORMS OF SUSPENDED ANIMATION._ - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -TRANCE. - - -OF all the various forms of suspended animation and apparent death, -trance and catalepsy are the least understood, and most likely to lead -the subject of them to a premature burial; the laws which control -them have perplexed pathologists in all ages, and appear to be as -insoluble as those which govern life itself. Dr. Le Clerc, in his -“History of Medicine,” records that “Heraclides, of Pontus, wrote a -book _concerning the causes of diseases_, and another _concerning -the disease in which the patient is without respiration_, in which -he affirmed that in this disorder the patient sometimes continued -thirty days without respiration, in such wise that he appeared dead, -notwithstanding that there was no corruption of the body.”[2] - -Dr. Herbert Mayo, in “Letters on Truths Contained in Popular -Superstitions,” p. 34, says that “death-trance is the suspension -of the action of the heart, and of breathing, and of voluntary -motion--generally little sense of feeling and intelligence. With these -phenomena is joined loss of external warmth, so that the usual evidence -of life is gone. But there has occurred every shade of this condition -that can be imagined, between occasional slight manifestations of -suspension of one or other of the vital actions and their entire -disparition.” - -Macnish, who also asserts that the function of the heart must go on, -and even of the respiration, however slightly, says--“No affection -to which the animal frame is subject is more remarkable than this -(catalepsy, or trance).... There is such an apparent extinction of -every faculty essential to life, that it is inconceivable how existence -should go on during the continuance of the fit.”--_Philos. of Sleep, -Glasgow, 1834, pp. 225-6._ - -In Quain’s “Dictionary of Medicine,” ii., p. 1063, Dr. Gowers -says:--“The state now designated hypnotism is really induced trance, -and trance has been accurately termed ‘spontaneous hypnotism’.... - -“The mental functions seem, in most cases, to be in complete abeyance. -No manifestations of consciousness can be observed, or elicited by the -most powerful cutaneous stimulation, and on recovery no recollection of -the state is preserved. But in some cases volition only is lost, and -the patient is aware of all that passes, although unable to give the -slightest evidence of consciousness.... - -“In the cases in which the depression of the vital functions reaches -an extreme degree, the patient appears dead to casual and sometimes to -careful observation. This condition has been termed ‘death-trance,’ -and has furnished the theme for many sensational stories, but -the most ghastly incidents of fiction have been paralleled by -well-authenticated facts. [The last clause appears in the new edition -as follows:--“Persons have certainly been buried in this state, and -during the recent epidemic of influenza an Italian narrowly escaped -interment during the consequent trance.”] - -“The duration of trance has varied from a few hours or days to several -weeks, months, or even a year. - -“Occasionally it is attended by some vaso-motor disturbance. In a -well-authenticated case of death-trance the intense mental excitement -produced by the preparations for fastening the coffin lid occasioned a -sweat to break out over the body.” - -[CASE OF BENJAMIN DISRAELI.] - -Many notable men have at one time or another been subject to this -disorder. Speaking of Benjamin Disraeli, Mr. J. Fitzgerald Molloy, in -his “Life of the Gorgeous Lady Blessington,” vol. ii., pp. 37, 38, says -that in his “youth he was seized with fits of giddiness, during which -the world swung round him, he became abstracted, and once fell into a -trance from which he did not recover for a week.” - - -LETHARGIC STUPOR, OR TRANCE. - -The _Lancet_ of December 22, 1883, pp. 1078-80, contains particulars -from the pen of W. T. Gairdner, M.D., LL.D., etc., Professor of -Medicine in the University of Glasgow, of a remarkable case of trance, -extending continuously over more than twenty-three weeks, which -attracted a considerable amount of notoriety at the time and led to -an extensive discussion. In his comments upon the case, the author -continues, in the issue of January 5, 1884, pp. 5, 6:-- - -“The case recorded in the _Lancet_ of December 22, 1883, p. 1078, has -been left up to this point without remarks, other than those obviously -suggested by the direct observation of the facts in comparison or -contrast with those of other cases coming more or less under the -designation above mentioned. But in perusing, even in the most cursory -manner, the multitudinous literature pertaining to the subjects of -‘trance,’ ‘ecstasy,’ ‘catalepsy,’ etc., not to speak of the popular -narratives which from a very remote antiquity have handed down the -tradition of preternatural sleep as an element in the fairy tales -of almost all languages, one is struck by the almost uncontrollable -disposition to regard such cases as altogether outside the limits of -true physiological science: as being, according to the expressive -Scotch phrase, ‘no canny’--or, in other words, miraculous--and as -involving questions connected with the unseen world, ‘the undiscovered -country from whose bourn no traveller returns.’ So much is this the -case, that, if in this nineteenth century the questions which presented -themselves to Hippocrates in the treatise, _περὶ ἱερῆς νούσου_ -(‘Concerning the Sacred Disease’), had to be rediscussed, it would -certainly be in regard to some of the disorders mentioned above, and -not as to epilepsy in its well-recognised clinical types, that the -theory of a supernatural origin of the phenomena, whether favourably -entertained or not, would fall to be argued. The irreconcilable -differences of opinion in the Belgium Academy, as regards the quite -modern instance of Louise Lateau, are sufficient to show that all the -culture and the scientific instincts of the present age have not quite -inaugurated the ‘reign of law,’ nor established finally the position -that ‘miracles do not happen.’ On the other hand, the researches of -M. Charcot and others seem to be ever extending the domain of science -further into the region of the marvellous and the obscure, so that -even the most pronounced cases of ‘demoniac possession’ of the olden -time have become the commonplaces of hystero-epilepsy in the clinique -of the Salpétrière. The peculiar interest of the present case is that -it is altogether devoid of any of these adventitious, and more or less -romantic, incidents. The patient is the mother of a family, and has -lived a strictly domestic and (up to a short time before her seizure) -healthy and regular life. There are no peculiar moral and religious -problems to perplex the situation. There is no history of inveterate -hysteria, or of long continued rapt contemplation; nor has there been -the slightest evidence of any craving after notoriety, either before -the attack or since its termination. The moral atmosphere, in short, -surrounding the phenomena is altogether unfavourable to exaggeration -and imposture, for which, indeed, no reasonable motive can be assigned. -Nevertheless, under these very commonplace conditions, concurring -with some degree of melancholy or mental despondency after delivery, -but during a convalescence otherwise normal, Mrs. M’I---- presents -to our notice a condition of suspended consciousness and disordered -innervation in no degree less extreme than the ‘trances’ or cataleptic -attacks which have been recorded as the result of the most aggravated -hysteria, or as the miracles of religious ecstasy and profound mental -emotion. She becomes for the long period of over a hundred and sixty -days continuously an almost mindless automaton, connected with the -external world only through a few insignificant reflexes and through -the organic functions. She is absolutely passive as regards everything -that demands spontaneous movement, and betrays almost no sign of -sensation, general or special, when subjected to the severest tests -that can be applied short of physical injury.” - -[CASE REPORTED BY PROF. W. T. GAIRDNER.] - -In further notes upon the case, in the _Lancet_ of January 12, 1884, p. -58, Professor Gairdner says:-- - - “The only other case to which I desire to make allusion at present - is one in which I am, fortunately, in a position to furnish a - sequel to an incomplete narrative, not without resemblance to the - one lately published in this journal. ‘A Case of Trance’ was the - subject of a paragraph in the _British Medical Journal_ of May 31, - 1879, p. 827, from which it appeared that in the London Hospital a - woman, twenty-seven years of age, was at the time under the care - of Dr. Langdon Down, being of rather small stature and weak mental - capacity, and affected for at least two years with organic disease of - the heart. About three weeks before the date of the report she had - become suddenly somnolent, with most of the peculiarities in her sleep - which have been already alluded to. She was fed partly by nutrient - enemata, and for some days by a tube passed through the nostrils into - the stomach. The resemblance is noted between this case and that of - ‘the famous Welsh fasting girl,’ then attracting much attention in - newspapers and otherwise. There being no further reference to this - case in the journal, I wrote to Dr. Langdon Down, who kindly furnished - me with the following additional particulars, which will, no doubt, - be read even now with interest:--‘My patient, who was in a state of - trance, recovered somewhat suddenly after about four weeks, and left - the hospital. The first indication of returning consciousness was - observed when I was reading to my class at her bedside one of the - numerous letters that I had received entreating me not to have her - buried until something which the writers recommended had been done. - The paragraph of the medical journal got into some Welsh paper, and - then went the round of the provincial press, hence the number of - letters I received. This special one was from an old gentleman of - eighty-four years, who, when he was twenty-four, was thought to be - dead, and whose friends had assembled to follow him to the grave, when - he heard the undertaker say, “Would anyone like to see the corpse - before I screw him down?” The undertaker at the same time moved the - head a little and struck it against the coffin, on which he aroused - and sat up. On reading this aloud a visible smile passed over the face - of my patient, and she returned to obvious consciousness soon after. - She has not come under observation since she left the hospital.’ - -“Although this case is probably only one among many, I mention it here -because the receipt of the letter just given led me to investigate more -particularly the state of the hearing in Mrs. M’I.’s case, and also to -try the experiment of reading aloud Dr. Down’s letter in her presence -and that of the class. I had often remarked to bystanders that, -although the subjects of these apparently unconscious states appeared -inaccessible to the ordinary tests of sensibility, it was on record -as regards some, even of those regarded as cases of ‘apparent death,’ -that after recovery they affirm to have heard everything that passed, -although unable to lift hand or foot to save themselves from premature -burial. Neither the reading of the letter nor a violent shout into her -ear produced any visible effects.” - -[DEATH’S COUNTERFEIT.] - -Thomas More Madden, M.D., F.R.C.S. (Edin.), in an article on “Death’s -Counterfeit,” in the _Medical Press and Circular_, vol. i., April 27, -1887, pp. 386-8, relates the following case “of so-called hysteric -trance”:-- - - “A young lady, Miss R----, apparently in perfect health, went to her - room after luncheon to make some change in her dress. A few minutes - afterwards she was found lying on her bed in a profound sleep, from - which she could not be awakened. When I first saw her, twenty-four - hours later, she was sleeping tranquilly; the decubitus being dorsal, - respiration scarcely perceptible, pulse seventy, and extremely small; - her face was pallid, lips motionless, and the extremities very cold. - At this moment, so death-like was her aspect, that a casual observer - might have doubted the possibility of the vital spark still lingering - in that apparently inanimate frame, on which no external stimulus - seemed to produce any sensorial impression, with the exception - that the pupils were normal and responded to light. Sinapisms were - applied over the heart and to the legs, where they were left on until - vesication was occasioned without causing any evidence of pain. - Faradisation was also resorted to without effect. In this state she - remained from the evening of December 31 until the afternoon of - January 3, when the pulse became completely imperceptible; the surface - of the body was icy cold, the respiratory movements apparently ceased, - and her condition was to all outward appearance undistinguishable - from death. Under the influence of repeated hypodermic injections of - sulphuric ether and other remedies, however, she rallied somewhat, - and her pulse and temperature improved. But she still slept on until - the morning of the 9th, when she suddenly woke up, and, to the great - astonishment of those about her, called for her clothes, which had - been removed from their ordinary place, and wanted to come down to - breakfast, without the least consciousness of what had occurred. Her - recovery, I may add, was rapid and complete. - - “The next case of lethargy that came under my notice was that of a - boy, who, after an attack of fever, fell into a state of complete - lethargic coma, in which he lay insensible between life and death for - forty-seven days, and ultimately recovered perfectly. - - “In a third instance of the same kind, in a lady under my care, the - patient, after a lethargic sleep of twenty-seven days, recovered - consciousness for a few hours, and then relapsed into her former - comatose condition, in which she died. - - “The fourth case of lethargy which I have seen was, like the first, - a case of trance, which lasted for seventy hours, during which the - flickering vital spark was only preserved from extinction by the - involuntary action of the spinal and nervous centres. In this instance - the patient finally recovered. - - “The fifth and last instance of profound lethargy that has come within - my own observation occurred last autumn in the Mater Misericordiæ - Hospital in a young woman.... In that instance, despite all that - medical skill could suggest or unremitting attention could do, it was - found impossible to arouse the patient from the apparently hysterical - lethargic sleep in which she ultimately sank and died.” - -I have referred to the foregoing cases, occurring in one physician’s -experience, as disproving the general opinion that lethargy or trance -is so rarely met with as to be of little medical importance. For my own -part, I have no doubt that these conditions are of far more frequent -occurrence than is generally supposed. Moreover, I have had reason to -know that death is occasionally so exactly thus counterfeited that -there is good cause for fearing the probability of living interment in -some cases of hasty burial. - -[DR. MORE MADDEN’S OPINION.] - -Referring to death-trance, Dr. Madden observes, _ib._, p. -388--“Death-trance, or that profound degree of lethargy which closely -counterfeits death, deserves greater attention than is generally paid -to it as a pathological condition, as well as a possible cause of -premature interment. For, unless we reject every statement, however -well authenticated, of those who have witnessed such cases, merely -because their experience does not tally with our preconceived opinions -and wishes, neither the frequent occurrence of death-trance nor the -fearful results of its non-recognition can be questioned.” - -Mr. John Chippendale, F.R.C.S., writing to the _Lancet_, 1889, vol. i., -p. 1173, on “Catalepsy.--Post-mortem Sweating,” says:-- - - “I may mention that there is a record of a man who during an illness - was seized with trance, though, as he lay in what Claudio calls ‘cold - abstraction,’ he was aware of all that was passing. At last, as he was - about to be covered in his coffin, his mental condition was such that - he broke into a profuse sweat, which was fortunately perceived, and he - recovered and was able to recount his experiences.” - -It would appear from the following telegram through Reuter’s Agency -that trance is occasionally epidemic:-- - - [From _Daily Telegraph_, March 17, 1890.] - - “A NEW DISEASE. - - “Vienna, March 15, 1890. - - “Several cases of a new disease, which originally appeared in - Mantua immediately after the subsidence of the recent influenza - epidemic, and to which the people of that city gave the name of ‘La - nonna’--_Anglice_, ‘Falling asleep’--have occurred in the Comitat of - Pressburg. - - “Persons suffering from this complaint fall into a death-like trance, - lasting about four days, out of which the patient wakes in a state of - intense exhaustion. Recovery is very slow, but, so far, no fatal case - has been reported.” - -A correspondent writing to the _English Mechanic_ September 13, 1895, -says:--“I know one lady who has been three times prepared for burial, -and very narrowly escaped it on the first occasion.” The author -wrote to the writer for further details, and received a reply, dated -September 19, 1895, from which it appears that the lady had married -into a political family of considerable note, who would not care to -have her identity disclosed. My correspondent says:--“ I know that she -lay several days in a state not to be distinguished from death; that -she was in her coffin, and, I believe, showed signs of life just as the -coffin was about to be closed. On two subsequent occasions she passed -into similar trances; but though believed to be dead, and treated as -such, the previous experience prevented any idea of burial being -entertained” until clear evidence of dissolution should appear. - -The _New York Weekly Witness_ of January 15, 1896, reports - -[A SEVEN YEARS’ TRANCE.] - - “A LONG CATALEPTIC SLEEP. - - “Information was received at Milford, Pa., last Friday, that William - Depue, a prominent citizen of Bushkill, Pike County, whose mind for - seven years has been a blank, had suddenly returned to consciousness. - - “Seven years ago, while at work, Mr. Depue became ill. Doctors were - summoned, but they could find no possible ailment. The sick man sank - into a cataleptic sleep, from which medical science could not arouse - him. - - “At no time during the long period did he recognise any one, and food - was given him through a tube inserted in his mouth. He lost no flesh, - and was apparently as healthy as any man. Although the best medical - men in the country were called to his bedside, his case baffled them - all. - - “Upon recovering his senses he set about his usual labours as if he - had been asleep but the ordinary time. He remembers nothing that has - taken place during his seven years’ trance.” - -The following case appeared in the _Middlesbrough Daily Gazette_, -February 9, 1896, and in a number of English papers:-- - - “The young Dutch maiden, Maria Cvetskens, who now lies asleep at - Stevensworth, has beaten the record in the annals of somnolence. At - the beginning of last month she had been asleep for nearly three - hundred days. The doctors, who visit her in great numbers, are agreed - that there is no deception in the case. Her parents are of excellent - repute, and it has never occurred to them to make any financial profit - out of the abnormal state of their daughter. As to the cause of the - prolonged sleep, the doctors differ.” - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -CATALEPSY. - - -CATALEPSY differs in some of its characteristics from trance, but the -one is often mistaken for the other. It is not so much a disease as a -symptom of certain nervous disorders, and to which women and children -are more particularly liable. Catalepsy can be produced artificially by -hypnotisation. Like trance, it has often been mistaken for death, and -its subjects buried alive. - -Dr. Franz Hartmann differentiates the two disorders as follows:--“There -seems hardly any limit to the time during which a person may remain -in a trance; but catalepsy is due to some obstruction in the organic -mechanism of the body, on account of its exhausted nervous power. -In the last case the activity of life begins again as soon as the -impediment is removed, or the nervous energy has recuperated its -strength.” - -Dr. Gowers, in Quain’s “Dictionary of Medicine,” ed. 1894, vol. i., -pp. 284-5, describes catalepsy as belonging to both sexes, at all ages -from six to sixty. It is a nervous affection, commonly associated -with distinct evidence of hysteria, but said sometimes to occur as -an early symptom of epilepsy. It is attended commonly with loss of -consciousness. The limbs remain in the position they occupied at the -onset, as if petrified. The whole or part of the muscles pass into -a state of rigidity. In profound conditions sensibility is lost to -touch, pain, and electricity; and no reflex movements can be induced -even by touching the conjunctiva, a state of mental trance being -associated. - -[NATURE OF CATALEPSY.] - -_Cassell’s Family Physician_ (by Physicians and Surgeons of the -principal London Hospitals) describes this singular affection, as -follows:--“Catalepsy is one of the strangest diseases possible. It -is of rare occurrence, and some very sceptical people have even -gone so far as to deny its existence. That is all nonsense, for -catalepsy is just as much a reality as gout or bronchitis. A fit of -catalepsy--for it is a paroxysmal disease--consists essentially in -the sudden suspension of thought, feeling, and the power of moving. -The patient remains in any position in which she--we say she, for it -occurs mostly in women--happens to be at the moment of the seizure, and -will, moreover, retain any posture in which she may be placed during -the continuance of the fit. For example, you may stretch out the arms -to their full length, and there they remain stretched out without -showing the slightest tendency to drop. It does not matter how absurd -or inconvenient or apparently fatiguing the position may be, it is -maintained until altered by some one or until the fit is over. In these -attacks there are no convulsions, but, on the contrary, the patient -remains perfectly immobile. She is just like a waxen figure, or an -inanimate statue, or a frozen corpse. - -“Cataleptic fits vary very much, not only in their frequency, but in -their duration. Sometimes they are very short indeed, lasting only a -few minutes. In one case, that of a lady, they would sometimes come on -when she was reading aloud. She would stop suddenly in the middle of a -sentence, and a peculiar stiffness of the whole body would seize her, -fixing the limbs immovably for several minutes. Then it would pass off, -and the reading would be continued at the very word at which it had -been interrupted, the patient being quite unconscious that anything had -happened. But sometimes fits such as these may last for days and days -together, and it seems not improbable that people may have been buried -in this state in mistake for death.” - -The following case, contributed by Dr. Gooch, will further illustrate -this malady:-- - - “A lady, who laboured habitually under melancholy, a few days after - parturition was seized with catalepsy, and presented the following - appearances:--She was lying in bed motionless and apparently - senseless. It was thought the pupils of her eyes were dilated, and - some apprehensions were entertained of effusion on the brain; but - on examining them closely it was found they readily contracted when - the light fell upon them. The only signs of life were warmth, and a - pulse which was one hundred and twenty, and weak. In attempting to - rouse her from this senseless state, the trunk of the body was lifted - up and placed so far back as to form an obtuse angle with the lower - extremities, and in this posture, with nothing to support her, she - continued sitting for many minutes. One arm was now raised, and then - the other, and in the posture they were placed they remained. It was - a curious sight to see her sitting up staring lifelessly, her arms - outstretched, yet without any visible signs of animation. She was - very thin and pallid, and looked like a corpse that had been propped - up and stiffened in that attitude. She was now taken out of bed and - placed upright, and attempts were made to rouse her by calling loudly - in her ears, but in vain; she stood up, indeed, but as inanimate as a - statue. The slightest push put her off her balance, and she made no - exertion to retain it, and would have fallen had she not been caught. - She went into this state three times; the first lasted fourteen - hours, the second twelve hours, and the third nine hours, with waking - intervals of three days after the first fit, and of one day after - the second; after this time the disease assumed the ordinary form of - melancholia.--_The Science and Practice of Medicine, by Sir W. Aitken, - p. 357._ - -[CASES BY DRS. JEBB AND KING CHAMBERS.] - -Dr. John Jebb, F.R.S., cited in Reynolds’ “System of Medicine,” vol. -ii., pp. 99-102, has recorded the following graphic case:-- - - “In the latter end of last year (_viz._, 1781), I was desired to - visit a young lady who, for nine months, had been afflicted with that - singular disorder termed a catalepsy. Although she was prepared for - my visit, she was seized with the disorder as soon as my arrival was - announced. She was employed in netting, and was passing the needle - through the mesh, in which position she immediately became rigid, - exhibiting, in a very pleasing form, a figure of death-like sleep, - beyond the power of art to imitate or the imagination to conceive. Her - forehead was serene, her features perfectly composed. The paleness - of her colour, her breathing at a distance being also scarcely - perceptible, operated in rendering the similitude to marble more exact - and striking. The positions of her fingers, hands, and arms were - altered with difficulty, but they preserved every form of flexure they - acquired: nor were the muscles of the neck exempted from this law, her - head maintaining every situation in which the hand could place it as - firmly as her limbs,” etc. - -Dr. King Chambers, after citing the above case in full, continues:-- - - “The most common exciting cause of catalepsy seems to be strong mental - emotion. When Covent Garden Theatre was last burnt down, the blaze - flashed in at the uncurtained windows of St. Mary’s Hospital. One of - my patients, a girl of twenty, recovering from low fever, was woke up - by it, and exclaimed that the day of judgment was come. She remained - in an excited state all night, and the next morning grew gradually - stiff, like a corpse, whispering (before she became quite insensible) - that she was dead. If her arm was raised, it remained extended in - the position in which it was placed for several minutes, and then - slowly subsided. The inelastic kind of way in which it retained its - position for a time, and then gradually yielded to the force of - gravity, reminded one more of a wax figure than of the marble to - which Dr. Jebb compares it. A strange effect was produced by opening - the eyelid of one eye; the other eye remained closed, and the raised - lid after a time fell very slowly like the arm. A better superficial - representation of death it is difficult to conceive.... In both these - cases I convinced myself carefully that there was no deception. - - “Other cases are of much longer duration.... The death-like state - may last for days. It may be mistaken for real death, and treated as - such.... - - “Any cases of apparent death that did occur (in former days) were - burnt, or buried, or otherwise put out of the way, and were never more - heard of. But after the establishment of Christianity, tenderness, - sometimes excessive, for the remains of departed friends took the - place of the hard, heathen selfishness. The dead were kept closer to - the congregations of the living, as if to represent in material form - the dogma of the Communion of Saints. This led to the discovery that - some persons, indeed some persons of note (amongst others, Duns Scotus - the theologian, at Cologne), had got out of their coffins, and died in - a vain attempt to open the doors of their vaults.” - -[CASES FROM THE MEDICAL JOURNALS.] - -The author relates several other remarkable cases. Here is one:-- - - “I lighted accidently on another case, communicated to the same - scientific body (Acad. Royale des Sciences), by M. Imbert in 1713. - It is that of the driver of the Rouen diligence, aged forty-five, - who fell into a kind of soporific catalepsy on hearing of the sudden - death of a man he had quarrelled with. It appears that ‘M. Burette, - under whose care he was at La Charité, made use of the most powerful - assistances of art--bleeding in the arms, the foot, the neck, emetics, - purgatives, blisters, leeches,’ etc. At last somebody ‘threw him - naked into cold water to surprise him.’ The effect surprised the - doctors as much as the patient. It is related with evident wonder how - that ‘he opened his eyes, looked steadfastly, but did not speak.’ His - wife seems to have been a prudent woman, for a week afterwards she - ‘carried him home, where he is at present: they gave him no medicine; - he speaks sensibly enough, and mends every day.’” - -The _Lancet_, 1870, vol. i., p. 1044, in its Paris correspondence -says:-- - - “The following curious case is related as having occurred at Dunkirk, - on April 14, and as ‘showing the utility of catalepsy.’ A young girl - of seventeen years was seized with a violent attack of epilepsy, and - fell, on the above date, into a canal. A boatman immediately jumped - into the water to save her, and brought her to the shore after twenty - minutes. The most singular circumstance connected with the accident is - that, when the young girl was taken out of the water, she presented - all the symptoms of catalepsy. Notwithstanding this long immersion, - she was resuscitated, and nothing afterwards transpired to cause any - anxiety.” - -Mr. James Braid, M.R.C.S., in the _Medical Times_, 1850, vol. xxi., -p. 402, narrates a case of a cataleptic woman in the Manchester Royal -Infirmary under the care of Dr. John Mitchell, and writes:-- - - “Every variety of contrivance and torture was resorted to by various - parties who saw her, for the purpose of testing the degree of her - insensibility, and for determining whether she might not be an - impostor, but without eliciting the slightest indication of activity - of any of the senses; ... nevertheless she _heard and understood all - that was said and proposed to be done, and suffered the most exquisite - torture from various tests applied to her_!! A fact so important as - this ought to be published in every journal throughout the civilised - world; so that in future professional men might be thereby led to - exercise greater discretion and mercy in their modes of applying tests - to such patients.” - -The _Somerset County Herald_ (Taunton) of October 12 1895, has the -following:-- - - - “EXTRAORDINARY CASE OF TRANCE NEAR WEYMOUTH. - - “The wedding nuptials of a sailor from H.M.S. _Alexandra_ and a young - woman residing at Broadwey, who were recently married, have been - interrupted in a most unusual manner by the newly-made bride falling - into a trance. On the day following the wedding Mr. and Mrs. Mortimer, - for such is the name of the newly-espoused pair, went for a drive, and - on returning in the evening the bride, remarking that she did not feel - very well, went upstairs, and before long was in a sound sleep, which - continued throughout the night and far into the following day. The - relatives of the bride, remembering symptoms which she had previously - developed, then sent for Dr. Pridham, who at once pronounced that - the unfortunate young woman had fallen into a trance. Dr. Colmer, of - Weymouth, was likewise called; but nothing that these two medical - gentlemen could do had the slightest effect in arousing their patient - from the state of lethargy into which she had so suddenly and - unexpectedly relapsed. In this condition she remained for a space of - five days, when she gradually showed signs of returning animation, - and in the course of a few hours regained consciousness, though she - was then in a very exhausted condition. After her awakening the young - woman developed inflammation of the legs, which was regarded as a - very serious condition for her to be in. In an interview on Saturday, - Dr. Pridham described the trance as being exceedingly death-like in - character, and added that, in such trances as the one in question, in - the past people have no doubt been actually buried.” - -A report of this case appears in the _St. James’s Gazette_. - -A less experienced practitioner would probably have made out a death -certificate, as in numerous similar cases. - -After burial we hear no more of them; they may have been buried in -a death-like trance, but the medical certificate, no matter how -inconsiderately given, consigns them to perpetual silence beyond appeal -or escape. Family remonstrance is then unavailing, for, except in cases -of strong suspicion of poisoning, no Home Secretary or Coroner would -grant an order for exhumation. - -[APATHY OF THE PUBLIC.] - -The existence of trance, catalepsy, and other death counterfeits, -followed by hasty burial, has been alluded to by reputable writers from -time immemorial; and while the veracity of these writers has remained -unchallenged, and their narratives are confirmed by hundreds of cases -of modern experience, the effect on the public mind has been only of a -transitory character, and nothing has been done either in England or -America to safeguard the people from such dreadful mistakes. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -ANIMAL AND SO-CALLED HUMAN HIBERNATION. - - -THE following case of the jerboa, or jumping mouse, recorded last -century by Major-General Thomas Davies, F.R.S., in the “Transactions -of the Linnæan Society,”[3] will show how far a torpid mammal may be -removed from the opportunity of breathing, and how imperceptibly, to -the eyes of an observer, its torpid life passed into actual death:-- - -“With respect to the figure given of it in its dormant state (plate -viii., fig. 6), I have to observe that the specimen was found by some -workmen in digging the foundation for a summer house in a gentleman’s -garden, about two miles from Quebec, in the latter end of May, 1787. -It was discovered enclosed in a ball of clay, about the size of a -cricket ball, nearly an inch in thickness, perfectly smooth within, and -about twenty inches under ground. The man who first discovered it, not -knowing what it was, struck the ball with his spade, by which means it -was broken to pieces, or the ball also would have been presented to -me. The drawing will perfectly show how the animal is laid during its -dormant state [a tawny mouse, with long hind legs and long tail, coiled -up into a perfect ovoid, of which the two poles are the crown of the -head and the rump.] How long it had been under ground it is impossible -to say; but as I never could observe these animals in any parts of -the country after the beginning of September, I conceive that they -lay themselves up some time in that month, or beginning of October, -when the frost becomes sharp; nor did I ever see them again before the -last week of May, or beginning of June. From their being enveloped in -balls of clay, without any appearance of food, I conceive they sleep -during the winter, and remain for that time without sustenance. As -soon as I conveyed this specimen to my house, I deposited it, as it -was, in a small chip box, in some cotton, waiting with great anxiety -for its waking; but that not taking place at the season they generally -appear, I kept it until I found it began to smell: I then stuffed it, -and preserved it in its torpid position. I am led to believe its not -recovering from that state arose from the heat of my room during the -time it was in the box, a fire having been constantly burning in the -stove, and which in all probability was too great for respiration....” - -[INSTANCES OF ANIMAL HIBERNATION.] - -Mr. Braid, after citing facts as to higher animals, proceeds:--“There -are other creatures which have not the power of migrating from climes -too intensely hot for the normal exercise of their physical functions, -and the lives of these animals are preserved through a state of torpor -superinduced by the want of sufficient moisture, their bodies being -dried up from excessive heat. This is the case with snails, which are -said to have been revived by a little cold water being thrown on them, -after having remained in a dry and torpid state for fifteen years. The -_vibrio tritici_ has also been restored, after perfect torpidity and -apparent death for five years and eight months, by merely soaking it -in water. Some small, microscopic animals have been apparently killed -and revived again a dozen times by drying and then applying moisture to -them. This is remarkably verified in the case of the wheel-animalcule. -And Spallanzani states that some animalcules have been recovered by -moisture after a torpor of twenty-seven years. According to Humboldt, -again, some large animals are thrown into a similar state from want -of moisture. Such he states to be the case with the alligator and -boa-constrictor during the dry season in the plains of Venezuela, and -with other animals elsewhere.”--_On Trance and Human Hibernation, p. -47._ - -Dr. Moore Russell Fletcher, in his treatise on “Suspended Animation,” -pp. 7, 8, observes:--“Snakes and toads live for a long time without air -or food. The following experiment was made by a Mr. Tower, of Gardiner -(Maine). An adder, upwards of two feet in length, was got into a glass -jar, which was tightly sealed. He was kept there for sixteen months -without any apparent change, and when let out, looked as well as when -put in, and crawled away. - -“The common pond trout, when thrown into snow, will soon freeze, remain -so for days, and when put into cold water to remove the frost become -lively as ever. - -“When residing in New Brunswick, in 1842, we went to a lake to secure -some trout, which were frozen in the snow and kept for use. While there -we saw men with long wooden tongs catching frost fish from the salt -water at the entrance of a brook. The fish were thrown upon the ice in -great quantities. We had a barrel of them put up with snow and kept -frozen, and in a cool place. For six or seven weeks they were taken -out and used as wanted, and might be kept frozen for an indefinite -time, and be alive when thawed in cold water. The two pieces of a fish, -cut in two when frozen, would move and try to swim when thawed in cold -water.” - - -SO-CALLED HUMAN HIBERNATION. - -Dr. George Moore observes that “A state of the body is certainly -sometimes produced (in man) which is nearly analogous to the torpor of -the lower animals--_a condition utterly inexplicable to any principle -taught in the schools_. Who, for instance, can inform us how it happens -that certain fishes may be suddenly frozen in the Polar Sea, and so -remain during the long winter and yet be requickened into full activity -by returning summer?”--_Use of the Body in Relation to the Mind, p. 31._ - -[UNCERTAINTY OF DEATH.] - -Hufeland, in his “Uncertainty of Death,” 1824, p. 12, observes that -it is easier for mankind to fall into a state of trance than the -lower creatures, on account of their complicated anatomy. It is a -transitory state between life and death, into which anyone may pass and -return from. Trance was common among the Greeks and Romans, who, just -before cremation, had the custom of cutting off a finger-joint, most -probably to discover if there was any trace of life. Death does not -come suddenly; it is a gradual process from actual life into apparent -death, and from that to actual death. It is a mistake to take outward -appearances for inner death. - -“It often happens a person is buried in a trance knowing all the -preparations for the interment, and this affects him so much that it -prolongs the trance by its depressing influence. How long can a man -exist in a state of trance? Is there no sign by which the remaining -spark of life may be recognised? Do no means exist to prevent awakening -in the grave? Nothing can be said as to its duration; but we do know -that differences in the cause and circumstances will cause a difference -in duration. The amount of strength of the person would have great -effect in this. Weak persons, broken down by excesses, would die sooner -than the strong. The nature of the disease would make a difference. Old -age is less liable to trance than the young. Long sickness destroys -the sources of life, and shortens the process of death. Sorrow and -trouble, and numerous diseases, seem to bring on death; yet ofttimes -the source of life in them exists to its full extent, and what seems -in them to be death may be only a fainting fit, or cramp, which -temporarily interrupts the action of life. Women are more liable to -trance than men: most cases have happened in them. Trance may exist in -the new-born; give them time, and many of them revive. The smell of the -earth is at times sufficient to wake up a case of trance. Six or seven -days, or longer, are often required to restore such cases.” (Extracted -from pp. 10-24.) - -[SELF-INDUCED HIBERNATION.] - -Mr. Chunder Sen, municipal secretary to the Maharajah of Jeypore, -introduced the author, during his visit to India, March 8, 1896, to -a venerable and learned fakir, who was seated on a couch Buddhist -fashion, the feet turned towards the stomach, in the attitude of -meditation, in a small but comfortable house near the entrance to -the beautiful public gardens of that city. The fakir possesses the -power of self-induced trance, which really amounts to a suspension of -life, being indistinguishable from death. In the month of December, -1895, he passed into and remained in this condition for twenty days. -On several occasions the experiment has been conducted under test -conditions. In 1889, Dr. Hem Chunder Sen, of Delhi, and his brother, -Mr. Chunder Sen, had the opportunity of examining the fakir while -passing into a state of hibernation, and found that the pulse beat -slower and slower until it ceased to beat at all. The stethoscope was -applied to the heart by the doctor, who failed to detect the slightest -motion. The fakir, covered with a white shroud, was placed in a small -subterraneous cell built of masonry, measuring about six feet by six -feet, of rotund structure. The door was closed and locked, and the -lock sealed with Dr. Sen’s private seal and with that of Mr. Dhanna -Tal, the magistrate of the city; the flap door leading to the vault -was also carefully fastened. At the expiration of thirty-three days -the cell was opened, and the fakir was found just where he was placed, -but with a death-like appearance, the limbs having become stiff as in -_rigor mortis_. He was brought from the vault, and the mouth was rubbed -with honey and milk, and the body and joints massaged with oil. In the -evening, manifestations of life were exhibited, and the fakir was fed -with a spoonful of milk. The next day he was given a little juice of -pulses known as _dal_, and in three days he was able to eat bread and -milk, his normal diet. These cases are well known both at Delhi and -at Jeypore, and the facts have never been disputed. The fakir is a -Sanscrit scholar, and is said to be endowed with much wisdom, and is -consulted by those who are interested in Hindu learning and religion. -He has never received money from visitors, and the mention of it -distresses him. - -The _Medical Times_ of May 11, 1850, contains a communication from Mr. -Braid, who says he has “lost no opportunity of accumulating evidence -on this subject, and that while many alleged feats of this kind are -probably of a deceptive character, still there are others which admit -of no such explanation; and that it becomes the duty of scientific men -fairly to admit the difficulty.” He then refers to two documents by -eye-witnesses of these feats, and which, he says, “with the previous -evidence on the subject, must set the point at rest for ever, as to -the fact of the feats referred to being genuine phenomena, deception -being impossible.” In one of these instances, the fakir was buried in -the ground for six weeks, and was, consequently, deprived not only of -food and drink, but also of light and air; when he was disinterred, -his legs and arms were shrivelled and stiff, but his face was full; -no pulse could be discovered in the heart, temples, or arms. “About -three years since I spent some time with a General C----, a highly -respectable and intelligent man, who had been a long time in the Indian -service, and who was himself an eye-witness of one of these feats. A -fakir was buried several feet in the earth, under vigilant inspection, -and a watch was set, so that no one could communicate with him; and to -make the matter doubly sure, corn was sown upon the grave, and during -the time the man was buried, it vegetated and grew to the height of -several inches. He lay there forty-two days. The gentleman referred to -passed the place many times during his burial, saw the growing corn, -was also present at his disinterment, and when he questioned the man, -and intimated to him that he thought deception had been practised, the -fakir offered, for a sum of money, to be buried again, for the same -length of time, by the General himself, and in his own garden. This -challenge, of course, closed the argument.” - -[CASES REPORTED BY MR. BRAID.] - -Cases of this kind might be multiplied on evidence which cannot be -doubted, and, in Mr. Braid’s book, entitled “Human Hibernation,” there -are cases fully stated. Sir Claude Wade, who was an eye-witness of -these feats when acting as political agent at the Court of Runjeet -Singh, at Lahore, and from whom Mr. Braid derived his information, -makes the following observations:--“I share entirely in the apparent -incredibility of the fact of a man being buried alive and surviving the -trial for various periods of duration; but however incompatible with -our knowledge of physiology, in the absence of any visible proof to the -contrary, I am bound to declare my belief in the facts which I have -represented, however impossible their existence may appear to others.” -Upon this Mr. Braid observes:--“Such then is the narrative of Sir C. -M. Wade, and when we consider the high character of the author as a -gentleman of honour, talents, and attainments of the highest order, -and the searching, painstaking efforts displayed by him throughout the -whole investigation, and his close proximity to the body of the fakir, -and opportunity of observing minutely every point for himself, as well -as the facilities, by his personal intercourse with Runjeet Singh and -the whole of his Court, of gaining the most accurate information on -every point, I conceive it is impossible to have had a more valuable -or conclusive document for determining the fact that no collusion or -deception existed.” - -A case of this kind was exhibited at the Westminster Aquarium in the -autumn of 1895, which was carefully watched and tested by medical -experts, without detection of any appearance of fraud or simulation. -The hypnotised man, Walter Johnson, an ex-soldier, twenty-nine years of -age, was in a trance which lasted thirty days, during which time he was -absolutely unconscious, as shown by the various experiments to which he -was subjected. - -A case of induced trance and experimental burial, not unlike that -of the Indian fakirs referred to, was reported in the London _Daily -Chronicle_, March 14, 1896. The experiment was carried out under test -conditions. - - - “‘BURIED ALIVE’ AT THE ROYAL AQUARIUM. - - “After being entombed for six days in a hypnotic trance, Alfred - Wootton was dug up and awakened at the Royal Aquarium (Westminster), - on Saturday night in the presence of a crowd of interested spectators. - Wootton was hypnotised on Monday by Professor Fricker, and consigned - to his voluntary grave, nine feet deep, in view of the audience, who - sealed the stout casket or coffin in which the subject was immured. - Seven or eight feet of earth were then shovelled upon the body, a - shaft being left open for the necessary respiration, and in order - that the public might be able to see the man’s face during the week. - The experiment was a novel one in this country, and was intended to - illustrate the extraordinary effect produced by the Indian fakirs, - and to demonstrate the connection between hypnotism and psychology, - while also showing the value of the former art as a curative agent. - Wootton is a man thirty-eight years of age; he is a lead-worker, - and on Monday weighed 10st. 2-1/2 lbs. He had previously been in a - trance for a week in Glasgow, under Professor Fricker’s experienced - hands, so was not altogether new to the business; but he is the - first to be ‘buried alive’ by way of amusement. To the uninitiated - the whole thing was gruesome in the extreme, and this particular form - of entertainment certainly cannot be commended. Before being covered - in, Wootton’s nose and ears were stopped with wax, which was removed - before he was revived on Saturday. The theory of the burial is to - secure an equable temperature day and night--which is impossible when - the subject is above ground in the ordinary way--and therefore to - induce a deeper trance. Of course, too, the patient was out of reach - of the operator, and no suspicion of continuous hypnotising could rest - upon the professor. No nourishment could be supplied for the same - reason, though the man’s lips were occasionally moistened by means of - a damp sponge on the end of a rod, and no record of temperature or - respiration could be kept. A good many people witnessed the digging - up process, and the awakening took place in the concert room, whither - the casket and its burden were conveyed. The professor was not long - in arousing his subject, after electric and other tests had been - applied to convince the audience that the man was perfectly insensible - to pain and everything else. Indeed, a large needle was run through - the flesh on the back of the hand without any effect whatever. The - first thing on regaining consciousness that Wootton said was that he - could not see, and then he asked for drink--milk, and subsequently - a little brandy, being supplied. As soon as possible the patient - was lifted out of his box, and with help was quickly able to walk - about the platform. He complained of considerable stiffness of the - limbs, and was undoubtedly weak, but otherwise seemed none the worse - for his remarkable retirement from active life, and abstention from - food for nearly a week. He was swathed in flannel, and soon found - the heat of the room very oppressive, though at first he appeared to - be particularly anxious to have his overcoat and his boots. It is - anticipated that in a day or two at most Wootton will have regained - his usual vigorous health.” - -[EXPERIMENTAL BURIAL.] - -Dr. Hartmann in “Premature Burial,” page 23, relates an account of a -similar experiment with a fakir, differing from the above, however, -in so far as it was made by some English residents, who did not put -the coffin into the earth, but hung it up in the air, so as to protect -it from the danger of being eaten up by white ants. There seems to be -hardly any limitation in regard to the time during which such a body -may be preserved and become reanimated again, provided that it is well -protected, although modern ignorance may smile at this statement. - -Those of our readers who wish to pursue this subject will find ample -material in “Observations on Trance or Human Hibernation,” 1850, by -James Braid, M.R.C.S.; Dr. Kuhn’s report of his investigations of the -Indian fakirs to the Anthropological Society of Munich, in 1895; the -researches of Dr. J. M. Honigberger, a German physician long resident -in India; and in the _India Journal of Medical and Physical Science_, -1836, vol. i., p. 389, etc. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -PREMATURE BURIAL. - - -AT the sitting of the Paris Academy of Medicine, on April 10, 1827, a -paper was read by M. Chantourelle, on the danger of hasty burial. This -led to a discussion, in which M. Desgenettes stated that he had been -told by Dr. Thouret, who presided at the destruction of the vaults of -Les Innocens, that many skeletons had been found in positions seeming -to show that they had turned in their coffins. Dr. Thouret was so much -impressed by the circumstance that he had a special clause inserted in -his will relating to his own burial.[4] - -Similar revelations, according to Kempner, have followed the -examinations of grave-yards in Holland, and in New York and other parts -of the United States. - -On July 2, 1896, the author visited the grave of Madam Blunden, in the -Cemetery, Basingstoke, Hants, who, according to the inscription (now -obliterated), was buried alive. The following narrative appears in “The -Uncertainty of the Signs of Death,” by Surgeon M. Cooper, London, 1746, -pp. 78, 79:-- - -“At Basingstoke, in Hampshire, not many years ago, a gentlewoman of -character and fortune was taken ill, and, to all appearance, died, -while her husband was on a journey to London. A messenger was forthwith -despatched to the gentleman, who returned immediately, and ordered -everything for her decent interment. Accordingly, on the third day -after her supposed decease, she was buried in Holy Ghost Chapel, at the -outside of the town, in a vault belonging to the family, over which -there is a school for poor children endowed by a charitable gentleman -in the reign of Edward VI. It happened the next day that the boys, -while they were at play, heard a noise in the vault, and one of them -ran and told his master, who, not crediting what he said, gave him a -box on the ear and sent him about his business; but, upon the other -boys coming with the same story, his curiosity was awakened, so that he -sent immediately for the sexton, and opened the vault and the lady’s -coffin, where they found her just expiring. All possible means were -used to recover her to life, but to no purpose, for she, in her agony, -had bit the nails off her fingers, and tore her face and head to that -degree, that, notwithstanding all the care that was taken of her, she -died in a few hours in inexpressible torment.” - -The _Sunday Times_, London, December 30, 1838, contains the following:-- - - “A frightful case of premature interment occurred not long since, - at Tonneins, in the Lower Garonne. The victim, a man in the prime - of life, had only a few shovelfuls of earth thrown into his grave, - when an indistinct noise was heard to proceed from his coffin. The - grave-digger, terrified beyond description, instantly fled to seek - assistance, and some time elapsed before his return, when the crowd, - which had by this time collected in considerable numbers round the - grave, insisted on the coffin being opened. As soon as the first - boards had been removed, it was ascertained, beyond a doubt, that the - occupant had been interred alive. His countenance was frightfully - contracted with the agony he had undergone; and, in his struggles, the - unhappy man had forced his arms completely out of the winding sheet, - in which they had been securely enveloped. A physician, who was on the - spot, opened a vein, but no blood followed. The sufferer was beyond - the reach of art.” - -[RESUSCITATION IN GREENWOOD CEMETERY.] - -Mr. Oscar F. Shaw, Attorney-at-Law, 145 Broadway, New York, furnished -the author with particulars of the following case, of which he had -personal knowledge:--“In or about the year 1851, Virginia M’Donald, -who, up to that time had lived with her father on Catharine Street, -in the City of New York, apparently died, and was buried in Greenwood -Cemetery, Brooklyn, N.Y. - -“After the burial her mother declared her belief that the daughter -was not dead when buried, and persistently asserted her belief. The -family tried in various ways to assure the mother of the death of her -daughter, and even resorted to ridicule for that purpose; but the -mother insisted so long and so strenuously that her daughter was buried -alive, that finally the family consented to having the body taken up, -when to their horror, they discovered the body lying on the side, the -hands badly bitten, and every indication of a premature burial.” - -The _Lancet_, May 22, 1858, p. 519, has the following:-- - - “INTERMENT BEFORE DEATH. - - “A case of restoration to consciousness after burial is recorded by - the Austrian journals in the person of a rich manufacturer, named - Oppelt, at Rudenberg. He was buried fifteen years ago, and lately, - on opening the vault, the lid of the coffin was found forced open, - and his skeleton in a sitting posture in a corner of the vault. A - Government Commission has reported on the matter.” - -From the _Lancet_, August 20, 1864, p. 219. - - “PREMATURE INTERMENT. - - “Amongst the papers left by the great Meyerbeer, were some which - showed that he had a profound dread of premature interment. He - directed, it is stated, that his body should be left for ten days - undisturbed, with the face uncovered, and watched night and day. Bells - were to be fastened to his feet. And at the end of the second day - veins were to be opened in the arm and leg. This is the gossip of the - capital in which he died. The first impression is that such a fear is - morbid. No doubt fewer precautions would suffice, but now and again - cases occur which seem to warrant such a feeling, and to show that - want of caution may lead to premature interment in cases unknown. An - instance is mentioned by the _Ost. Deutscher Post_ of Vienna. A few - days since, runs the story, in the establishment of the Brothers of - Charity in that capital, the bell of the dead-room was heard to ring - violently, and on one of the attendants proceeding to the place to - ascertain the cause, he was surprised at seeing one of the supposed - dead men pulling the bell-rope. He was removed immediately to another - room, and hopes are entertained of his recovery.” - -From the _Times_, July 7, 1867, p. 12, col. 3. - - “The _Journal de Pontarlier_ relates a case of premature interment. - During the funeral, three days back, of a young woman at Montflorin, - who had apparently died in an epileptic fit, the grave-digger, after - having thrown a spadeful of earth on the coffin, thought he heard a - moaning from the tomb. The body was consequently exhumed, and a vein - having been opened, yielded blood almost warm and liquid. Hopes were - for a moment entertained that the young woman would recover from her - lethargy, but she never did so entirely, and the next day life was - found to be extinct.” - -From the _Lancet_, October 19, 1867, p. 504. - - “BURIED ALIVE. - - [INTERRED WITH USUAL FORMALITIES.] - - “The _Journal de Morlaix_ mentions that a young woman at Bohaste, - France, who was supposed to have died from cholera a few days back, - was buried on the following afternoon. The sexton, when about to - fill in the grave, fancied that he heard a noise in the coffin, and - sent for the medical officer, who, on removing the lid and examining - the body, gave it as his opinion that the woman had been alive when - buried.” - -The official journal of the French Senate, January 30, 1869, records -that the attention of the Senate was called to this case by means -of a petition signed by seven residents in Paris, and the facts are -confirmed by L. Roger, _Officier de Santé_. - -From the _Times_, May 6, 1874, p. 11, foot of col. 4. - - “PREMATURE INTERMENT. - - “The _Messager du Midi_ relates the following dreadful story:--A young - married woman residing at Salon (Bouches du Rhône) died shortly after - her confinement in August last. The medical man, who was hastily - summoned when her illness assumed a dangerous form, certified her - death, and recommended immediate burial in consequence of the intense - heat then prevailing, and six hours afterwards the body was interred. - A few days since, the husband having resolved to re-marry, the mother - of his late wife desired to have her daughter’s remains removed to her - native town, Marseilles. When the vault was opened a horrible sight - presented itself. The corpse lay in the middle of the vault, with - dishevelled hair and the linen torn to pieces. It evidently had been - gnawed in her agony by the unfortunate victim. The shock which the - dreadful spectacle caused to the mother has been so great that fears - are entertained for her reason, if not for her life.” - -The _British Medical Journal_, December 8, 1877, p. 819, inserts the -following:-- - - “BURIED ALIVE. - - “A correspondent at Naples states that the Appeal Court has had before - it a case not likely to inspire confidence in the minds of those who - look forward with horror to the possibility of being buried alive. It - appeared from the evidence that some time ago a woman was interred - with all the usual formalities, it being believed that she was dead, - while she was only in a trance. Some days afterwards, the grave in - which she had been placed being opened for the reception of another - body, it was found that the clothes which covered the unfortunate - woman were torn to pieces, and that she had even broken her limbs in - attempting to extricate herself from the living tomb. The Court, after - hearing the case, sentenced the doctor who had signed the certificate - of decease, and the mayor who had authorised the interment, each to - three months’ imprisonment for involuntary manslaughter.” - -From the _Daily Telegraph_, January 18, 1889. - - “A gendarme was buried alive the other day in a village near Grenoble. - The man had become intoxicated on potato brandy, and fell into a - profound sleep. After twenty hours passed in slumber, his friends - considered him to be dead, particularly as his body assumed the - usual rigidity of a corpse. When the sexton, however, was lowering - the remains of the ill-fated gendarme into the grave, he heard moans - and knocks proceeding from the interior of the ‘four-boards.’ He - immediately bored holes in the sides of the coffin, to let in air, and - then knocked off the lid. The gendarme had, however, ceased to live, - having horribly mutilated his head in his frantic but futile efforts - to burst his coffin open.” - -[EVIDENCE OF UNDERTAKERS.] - -[HORRIFYING CASES.] - -The _Undertakers’ and Funeral Directors’ Journal_, July 22, 1889, -relates the following cases:-- - - “A New York undertaker recently told the following story, the - circumstances of which are still remembered by old residents of the - city:--‘About forty years ago a lady living on Division Street, New - York City, fell dead, apparently, while in the act of dancing at a - ball. It was a fashionable affair, and being able to afford it, she - wore costly jewellery. Her husband, a flour merchant, who loved her - devotedly, resolved that she should be interred in her ball dress, - diamonds, pearls, and all; also that there should be no autopsy. As - the weather was very inclement when the funeral reached the cemetery, - the body was placed in the receiving vault for burial next day. The - undertaker was not a poor man, but he was avaricious, and he made up - his mind to possess the jewellery. He went in the night, and took - the lady’s watch from the folds of her dress. He next began to draw - a diamond ring from her finger, and in doing so had to use violence - enough to tear the skin. Then the lady moved and groaned, and the - thief, terrified and conscience-stricken, fled from the cemetery, and - has never been since heard from, that I know of. The lady, after the - first emotions of horror at her unheard-of position had passed over, - gathered her nerves together and stepped out of the vault, which - the thief had left open. How she came home I cannot tell; but this - I know--she lived and had children, two at least of whom are alive - to-day.’ - - “Another New York undertaker told this story. The New York papers - thirty-five years ago were full of its ghastly details. ‘The daughter - of a Court Street baker died. It was in winter, and the father, - knowing that a married sister of his dead child, who lived in St. - Louis, would like to see her face before laid in the grave for ever, - had the body placed in the vault, waiting her arrival. The sister - came, the vault was opened, the lid of the coffin taken off, when, - to the unutterable horror of the friends assembled, they found the - grave-clothes torn in shreds, and the fingers of both hands eaten off. - The girl had been buried alive.’ - - “Until about forty years ago a noted family of Virginia preserved a - curious custom, which had been religiously observed for more than a - century. Over a hundred years ago a member of the family died, and, - upon being exhumed, was found to have been buried alive. From that - time until about 1850, every member of the family, man, woman, or - child, who died, was stabbed in the heart with a knife in the hands of - the head of the house. The reason for the cessation of this custom was - that in 1850 or thereabouts a beautiful young girl was supposed to be - dead, the knife was plunged into her bosom, when she gave vent to a - fearful scream and died. She had merely been in a trance. The incident - broke her father’s heart, and in a fit of remorse he killed himself - not long afterwards. - - “There are many families in the United States who, when any of their - number dies, insist that an artery be opened to determine whether life - has fled or not.” - -The following remarkable case of waking in the grave is reported from -Vienna:-- - - “A lady residing at Derbisch, near Kolin, in Bohemia, where she owned - considerable property, was buried last week, after a brief illness, - in the family vault at the local cemetery. Four days afterwards her - granddaughter was interred in the same place, but as the stone slab - covering the aperture was removed, the bystanders were horrified to - see that the lid of the coffin below had been raised, and that the arm - of the corpse was protruding. It was ascertained eventually that the - unfortunate lady, who was supposed to have died of heart disease, had - been buried alive. She had evidently recovered consciousness for a few - minutes, and had found strength enough to burst open her coffin. The - authorities are bent on taking measures of the utmost severity against - those responsible.”--_Undertakers’ Journal, August 22, 1889._ - -The _Undertakers’ and Funeral Directors’ Journal_, July 22, 1890. - - “A horrible story comes from Majola, Mantua. The body of a woman, - named Lavrinia Merli, a peasant, who was supposed to have died from - hysterics, was placed in a vault on Thursday, July 3. On Saturday - evening it was found that the woman had regained consciousness, torn - her grave-clothes in her struggles, had turned completely over in the - coffin, and had given birth to a seven-months’-old child. Both mother - and child were dead when the coffin was opened for the last time - previous to interment.” - - “A shocking occurrence is reported from Cesa, a little village - near Naples. A woman living at that place was recently seized with - sudden illness. A doctor who was called certified that the woman was - dead, and the body was consequently placed in a coffin, which was - deposited in the watch-house of the local cemetery. Next day an old - woman passing close to the cemetery thought she heard smothered cries - proceeding from the watch-house. The family was informed, but when the - lid of the coffin was forced off a shocking spectacle presented itself - to the gaze of the horrified villagers. The wretched woman had turned - on her side, and the position of her arm showed that she had made a - desperate effort to raise the lid. The eldest son, who was among the - persons who broke open the coffin, received such a shock that he died - three days later.”--_Undertakers’ Journal, September 22, 1893._ - -The _Progressive Thinker_, of November 14, 1891, relates that:-- - - “Farmer George Hefdecker, who lived at Erie, Pa., died very suddenly - two weeks ago, of what is supposed to have been heart failure. The - body was buried temporarily four days later in a neighbour’s lot in - the Erie cemetery pending the purchase of one by his family. The - transfer was made in a few days, and when the casket was opened at - the request of his family, a horrifying spectacle was presented. The - body had turned round, and the face and interior of the casket bore - the traces of a terrible struggle with death in its most awful shape. - The distorted and blood-covered features bore evidence of the agony - endured. The clothing about the head and neck had been torn into - shreds, as was likewise the lining of the coffin. Bloody marks of - finger nails on the face, throat, and neck, told of the awful despair - of the doomed man, who tore his own flesh in his terrible anguish. - Several fingers had been entirely bitten off, and the hands torn with - the teeth until they scarcely resembled those of a human being.” - -From the London _Echo_, October 6, 1894. - - “BURIED ALIVE. - - “A story of a horrible nature comes from St. Petersburg in connection - with the interment at Tioobayn, near that city, of a peasant girl - named Antonova. She had presumably died, and in due course the funeral - took place. After the service at the cemetery, the grave-diggers were - startled by sounds of moaning proceeding from the coffin. Instead, - however, of instantly breaking it open, they rushed off to find a - doctor, and when he and some officials arrived and broke open the - shell, the unhappy inmate was already the corpse she had been supposed - to be a day earlier. It was evident, however, that no efforts could - have saved life at the last moment. The body was half-turned in the - coffin, the left hand, having escaped its bandages, being under the - cheek.” - -The following case, cabled by Dalziel, appears in the London _Star_, -August 19, 1895:-- - - “SOUNDS FROM ANOTHER COFFIN. - - “Grenoble, August 17. - - “On Monday last a man was found in a dying condition by the side of - a brook near the village of Le Pin. Everything possible was done - for him, but he relapsed into unconsciousness, and became to all - appearances dead. The funeral was arranged, and, there being no - suspicion of foul play, the body was interred on the following day. - The coffin had been lowered to the bottom of the grave, and the - sexton had begun to cover it with earth, when he heard muffled sounds - proceeding from it. The earth was hastily removed and the coffin - opened, when it was discovered that the unfortunate occupant was - alive. He was taken to a neighbouring house, but rapidly sank into - a comatose condition, and died without uttering a word. The second - burial took place yesterday.” - -While in India, in the early part of this year (1896), Dr. Roger S. -Chew, of Calcutta, who, having been laid out for dead, and narrowly -escaped living sepulture, has had the best reasons for studying the -subject, gave me particulars of the following cases:-- - - “Frank Lascelles, aged thirty-two years, was seated at breakfast with - a number of us young fellows, and was in the middle of a burst of - hearty laughter, when his head fell forward on his plate and he was - ‘dead.’ As there was a distinct history of cardiac disease in his - family, while he himself had frequently been treated for valvular - disease of the heart, he was alleged to have ‘died’ of cardiac - failure, and was duly interred in the Coonor Cemetery. Some six months - later, permission was obtained to remove his remains to St. John’s - Church-yard in Ootacamund. The coffin was exhumed, and, as a ‘matter - of form,’ the lid removed to identify the resident, when, to the - horror of the lookers-on, it was noticed that, though mummification - had taken place, there had been a fearful struggle underground, for - the body, instead of being on its back as it was when first coffined, - was _lying on its face_, with its arms and legs drawn up as close - as the confined space would permit. His trousers (a perfectly new - pair) were burst at the left knee, while his shirt-front was torn to - ribands and bloodstained, and the wood of that portion of the coffin - immediately below his mouth was stained a deep reddish-brown-black - (_blood_). Old Dr. Donaldson, whom we were all very fond of, tried to - explain matters by saying that the jolting of the coffin on its way - to the cemetery had overturned the body, and that the blood stains on - the shirt and wood were the natural result of blood flowing (_i.e._ - oozing) out of the mouth of the corpse as it lay face downwards. - A nice theory, but scarcely a probable one, as all the jolting in - creation could not possibly turn a corpse over in an Indian coffin, - which is so built that there is scarcely two inches spare space over - any portion of the contained body, and unless the supposed corpse - regained consciousness and exerted _considerable_ force, it could not - possibly turn round in its _narrow_ casket. - - [DR. ROGER S. CHEW’S CASES.] - - “Mary Norah Best, aged seventeen years, an adopted daughter of Mrs. - C. A. Moore, _née_ Chew, ‘died’ of cholera, and was entombed in the - Chew’s vault in the old French cemetery, at Calcutta. The certifying - surgeon was a man who would have benefited by her death, and had twice - (though ineffectually) attempted to put an end to her adopted mother, - who fled from India to England after the second attempt on her life, - but, unfortunately, left the girl behind. When Mary ‘died’ she was - put into a _pine_ coffin, the lid of which was _nailed_, not screwed, - down. In 1881, ten years or so later, the vault was unsealed to admit - the body of Mrs. Moore’s brother, J. A. A. Chew. On entering the - vault, the undertaker’s assistant and I found the lid of Mary’s coffin - on the floor, while the position of the skeleton (half in, half out of - the coffin, and an ugly gash across the right parietal bone) _plainly_ - showed that after being entombed Mary awoke from her trance, struggled - violently till she wrenched the lid off her coffin, when she either - fainted away with the strain of the effort in bursting open her - casket, and while falling forward over the edge of her coffin struck - her head against the masonry shelf, and died almost immediately; - or, worse still,--as surmised by some of her clothing which was - found hanging over the edge of the coffin, and the position of her - right hand, the fingers of which were bent and close to where her - throat would have been had the flesh not rotted away,--she recovered - consciousness, fought for life, forced her coffin open, and, sitting - up in the pitchy darkness of the vault, went mad with fright, tore her - clothes off, tried to throttle herself, and banged her head against - the masonry shelf until she fell forward senseless and dead.” - -Dr. Chew says:--“Though a layman, still it would be hard to find -a more indefatigable sanitarian than my late commanding officer, -Lieutenant-Colonel R. C. Sterndale, of the Presidency Volunteer Rifle -Battalion, and for many years vice-chairman of the municipality of the -suburbs of Calcutta. In order to prove his theory that a great deal of -danger existed in the rainy season from subsoil water rising up into -the graves, saturating the bodies, and then poisoning the neighbouring -tanks and wells, he caused a trench, ten feet long, six deep, and four -wide, to be dug across an old Mahomedan grave-yard. Soundings and -measurements having been taken of the subsoil water, he had a tarpaulin -stretched over the trench, and daily measured the ‘fall’ of the -water-level. He had a drawing made of the section of that grave-yard -in which the action of the nitre-laden water seemed to mummify some -of the bodies. Amongst the rest was a somewhat mummified male corpse -which, instead of being on his back, was lying on his abdomen; the left -arm supported the chin, but had a piece of it missing; the right hand -clutched the left elbow, and the general position of the body was as -if, consciousness having returned, the alleged corpse sat up, found -the weight of the earth too heavy to work through, and then, dying of -suffocation, fell forward in the position in which it was found and -exposed.” - -Dr. Chew adds:--“I have heard and read of several other instances, but, -as they have not come within my personal observation, I do not mention -or refer to them.” - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -NARROW ESCAPES FROM PREMATURE BURIAL. - - -ALMOST every intelligent and observant person you converse with, -if the subject is introduced, has either known or heard of narrow -escapes of premature burial within his or her own circle of friends -or acquaintances; and it is no exaggeration to say that such cases -are numbered by thousands. It is to be hoped that the number of -timely discoveries vastly exceed those actually interred in a state -of suspended animation; but as no investigation of grave-yards or -cemeteries (which effectually conceal their own tragedies) has ever -taken place in England until the remains are reduced to dust, and -rarely in other countries, one cannot be sure that this optimistic view -is correct. The following cases of narrow escape appear to rest upon -trustworthy evidence. - -An apparent suspension of life, following a serious illness, is usually -considered a satisfactory proof of the reality of the expected death; -but these conditions cannot always be relied upon. Cases are on record -where the objects of such simulacra of death appear, if let alone, to -gather the essence of renewed vitality, and return to consciousness. -The _Undertakers’ and Funeral Directors’ Journal_ of May, 1888, has a -case in point. - -[A RESUSCITATED HUMORIST.] - - “Mrs. Lockhart, of Birkhill, who died in 1825, used to relate to - her grandchildren the following anecdote of her ancestor, Sir - William Lindsay, of Covington, towards the close of the seventeenth - century:--‘Sir William was a humorist, and noted, moreover, for - preserving the picturesque appendage of a beard at a period when the - fashion had long passed away. He had been extremely ill, and life - was at last supposed to be extinct, though, as it afterwards turned - out, he was merely in a “dead faint” or trance. The female relatives - were assembled for the “chesting”--the act of putting a corpse into a - coffin, with the entertainment given on such melancholy occasions--in - a lighted chamber in the old tower of Covington, where the “bearded - knight” lay stretched upon his bier. But when the servants were - about to enter to assist at the ceremonies, Isabella Somerville, Sir - William’s great-granddaughter, and Mrs. Lockhart’s grandmother, then - a child, creeping close to her mother, whispered into her ear, “The - beard is wagging! the beard is wagging!” Mrs. Somerville, upon this, - looked to the bier, and observing indications of life in the ancient - knight, made the company retire, and Sir William soon came out of his - faint. Hot bottles were applied and cordials administered, and in - the course of the evening he was able to converse with his family. - They explained that they had believed him to be actually dead, and - that arrangements had even been made for his funeral. In answer to - the question, “Have the folks been warned?” (_i.e._, invited to the - funeral) he was told that they had--that the funeral day had been - fixed, an ox slain, and other preparations made for entertaining the - company. Sir William then said, “All is as it should be; keep it a - dead secret that I am in life, and let the folks come.” His wishes - were complied with, and the company assembled for the burial at the - appointed time. After some delay, occasioned by the non-arrival of - the clergyman, as was supposed, and which afforded an opportunity of - discussing the merits of the deceased, the door suddenly opened, when, - to their surprise and terror, in stepped the knight himself, pale in - countenance and dressed in black, leaning on the arm of the minister - of the parish of Covington. Having quieted their alarm and explained - matters, he called upon the clergyman to conduct an act of devotion, - which included thanksgiving for his recovery and escape from being - buried alive. This done, the dinner succeeded. A jolly evening, after - the manner of the time, was passed, Sir William himself presiding over - the carousals.’” - -Dr. J. B. Vigné, in his “Memoire sur les Inhumations Précipitées,” -Paris, 1839, narrates the following:-- “Mr. B., an inhabitant of -Poitiers, fell suddenly into a state resembling death; every means -for bringing him back to life were used without interruption; from -continued dragging, his two little fingers were dislocated, and the -soles of his feet were burnt; but, all these having produced no -sensation in him, he was thought decidedly dead. As they were on the -point of placing him in his coffin, some one recommended that he should -be bled in both arms and feet at the same time, which was immediately -done, and with such success that, to the astonishment of all, he -recovered from his apparent state of death. When he had entirely -recovered his senses, he declared that he had heard every word that had -been said, and that his only fear was that he would be buried alive.” - - -APPARENT DEATH IN PREGNANCY. - -Hufeland (one of the greatest authorities on the subject in Germany), -in his essay upon the uncertainty of the signs of death, tells of a -case of the wife of Professor Camerer, of Tübingen, who was hysterical, -and had a fright in the sixth month of her pregnancy, which brought -on convulsions (eclampsia), which continued for four hours, when she -seemed to die completely. Two celebrated physicians, besides three -others of less note, regarded the case as ended in death, as all the -recognised signs of death were present. However, attempts to revive -her were at once resorted to, and were continued for five hours, when -all the medical attendants, except one, gave the case up, and left. -The physician who remained pulled off a blister-plaster that had -been put on one of the feet, when the lady gave feeble signs of life -by twitchings about the mouth. The doctor then renewed his efforts -to revive her, by various stimulating means, and by burning, and by -pricking the spine; but all in vain, for after her slight evidences of -revival, she seemed to die unmistakably. She lay in a state of apparent -death for six days, but there was a small space over the heart where a -little warmth could be detected by the hand, and on this account the -burial was put off. On the seventh day she opened her eyes, and slowly -revived, but was completely unconscious of all that had happened. She -then gave birth to a dead child, and soon thereafter recovered her -health completely. - - * * * * * - -[MORE CAREFUL EXAMINATION REQUIRED.] - -From the _Lancet_, November 27, 1858, p. 561. - - “THE DEAD ALIVE. - - “It seems to be always desirable to obtain a contemporary record - of all unusual phenomena. It is so more especially where they are - of a somewhat indefinite character, and scarcely susceptible of - exaggeration. We know of none which are more so than the cases of - ‘trance.’ These examples are both sufficiently unusual to deserve a - passing record, and sufficiently mysterious in their character to call - for a more careful investigation than it has hitherto been possible to - accord to them. We transcribe the facts of a recent instance, as they - are circumstantially detailed, and, no doubt, some of the surgeons of - Coventry will be able to afford their testimony as to the degree of - correspondence of this narrative with their observations. “The girl, - whose name is Amelia Hinks, is twelve or thirteen years of age, and - resides with her parents in Bridge Street, Nuneaton. She had lately - appeared to be sinking under the influence of some ill-explained - disorder, and about three weeks since, as her friends imagined, she - died. The body was removed to another room. It was rigid and icy cold. - It was washed and laid out with all due funeral train. The limbs were - decently placed, the eyelids closed and penny-pieces laid over them. - The coffin was ordered. For more than forty-eight hours the supposed - corpse lay beneath the winding-sheet, when it happened that her - grandfather, coming from Leamington to assist in the last mournful - ceremonies, went to see the corpse. The old man removed a penny-piece, - and he thought that the corpse winked! There was a convulsive movement - of the lid. This greatly disturbed his composure; for, though he had - heard that she died with her eyes open, he was unprepared for this - palpebral signal of her good understanding with death. A surgeon is - said to have been summoned, who at first treated the matter as a - delusion, but subsequently ascertained stethoscopically that there - was still slight cardiac pulsation. The body was then removed to a - warm room, and gradually the returning signs of animation became - unequivocal. When speech was restored, the girl described many things - which had taken place since her supposed death. She knew who had - closed her eyes and placed the coppers thereon. She also heard the - order given for her coffin, and could repeat the various remarks made - over her as she lay in her death-clothes. She refused food, though in - a state of extreme debility. She has since shown symptoms of mania, - and is now said to have relapsed into a semi-cataleptic condition. The - parents are ‘creditable people,’ and there is no apparent ruse in this - unusually romantic history, which is causing considerable excitement - in Nuneaton and its neighbourhood.” - - * * * * * - -From the _Lancet_, December 18, 1858, p. 642. - - “‘THE DEAD ALIVE.’ - - “(To the Editor of the _Lancet_.) - - “Sir,--An article, ‘The Dead Alive,’ in your impression of the 27th - ultimo, demands of me a veritable statement of the case alluded to. - The subject of the inquiry is still living, and for some time past has - afforded me scope for observation. - -[THE DEAD ALIVE.] - - “I have only been waiting for a termination of the case, either in - convalescence or death, to enable me to give to the profession, - through your valuable columns, a full and truthful history of this - rare and curious case, replete with interest. The exaggerated - statement which has gone the round of the press has produced such - great curiosity in this immediate neighbourhood that I have been - applied to by many parties, professional and non-professional, to be - permitted to see the case, the parents of the patient having refused - admittance to all strangers. - - “The case having extended over a long period, and fearing a detailed - account might occupy too much of your valuable space, I have condensed - the matter as much as possible; but should the profession consider - the case worthy of a more enlarged history, I will gladly, at some - future period, meet their wishes, as far as my rough notes, aided by - my memory, will supply it. - - “In August, 1858, I was requested to visit Miss Amelia Hincks, aged - twelve years and nine months, daughter of a harness-maker, and - residing with her parents in Bridge Street, Nuneaton. She was supposed - to be suffering from pulmonary consumption.... On October 18, about - half-past three a.m., she apparently died. She is said to have groaned - heavily, waved her hands (which was a promised sign for her mother - to know that the hour of her departure was come), turned her head - a little to the light, dropped her jaw, and _died_. In about half - an hour after her supposed departure she was washed, and attired in - clean linen, the jaw was tied by a white handkerchief, penny-pieces - laid over her eyes, her hands, semi-clenched, placed by her side, - and her feet tied together by a piece of tape. She was then carried - into another room, laid on a sofa, and covered over with a sheet. She - appeared stiff and cold, two large books were placed on her feet, and - I have no doubt she was considered to be a sweet corpse. - - “About nine a.m., the grandfather of the supposed dead went into the - death-chamber to give a last kiss to his grandchild, when he fancied - he saw a convulsive movement of the eyelid, he having raised one of - the coins. He communicated this fact to the parents and mourning - friends, but they ridiculed the old man’s statement, and said the - movement of the eyelids was owing to the nerves working after death. - Their theory, however, did not satisfy the experienced man of eighty - years, and he could not reconcile himself to her death. As soon as - I reached home, after having been out in the country all night, I - was requested to see the child, to satisfy the old man that she was - really dead. About half-past ten a.m. I called; and immediately - on my entrance into the chamber I perceived a tremulous condition - of the eyelids, such as we frequently see in hysterical patients. - The penny-pieces had been removed by the grandfather. I placed a - stethoscope over the region of the heart, and found that organ - performing its functions perfectly and with tolerable force. I then - felt for a radial pulse, which was easily detected, beating feebly, - about seventy-five per minute. The legs and arms were stiff and cold, - and the capillary circulation was so congested as at first sight to - resemble incipient decomposition. I carefully watched the chest, which - heaved quietly but almost imperceptibly; and immediately unbandaged - the maiden, and informed her mourning parents that she was not dead. - Imagine their consternation! The passing-bell had rung, the shutters - were closed, the undertaker was on his way to measure her for her - coffin, and other necessary preparations were being made for her - interment. [The writer then proceeds to give interesting details as to - the treatment of the case, and the means taken to promote recovery.] - - “RICHARD BIRD MASON, M.R.C.S., L.S.A. - - “Bridge Street, Nuneaton, December 14, 1858.” - -From the _Lancet_, March 5, 1859, p. 254. - - - “TRANCE. - - “Another case of trance is reported, in addition to those which we - have lately recorded. A widow named Aufray, about sixty years of age, - of St. Agnan de Cenuières (Eure), long seriously ill, became suddenly - worse, grew cold and motionless, and, as it was thought, dead. She - was laid out, the coffin ordered, and the church bell tolled. She - recovered consciousness just before the funeral was to take place.” - - -THE QUESTION OF PREMATURE BURIAL BEFORE THE FRENCH SENATE. - -[FRENCH CASES.] - -The _Medical Times_, London, 1866, vol. i., p. 258, under the heading -“Buried Alive” remarks as follows:--“The abundance of other topics -hinders us at present from saying more than a few words on the -conditions under which there may be real danger of burial before life -is quite extinct. Now, we will only reproduce the cases reported by -Cardinal Archbishop Donnet, in the French Senate, in a discussion -on a petition that the time between death and burial should be -lengthened. We will add one instance, which we have heard on the best -authority:--About thirty years ago, a young woman of eighteen, daughter -of Madame Laligand, living in the Rue des Tonnelliers, at Beaune, -in Burgundy, was supposed to have died. The ordinary measures were -taken for interment. The body was put in a coffin, and taken to the -church; the funeral service was said, and the _cortége_ set out for -the cemetery; but on the road between the church and the cemetery the -supposed dead recovered power of motion and speech, was removed from -the coffin, put to bed, recovered, married, and lived eighteen years -afterwards. She said she retained her consciousness during the whole -of her supposed death, and had counted the nails that were driven -into her coffin. Statements such as these, and such as those made by -the Archbishop, will surely be subjected to the ordeal of a French -scientific commission, and we may suspend our judgment for the present. -To return to his Eminence. He said he had the very best reasons for -believing that the victims of hasty interments were more numerous than -people supposed. He considered the rules and regulations prescribed by -the law very judicious; but, unfortunately, they were, particularly in -the country, not always executed as they should be, nor was sufficient -importance attached to them. In the village he was stationed in as -an assistant-curate in the first period of his sacerdotal life, he -saved two persons from being buried alive. The first an aged man, who -lived twelve hours after the hour prescribed for his interment by the -municipal officer; the second was a man who was quite restored to life. -In both cases a trance more prolonged than usual was taken for actual -death. The other instances, says the _Times’_ correspondent, I give in -the words of the Archbishop:-- - - “‘The next case that occurred to me was at Bordeaux. A young lady, who - bore one of the most distinguished names in the Department, had passed - through what was supposed the last agony, and, as apparently all was - over, the father and mother were torn away from the heartrending - spectacle. As God willed it, I happened to pass the door of the house - at the moment, when it occurred to me to call and inquire how the - young lady was going on. When I entered the room, the nurse, finding - the body breathless, was in the act of covering the face, and, indeed, - there was every appearance that life had departed. Somehow or other, - it did not seem to me so certain as to the bystanders. I lady not to - give up all hope--that I was come to cure her, and that I was about - to pray by her side. “You do not see me,” I said, “but you hear what - I am saying.” My presentiments were not unfounded. The word of hope I - uttered reached her ear and effected a marvellous change, or, rather, - called back the life that was departing. The young girl survived; she - is now a wife, and mother of children, and this day is the happiness - of two most respectable families.’ - -“The Archbishop mentioned another instance of a similar revival in a -town in Hungary during the cholera of 1831, which he heard that day -from one of his colleagues of the Senate, as they were mounting the -staircase. But the last related is so interesting, and made such a -sensation, that it deserves to be repeated in his own words:-- - -[CARDINAL DONNET’S EXPERIENCE.] - - “‘In the summer of 1826, on a close summer day, in a church which was - exceedingly crowded, a young priest, who was in the act of preaching, - was suddenly seized with giddiness in the pulpit. The words he was - uttering became indistinct; he soon lost the power of speech, and - sank down on the floor. He was taken out of the church and carried - home. All was thought to be over. Some hours after, the funeral bell - was tolled, and the usual preparations made for the interment. His - eyesight was gone: but if he could see nothing, like the young lady I - have alluded to he could hear, and I need not say that what reached - his ears was not calculated to reassure him. The doctor came, examined - him, and pronounced him dead; and after the usual inquiries as to - his age and the place of his birth, etc., gave permission for his - interment next morning. The venerable bishop, in whose cathedral the - young priest was preaching when he was seized with the fit, came to - his bedside to recite the “De Profundis.” The body was measured for - the coffin. Night came on, and you will easily feel how inexpressible - was the anguish of the living being in such a situation. At last, - amid the voices murmuring around him, he distinguished that of one - whom he had known from infancy. That voice produced a marvellous - effect and superhuman effort. Of what followed I need say no more - than that the seemingly dead man stood next day in the same pulpit. - That young priest, gentlemen, is the same man who is now speaking - before you, and who, more than forty years after that event, implores - those in authority, not merely to watch vigilantly over the careful - execution of the legal prescriptions with regard to interments, but - to enact fresh ones in order to prevent the recurrence of irreparable - misfortunes.’” - -To this report of the _Medical Times_ it may be added that the -petition of M. de Carnot furnished statistics showing the frequency of -these terrible disasters, and suggested various preventive measures, -including the establishment of mortuaries, a longer interval between -death and burial, and the application of scientific methods of -restoration where decomposition is not manifest. The reality of the -terrible dangers, as pointed out by Cardinal Donnet, was confirmed by -Senators Tourangin and Viscount de Baral, in the recital of other cases -of premature interment. - -When the subject was revived in the Senate on January 29, 1869--on -which occasion five petitions were presented, urging important reforms, -and detailing other cases of premature interment,--Cardinal Donnet -again took part in the debate, and urged that no burial should be -permitted without the signature of a doctor or officer of health, as -well as the written authorisation of the Mayor, so that the fact of -death might always be verified. The Cardinal then furnished particulars -of another recent case of premature interment in l’Est, and recalled -the fact that one of their honourable colleagues of the Senate, M. le -Comte de la Rue, had had a narrow escape from live sepulture. - -The several petitions were forwarded to the Minister of the Interior, -but nothing was done to remedy the evil. - -From the _Lancet_, June 2, 1866, p. 611. - - -“ON SUSPENDED ANIMATION. - -“In the course of the address delivered by Dr. Brewer to the Guardians -of St. George’s at St. James’s Hall, he adverted to the ‘laying-out’ -case at St. Pancras.... Dr. Brewer ... dwelt upon the question of -suspended animation in a passage which really deserves to be quoted.... - -[CASE REPORTED BY DR. BREWER.] - - “‘I have been more than once under a condition of apparently suspended - respiration, and with circumstances less comfortable than those - related of this babe; and yet, active as is my brain, and sensitive - as is my body, I remember as well as though it were but yesterday - that, on being restored to consciousness, no feeling of discomfort - of any kind attended my experience on either occasion. It is under - the truth to say I have known a score of cases of those who have been - supposed dead being reanimated. It is not many months ago a friend of - mine, a rector of a suburban parish, was pronounced by his medical - attendant to be dead. His bed was arranged, and the room left in its - silence. His daughter had re-entered and sat at the foot, and the - solemn toll of his own church bell was vibrating through the chamber, - when a hand drew aside the closed curtain, and a voice came from the - occupant of the bed--“Elizabeth, my dear, what is that bell tolling - for?” The daughter’s response was, perhaps, an unfortunate one: “_For - you, papa._” Schwartz, the first eminent Indian missionary, was roused - from his supposed death by hearing his favourite hymn sung over him - previous to the last rites being performed, and his resuscitation made - known by his joining in the verse.’” - -Dr. B. W. Richardson quotes a case in the _Lancet_, 1888, vol. -ii., p. 1179, of a man who, in 1869, was rendered cataleptic by a -lightning-stroke, and who narrowly escaped living burial. - -Dr. Moore Russell Fletcher in his work on “Suspended Animation,” p. 26, -says:-- - - “In June, 1869, a girl in Cleveland, Ohio, was taken ill, and after a - short sickness died, and was laid out for burial; but as her mother - insisted that she was not dead, efforts were made for some time to - restore her to life, but in vain. Her mother, however, refused to let - her be buried; and on the fifth day after that set for the funeral - the slamming of a door aroused her, so that she recovered. She stated - that, during most of the eight days which she lay there, she was - conscious and heard what was said, although wholly unable to make the - least motion.” - -Dr. M. S. Tanner in a letter to the _New York Times_, January 18, 1880, -mentions two cases where persons awakened from trance at the moment of -sepulture described in turn what their feelings had been. Said one:-- - - “Have you ever felt the paralysing influence of a horrible nightmare? - If you have had such experience, then you are prepared to conceive of - the mental agonies I endured when I realised that my friends believed - me dead, and were making preparations for my burial. The hours and - days of mental struggle spent in the vain endeavour to break loose - from the vice-like grasp of this worse than horrible nightmare was a - hell of torment such as no tongue can describe or pen portray.” - -[VERDICT OF FOURTEEN PHYSICIANS.] - -The other instance mentioned by Dr. Tanner is that of Dr. Johnson of -St. Charles, Illinois, who in the hearing of Dr. Tanner, and in the -presence of a large audience in Harrison’s Hall, Minneapolis, stated -that when a young man he was prostrated with a fever. He swooned away, -apparently dead. His attending physician said he was dead. His father -was faithless and unbelieving, and refused to bury him. He lay in this -condition, apparently dead, fourteen days. The attending physician -brought other physicians to examine the apparently lifeless form, and -all stated unqualifiedly, “He is dead.” Some fourteen physicians, among -them many eminent professors, examined the body, and there was no -ambiguity in the expression of their conclusion that the boy was dead. -But the father still turned a deaf ear to all entreaties to prepare -the body for the grave. Public feeling was at last aroused. The health -officer and other city officers, acting in their official capacity, and -by the advice of physicians, peremptorily demanded that the body be -interred without delay. On the fourteenth day the father yielded under -protest; preparations were made for the funeral, when the emotions of -the still living subject, who was conscious of all transpiring around -him, were so intense as to be the means of his deliverance. He awoke -from his trance. - -From the _Lancet_, June 7, 1884, p. 1058. - - - “IMPORTANT SUGGESTION FROM AN M.D. - - “(To the Editor of the _Lancet_.) - - “Sir,--Without venturing to express an opinion on the case mentioned - by the Rev. D. Williams[5] in the _Lancet_ of the 24th inst., I - would beg to say that I have no doubt in my own mind but that people - are sometimes ‘buried alive.’ An instance has come to my knowledge - where this catastrophe was only avoided by a mere accident. A lady, - about forty-five years of age, the wife of a clergyman in a northern - county, was taken ill, and after some time, as was supposed, died. - The funeral was delayed, and so was the closing of the coffin, in - consequence of the absence of a son of the lady from home. When the - boy arrived, the kissing, wailing, and commotion roused the supposed - dead woman, and brought her to consciousness in her coffin. This - lady would most probably have been buried alive were it not that the - obsequies were delayed on account of the circumstance mentioned. - - “Now, may not cases more or less similar to this sometimes occur, with - the catastrophe of ‘buried alive’ added to them? But no such case - could happen if it were made compulsory that the interment of a body - should not be allowed to take place until after decomposition had set - in, as attested by a medical man. - - “I am, Sir, yours truly, - - “WM. O’NEILL, M.D. - - “Lincoln, May 26, 1884.” - -It is not always safe to conclude that persons enfeebled by age, or -exhausted by long and severe illness, and pronounced dead by the -attendant doctor, are really so. _The Undertakers’ Journal_, August 23, -1886, has the following:-- - - “It appears that George O. Daniels, of Clinton, Kentucky, had been ill - for several months, and at length, to all appearance, died. The body - was put in a coffin, where it remained for twenty hours, awaiting the - arrival of relatives to attend the funeral. At midnight the watchers - who surrounded the coffin were startled by a deep groan emanating from - it, and all but one, a German of the name of Wabbeking, rushed from - the room. Wabbeking remained, and as the groans continued he raised - the coffin-lid and saw that Daniels was alive. Seizing the body he - placed it upright. A few spasmodic gasps, a shudder, and the corpse - spoke. The relatives returned to find the man sitting in a chair, and - conversing with reasonable strength. Mr. Daniels claims to have been - perfectly conscious of everything which passed around him, but says he - was unable to move a muscle. He heard the sobs of his relatives when - he was pronounced dead by the doctors, and noticed the preparations - for the funeral. He is about eighty years of age.” - -The same journal for July 23, 1888, reports the following under the -head of - - “RETURNED TO LIFE TWICE. - -[RETURNED TO LIFE TWICE.] - - “The following details are given by the Cincinnati correspondent of - the _New York Herald_ from Memphis, Tennessee:--Mrs. Dicie Webb keeps - a grocery store on Beale Street, and is well known to hundreds. Two - years ago John Webb, a son of Mrs. Webb, married Sarah Kelly, a pretty - girl, to whom the mother-in-law became greatly attached. Before one - year of their married life had passed, Mrs. Webb, jun., was stricken - with consumption, and on several occasions came near dying. About a - month ago the young woman became very anxious to visit her parents in - Henderson County, and she was taken there. At first she appeared much - improved, and hopes were felt that her life might be preserved through - the summer, but two weeks ago last Tuesday a telegram announced her - death, and the husband hurried to her parents’ home. Three days later - he returned with the corpse. The mother-in-law pleaded so hard for a - sight of the dead woman, that finally, despite the belief that the - body was badly decomposed, it was decided to open the coffin. While - looking at the placid face Mrs. Webb was terrified at beholding the - eyelids of the dead woman slowly opening. The eyes did not have the - stony stare of death, nor the intelligent gleam of life. Mrs. Webb - was unable to utter a sound. She could not move, but stood gazing at - the gruesome sight. Her horror was increased when the supposed corpse - slowly sat upright and, in an almost inaudible voice, said, ‘Oh, - where am I?’ At this the weeping woman screamed. Friends who rushed - into the room were almost paralysed at the sight, and fled shrieking. - But one bolder than the others returned and spoke to the woman, who - asked to be laid on the bed. Hastily she was taken from the coffin - and cared for. In the course of the day the resurrected woman fully - regained her mental powers. The day following she related a wonderful - story. She said she was cognisant of all that occurred, and did not - lose consciousness until she was put aboard the train for Memphis. - Soon after being placed in her mother-in-law’s house she came to her - senses and knew all that was passing. While her mother-in-law was - looking at her she made a supreme effort to speak. Mrs. Webb lived a - number of days, when she again apparently died. The doctors pronounced - her dead, and she was once more placed in the coffin. While the - mother-in-law was taking her final farewell she heard a voice whisper, - ‘Mother, don’t cry.’ Looking into the girl’s face, she saw the same - look that she had noticed before. She called for help, and several - women responded. Some one cried, ‘Shake her; she’s not dead.’ In the - excitement of the moment, the women, it is thought, shook the life out - of the poor consumptive, and last Saturday she was buried. The family - and friends have endeavoured to keep the matter quiet.” - -The _Daily Telegraph_, January 26, 1889, reports:-- - - - “A NARROW ESCAPE. - - “A Rochester correspondent telegraphs that a woman named Girvin, - living at Burham, near Rochester, has just had a narrow escape of - being buried alive. She fell into a kind of trance, which was mistaken - for death. The coffin was ordered, and the usual preparations made for - a funeral. But while a number of the relatives were gathered at the - bedside bewailing their bereavement, the supposed corpse startled them - by suddenly rising up in bed and asking what was the matter. The woman - is making good progress towards convalescence.” - -And on July 6, 1889, the same journal says:-- - -[A CASE AT ST. LEONARDS.] - - “Our St. Leonards correspondent telegraphs:--About a week ago the wife - of a well-known tradesman in St. Leonards fell ill, and on Monday - night last the doctor gave his opinion that she could not live through - the next day. On Tuesday morning at ten o’clock the doctor pronounced - his patient dead, the nurse who was in attendance confirming the - opinion. The intimation of death naturally created great distress - among the friends of the woman, who was laid out in grave-clothes, - washed, and prepared for burial, and, being a Roman Catholic, a - crucifix was placed in her hand as she lay on her bier. When it was - announced that the woman was dying, a priest was sent for; but he - could not attend, as he was out of the town at the time. - - “About a quarter to ten on Tuesday night the nurse entered the room - without a light for the purpose of getting something which she knew - where to find. Whilst in the darkened chamber she was startled to - hear a slight cry proceeding from the bed where the body lay, and - she rushed from the room in a terrible fright. The widower, hearing - the scream of fright, rushed into the chamber with a light, and was - astounded to find that his wife had raised herself up in the bed on - her elbow. She faintly uttered the words, ‘Where am I?’ and again - relapsed into a heavy sleep. The opportunity was seized of changing - the shroud for proper habiliments, and in about an hour and a half - she woke again perfectly conscious. Next morning she was told of what - had occurred, but was quite ignorant of everything that had passed, - thinking she had only had a long sleep. She is now doing well, and it - is hoped she will soon be restored to health and strength. The doctor - describes the case as the most remarkable he has ever met with in his - experience.” - -Dr. Frederick A. Floyer, of Mortimer, Berks, published the -following-case in the _Tocsin_, November 1, 1889, vol. i., p. 84, under -the head of “Premature Burial”:-- - -“A narrow escape of this was recently communicated direct to the -writer, and as it has some extremely important bearings on the value -of what are usually considered to be evidences of death, we give it as -told by the survivor, who is still alive in the form of a cheery and -intelligent old lady in the fullest possession of her faculties and -memory. - -“Herself the wife of a medical officer attached to the--th Regiment, -she was stationed at---- Island, where at the age of twenty-eight she -was safely confined. Shortly after this she was walking out with an -attendant when she was taken suddenly ill with a painful spasm of the -heart--what appears to have been an attack of angina pectoris--and was -conveyed in-doors and propped up with pillows, suffering great pain, -and although medical attendance was summoned, nothing was of avail, -and she died--at least in the opinion of those around her, who paid -the proper attention to what they regarded as a corpse. It was the -custom there to bury at sundown any one who died during the day. We -understand that in warm countries it is difficult to close the eyelids -properly, and so this lady, lying motionless and rigid, contemplated -with perfectly clear perception, but with an utter indifference, the -bringing in of the coffin and the necessary preparations for her -interment; she remembers her children coming to take a last look at -her, and then being taken down stairs. - -“She would never have lived to tell the story but for an accident, -which happened in this way. Her nurse, who was much attached to her, -was stroking her face and the muscles of her jaw, and presently -declared she heard a sound of breathing. Medical assistance was -summoned, and the mirror test applied, but the surface was undimmed. -Then, to make sure, they opened a vein in each arm, but no blood -flowed. No limb responded to stimulus, and they declared that the nurse -was mistaken, and that the body was dead beyond doubt. - -“But the nurse persisted in her belief and in her attentions, and did -succeed in establishing a sign of life. Then mustard applications to -her feet and to the back of her neck, and burnt feathers applied to her -nostrils, which she remembered burning her nose, completed her return -to consciousness.” - - * * * * * - -From the _Pall Mall Gazette_, May 11, 1891. - - -[CERTIFICATE OF APOPLEXY.] - - “NARROW ESCAPE FROM BEING BURIED ALIVE. - - “A Penn Station telegram to Dalziel says:--A singular case of - simulation of death from fright occurred here on Saturday. Mrs. - Sarseville, the wife of a farmer in this county, was in the cow-house - attending to the dairy work when she saw a nest of squirming snakes - through a hole in the plank floor. She fell to the ground apparently - lifeless with fright. Help was summoned, and she was carried into the - house. Before the physician arrived Mrs. Sarseville had begun to turn - black, and he pronounced her dead, giving a certificate, in which he - assigned apoplexy as the cause. During the night Mrs. Sarseville’s - daughter sat beside the coffin of her mother, lamenting her death. - Just before daybreak she was startled to see the body move. She was - more shocked when her mother opened her eyes and sat bolt upright in - her coffin. The supposed corpse was no less startled than the girl - to find herself dressed in grave-clothes and lying in a coffin. Help - was summoned, and the lady helped out of her narrow bed and into - her ordinary clothes. She took breakfast with the family yesterday - morning, and seemed none the worse for her ghastly experience.” - -From the _British Medical Journal_, March 12, 1892, p. 577. - - - “A NARROW ESCAPE FROM PREMATURE BURIAL. - - “The _Temps_ publishes a case of premature burial prevented by the - daughter of the supposed dead man, who, on kissing her father, - perceived that his body was not cold. The funeral _cortége_ was - on the point of starting. Suitable measures restored the man to - consciousness, and he opened his eyes and uttered one or two words. - His condition is serious, but he is alive. This incident occurred at - Vagueray, near Lyons.” - -From the _Echo_, London, May 13, 1893. - - - “ALMOST BURIED WHILE ALIVE. - - “Limoges, May 13. - - “A woman has just had a narrow escape of being buried alive here. She - was subject to epileptic fits, and during one of these a few days ago - was pronounced to be dead. The arrangements for interment were made in - due course, and as the coffin was being borne into the church some of - the mourners said they heard a knocking inside. The party listened, - and distinct taps were heard. No time was lost in wrenching off the - lid of the coffin. It was then found that the woman was alive and - conscious, although terribly frightened at the awful ordeal through - which she had passed. A doctor was quickly in attendance, and under - his direction the supposed corpse was removed from the coffin and - placed on a litter for conveyance home again.” - -The _Undertakers’ Journal_, July 22, 1893, says:-- - - “Charles Walker was supposed to have died suddenly at St. Louis a - few days ago, and a burial certificate was obtained in due course - from the coroner’s office. The body was lying in the coffin, and the - relatives took a farewell look at the features, and withdrew as the - undertaker’s assistants advanced to screw down the lid. One of the - undertaker’s men noticed, however, that the position of the body in - the coffin seemed to have undergone some slight change, and called - attention to the fact. Suddenly, without any warning, the ‘corpse’ sat - up in the coffin and gazed round the room. A physician was summoned, - restoratives were applied, and in half an hour the supposed corpse was - in a warm bed, sipping weak brandy and water, taking a lively interest - in the surroundings. Heart-failure had produced a species of syncope - resembling death that deceived even experts.” - -From the _Undertakers’ Journal_, August 22, 1893. - - - “SNATCHED FROM DEATH AT THE GRAVESIDE. - - “A marvellous case of suspended animation is described from the - British colony of Lagos, where an old woman named Oseni came to - life when she was at the cemetery about to be buried. The mourners - had assembled at the cemetery, and, in accordance with the Mahomedan - rule, the body was lifted from the coffin to be buried, when several - distinct coughs were given by the supposed corpse. She was at once - released from the clothes which bound her, and the old woman, to the - surprise and amazement of those present, sat upright and opened her - eyes. Some gruel was then procured, of which she partook with evident - relish.” - -From the _Daily Telegraph_, London, December 12, 1893. - - -[FOUR DAYS’ APPARENT DEATH.] - - “A LADY NEARLY BURIED ALIVE. - - “Berlin, December 11. - - “From Militsch, in Silesia, an extraordinary case of trance is - reported. It seems that, owing to the grave not being in readiness, - some delay occurred in the burial of a lady, the wife of a major in - the army, who to all appearance had died. On the fourth day after - the lady’s supposed death the maid was placing fresh flowers round - the coffin, when she was much startled at seeing the body move, and - finally assume an erect position. The lady had evidently been in a - state of coma during the past four days, and narrowly escaped being - buried alive.” - -The _Banner of Light_, Boston, July 28, 1894, quotes the following case -of apparent sudden death from the _Boston Post_:-- - - - “COFFINED ALIVE! - - “Sprakers, a village not far from Rondout, N.Y., was treated to a - sensation Tuesday, July 10, by the supposed resurrection from the dead - of Miss Eleanor Markham, a young woman of respectability, who to all - appearance had died on Sunday, July 8. - - “Miss Markham about a fortnight ago complained of heart trouble, and - was treated by Dr. Howard. She grew weaker gradually, and on Sunday - morning apparently breathed her last, to the great grief of her - relatives, by whom she was much beloved. The doctor pronounced her - dead, and furnished the usual burial certificate. - - “Undertaker Jones took charge of the funeral arrangements. On account - of the warm weather it was decided that the interment should take - place Tuesday, and in the morning Miss Markham was put in the coffin. - - “After her relatives had taken the last look on what they supposed was - their beloved dead, the lid of the coffin was fastened on, and the - undertaker and his assistant took it to the hearse waiting outside. - As they approached the hearse a noise was heard, and the coffin was - put down and opened in short order. Behold! there was poor Eleanor - Markham lying on her back, her face white and contorted, and her eyes - distended. - - “‘My God!’ she cried, in broken accents. ‘Where am I? You are burying - me alive.’ ‘Hush! child,’ said Dr. Howard, who happened to be present. - ‘You are all right. It is a mistake easily rectified.’ - - “The girl was then taken into the house and placed on the bed, - when she fainted. While the doctor was administering stimulating - restoratives the trappings of woe were removed, and the hearse drove - away with more cheerful rapidity than a hearse was ever driven before. - - * * * * * - - “‘I was conscious all the time you were making preparations to bury - me,’ she said, ‘and the horror of my situation is altogether beyond - description. I could hear everything that was going on, even a whisper - outside the door, and although I exerted all my will-power, and made - a supreme physical effort to cry out, I was powerless.... At first I - fancied the bearers would not hear me, but when I felt one end of the - coffin falling suddenly, I knew that I had been heard.’ - - “Miss Markham is on a fair way to recovery, and what is strange is - that the flutterings of the heart that brought on her illness are - gone.” - -From the _Echo_, January 18, 1895. - - - “MISTAKEN FOR DEAD--A WOMAN’S AWFUL EXPERIENCE. - - “An extraordinary affair is reported from Heap Bridge, Heywood. - Yesterday a woman was supposed to have died, and she was washed, laid - out, and measured for her coffin, a piece of linen being placed over - her mouth. Eight hours later, however, as two women were engaged in - the room, the supposed corpse blew the linen away, and raised herself - up in bed. The two women were terribly frightened, and in their hasty - retreat both tumbled downstairs, and are now suffering from slight - injuries, as well as shock. Some time elapsed before any one else - could be induced to enter the house, but eventually several persons - went in together, and found the woman still sitting up in bed. She - was exceedingly weak. Later, however, she succumbed, and the doctor - expressed the opinion that her death was accelerated by shock. During - the night the woman conversed with her son, who had carried her - upstairs for dead, and told him of the awful sensation she felt whilst - unable to speak during the washing and laying out of her body.” - -The following letter appeared in the London _Daily Chronicle_ of -September 24, 1895:-- - - -[A HUSBAND’S PROMISE.] - - “BURIED ALIVE. - - “Sir,--To your interesting correspondence on ‘Buried Alive,’ I would - add the following, which I had directly from the mouth of one who but - for the faithfulness of her husband would probably have been added to - the number. I knew her quite well. She was the daughter of a physician - in my native town, and her husband was a professor of music, and I - will tell the incident as nearly as I can remember in her own words. - She said:--‘I had in my early married life a dread of there being any - mistake made about my death, and begged my husband that, should he - survive me, he would watch my body himself, which he promised he would - do. Some time after this, I was overtaken by a most terrible attack - of fever, succeeded by entire exhaustion, and I, as my attendants - believed, died, and was accordingly laid out for burial. My good - husband was true to his promise, and he, with my sister, watched the - corpse, and in the night they perceived some indication of returning - life, and of course means were used for restoration.’ - - “I cannot be quite sure how many years she lived after, but she had - brought up at the time I speak of a family of four sons and one - daughter, and she lived to a good old age.--Yours truly, - - “CASSANDRA M----. - - “September 18.” - -Speaking on the subject of premature burial the other day, a well-known -London publisher told the author that he personally knew a lady, the -daughter of a British Consul, who had been taken for dead on two -separate occasions. On the first occasion the lady had been placed in -her coffin, and the lid screwed down ready for interment. A friend who -had known the supposed deceased called to condole with the family, -and said:--“I should like to have a last look at dear L---- if you -will only permit me.” The lid was accordingly removed, and the visitor -detected, as it seemed to her, signs of life in her friend; she was -taken out of her coffin, put in a warm bath, and recovered. Some years -later the same lady fell into a cataleptic state after a fever, and -was taken for dead. Preparations had been made for the funeral in -both instances, but delayed beyond the usual time for interment. She -returned to consciousness, and is now living. - -Dr. Moore Russell Fletcher in “Suspended Animation and the Danger of -Burying Alive,” p. 62, writes:-- - -“‘Seven hours in a coffin added ten years to my life,’ was the remark -of Martin Strong, of Twelfth Street, Philadelphia, some time after -quitting the coffin in which his family had placed him for burial, -after Dr. Cummings had given a certificate of his death. Frank Stoop, -of Clarinda, Iowa, was laid out for burial not long since, a physician -having certified to his death; but fortunately he awoke from his state -of coma in time to save his life.” - - -AN ARMY SURGEON’S PERSONAL EXPERIENCE. - -[DR. CHEW’S EXPERIENCES.] - -Dr. R. G. S. Chew, of Calcutta, writing to the author, says:--“In -1873 I was a student in the Bishop’s High School, Poonah (Bombay -Presidency), where I used to be generally at the head of my class, -and when competing for the Science Prizes I was fully determined to -take the first prize or none. The Reverend---- Watson, Rector of St. -Mary’s Church and Chaplain to our school, knew my disposition, and -cautioned me against being too sanguine, lest disappointment might -tell very keenly. The disappointment came, and with it much nervous -excitability. Shortly after this (Christmas, 1873) my favourite sister -was seized with convulsions that carried her off. From the moment of -her decease to nearly a month after her interment I entirely lost the -power of speech. On the day of the funeral I was parched with thirst, -but could not drink, as the water seemed to choke me. My eyes were -burning and my head felt like bursting, but I could neither sob nor -cry. I felt quite dazed, and followed the procession to the cemetery, -where I stood motionless by the open grave; but as soon as they lowered -the little coffin into its resting-place I threw myself headlong into -the grave and fainted away. Some one pulled me out and carried me -home, where I lay in a sort of stupor for nine days, during which Dr. -Donaldson attended me most patiently, and I regained consciousness, -but was too weak to even sit up in bed. On the 16th January, 1874, I -felt a peculiar sensation as of something filling up my throat--no -swelling, no pain nor anything that pointed to throat affection--and -this getting worse and worse, in spite of everything, I _died_, as was -supposed, on the 18th of January, 1874, and was laid out for burial, -as the most careful examination failed to show the slightest traces of -life. I had been in this state for twenty hours, and in another three -hours would have been closed up for ever, when my eldest sister, who -was leaning over the head of my coffin crying over me, declared she -saw my lips move. The friends who had come to take their last look at -me tried to persuade her it was only fancy, but, as she persisted, -Dr. Donaldson was sent for to convince her that I was really dead. -For some unexplained reason he had me taken out of the coffin and -examined very carefully from head to foot. Noticing a peculiar, soft -fluctuating swelling at the base of my neck, just where the clavicles -meet the sternum, he went to his brougham, came back with his case of -instruments, and, before any one could stop him or ask what he was -going to do, laid open the tumour and plunged in a tracheotomy tube, -when a quantity of pus escaped, and, releasing the pressure on the -carotids and thyroid, was followed by a rush of blood and some movement -on my part that startled the doctor. Restoratives were used, and I was -slowly nursed back to life; but the tracheotomy tube (I _still_ carry -the scar) was not finally removed till September, 1875.” - - -“APPARENT DEATH FROM A FALL. - -(_Communicated to the author by Dr. Chew._) - -[APPARENT DEATH FROM A FALL.] - -“A sowar--_i.e._, native trooper--of the 7th regiment of cavalry, in -1878, carrying despatches at Nowshera, was thrown from his horse, -and, falling with his head against a sharp stone in the road, rolled -on to his back, in which position he was found some six or seven -hours after, and conveyed to the morgue of the European Depôt Hospital -pending removal to the ‘lines’ of his own corps. There was very -little hæmorrhage, and the stone was still wedged in between the -temporo-parietal suture. Cardiac sounds and respiratory murmurs could -not be detected. The limbs were perfectly rigid, and there was a good -deal of cadaveric ecchymosis to be distinctly seen. Nothing would have -convinced any one that the sowar was still alive, and Surgeons-Major -Hunter, Gibson, and Briggs, Apothecary S. Pollock, Assistant-Surgeon -J. Lewis and myself _verily_ believed he was stone-dead. As ‘cause of -death’ is what the army is exceedingly particular about, Surgeon-Major -Hunter removed the impacted stone and lifted out portions of the -fractured bone (prior to holding a proper _post-mortem_), when to the -surprise of all of us ‘the corpse’ deliberately closed its eyes (which -were staring open when the body was first brought in), and there was -a slight serous hæmorrhage. On noticing this, the sowar’s head was -trephined--no chloroform or other anæsthetic being used--some more -fragments of bone and a large blood-clot that pressed on the brain were -removed, and as the sowar repeatedly flinched under this operation, -a stimulant was poured down his throat, and he was removed to his -regimental hospital, from which he was discharged ‘well’ some six -months and a half later. After this he did good service in the Afghan -and Egyptian campaigns.” - -“APPARENT DEATH FROM CHOLERA. - -“The cases of collapse and apparent death during epidemics of cholera -are very numerous, as will be seen by reference to medical literature. -We have now before us particulars of cases from the _Calcutta Journal -of Medicine_ for 1869, vol. ii., p. 383, where Dr. Charles Londe, of -Paris, observes that patients pronounced dead of cholera have been -repeatedly seen to move. See also, for Italy, _Lancet_, 1884, vol. ii., -p. 655. - -“A correspondent, signing himself T.E.N., in _To-Day_, October 12, -1895, says:--‘When acting as special correspondent to the _Evening -Herald_ in Hamburg during the cholera plague, I met a gentleman who -had been passed for dead and placed in the mortuary to await burial. -When the porters entered some hours later to remove the hundred or so -bodies, they found this gentleman sitting up in great pain, and very -much frightened. He was placed in a ward and recovered. About the same -time a little girl came to life actually at the graveside. She had been -brought in one of several four-horse vans that conveyed bodies for -interment in the Ohlsdorff grave-yard. Fortunately for her, she had -not been placed in a coffin, the exigencies of the time rendering it -impossible to provide caskets for the dead. When the disease began to -die out, the people found time to ask--“Can it be possible that life -remains in any of the bodies buried?” That the doctors in the latter -days cut the ulnar arteries of all subjects before passing them for -dead is full of significance.’” - -[CASES COMMUNICATED BY DR. CHEW.] - -The three following cases were communicated to the author, during -his sojourn in Calcutta, by Dr. Chew, in the early part of this year -(1896):-- - -“In March, 1877, Assistant-Surgeons H. A. Borthwick, S. Blake, H. B. -Rogers, and myself received orders to proceed from Rawal Pindi by -bullock-train to Peshawur to join the various regiments we were to -be posted to for duty. We had just passed a place called Rati when -Borthwick showed strong symptoms of cholera, from which he suffered -all that night. The nearest hospital was twenty-five miles behind us, -and though we had neither medicines nor sick-room comforts with us, we -had no alternative but to journey onwards, because the train-drivers -(Indians) refused to turn back, and if we did return to Rawal Pindi we -would have been court-martialled for disobeying lawful commands and -coming back without orders to do so. Travelling by bullock-train is -very slow work, and far from a comfortable mode of transit; however, -we were obliged to make the best of it, and early next morning -Borthwick was cold, stiff, and seemingly dead. Here was a fine state -of affairs--the nearest cantonment, which we had no expectation of -reaching (_i.e._, Nowshera) before nine p.m., was thirty-six miles -off, and by the time we arrived at it, it would have been too late to -approach the authorities, while Peshawur, our destination, was another -twenty-nine miles further off. Dispose of the body we dared not, and we -had no choice but to continue our route. All that day there was not a -movement or other sign to show that life was not extinct, and affairs -seemed no better by five p.m. next day, when we reached Peshawur. The -apparent corpse was lifted out of the bullock-train and carried into -the hospital dispensary (where a strong fire was blazing) preparatory -to papers being signed and arrangements made for its final disposal. -Whether it was the heat of the fire before which he was placed, or -whether the vibriones had produced an antitoxin, I am not prepared to -argue; but _we do know_ that Borthwick recovered consciousness while -lying on the bed in that dispensary, and that he whom we mourned as -dead returned to life. He served in the same military stations with me -in the North-West Frontier till 1880, when he accompanied me to the -Calcutta Medical College, where we parted company in February, 1882, -I bound for Egypt and he for frontier duty. At first we corresponded -regularly, but since 1885 we lost touch of each other.” - - -“REVIVAL IN A MORTUARY IN INDIA. - -“Sergeant J. Clements Twining, of H.M.’s 109th regiment of British -infantry, located at Dinapoor in 1876, was brought in an unconscious -state to the hospital, supposed to be suffering from _coup de soleil_. -Everything that could be done was ineffectually tried to rouse him from -coma, and he was removed to the dead-house to wait _post-mortem_ next -morning. At two a.m. the sentry on the dead-house came rushing down -to the dispensary (about four hundred and fifty yards off) declaring -that he had seen and heard a ghost in the dead-house, to which myself -and the compounder and dresser on duty at once proceeded, to find that -Clements Twining, who was now partially conscious, was lying on the -dead-house flags groaning most piteously--he had rolled off the table -on to the floor. He returned to health, and in 1877 accompanied his -regiment to England, where I met him at Woolwich in 1883, and he asked -me to corroborate his story of ‘returning to life’ to certain of his -acquaintances who had refused to believe him.” - -[THE USE OF MORTUARIES.] - - -“CHOLERA CORPSES REVIVED IN A MORTUARY. - -“When the East Norfolk regiment was out cholera-dodging in 1878, -Colour-Sergeant T. Hall and Corporal W. Bellomy were sent into -cantonments for burial as cholera corpses in the Nowshera Cemetery. -There was some delay in the interment owing to a difficulty in -obtaining the wood necessary for their coffins, so both bodies -were placed in the dead-house, which was generously sprinkled with -disinfectants to ward off the risk of contagion. First Hall and then -Bellomy regained consciousness, and were duly returned to duty. The -following year Bellomy was ‘invalided’ to England, where I understand -he now enjoys the best of health.” - -“Shortly after the Afghan war of 1878, Surgeon-Major T. Barnwell and -I were told off to take a large number of time-expired men, invalids, -and wounded, to Deolali on their way to England. Some of the wounded -were in a very critical state, necessitating great care; one man -in particular, Trooper Holmes of the 10th Hussars, who had an ugly -bullet-wound running along his left thigh and under the groin. Our only -means of transport for these poor fellows was the ‘palki’ or doolie -carried by four bearers at a curious swinging pace. When we got to -Nowshera, Holmes seemed on a fair way to recovery, but the swinging -of the doolie seemed too much for him, and he grew weaker day by day -till we got to Hassan Abdool, when we could not rouse him to take -some nourishment before starting on the march, and to all appearance -he seemed perfectly dead; but, as there was neither the time nor -convenience to hold a _post-mortem_, we carried the body on to ‘John -Nicholson,’ where, the same difficulties being in the way, and no -facilities for burial, we were obliged to put the _post-mortem_ off for -another day, and convey the corpse to Rawal Pindi rest camp, where we -laid him on the floor of the mortuary tent and covered him over with a -tarpaulin. This was his salvation, as next morning (_i.e._, the third -day succeeding his ‘death’), when we raised the tarpaulin to hold the -_post-mortem_, some hundreds of field mice (these tracts are _noted_ -for them) rushed out, and we noticed that Holmes was breathing, though -very slowly--five or six respirations to the minute--and there were a -few teeth marks where the mice had attacked his calves. To prevent a -relapse by the jolting on further marches, we handed him over to the -station hospital staff, who pulled him round, and then forwarded him to -the headquarters of his regiment at Meerut.” - -A lady, distinguished alike for her literary gifts as well as for her -philanthropy, sends me the following:-- - -“I am much obliged to you for sending me ‘Perils.’ It is a terrible -subject, and one that has haunted me all my life, insomuch that I have -never made a will without inserting a clause requiring my throat to be -cut before I am put underground. Of course one can have no reliance -on doctors whatever, and I have myself known a case in which a very -eminent one insisted on a coffin being screwed down because the corpse -looked so life-like and full of colour that the friends could not help -indulging in hopes. - -[CASES IN IRELAND.] - -“My great grandmother, after whom I am called, a famous heiress, was -a notable case of narrow escape. As a girl she passed into a state of -apparent death, and a great funeral was ordered for her. Among the -guests came a young girl friend, who insisted that she was not dead, -and raised such a stir that the funeral was postponed, and time was -allowed to pass till the marvel became that there were no signs of -change. I could never ascertain how long this comatose state lasted -before she recovered; but she _did_ recover, so thoroughly that after -her marriage with Richard Trench, of Garbuly, she became the mother -of twenty-two children. Obviously this was no case of a feeble, -hysterical, cataleptic subject. I will enclose photograph taken from a -miniature of her in a ring in my possession. - -“There was another case, well known in Ireland in my youth, of a -Colonel Howard, who had a fine place (I think it was called Castle -Howard) in Wicklow. He was supposed to be dead, and a lead coffin -was actually made with his name and date of death on it; after which -Colonel Howard came to life, and had the plate of the coffin fixed over -his kitchen chimney as a warning to his servants not to bury people in -a hurry.” - -Dr. Colin S. Valentine, LL.D., Principal of the Medical Missionary -Training College, Agra, N.W.P., told the author during his visit to -Agra, February, 1896, that Captain Young, an officer in the regiment of -which he (Dr. Valentine) was at that time army surgeon, who had been -dreadfully mauled while tiger-hunting in Madras, was laid out for dead, -and all the arrangements were made for his funeral at six o’clock that -evening, when consciousness returned, and he lived for twenty years -after. - -In a lecture on “Signs of Death and Disposal of the Dead,” delivered by -Dr. A. Stephenson at Nottingham, January 9, 1896, the lecturer said “he -once attended a girl living in that locality who was in a trance. All -the preparations were made for her funeral, and the grave ordered. She -remained in a trance three days, and her mother was annoyed because he -would not sign her death-certificate. On the third day she slowly rose -and recovered. The girl would have been buried unless he had had a very -great fear of her being buried alive.”[6] - -From the London _Echo_, March 3, 1896. - - - “NARROW ESCAPE OF A GREEK-ORTHODOX METROPOLITAN. - - “A letter from Constantinople, in the _Politische Korrespondenz_, - gives a remarkable case of an apparent death which would have ended - in a premature burial but for the high ecclesiastical position of the - person concerned. On the 3rd of this month, Nicephorus Glycas, the - Greek-Orthodox Metropolitan of Lesbos, an old man in his eightieth - year, after several days of confinement to his bed, was reported by - the physician to be dead. The supposed dead bishop, in accordance - with the rules of the Orthodox Church, was immediately clothed in - his episcopal vestments, and placed upon the Metropolitan’s throne - in the great church of Methymni, where the body was exposed to the - devout faithful during the day, and watched by relays of priests day - and night. Crowds streamed into the church to take a last look at - their venerable chief pastor. On the second night of “the exposition - of the corpse,” the Metropolitan suddenly started up from his seat - and stared round him with amazement and horror at all the panoply - of death amidst which he had been seated. The priests were not less - horrified when the ‘dead’ bishop demanded what they were doing with - him? The old man had simply fallen into a death-like lethargy, which - the incompetent doctors had hastily concluded to be death. He is now - as hale and hearty as can well be expected from an octogenarian. But - here it is that the moral comes in. If Nicephorus Glycas had been a - layman he would most certainly have been buried alive. Fortunately for - him the Canon Law of the Orthodox Church does not allow a bishop to be - buried earlier than the third day after his death; whereas a layman, - according to the ancient Eastern custom, is generally buried about - twelve hours after death has been certified. The excitement which has - been aroused by the prelate’s startling resurrection may tend to set - men thinking more seriously about the frequent probability of the - cruel horror of the interment of living persons.” - -The above-mentioned facts have been authenticated for the author by Dr. -Franz Hartmann, of Hallein, Austria. - - -NARROW ESCAPES OF SMALL-POX PATIENTS. - -Many physicians who dispute the frequency of premature burials admit -that the liability to such catastrophes is considerable during -epidemics of small-pox, where extreme exhaustion, amounting to a -suspension of life, is distinguishable from actual death only by -patient and prolonged observation. - -From the _Lancet_, June 21, 1884, p. 1150:-- - - - “SUSPENDED ANIMATION AFTER SMALL-POX. - - “Sir,--I send you privately names and addresses by means of which you - can test, if you please, the accuracy of the following statements, - which I forward for insertion in your journal:-- - -[APPARENT DEATHS AFTER SMALL-POX.] - - “Some years since, a young man who had been attacked by small-pox - was declared by the medical man to be dead, and was laid out for - burial. The nurse, however, on paying a visit to the supposed corpse, - thinking there was something uncorpse-like about its appearance, put - a wine-glass over the mouth, and returning in a quarter of an hour, - found it dimmed with breath. He was resuscitated, and, so far as I - am aware, is still living. He would now be about forty-five. He is a - farmer. - - “A mother and her baby were ill of small-pox, and seemed likely to - die. The grandmother, however, made the nurse promise that if death - appeared to ensue, and even if the medical man pronounced either or - both to be dead, she would put additional blankets on the one or - both, and leave them so till her (the grandmother’s) return, which - would not be till the next day. They both appeared to die, and were - declared dead by the doctor; but the nurse did as she had promised, - and the next day when the grandmother returned, they were both alive, - and were both living not very long since. - - “Some twenty years ago, I was told that about forty years previously - a young man, in a parish where I was acquainted, was put in a coffin - as a person dead of small-pox; but when the bell was tolling for his - funeral, and he was about to be ‘screwed down,’ he got up and vacated - the coffin, and lived several years afterwards. - - “In a town where I was brought up, a woman was nearly buried alive - through having gone into a trance on being frightened by a young lady - who had put on a white sheet and pretended to be a ‘ghost.’ For years - she was liable to long spells of insensibility, from which nothing - could rouse her. - - “The haste with which small-pox corpses are disposed of nowadays is to - be deprecated. They are usually buried within twelve hours of their - supposed death, and the cases I first mentioned show with what very - probable results. The only sure proof of death is decomposition, and - a law ought to be passed forbidding burial until signs of it have - appeared. Not very long since I was in a church-yard where a drain - was being made round the church, and was not a little struck by the - horrified look of a labourer who came to the vicar and stated that - they had come on a skull face downward, which, he said, put it beyond - doubt that the person it had belonged to had turned in his coffin - after burial.--I am, Sir, yours faithfully, - - “B. A. - - “June 18, 1884.” - -The _Undertakers’ Journal_, May 22, 1895, has the following:-- - -[REV. HARRY JONES’ CASES.] - - “The Reverend Harry Jones, in his reminiscences, and as a London - clergyman, declares his conviction that in times of panic from fatal - epidemics it is not unlikely that some people are buried alive. - Mr. Jones recalls a case within his knowledge of a young woman - pronounced to be dead from cholera, and actually laid out for the - usual collecting cart to call from the undertakers, when a neighbour - happened to come in and lament over her. The story continues thus: - ‘And is poor Sarah really dead?’ she cried. ‘Well,’ said her mother, - ‘she is, and she will soon be fetched away; but if you can do anything - you may do it.’ Acting on this permission the practical neighbour set - about rubbing Sarah profusely with mustard. Sarah sat up, stung into - renovated life, and so far recovered as to marry; ‘and I myself,’ says - Mr. Jones, ‘christened four or five of her children in the course of - the next few years.’ In another case, within Mr. Jones’ parochial - experiences in London, a man employed as potman lay _in extremis_. A - doctor was called in, who said ‘Turn him on his face, and I will put - a thick strip of flannel soaked in spirits of wine down his spine. We - will see what that will do.’ A sister brought a store of flannel, the - doctor soaked it in spirit, and prepared to apply it as he proposed. - First, however, he placed the soaking mass in a heap (almost as big as - a small hassock) in the middle of his back. Meanwhile the sister leant - forward with a candle and accidently set the hassock on fire. ‘This,’ - adds the anecdotist, ‘woke the potman up;’ and not very long ago the - doctor told me he had seen him in a street near the Oxford Circus.” - -From the _Daily Chronicle_, September 19, 1895. - - “Sir,--I infer from the following facts that numbers of persons are - buried alive after being supposed to have succumbed to small-pox. - - “Some years ago, at St. Paul’s, Belchamp, near Clare, a young man who - had been down with the small-pox was pronounced to be dead, and was - put into a coffin, which, fortunately, was left unclosed until after - the bell began to toll for his funeral, when he rose and stepped out. - He lived for many years after. In the same neighbourhood no less - than three other similar cases occurred, saving that the undertakers - were not so far forward in their work. Each of these would have been - buried alive but for the facts that in one case the nurse, having - suspicions, put a wine-glass over the mouth of the person (who had - been already ‘laid out’), and on returning in a quarter of an hour - found it dimmed with breath; and that in the other case the mother - of a mother, who with her baby was declared by the doctor to be dead, - had blankets heaped on them, and after a while had the satisfaction of - seeing them revive. Two of these three persons are, I believe, still - living, and would be just past middle-age. I enclose their names for - your private perusal, that you may verify my statements if desired. - The first-mentioned case happened about seventy years ago, but I heard - of it from residents in the neighbourhood about forty years after it - occurred. - - “Nowadays as soon as a small-pox patient is supposed to be dead, he - or she is enclosed in a coffin and hurried off to the church-yard or - cemetery the ensuing night--at least this is the practice in country - places. I have no doubt that many have been buried alive.--Yours - faithfully, - - “EX-CURATE. - - “September 18.” - -Brigade-Surgeon W. Curran cites from the _Revue des Deux Mondes_, -April, 1873, in his Eighth Paper, entitled “Buried Alive,” as follows:-- - -[IMPORTANCE OF CAREFUL EXAMINATION.] - -“On the 15th of October, 1842, a farmer who lived in the suburbs of -Neufchâtel (Lower Seine) went to sleep in his hay-loft in the midst of -some newly mown hay. As he did not get up at the usual hour the next -morning, his wife went to call him, and found him dead. When the time -for his funeral arrived, some twenty-four or thirty hours subsequently, -those who were charged with the burial put the body on a bier, and -having placed this on the ladder that communicated between the ground -and the loft, they allowed it to slide down. All of a sudden one of -the rungs of this ladder gave way, and the bier, falling through, was -dashed violently on the pavement below. The shock, which might have -been fatal to a live person, proved to be the ‘saving clause’ of our -supposed dead one; and fortunately, too, the attendants had not, as -so commonly happens in such contingencies, absconded; on the contrary, -responding without delay to the requirements of the situation, they -quickly realised the gravity of the crisis, and, unbinding the shrouds -of the farmer, they soon restored him to consciousness and life. He was -able, we are further told, to resume his ordinary duties in a few days -afterwards.”[7] - -The _Undertakers’ and Funeral Directors’ Journal_, January 22, 1889, -says:-- - -“Mr. J. W. Smith, of 158 River Avenue, Alleghany” has just had, for -instance, a remarkably narrow escape of prematurely putting his family -in mourning, and one which will, we may be sure, be a very disagreeable -recollection for him during the rest of his existence. After a visit to -the Pittsburg Opera House one night, Mr. Smith was found lying ‘stiff -and cold’ behind the stove in the dining-room, and apparently dead. A -superficial examination by Dr. M’Cready confirmed the worst fears of -Mrs. Smith, but subsequently the doctor sought carefully for any little -spark of life which might lurk unseen, and, very fortunately for Mr. -Smith, found it. But, beyond that, nothing could be accomplished; no -effort to restore animation produced the slightest effect. Two other -physicians were then summoned; but neither attempts at bleeding, the -use of ‘mustard baths,’ nor the application of electricity, could -rouse Mr. Smith after his visit to the opera. For three weeks he lay -insensible, and when he regained consciousness a fever followed. This -event, and some others of a similar character which are occasionally -heard of, show that the examination of persons apparently dead should -always be undertaken by an efficient person, and by no means in a -perfunctory manner.” - -The late Madame Blavatsky was subject to death-like trances, and Dr. -Franz Hartmann informs me that she would have been buried alive if -Colonel Olcott had not telegraphed to let her have time to awaken. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -FORMALITIES AND THEIR FATAL CONSEQUENCES. - - -WHENEVER grave-yards have been removed, owing to the rapid expansion -of towns, in America, or examined elsewhere, unmistakable evidences of -premature burial have been disclosed, as will be seen in this volume; -bodies have been found turned upon their faces, the limbs contorted, -with hair dishevelled, the clothing torn, the flesh mutilated, and -coffins broken by the inmates in their mad endeavour to escape after -returning consciousness, to terminate life only in unspeakable mental -and physical agonies. It may be said that every grave-yard has its -traditions, but the facts are carefully concealed lest they should -reach the ears of the relatives, or incriminate the doctors who had -with such confidence certified to actual deaths which were only -apparent. It is not, however, the custom to remove grave-yards in -Europe until all possibility of such discoveries has disappeared. -To reopen a grave is to break the seal of domestic grief. There -is a widespread belief that where a coffin, with a duly certified -corpse,--dead or alive,--has been screwed up, it must not be opened -without an authorisation from a magistrate, mayor, or other official, -and many people have been suffocated in their coffins while waiting -for this formality. Common sense, under the circumstances, seems to be -often paralysed. - -In England it has been decided, Reg. _v._ Sharpe (1 Dearsley and Bell, -160), to be a misdemeanour to disinter a body without lawful authority, -even where the motive of the offender was pious and laudable; and a -too rigorous interpretation of this and similar enactments in other -countries has led to the suffocation of many unfortunate victims of a -mistaken medical diagnosis, whose lives, by prompt interposition, might -have been saved. - -Köppen, in his work, entitled “Information Relative to Persons who have -been Buried Alive,” Halle, 1799, dedicated to His Majesty the King of -Prussia, Frederick William III., quotes the following amongst a large -number of cases of premature burial:--“In D----, the Baroness F---- -died of small-pox. She was kept in her house three days, and then put -in the family vault. After a time, a noise of knocking was heard in the -vault, and the voice of the Baroness was also heard. The authorities -were informed; and instead of opening the door with an axe, as could -have been done, the key was sent for, which took three or four hours -before the messenger returned with it. On opening the vault it was -found that the lady was lying on her side, with evidences of having -suffered terrible agony.” - -[A MAGISTRATE CENSURED.] - -Struve, in his essay on “Suspended Animation,” 1803, p. 71, relates -the following:--“A beggar arrived late at night, and almost frozen -to death, at a German village, and, observing a school-house open, -resolved to sleep there. The next morning, the school-boys found the -poor man sitting motionless in the room, and hastened, affrighted, -to inform the schoolmaster of what they had seen. The villagers, -supposing the beggar to be dead, interred him in the evening. During -the night, the watchman heard a knocking in the grave, accompanied by -lamentations. He gave information to the bailiff of the village, who -declined to listen to his tale. Soon afterwards the watchman returned -to the grave, and again heard a hollow noise, interrupted by sighs. -He once more hastened to the magistrate, earnestly soliciting him to -cause the grave to be opened; but the latter, being irresolute, delayed -this measure till the next morning, when he applied to the sheriff, who -lived at a distance from the village, in order to obtain the necessary -directions. He was, however, obliged to wait some time before an -interview took place. The more judicious sheriff severely censured the -magistrate for not having opened the grave on the information from the -watchman, and desired him to return and cause it to be opened without -delay. On his arrival, the grave was immediately opened; but, just -Heaven! what a sight! The poor, wretched man, after having recovered in -the grave, had expired for want of air. In his anguish and desperation -he had torn the flesh from his arms. All the spectators were struck -with horror at this dreadful scene.” - -The _Undertakers’ Journal_, November 22, 1880, relates the following:-- - - “An extraordinary story is reported from Tredegar, South Wales. A - man was buried at Cefn Golan Cemetery, and it is alleged that some - of those who took part in carrying the body to the burial-ground - heard knocking inside the coffin. No notice was taken of the affair - at the time, but it has now come up again, and the rumour has caused - a painful sensation throughout the district. It is stated that - application has been made to the Home Secretary for permission to - exhume the body.” - -Dr. Franz Hartmann, in his “Premature Burial,” pp. 10 and 44, relates -the two following cases:--“In the year 1856 a man died in an Hungarian -village. It is customary there to dig the graves in rows. As the -grave-digger was making the new grave he heard sounds as of knocking -proceeding from a grave where a man had been buried a few days -previously. Terrified, he went to the priest, and with the priest to -the police. At last permission was granted to open the grave; but by -that time its occupant had died in reality. The fact that he had been -buried alive was made evident by the condition of the body, and by the -wounds which the man had inflicted upon himself by biting his shoulders -and arms. - -“In a small town in Prussia, an undertaker, living within the limits -of the cemetery, heard during the night cries proceeding from within a -grave in which a person had been buried on the previous day. Not daring -to interfere without permission, he went to the police and reported the -matter. When, after a great deal of delay, the required formalities -were fulfilled and permission granted to open the grave, it was found -that the man had been buried alive, but that he was now dead. His -body, which had been cold at the time of the funeral, was now warm and -bleeding from many wounds, where he had skinned his hands and head in -his struggles to free himself before suffocation made an end to his -misery.” - -A medical correspondent communicates to the author particulars of the -following case, which occurred at Salzburg, Austria:--“Some children -were playing in the Luzergasse Cemetery, and their attention was -attracted by knocking sounds in a newly-made grave. They informed the -grave-digger of it, and he secured permission to open the grave from -whence the sounds seemed to come. A man had been buried there at two -p.m. that day. The formalities of the permission to open the grave -delayed it till seven p.m., when, on opening the coffin, the body -was found to be bent completely over forwards, and was frightfully -distorted and bleeding from places on the hands and arms, which seemed -to have been gnawed by the man’s own teeth. The medical experts who -were called in to examine the case declared that the man had been -buried alive.” - - -From the _Undertakers’ and Funeral Directors’ Journal_, January 22, -1887. - -[FATAL RESULTS.] - - “Another shocking case of premature burial is reported; the distressing - incident took place at Saumur, in France. A young man suddenly died, at - least to all appearance, and his burial was ordered to take place as - soon as possible. The _croquemorts_, or undertaker’s men, who carried - the coffin to the grave, thought they heard a noise like knocking under - its lid, yet, being afraid of creating a panic among the people who - attended the funeral, they went on with their burden. The coffin was - duly placed in the grave, but, as the earth was being thrown upon it, - unmistakable sounds of knocking were heard by everybody. The mayor, - however, had to be sent for before the coffin could be opened, and - some delay occurred in the arrival of that official. When the lid was - removed, the horrible discovery was made that the unfortunate inmate - had only just died from asphyxia. The conviction is spreading that the - terrible French law requiring speedy interment ought to be modified - without delay.” - -Mr. William Harbutt, School of Art, Bath, writes to me, November 27, -1895:--“The copies of the pamphlet ‘The Perils of Premature Burial,’ -by Professor Alex. Wilder, you kindly sent me are in circulation. -Almost every one to whom I mention the subject knows some instances. -One, a case at Radstock, twelve miles from Bath, where the bearers at -the funeral heard noises inside the coffin, but were afraid to open it -without the authority from a magistrate. When it was opened next day -the appearance of the body showed that he had been coffined alive, and -had had a terrible struggle to escape.” - -From the _Star_, London, May 13, 1895. - - - “A WOMAN LOSES HER LIFE THROUGH LEGAL FORMALITIES. - - “Paris, May 11. - - “A woman who was believed to have died the day before was being buried - at Doussard, when the grave-digger, who was engaged in filling up the - grave, distinctly heard knocking coming from the coffin. He called - a man who was working near, and he came and listened, and heard the - knocking also. It was then about nine o’clock in the morning. The - knocking continued, and they listened for about half an hour, when it - occurred to one of them that they ought to do something, so they went - to inform the local authorities. The curé of the village was the first - to arrive on the scene; but as no one had any authority to exhume the - body the coffin was not taken up. All that was done was to bore some - holes in the lid with a drill in such a way as to admit of air. By - mid-day all the necessary formalities had been gone through, and it - was decided at last to open the coffin. This was done; but whether - the unfortunate woman was still alive at this time is doubtful. Some - of those present affirm that she was. They state that they saw a - little colour come into her cheeks, and the eyes open and shut. One - thing is certain--viz.: that when at half-past six in the evening it - was finally decided to consult a doctor, the practitioner summoned - declared that death had taken place not more than five or six hours - before. It was thought that had the coffin been opened directly the - sounds were heard the woman’s life might have been saved, and she - would have been spared hours of indescribable torture and suffering.” - -The Paris edition of the _New York Herald_, May 14, 1895, says:-- - - “The case of the woman buried alive at Annecy, in the Haute-Savoie, - the other day, has almost found a pendant at Limoges. A woman, - belonging to the village of Laterie, died, to all appearance at least, - a few days ago. After the body had been placed in a coffin, it was - transported to the village church. On the way the bearers heard sounds - proceeding from it, and at once sent for the mayor, who ordered it to - be opened. The woman was found to be suffering from _eclampsia_, which - had been mistaken for death by her relatives.” - -The following case is instructive in that the victim was exhumed -without an order from the Home Secretary, or waiting for any -formalities, and was restored to life:-- - - “BURYING ALIVE. - - [From the _Spectator_, October 19, 1895.] - -[RESUSCITATION IN IRELAND.] - - “Sir,--_Apropos_ of your article and the correspondence about being - buried alive, in the _Spectator_ of September 28, the enclosed may - interest you. It is an extract which I have copied to-day out of a - letter to a neighbour of mine from his brother in Ireland, dated - October 6, 1895:--‘About three weeks ago, our kitchen-maid asked leave - to go away for two or three days to see her mother, who was dying. - She came back again on a Friday or Saturday, saying her mother was - dead and buried. On Wednesday she got a letter saying her mother had - been dug up, and was alive and getting all right. So she went up to - see her, and sure enough there she was “right enough,” as G---- says, - having got out of her trance, and knowing nothing about being in her - grave from Saturday till Tuesday. The only thing she missed was her - _rings_; she could not make out where they had got to. Her daughter, - it seems, told the doctor on her way back here that it struck her that - her mother had never got stiff after death, and she could not help - thinking it was very odd; and it made her very uncomfortable. He - never said a word: and the kitchen-maid heard nothing until she got - the letter saying her mother was back again and alive. Luckily, she - did not “come to” until she had been taken out of her coffin. It was - a “rum go” altogether. They say exactly the same thing happened to a - sister of hers who is now alive and well.’--I am, Sir, etc., - - “PEVERIL TURNBULL.” - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -PROBABLE CASES OF PREMATURE BURIAL. - - -THERE is a great and natural reluctance on the part of medical -practitioners to admit that they have made mistakes in -death-certification, particularly in any one of the various forms -of death counterfeits, or suspended animation. It should be noted -that amongst the lectures delivered on special occasions, such as -the opening of the medical schools, the subjects of trance and the -danger of premature burial are conspicuous for their absence; allusion -to these subjects is of rare occurrence, nor does the study of this -abstruse branch of medicine, so far as can be ascertained, form part -of any medical curriculum. In the bibliography at the end of this -volume, extensive as it is, I can hardly refer to a single instance. -Dr. Franz Hartmann, whose work on “Buried Alive” has passed through two -English and one German edition, informs me that the same reticence is -observable in the medical schools of Germany. Many medical men do not -believe in death-trance. They declare that they have never seen such a -case, and in their judgment when a sick patient ceases to breathe, when -volition is suspended, and the stethoscope reveals no signs of cardiac -action, the death is real, and the case beyond recovery. The evidence -disclosed in this volume is the result of inquiry in many countries. - -From the _Medical Times_, London, 1860, vol. i., p. 65. - - “A lady entering upon the ninth month of pregnancy died of pneumonia. - All the other phenomena of death ensued, except that the colour of the - face was unusually life-like. On the fifteenth day from that of death - there was not the least cadaveric odour from the corpse, nor had its - appearance much altered, and it was only on the sixteenth day that the - lips darkened. The temperature of the atmosphere had undergone many - changes during the time mentioned, but although there had been frost - for a short period, the weather was in general damp and cold.” - -[NEIGHBOURS’ INTERFERENCE.] - -This lady might not have been dead. The burial laws should have been -such as to make it certain that she was dead before interment, by -the appearance of general decomposition. The examination of facts -collected by well-known physicians at home leads to the conclusion that -cases of narrow escapes from premature burial are by no means of rare -occurrence. And it must be obvious to the least reflective reader that -in countries where burial follows quickly upon supposed death (as in -Turkey and France, some parts of Ireland, and throughout India), or -where there is no compulsory examination of the dead (as in the United -States or the United Kingdom), and amongst people like the Jews (since -the Jewish Law enjoins speedy interment), and especially in cases of -sudden death (where attempts at resuscitation are rare), the number of -premature burials may be considerable. - -In the United States, while there is no law, as in France, enforcing -burial within a prescribed number of days, it is the custom of civil -authorities, under regulations made by the Boards of Health, to compel -interments if delayed by reason of doubt as to actual death beyond a -few days. - -Particulars of the following case were sent me by a physician, January -17, 1894:-- - - - “WAS SHE ALIVE? - - “Mrs. John Emmons, of North Judson, Ind., was taken suddenly ill and - apparently died, a week ago. Her husband desired to keep the body for - a few days, to make sure of death. It seems that her mother went into - a trance for four days, rallied, and lived five years; also that her - grandfather on her mother’s side, after having been pronounced dead - for six days, awoke, and lived for twenty-three years. Mrs. Emmons’s - body was kept until Saturday, when, on the demand of the physician and - numerous residents, it was interred. During the time between Monday - and Saturday the body did not become rigid. Mortification did not set - in, and she was laid to rest without waiting for that, the surest of - all tests, to take place. Many are of the opinion that the woman has - been buried alive.” - -There are many cases like the above on record, in which, although there -is no absolute proof of premature burial, there is strong presumptive -evidence of it. The following from _Truth_ (London) of May 23, 1895, is -an example, and the writer has heard of many others:-- - - “The other day I gave a story showing the difficulty of obtaining a - _post-mortem_ examination after a doctor has once certified the cause - of death. One of my readers caps it with a gruesome narrative, of - which this is the outline: A man lately died in London. The coffin - had to be removed by rail, and was to be closed on the fourth day - after the death. My informant, taking a last look at the deceased, - was struck by the complete absence of all the ordinary signs of death - at such a period. In particular, he states that there was no rigidity - in any part of the body, and there was a perceptible tinge of colour - in the forehead. He went over to the doctor who had attended the - deceased, described all the signs that he had observed, and begged the - doctor to come and look at the body before the coffin was closed. The - doctor absolutely refused, saying that he had given his certificate, - and had no doubt as to the man’s death. The friend then suggested that - he might himself open a vein and see if blood flowed, to which the - doctor replied that, if he did so without the authority of the widow, - he would be indictable for felony. Whereupon, says my informant, who - was only a friend of the family, ‘I had to retire baffled, and let - matters take their course.’ Why on earth he did not take the widow - into his confidence, or risk an indictment for felony by opening a - vein on his own account, or even summon another doctor, he does not - say. I trust that, should any friend of mine see my coffin about to - be screwed down under similar circumstances, and find equal cause to - doubt whether I am dead, he will summon up courage to stick a pin - into me, and chance the consequences. This, however, has nothing to - do with the doctor’s responsibilities. It would seem that the medico - in this case was either so confident in his own opinion as to decline - even to walk across the road to investigate the extraordinary symptoms - described to him, or else that he preferred the chance of the man - being buried alive to the chance of having to admit he had made a - mistake. Which alternative is the worst I do not know.” - -The _Gaulois_ (Paris) of May 16, 1894, contains the following:-- - - - “DEATH OR CATALEPSY? - - “The funeral of the Comtesse de Jarnac, whose death was reported to - have taken place on Saturday, was fixed for to-morrow, but it will - probably be postponed. None of the usual signs of dissolution have - appeared; the face still retains its colour, and _rigor mortis_ has - not yet set in. Some hope is even entertained that the Comtesse may be - simply in a state of catalepsy, and that the embolus, to which death - was attributed, may have lodged in the lungs, not in the heart, in - which case it may merely have caused a stoppage of the circulation - (_sic_). The body had not been placed in the coffin up to a late hour - last night.” - -[CASE IN THE AUSTRIAN TYROL.] - - -STRANGULATION BY A SCARF. - -One of the authors was present on May 14, 1894, with a company of -ladies and gentlemen gathered at a country mansion in the Austrian -Tyrol for afternoon tea, when the conversation turned upon the subject -of premature burial. Among other cases related, the host described -that of one of his servants, a woman, who went to bed with toothache, -a long scarf being wrapped around her face and neck. As she did not -appear the following morning, our host entered her room, and found her, -as he supposed, strangled to death by the scarf tightly wound about -her neck. A doctor was summoned, when he found that the woman was warm -and limp, her face soft and coloured as in life; yet, as there was -no respiration or perceptible wrist-pulse, nor beating of the heart, -he regarded her as dead, and thought it would be proper to bury her. -The host had doubts, however, about the case, and, having decided to -observe it further, he had the woman removed to an outhouse, where she -remained three days longer without any change in her appearance or -condition in any way. But, as there was considerable impatience felt -at the delay of the burial by the people on the estate, the host sent -for two doctors to make a final examination of the woman, and decide -as to the existence of life or death. The doctors found that no change -had taken place--there was softness of the skin, colour in the face, -limpness of the muscles, and an unmistakable warmth of the body; but, -as there was an absence of apparent respiration and beating of the -heart, they decided that the woman was dead, and urged her burial, -which was done. They attributed the high temperature to the process -of decomposition which they assumed was going on, though there was no -odour of putrefaction noticed by anyone. - -The probabilities are that this woman was buried alive. And in the -present state of medical education on the subject of apparent death and -the causes that bring it about, many physicians would have come to a -like conclusion; and, as physicians know but little about it, they are -not on their guard concerning its dangers. - -A number of cases of apparent death that have survived--where there was -strangulation from a scarf, as in this case--have been reported. The -explanation in such cases is, that the pressure of the scarf around the -neck keeps the venous blood from flowing down from the brain through -the jugular veins, and the brain, in consequence, becomes saturated -with carbonic acid gas from the detained venous blood, and a death-like -stupor caused by carbonic acid poisoning ensues. Artificial respiration -would, it is believed, restore such persons to consciousness. - -[AN UNDERTAKER’S EXPERIENCE.] - -A leading West End undertaker, whose letter is before me, writes -under date of June 26, 1896, as follows:--“In my experience I have -had but one case come under my personal observation where I had real -uncertainty as to death being actually present, and that was an -instance of the kind in which this calamity is only likely, in my -opinion, to occur. A girl who had been to work in Borwick’s factory -apparently fainted and died, and within a few days the friends buried -her. When we came to close the coffin, there was no evidence of death, -and we did not close it without having a doctor sent for, and receiving -his assurance that she was dead. When reading the fatal cases which -have come to light upon this subject, I must confess to looking back -upon that instance with much fear, and it is but a poor consolation to -me that the responsibility was not mine, but the medical man’s.” - -The foregoing cases are recorded because they are types of a class -that nearly every physician, undertaker, clergyman, or other observer -has met with or heard of, and the probabilities, having regard to the -existing confusion and uncertainty of opinion on the signs of death, -are on the side of apparent rather than real death. On the other hand, -a medical correspondent informs the author that he is sceptical as to -the reported cases of narrow escapes, as on more than one occasion his -efforts to verify the facts have proved abortive. It must be admitted -that there are difficulties in the way of such inquiries. If the -subject of trance, or narrow escape from burial, is a lady, publicity -injures her prospects of marriage, and, if a young man, his reputation -for business stability is endangered or prejudiced, so that this -reticence on the part of relatives is hardly surprising. Such persons -do not like their gruesome and unpleasant experiences to be talked -about. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -PREDISPOSING CAUSES AND CONDITIONS OF DEATH-COUNTERFEITS. - - -THOSE who are most subject to the various forms of death-counterfeit -are persons whose vocations exhaust the nervous force faster than -the natural powers of recuperation, and who resort to narcotics and -stimulants to counteract the consequent physical depression. Dr. Alex. -Wilder, in his “Perils of Premature Burial,” London, E. W. Allen, -p. 19, says:--“We exhaust our energies by overwork, by excitement, -too much fatigue of the brain, the use of tobacco, and sedatives or -anæsthetics, and by habits and practices which hasten the Three Sisters -in spinning the fatal thread. Apoplexy, palsy, epilepsy, are likely to -prostrate any of us at any moment, and catalepsy, perhaps, is not very -far from any of us.” Equally, if not even more likely, to be overtaken -by these simulacra of death are the poor--the ill-fed, ill-conditioned, -and overworked classes. - -With regard to the causation of catalepsy, Dr. W. R. Gowers, in Quain’s -“Dictionary of Medicine,” p. 216, says:--“Nervous exhaustion is the -common predisponent; and emotional disturbance, especially religious -excitement, or sudden alarm, and blows on the head and back, are -frequent immediate causes. It occasionally occurs in the course of -mental affections, and especially melancholia, and as an early symptom -of epilepsy.” - - -FAINTING FITS. - -Dr. James Curry, F.A.S., in his “Observations on Apparent Death,” pp. -81, 82, referring to those conditions and diseases which predispose -to death-counterfeits, to which women are more liable than men, -says:--“The faintings which most require assistance, and to which, -therefore, I wish particularly to direct the attention of my readers -and the public, are those that take place from loss of blood, violent -and long-continued fits of coughing, excessive vomiting or purging, -great fatigue or want of food, and likewise after convulsions, and in -the advanced stage of low fevers. It is but seldom, however, that any -attempt at recovery is made in such cases; and several reasons may be -assigned for this, particularly the great resemblance that fainting -fits of any duration bear to _actual death_, and the firm belief of the -bystanders that the circumstances which preceded were sufficient to -destroy life entirely.” - -The author continues, pp. 106, 107:--“Nervous and highly hysterical -females, who are subject to fainting fits, are the most frequent -subjects of this kind of apparent death; in which the person seems in -a state very nearly resembling that of hibernating animals, such as -the dormouse, bat, toad, frog, etc., which annually become insensible, -motionless, and apparently dead, on the setting in of the winter’s -cold, but spontaneously revive on the returning warmth of spring. Here, -by some peculiar and yet unknown circumstance, the vital principle has -its action suspended, but neither its existence destroyed, nor its -organs injured, so as absolutely to prevent recovery, if not too long -neglected.” - -[THE VITAL PRINCIPLE SUSPENDED.] - -Dr. Franz Hartmann reports a case which occurred within half a mile of -his residence near Hallein, Austria:--“At Oberalm, near Hallein, there -died the widow of a Dr. Ettenberger, a lawyer. It was known that she -had previously been affected with fits of catalepsy, and therefore all -possible means were taken for the purpose of restoring her to life. -All, however, were in vain, and her death appeared to be certain. On -the third day, just before the hour appointed for the funeral, the -family physician, Dr. Leber, bethought himself of trying some fresh -experiments on the corpse, when the woman revived. She had been fully -conscious all the time, and aware of all the preparations that were -made for her funeral, although unable to make it known to others that -she was still alive.” - -Dr. Hartmann says:--“In 1866, in Kronstadt, a young and strong man, -Orrendo by name, had a fit and died. He was put into a coffin and -deposited in the family vault in a church. Fourteen years afterwards, -in 1880, the same vault was opened again for the purpose of admitting -another corpse. A horrible sight met those who entered. Orrendo’s -coffin was empty, and his skeleton lying upon the floor. But the rest -of the coffins were also broken open and emptied of their contents. It -seemed to show that the man after awakening had burst his coffin open, -and, becoming insane, had smashed the others, after which he had been -starved to death.”--_Premature Burial_, _p._ 7. - -Bouchut, in “Signes de la Mort,” p. 40, relates that “A lawyer at -Vesoul was subject to fits of fainting, but kept the matter secret, -so that the knowledge of it might not spread and interfere with his -prospects of marriage; he only spoke confidentially of it to one of -his friends. The marriage took place, and he lived for some time in -good health, then suddenly fell into one of his fits, and his wife -and the doctors, believing him dead, had him placed in a coffin, and -got everything ready for the funeral. His friend was absent, but -fortunately returned just in time to prevent the burial. The lawyer -recovered, and lived for sixteen years after this event.” - - -INTENSE COLD. - -[EFFECTS OF INTENSE COLD.] - -M. Charles Londe, in “La Mort Apparente,” p. 16, says:--“Intense cold, -coincident with privations and fatigue, will produce all the phenomena -of apparent death--phenomena susceptible of prolongation during several -days without producing actual death, and consequently exposing the -individual who could be restored to life to living burial;” and he -further maintains it as an indisputable fact that every day people are -thus interred alive. - -Struve, in his essay on “Suspended Animation,” p. 140, says:--“In no -case whatever is the danger of committing homicide greater than in the -treatment of persons who have suffered by severe cold. Their death-like -state may deceive our judgment, not only because such persons continue -longest apparently dead, but because the want of susceptibility of -irritation is in many cases not distinguishable from real death. A man -benumbed with cold burnt his feet, and had continued insensible to -pain, nor did he feel this sensation till he warmed them at a fire. -In this case it is evident that the susceptibility of irritation was -destroyed, while vital power remained.” - - -INFLUENZA. - -This is a malady that has been enormously rife all over the world -during the past few years, and has baffled the efforts of physicians -and sanitarians to arrest its progress: it is sometimes accompanied by -conditions which can hardly be distinguished from catalepsy. - -The _Lancet_, May 31, 1890, page 1215, gives the following:-- - - - “CATALEPSY AS A SEQUELA OF INFLUENZA. - - “The neurotic sequelæ of influenza seem engaging more attention abroad - than at home, probably from their symptoms being more pronounced than - on this side the Channel. ‘Nonna,’ as it is called, if something more - than the somnolence succeeding the exhaustion of influenza, has been - thought in Upper Italy to have much in common with catalepsy--one - case, indeed, amounting to the ‘apparent death’ of Pacini. This is - reported from Como. The patient, Pasquale Ossola by name, had to - all appearance died, and a certificate to that effect, after due - consultation, was drawn up and signed. Already it wanted but an hour - or so to the interment, when the ‘corpse’ began to move spontaneously - and to exhibit signs of returning life. The relatives of the supposed - dead man at once called in assistance, and though animation and - consciousness, even to recognition, were restored, the resuscitation - was not maintained, and the patient died. Fortunately, the funeral had - been arranged on the traditional lines, and the faint chance of return - to life was not extinguished by cremation.” - - -NARCOTICS. - -[CHLOROFORM DEATHS PREVENTABLE.] - -Referring to the supposed death of a girl, Sarola, aged eleven years, -to whom chloroform had been administered in September, 1894, under -peculiar circumstances, and the body hurried off to cremation, Dr. -Roger S. Chew, of Calcutta, writes:--“That bottle of medicine was -charged with having caused the death of little Sarola, who, I firmly -believe, was _burned alive_ while in a cataleptic condition induced by -the hysterical convulsions, and rendered profound by the administration -of the chloroform. Surgeon Lieutenant-Colonel Edward Lawrie agrees -with me that at least ninety per cent. of the chloroform deaths are -preventable if proper measures are adopted to resuscitate the body, -and it is quite possible for a chloroform narcotic to be launched -into eternity on the funeral pyre or in the suffocating earth. What -a mournful vista Sarola’s case opens up, and who can say how many -hundreds have been similarly disposed of!”--_Communicated to the -Author._ - -Sir Benjamin Ward Richardson, in “The Absolute Signs and Proofs of -Death,” in the _Asclepiad_, first quarter, 1889, p. 9, says:--“In -the first experiments made in this country with chloral, after the -discovery of its effects by Liebriech, we learned that such a deep -narcotism could be induced by this narcotic that it might be impossible -to say whether an animal under its influence were alive or dead.” And -referring to cataleptic trance due to shock, he observes, p. 11, “True -traumatic catalepsy is equally remarkable, and equally embarrassing. -It has been witnessed in the most destructive form after shock by -lightning, and it may also have been met with after severe blows and -contusions of the head.” - - -CHOLERA. - -Dr. Chew, referring to another of the predisposing causes of apparent -death, and the danger of premature burial in India, says:--“In the -cholera season there is a risk of a soldier being buried alive, as -the custom is to get rid of the body as soon as possible, and it is -very seldom indeed that a _post-mortem_ is held on a cholera corpse. -If the case be one of _true_ cholera, decomposition sets in before -the breath has entirely left the body, and, immediately life is -extinct, putrefaction rushes forward so rapidly as to render a mistake -impossible; but in choleraic diarrhœa or the lighter forms of cholera -it is possible that coma resultant on extreme collapse may suspend -animation so as to simulate real death _without_ actual cessation of -vital energy, and lead to live sepulture, except where, by some such -lucky accident as the burial ground being a long journey off, the -funeral is delayed sufficiently to give a chance of recovery. And this -same accident may prove a salvation in syncope or coma from shock or -protracted illness. - -“With the civil population, save in very exceptional cases, there is -very little chance of recovery from apparent death, as the time between -alleged decease and sepulture is very short indeed; and unless there -are unmistakable signs of trance, syncope, or coma, the victim must die -_after he_ (or she) _has been buried alive_.” - - -VARIOUS PREDISPOSING DISEASES. - -[THEIR NUMBER AND VARIETY.] - -Living burials take place because the general public are ignorant of -the fact that there are many (some thirty) diseases, and some states -of the body that cannot be called diseases, as well as a number of -incidents and accidents, which produce all the appearances of death so -closely as to deceive any one. - -Excessive joy or excessive grief will often paralyse the nervous -system, including the action of the heart and the respiratory -functions, and occasion the appearance of sudden death as well as -shocks, blows upon the head, fright, strokes of lightning, violent -displays of temper; also certain drugs now in common medical use, such -as Indian hemp, atropia, digitalis, tobacco, morphia, and veratrum. -According to Dr. Léonce Lénormand, in “Des Inhumations Précipitées,” -pp. 85-104, the following diseases and conditions not infrequently -produce the like symptoms, viz., apoplexy, asphyxia, catalepsy, -epilepsy, nervous exhaustion, ecstasy, hæmorrhage, hysteria, lethargy, -syncope, tetanus, etc. - -Dr. Herbert Mayo in his “Letters on Truths contained in Popular -Superstitions,” p. 34, remarks “that death-trance belongs to diseases -of the nervous system, but in any form of disease, when the body is -brought to a certain state of debility, death-trance may supervene.” - -Dr. Hartmann observes: “The cases in which persons apparently dead have -been restored to health by appropriate means are innumerable, and such -accounts may be added to without end, as they are of daily occurrence, -while it is also self-evident that, if they had not thus been saved, -premature burial and death in the coffin would have taken place. But it -also often happens that cases of apparent death recover spontaneously, -and even after all possible means taken for the restoration of life -have failed. This is specially the case in catalepsy, due to nervous -exhaustion, which requires no other remedy than sufficient rest for the -recuperation of the life-power, which no kind of medicine can supply.” - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -PREMATURE BURIAL AND CREMATION IN INDIA. - - -THE following are some of the facts and experiences which were brought -to the author’s notice during a visit to India in the early part of -1896. - - -THE CALCUTTA BURNING GHAT. - -On February 9, 1896, I visited the Burning Ghat on the banks of the -Ganges, Calcutta, where twenty bodies are reduced to ashes by fire -daily. The corpse of an aged Hindu woman had just been brought in on -my arrival, death, we were told, having occurred but an hour before. -The deputy registrar asked the nearest relative a few questions as to -the age, caste, next of kin, cause of death, which were duly recorded -in a book kept for that purpose, and, the charges having been paid, -the body, which was as supple as in life (and, except for want of -volition, bore no visible marks of death), was placed upon the logs, -which were alternately crossed over each other, other logs being placed -on the top of the body, with straw underneath. The family being poor in -this case, no expensive spiced oils, ghee, or sandal wood were used. -The pyre having been sprinkled with water from the sacred river, the -nearest male relative took a wisp of lighted straw and ran seven times -round it, shouting “Ram, Ram, sach hai” (the god Ram is true and great -indeed). He then applied the torch, which in a few seconds reached the -body, while a Hindu priest recited verses from the Vedas. The process -of burning occupied about four hours. Two other bodies, one an adult, -and the other a child, were nearly burnt to ashes during my visit. -It appears that in India, when the body is motionless, and assumes a -death-like appearance, as in trance or catalepsy, no attempt is ever -made at resuscitation, no matter how suddenly or unexpectedly the -supposed death may occur, nor is there any proper method of examination -for the purpose of death certification. Amongst the Hindus death is not -considered an evil, but is the gate leading to a better and happier -world. Many Hindus when ill are carried by their friends to the banks -of the sacred Ganges, where they meet death with much hope, and without -fear. - -At the General Hospital, Colombo, I was told by Dr. Van Lagenberg -that there was absolutely no protection against premature burials for -persons subject to trance, as, although according to the law medical -certification was obligatory, medical examination was not; the doctor -taking the word of the friends as to the fact of death, and certifying -accordingly. Early burial (about six hours after death) was the rule. -The Mother Superior to the staff of nurses mentioned the case of the -venerable Father Vestarani, an aged Catholic priest of Colombo, who was -subject to attacks of epilepsy: these were followed by apparent death, -and he had several narrow escapes from premature burial. This case was -also known to my friend, Mr. Peter de Abrew, of Colombo, and others. -The house surgeon, Dr. H. M. Fernando, said that amongst the Moslems -burial followed apparent death very quickly, sometimes in an hour. - -From Mr. Vira Raghava Chri, of Madras, manager of the _Hindu_, I -learned that the Brahmins always burn the dead soon after death occurs. -The relatives, if they reside within easy reach, are sent for. The body -is washed in cold water, and after two or three hours the religious -service begins, which is performed by the priests, and consists of -citations from the Vedas having reference to the departure of the soul -from the body, and to the lessons the solemn event teaches. These -ceremonies generally last for two or three hours, after which the body -is taken to be burned. In answer to my inquiries as to what would -happen if within that time no sign of decomposition was exhibited, Mr. -Chri informed me that under no circumstances would they wait for more -than six hours before the body was taken to be burned. He had heard of -cases of persons declared to be dead coming to life while being carried -to the funeral pyre, when they were restored to and welcomed by their -friends. Cases were also known of the corpse sitting up amidst the -flames, and being beaten down by those in charge of the funeral. They -were believed to be the victims of premature cremation. He thought, -however, that such cases were rare amongst his co-religionists. - -[DIFFICULTY OF DIAGNOSIS.] - -Mr. Mohan Chunder Roy, M.B., of Benares, said that it was a very -difficult matter, even for a medical practitioner, to distinguish the -living from the dead, and, where there were no signs of putrefaction, -it was his custom to advise the relatives to wait before burial, or -before sending the body to the burning ghat, which they were very -reluctant to do. When apparent revivals to consciousness occurred on -the pyre, the superstitious people believed that it was due to the -presence of evil spirits, and the attempt to escape is frustrated by -cremators in charge of the burning ghat. This barbarous custom has been -repeatedly affirmed to me by intelligent natives as a matter of common -notoriety. - -One reason why Hindus are hurried to the cremation ground so quickly, -and without waiting to see whether the case is one of trance or -suspended animation, is that the relatives are not allowed either to -eat or drink while the body remains in the house. If a person touches -any article in the house of mourning, that article must be washed and -purified. After the cremation all the relatives purify themselves by -bathing before they are allowed to eat or drink. - -Mr. Durga Prasad, editor of the _Harbinger_, Lahore, writes, February -29, 1896:--“I recollect, when about twelve years old, my grandmother, -who was held in great esteem for her piety and experience, told me that -she was once declared to be dead, and was therefore carried to our -crematorium, or burning-place; but when about to be burnt she came back -to life.” - -Mr. Joseph, assistant secretary at the Public Library and Museum, -Colombo, told the author that his father, owing to weakness of the -heart, was subject to frequent attacks of trance-like insensibility. -They passed away by simple treatment in a few hours, but were sometimes -quite alarming. He was afraid, owing to the superstitious fear of death -among the ignorant classes in Ceylon, and the terror which keeping a -corpse, or a person in a state of catalepsy, where volition had ceased, -excited, that many were buried or burned alive, as it was the custom, -particularly amongst the Mahomedans, to carry the body away a few hours -after death. Signs of decomposition quickly appeared in a tropical -climate, but this unequivocal mode of verifying death was not often -waited for by Moslems. - - -SRI SUMANGALA ON SINHALESE BURIALS IN CEYLON. - -[BURIAL IN CEYLON.] - -Sri Sumangala, the venerable High Priest of the Buddhists of Ceylon, -and Principal of the College for Buddhist Priests, at an interview the -author had with him in January, 1895, stated that among the Sinhalese -the chances of burial or cremation of the apparently dead are not -frequent. Their customs are such that a corpse is seldom or never -removed for burial or cremation before the expiry of twenty-four hours -after death is said to have taken place. During that time climatic -influence renders signs of decomposition and putrefaction apparent. - -Only one case came under the observation of the venerable theologian, -which was that of a person bitten by a cobra. The man apparently -succumbed, but a native specialist, having arrived at the cemetery -just before the burial, examined the case, and said that life was _not -extinct_, and saved the man from a premature grave. - -The following is from the _British Medical Journal_, April 26, 1884, p. -844:-- - - - “PREMATURE INTERMENT. - - “The _Times of India_, for March 21, has the following story:--On last - Friday morning the family of a Goanese, named Manuel, aged seventy - years, who had been for the last four months suffering from dysentery, - thinking that he was dead, made preparations for his funeral. He was - placed in a coffin and taken from his house, at Worlee, to a chapel - at Lower Mahim, preparatory to burial. The priest, on putting his hand - on the man’s chest, found his heart still beating. He was thereupon - removed to the Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy Hospital, where he remained in an - unconscious state up to a late hour on last Friday night, when he - died.” - -In a communication to the author from Mr. Nasarvariji F. Billimoria, -dated March 14, 1896, the writer says that, where cases of premature -burning have occurred in India, the relatives are unwilling to have -the facts published, and shrink from making them known. Moreover, when -members of a family once declared dead have been rejected by their -friends in the land of shadows, and have returned to this life, they -are believed to bring misfortune with them, and discredit is attached -to the families in consequence. Mr. Billimoria says the following cases -can be relied upon as authentic:-- - - “In the year 18--, in the town of B----, a Marwari was taken as dead - and carried to the cremation ground. Unfortunately, at that time a - superstition was prevalent among all classes of Indians that, if a - dead one is brought back to his or her house, a plague would break - out in the town. When, therefore, the Marwari survived, instead - of bringing him back to the house, or even allowing him to roam - elsewhere, he was killed, it is said, by a hatchet, which they were - in the habit of carrying with them to break the fuel for the funeral - pyre. This had happened in the old Gaekwari days when Governments did - not interfere in the superstitious customs of the people.” - -Fortunately, however, those days are gone, and with them the old -superstitions. Some time ago a fisherwoman, after taking a liberal -dose of alcoholic drink and opium, was found (apparently) dead by her -relatives--low-caste Hindus. No time is lost among the Hindus, high or -low caste, to remove the body to the cremation ground after a man is -found dead. - - “A bamboo bier was being prepared to carry the fisherwoman to the - _Samashân_ (cremation ground), upon which the body was laid as usual, - and the relatives were to lift it to their shoulders: when, lo! the - woman turned herself on the bier on her side, and, thanks to the good - sense of the fishermen, she is still enjoying her life while I am - writing. - - [HASTY CREMATION.] - - “A young daughter of a Bania was sick for a long time, and was found - apparently dead by her relatives, and carried to the _Samashân_. These - grounds are generally situated at a river side. When the bier was - prepared for certain ceremonies, the girl showed signs of revival, - and, one by one, the relatives would go near the bier, bend down, - stare at the face, and retire aghast. Information had reached the town - that the girl had survived; but the body, nevertheless, was cremated, - and never brought back to the house. It is believed that in this case, - although the girl had revived for a little time, she had died soon - afterwards, as she had been ill for a long time previously. Granting - that it was a case in which the dying became actively conscious a few - minutes before real death, it is certain that great and indecent haste - was practised by the relatives in pressing on the cremation, as is the - usual mode in India.” - -The _Bombay Guardian_, January 11, 1896, under the head of “The Week’s -News,” announced that-- - - “A Brahmin went to Poona to attend the National Congress. He was laid - up with fever, became dangerously ill, and fell into a trance. His - friends, thinking him dead, made the necessary arrangements for the - funeral. They took the supposed dead man to the river to be burned, - but, just as the funeral procession arrived near the Shane temple, his - head and hands were seen moving. The cloth having been removed from - his face, he opened his eyes and tried to speak. He was taken home.” - -This case was reported also in the _Times of India_. - -The subject of hasty and premature burials in India might with much -profit be introduced at the National Congress. The author believes -that thousands of people are annually buried and burned in a state of -suspended animation--particularly in places where cholera, small-pox, -and other devastating plagues prevail. It is usual, both amongst -the Parsees and the Hindus, to begin preparations for the religious -ceremonies when the case is considered hopeless. - -Dr. Roger S. Chew, of Calcutta, who for some years occupied the -position of army surgeon in India, writes to me:--“Though there is -every risk of live interment with those classes who bury their dead, -this is a risk (save in cases of epidemic or battlefield) the British -soldier never runs in India, where the military law requires that a -_post-mortem_ examination, not earlier than twelve hours after decease, -must be held on every soldier who dies from any cause except a highly -contagious or infectious disease.” In the present unsatisfactory state -of the law might not this safeguard be generally adopted? - - -THE TOWERS OF SILENCE, BOMBAY. - -On Sunday, March 15, 1896, my daughter and I were accompanied to the -Towers of Silence, situated on the highest part of Malabar Hill, -Bombay, by Mr. Phiroze C. Sethna, a highly accomplished Parsee -merchant, to whom we were indebted for many acts of kindness during our -sojourn in the city. The position is one of rare beauty, commanding -as it does charming panoramic views of Bombay and the surrounding -neighbourhood, while immediately below are extensive cocoa and other -tropical plantations. At the entrance to the towers is a notice-board -in English, stating that none but Parsees are admitted. We passed under -the porch into the sacred enclosure, and found ourselves in the midst -of a lovely garden planted with choice shrubs and trees, and were each -presented by the gardener with bouquets of freshly-cut flowers. - -[THE TOWERS OF SILENCE.] - -The towers are five in number, the smallest having been erected in -1669, all modelled after the same pattern, and are about twenty-five -feet high. Inside is a circular platform about three hundred feet in -circumference paved with large slabs, and divided into rows of shallow -open receptacles in which the bodies are placed. There are three -sections--for males, females, and children. We noticed a number of -vultures sitting on the adjacent trees, and were informed that, when a -funeral is on its way, large numbers congregate upon the coping of the -tower, ready to seize the body and devour it the moment it is deposited -by the corpse-bearers on the slabs, after the conclusion of the funeral -ceremonies. In an hour or less the corpse is completely stripped of its -flesh, when the bones are thrown into a well. From a sanitary point of -view, the plan is preferable to burying or to cremation, which last, -as it is carried out in India, is a slow and tedious process. Vultures -have never been known to attack children, or even babies left by their -mothers tied for safety to a branch of a tree, and will not, it is -said, attack a person only apparently dead, as in a trance or coma. - -Another custom amongst the Parsees in the treatment of their dead is -to bring a dog to the corpse before it is removed from the house, and -another dog on its arrival at the Tower of Silence. This ceremony is -known as the Sagdeed. In a pamphlet on the “Funeral Ceremonies of the -Parsees,” by Ervad Jivanji Jamshedje Mody, B.A., a learned priest of -the Parsee cult, with whom the author had the pleasure of an interview, -the explanation is that, according to the ancient belief, the spotted -dog can discriminate between the really and the apparently dead. Dr. -Franz Hartmann and other writers appear also to be of the opinion, -which the author considers highly probable, that a dog knows whether -his master is really dead or only in a trance; but that a strange dog -would be able to discriminate and act as a sentinel to prevent a living -person being mistaken for a dead one, is highly improbable. - -Having heard of several cases of persons taken to the Towers of Silence -who recovered consciousness after being laid within the enclosure, I -asked Mr. Jivanji Mody what would happen in such a case, and what means -of escape there would be? Mr. Mody replied that within the tower there -is a chain hanging from the coping to the floor, by which a person -could draw himself up to the top of the structure, and he would then be -seen and rescued. In a neatly-constructed model of these towers at the -museum, Victoria Gardens, Bombay, no chain is visible. The subject of -apparent death, or suspended animation, and how to prevent premature -burial, premature cremation, and premature exposure in the Towers of -Silence, is beginning to excite interest in some parts of India. Mr. -Ardeshar Nowroji, Fort Bombay, student of Zoroastrian literature, is to -read a paper on the subject before the Debating Society at Elphinstone -College. Mr. Soabjee Dhunjeebhoy Wadia is also studying literature -bearing on the same topic. - -Mr. Dadabhoy Nusserwanje, a Bombay Parsee and merchant, residing -at Colombo, Ceylon, informed the author, January 28, 1896, that he -knew of two cases where his co-religionists had been declared dead, -and the bodies prepared for burial (the preparation including the -long religious service as prescribed by their formulas), who were -only in a trance. This was proved by their having come back to life -when placed in the Towers of Silence in Bombay. It appears that any -persons officially and religiously given over for dead were formerly -not allowed to be restored to their relatives, or to the society to -which they belonged, as they were supposed to carry with them, from -their dead associates, liability to plagues or ill luck, and they are -consequently obliged to migrate to distant parts of the country. My -informant said that this superstition was so deeply rooted in the minds -of the Parsee people that he did not think a reform was possible. - -Cases of persons in a trance, mistaken for dead, are by no means -uncommon, as would appear from the following communication from Mr. -Nasarvariji F. Billimoria, a Parsee of Bombay, addressed to Dr. Franz -Hartmann, and not previously published:- - - “Several cases of revival of the apparently dead among the Parsees,” - writes Mr. Billimoria, “have come to my notice. - - “A Parsee, whom I shall call M---- B----, was given up as dead. The - body was laid on the ground, and the usual ceremonies were being - performed, when, to the surprise of the people surrounding the body, - he rose and described some spiritual experience. He died long after - this event took place, at a good old age, at Bilimora, a town about - eighty miles north of Bombay. - - “S----, a girl of about ten years, was also taken as dead in the same - town, and, after laying her body on the ground, prayers were being - recited by the priests. She rose and said that she had been to some - other land, where she saw an old lady who ordered her to go away, as - she was not required there just then. She died at a good old age a few - months ago. - - “A woman in the garb of a Hindu beggar was some time ago in the habit - of interviewing Parsee ladies at odd times, viz., at about three or - four o’clock in the morning, at the same place, and asking several - questions pertaining to religion. It was afterwards found that she was - K---- (widow of a Parsee priest), who had apparently died a short time - before, and, after revival, had emerged from the Tower of Silence, - and, a superstition being prevalent among the people that none should - be taken back among us who return from the dead, she dared not unite - with the Parsees, and hence led a wanderer’s life. - - “In Bombay, too, I have heard of some cases of the revival of the - apparently dead among the Parsees, the principal of them being a - lady of a wealthy family, and a Parsee who afterwards carried on his - profession as a physician. The physician was living as a Christian on - account of the prejudice among the Parsees before referred to. He was - called “Mûtchala Dâktar,” _i.e._, doctor with big moustache. - - “Similar cases had also occurred in Surat, where two Parsee women had - returned from the Towers of Silence, one of whom lived afterwards as a - Sanyasini. What became of the other I cannot say.” - -“The funeral ceremonies among the Parsees provide that, after the signs -of death are manifest, the body be washed with warm water, and laid on -a clean sheet; two persons hold the hands of the dead person, joining -themselves by a _paivand_ of tape. The priests recite certain prayers, -after which the body is laid on ground set apart for the purpose in -the house. Here it lies for several hours, during which time priests -recite alternately certain prayers, while a fire is kept alive with -fragrant combustibles near the body. The Nasasâlârs, or corpse-bearers, -arrive at the appointed time, when the fire is taken away, and other -manthrâ or prayers, which occupy an hour or so, are recited by two -priests conjointly, gazing first on the iron bier, and then on the face -of the body. A procession is then formed, and the body is carried by -the Nasasâlârs only, the others walking in pairs, joining themselves -by holding a handkerchief in their hands, several yards distant from -the body. The Towers of Silence are removed from the habitations of -mankind, sometimes, miles distant, where, after the arrival of the -funeral procession, the last obeisance is performed, and the body -is carried into the tower, which is called _Dukhmâh_, the mourners, -except the Nasasâlârs, remaining outside. The procession returns after -further prayers. The towers are entirely open from above to allow ample -sunlight, and to allow the carrion-birds access to the dead. - -“From the foregoing it would appear that, with regard to the disposal -of the dead, the Parsee system offers advantages, in respect of the -revival of the supposed dead persons, over the European system of -burial. After real or supposed death, a fire is kept burning near the -body, the heat of which would indirectly assist in resuscitating those -in a state of suspended animation. - -“If a man dies in the afternoon, his body is not carried to the towers -till next day, and in that case the fire is kept alive the whole night -near the body, two priests alternately reciting manthrâs. Some time is -thus allowed to intervene between the supposed death and the disposal -of the body in the Towers of Silence. There, too, the body is not laid -without Zoroastrian ceremony. But in the system of disposal itself -we see another protection, in that the carrion-birds do not touch the -body unless they instinctively find evidence of putrefaction. It is a -fact that in not a few cases persons have escaped from the dismal and -terrible fate of being laid alive in the Towers of Silence. The system -of disposal in the tower may appear to non-Zoroastrians repulsive; but -neither the system of cremation nor burial will give us back those -whom they have once devoured. That the Parsees do not allow those who -have returned from the Towers of Silence to intermingle among them is -another question. This too, however, has attracted the attention of -this small community; and I hear that there is a standing order issued -from the trustees of the Parsee Panchayet at Bombay to the Nasasâlârs -(the corpse-bearers) to the effect that they would be rewarded if they -would give information or bring back any body which had been revived -after it had been carried to the Towers of Silence.” - -The Parsee custom of using the dog is suggestive. There are numerous -cases on record where a dog, following his master to the grave as one -of the mourners, has refused to leave the grave; and these have been -quoted as a proof of the undying love of the master’s canine friend. -May it not be that dogs are gifted, as believed by the Parsees, -with another sense denied to most men--the faculty of discerning -between real and apparent death? A medical correspondent relates the -following:-- - - “In Austria, in 1870, a man seemed to be dead, and was placed in a - coffin. After the usual three days of watching over the supposed - corpse, the funeral was commenced; and when the coffin was being - carried out of the house, it was noticed that the dog which belonged - to the supposed defunct became very cross, and manifested great - eagerness toward the coffin, and could not be driven away. Finally, - as the coffin was about to be placed in the hearse, the dog attacked - the bearers so furiously that they dropped it on the ground; and in - the shock the lid was broken off, and the man inside awoke from his - lethargic condition, and soon recovered his full consciousness. He was - alive and well at last news of him. Dogs might possibly be of use in - deciding doubtful cases, where their master was concerned.” - -Also the following:-- - -[INTELLIGENCE OF DOGS.] - - “The postmaster of a village in Moravia ‘died’ in a fit of epilepsy, - and was buried three days afterwards in due form. He had a little pet - dog which showed great affection towards him, and after the burial - the dog remained upon the man’s grave and howled dismally, and would - not be driven away. Several times the dog was taken home forcibly, - but whenever it could escape it immediately returned. This lasted for - a week, and became the talk of the village. About a year afterwards - that part of the grave-yard had to be removed owing to an enlargement - in building the church, and consequently the grave of the postmaster - was opened, and the body was found in such a state and position as - to leave no doubt that he had been buried alive, had returned to - consciousness, and had died in the grave. The physician who had signed - the certificate of death went insane on that account, soon after the - discovery was made.”--_Premature Burial, p. 109, London ed._ - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -THE DANGER OF HASTY BURIALS. - - -EARLY burials are advocated and defended by certain writers on sanitary -grounds; and there is, no doubt, something to be said for them, -provided the body shows unmistakable signs of dissolution; but to -impose a general rule upon Englishmen by Parliament, or upon Americans -by State Legislature, as has been urged, would add to the existing evil -of perfunctory and mistaken diagnosis of death, and greatly increase -the number of premature interments. The Romans kept the bodies of -the dead a week before burial, lest through haste they should inter -them while life remained. Servius, in his commentary on Virgil, tells -us--“That on the eighth day they burned the body, and on the ninth put -its ashes in the grave.” Plato enjoined the bodies of the dead to be -kept until the third day, _in order_ (as he says) _to be satisfied of -the reality of the death_. Quintilian explains why the Romans delayed -burials as follows:--“For what purpose do ye imagine that long-delayed -interments were invented? Or on what account is it that the mournful -pomp of funeral solemnities is always interrupted by sorrowful groans -and piercing cries? Why, for no other reason, but because we have seen -persons return to life after they were about to be laid in the grave -as dead.” “For this reason,” adds Lancisi, in “De Subita. Mort.,” lib. -i., cap. 15, “the Legislature has wisely and prudently prohibited -the immediate, or the too speedy, interment of all dead persons, and -especially of such as have the misfortune to be cut off by a sudden -death.” - -[THE ADVANTAGE OF DELAY.] - -Terilli, a celebrated physician of Venice, in a treatise of the -“Causes of Sudden Death,” sect. vi., cap. 2, says:--“Since the body -is sometimes so deprived of every vital function, and the principle -of life reduced so low, that it cannot be distinguished from death, -the laws both of natural comparison and revealed religion oblige us to -wait a sufficient time for life manifesting itself by the usual signs, -peradventure it should not be, as yet, totally extinguished; and if -we should act a contrary part, we may possibly become murderers, by -confining to the gloomy regions of the dead those who are actually -alive.” - -Mr. Cooper, surgeon, in his treatise on “The Uncertainty of the -Signs of Death,” pp. 70, 71, had in his possession the following -certificate, written and signed by Mr. Blau, a native of Auvergne, a -man of untainted veracity:--“I hereto subscribe, and declare, that -fifty-five years ago, happening to reside at Toulouse for the sake -of my studies, and going to St. Stephen’s Church to hear a sermon, I -saw a corpse brought thither for the sake of interment. The ceremony, -however, was delayed till the sermon should be over; but the supposed -dead person, being laid in a chapel and attended by all the mourners, -about the middle of the sermon discovered manifest signs of life, -for which reason he was quickly conveyed back to his own house. From -a consideration of circumstances, it is sufficiently obvious that, -without the intervention of the sermon, the man had been interred -alive.” - -Between 1780 and 1800 many pamphlets on the subject appeared in Germany -and France. Opposite sides were taken, some advocating delay until -putrefaction, others urging immediate burial. - -In 1788, Marcus Hertz wrote strongly against the prevailing precipitate -burials among the Jews. He asked “what motive could justify hasty -burials;” and continued:--“The writings of learned men and doctors, of -both early times and recent date, describe the dangers of precipitate -burial; there is not a town in the world that has not its stories of -revivals in the grave.” - -In 1791, Rev. J. W. C. Wolff, in Germany, published numerous narratives -of narrow escapes from the grave. - -In 1792, Rev. Johann Moritz Schwager stated that he had preached -for twenty years against precipitate burials, and that he had been -requested to do so by a number of corporate bodies who had evidence of -the danger of hasty interments. - -About 1800 great excitement prevailed in Germany on account of some -narrow escapes from living burial that happened in high quarters, -many books and pamphlets having been issued, and sermons preached -by the clergy on the subject. The key-note of all of these was the -fallaciousness of the appearances of death, and that none was reliable -but decomposition. - -About this period Dr. Herachborg, of Königsberg, Prussia, wrote that, -for forty years, as a doctor, he had always been disgusted with the -practice of hasty burials; and, to show the ignorance of the times, -he mentions the case of a woman he kept under observation in bed for -three days, when her relations took her out and placed her on the -floor, insisting that she was dead. He resisted her burial, and had -her covered with blankets; so that by being kept warm she recovered -completely. He insisted that no sign of death could be relied upon. - -[HASTY BURIAL IN TURKEY.] - -From the _British Medical Journal_, April 12, 1862, p. 390. “The -_Gaz. Méd. d’Orient_ tells us that people in Constantinople are, in -all probability, not unfrequently buried alive, in consequence of the -precipitancy with which their burial is performed. If the person dies -during the night, he has some chance of escaping premature sepulture; -but if he dies during the day, he is sure to be in his tomb in two -hours after he has drawn his last breath. Facts of daily occurrence in -this country, we are told, prove that persons who were thought to have -died during the night have recovered before morning, and thus, thanks -to the intervention of night, have been saved from being interred -alive. Other facts of not unfrequent occurrence show that persons have -recovered while on their road to the grave. In other rarer cases, -again, the cries of the revivified half-buried ones have been heard by -the passers-by, and thus saved from a horrible conclusion.” - -In all countries it is the custom amongst the Jews to bury their dead, -and apparently dead, quickly, without taking the slightest steps for -restoration, and many are the catastrophes recorded. - -“The Report of the Royal Humane Society” of 1802 states:--“At the -funeral of a Jewess, one of the bearers thought he heard repeatedly -some motion in the coffin, and informed his friends. Medical assistance -being obtained, she returned to her home in a few hours completely -restored.” - -From the _British Medical Journal_, March 8, 1879, p. 356. - - -“SUSPENDED ANIMATION. - -“A Jew, aged seventy, who had been ailing for some time, apparently -died recently in Lemberg, on a Friday night, after severe convulsions. -The deceased having been legally certified, the body was put on a -bier, preparatory to the funeral, which had to be deferred, the next -day being the Jewish Sabbath. Two pious brethren who had, according to -their custom, been spending the night in prayer, watching the dead, -were suddenly, on the morning of the Saturday, disturbed from their -devotions by strange sounds proceeding from the bier, and, to their -dismay, saw the dead man slowly rising, and preparing to descend from -it, using at the same time very strong language. Both brethren fled -very precipitately; and one of them has since died from the effects -of the fright. It is hoped by the _Wiener Medicinische Zeitung_ that -this case will make the local government watch the Jewish funerals more -carefully, as it is known that the Jews often bury their dead very -quickly.” - -The _Undertakers’ Journal_, January 22, 1887, says:--“The dangers that -may arise from premature interment are illustrated by a sensational -incident which recently occurred at Trencsin, in Hungary. The wife of -the Rabbi of the Jewish Congregation apparently died suddenly without -having been previously ill. The night before the funeral the female -watcher, sitting in an adjoining room, heard a noise in the chamber of -death, and, when, stricken with horror, she ventured to open the door, -she found that the seemingly dead woman had risen from her bier, and -had thrown off the shroud by which she was covered. By a fortunate -accident the interment had been postponed in consequence of the -intervening Sabbath, otherwise a horrible fate would have overtaken the -Rabbi’s wife.” - -[THE LANCET’S SUGGESTIONS.] - -The _Lancet_, August 23, 1884, vol. ii., p. 329, comments thus:-- - - -“BURYING CHOLERA PATIENTS ALIVE. - -“It is not so much undue haste as inexcusable carelessness that must be -blamed for the premature burying of persons who are not really dead. -Such heedlessness as alone can lead to the commission of this crime is -not a shade less black than manslaughter. We speak strongly, because -this is a matter in regard to which measures ought to be at once taken -to render the horrible act impossible, and to dismiss all fear from the -public mind. If it be a fact, as would seem to be indisputable, that -during the last few weeks there have been cases--we will not attempt -to say how many or how few--of burying alive, a scandal and a horror, -wholly unpardonable in the last quarter of the nineteenth century, have -to be faced; and the sooner the full truth is known and rules of safety -established the better. Let it be once for all decided that measures -shall be taken to ascertain the fact of death before burial. Why not -revert to the old practice, and _always_ open a vein in the arm after -death, or pass a current of electricity through the body before the -coffin is finally screwed down? It may be held that these unpleasant -resorts are unnecessary. We do not think they are. In any case enough -is known of the possibilities of ‘suspended animation’ to render it -unsafe to bury until the evidences of an actual extinction of life are -unmistakable; and, as it is impossible to wait until decomposition sets -in in all cases of death from infectious diseases, it would be prudent -to adopt what must certainly be the least of evils.” - -If, as the _Lancet_ maintains, it is not possible to wait until the -only absolute sign of death is manifest, then, in a large majority -of cases, there is no safety, and those who die fatally mutilated by -horrible accidents may be considered fortunate. The difficulty, we -admit, is of a serious nature, particularly for the poor, and can only -be overcome by the erection of mortuaries, as discussed in another -chapter. The expedient of applying the electric current, suggested by -the _Lancet_, has been proved useless in cases of death-trance, where -the patients are impervious to the most violent modes of cutaneous -excitation. - -The _Jewish World_, September 13, 1895, observes:--“Cases of trance -and of the burial of persons who only seemed to be dead, and of narrow -escapes of others from the most terrible of all imaginable fates, are -not so uncommon as most people suppose; and while Jews adhere to the -practice of interring their dead within a few hours after the supposed -demise, there will always be a risk of such horrible catastrophes -happening, even more frequently among us than among the general -community. Here is, then, really a matter in which some reform is -needed, and that without a day’s delay. - -[OPINIONS OF THE “JEWISH WORLD.”] - -“To say nothing of the merely human aspect of this important question, -to bury until decomposition has actually set in might possibly be -shown to be a violation of Jewish Law. It is now commonly admitted -that even expert medical men cannot be absolutely certain of death -until some signs of decomposition have shown themselves. Now, so -strict is the Jewish Law as regards the risk of destroying life, that -it is prohibited to even move or touch a man or woman who is on the -point of death, lest we hasten, by a moment, their dissolution. It is, -therefore, no less than a violation of the Jewish laws against murder -to preserve a custom that involves even the minutest scintilla of risk -of premature burial. It is high time that this question was seriously -taken up by the Jewish clergy and laity.”[8] - -In the province of Quebec no interment is permitted within twenty-four -hours, and the Jews reconcile themselves to this delay, which, however, -is far too brief to ensure safety. - -It will be said that the danger referred to is not so imminent in the -United Kingdom as in France, Spain, Portugal, or even in the United -States, owing to the existence of a more temperate climate, and the -longer period allowed for burial. This may be so and yet the danger -be considerable. It must be remembered that in the rural districts -nothing in the shape of examination to establish the fact of death is -practised; while in certain parts of Cornwall, throughout the greater -part of agricultural Ireland, amongst the Jews in all cities and towns, -as well as those who in all places are certified as dead of cholera, -small-pox, and other infectious and epidemic diseases, burial often -follows certified death quite as quickly as in the Continental States -before mentioned. In all the public resorts on the Continent the -hotel-keepers, through an insensate fear of death and the injury which -the possession of “a corpse,” dead or alive, may do to their business, -have them coffined and disposed of, particularly in the night, within -a few hours of their supposed death. Dr. D. de Lignières, in “Pour ne -pas être Enterré Vivant,” Paris, 1893, says he has known of burials -under such circumstances six hours after death. This author says that -these scandalous homicidal acts are of every-day occurrence, and that -the rapacious landlords have no difficulty in obtaining certificates of -death from the accommodating _mort verificateurs_. Every one who visits -the _hôtels des villes d’eaux, des stations balnéaires_, may verify -(he says) the truth of this statement for himself. In short, these are -willing disciples of the “Latest Decalogue”:-- - - “Thou shalt not kill; but need’st not strive - Officiously to keep alive.” - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - -FEAR OF PREMATURE BURIAL. - - -MANY of those who are most familiar with the phenomena of life and -death, including celebrated physicians, men of science, and clergymen, -knowing that all the ordinary signs of death (referred to in another -chapter) have, in practice, sometimes proved delusive, have been a prey -to the suspicion that a fatal mistake is possible in their own case. -They have, therefore, left precise instructions in their wills for -various preventives which experience has shown to be necessary, and in -some instances a combination of these, so as to make doubly sure that -they shall not be subjected, like thousands of human beings, to the -unspeakable horrors of being buried alive. - -Mr. Horace Welby, in his volume entitled “Mysteries of Life, Death, -and Futurity,” 1861, under the head of “Premature Interment,” p. -114, says:--“How prevalent is the fear of being buried alive may be -gathered from the number of instances in which men have requested that, -before the last offices are done for them, such wounds or mutilations -should be inflicted upon their bodies as would effectually prevent -the possibility of an awakening in the tomb. Dr. Dibdin relates that -Francis Douce, the antiquary, requested, in his will, that Sir Anthony -Carlisle, the surgeon, should sever his head from his body, or take out -his heart, to prevent the return of vitality; and his co-residuary -legatee, Mr. Kerrick, has also requested the same operation to be -performed in the presence of his son.” - -Bishop Berkeley, Daniel O’Connell, and the late Lord Lytton entertained -similar apprehensions. Wilkie Collins had a like fear, for he always -left on his dressing-table a letter in which he solemnly enjoined -his people that, if he were found dead in the morning, he should at -once be carefully examined by a doctor. Hans Christian Andersen had a -similar dread, and carried in his pocket a note to the effect that, -when the time came, his friends were to make sure that he was really -dead before burial. Harriet Martineau left her doctor ten pounds to see -that her head was amputated before burial. The dread of being buried -alive dictated a clause in the will of the distinguished actress, the -late Miss Ada Cavendish, for the severance of the jugular vein; and -prompted the late Mr. Edmund Yates to leave similar instructions, with -the provision that a fee of twenty guineas should be paid for the -operation, which was carried out. Mr. John Rose, of New York, who died -in November, 1895, made known his earnest desire that his coffin should -not be closed, but laid in the family vault at Roseton, and guarded day -and night by two caretakers, who were instructed to watch for signs of -reanimation. - -The late Lady Burton, widow of Sir Richard Burton, provided that her -heart was to be pierced with a needle, and her body to be submitted to -a _post-mortem_ examination, and afterwards embalmed (not stuffed) by -competent experts. Lady Burton, it is said, had been subject to fits of -trance on more than one occasion, and was terribly afraid that such an -attack might be diagnosed as death. - -Those who are most apprehensive of apparent death being mistaken for -real death are the clergy and other ministers of religion, and funeral -directors--in other words, those who know most about it. - -Let anyone introduce the subject when in company, on a suitable -occasion, and we shall hear of startling cases sufficient to shake -credulity, and to compel us to realise the danger to ourselves, as -well as to all other members of the community, under our present loose -customs. If this dread of premature burial is not universal, as some -writers and authorities aver, it is certainly widely extended; and -the evidence set before our readers will show that it is by no means -without foundation. - -[WIDELY EXTENDED.] - -The _Lancet_, March 17, 1866, says:--“There are many apparently -trustworthy stories afloat, both in this country and on the Continent, -which favour the belief that premature interment not only does -sometimes take place, but is really of not so unfrequent occurrence as -might be supposed. Some few believe it to be not an unlikely event, and -break out into a cold perspiration at the thought of the possibility -of the misfortune happening to themselves. Others have actually made -provision in their wills that means should be taken, by cutting off a -finger, or making a pectoral incision, etc., to excite sensibility, -in case any should remain after their supposed death; whilst a French -countess, in order to escape so terrible a fate, left a legacy to her -medical attendant as a fee for his severance of the carotid artery in -her body before it was committed to the tomb.” - -The Rev. John Kingston, chaplain R.N., writing to the (London) _Morning -Post_, September 18, 1895, says--“The danger of being buried alive -appears to be a very real one; and I can testify, from my experience as -a clergyman, that a great many persons are haunted by the dread of that -unspeakably horrible fate.” The writer further expresses a hope that -the ventilation of the subject will be followed by practical results. - -While speaking on the subject of premature burials, in a lecture -delivered at Everett Hall, Brooklyn, New York, June, 1883, Mr. J. D. -Beugless, the then President of the New York Cremation Society, said -that an undertaker in that city (Brooklyn) recently made provision in -his will, and exacted a promise from his wife of great caution, that -his body should be cremated, being induced thereto by the fear of being -buried alive. “Live burials,” he says, “are far more frequent than most -people think.” It is reported that another undertaker of Brooklyn some -time since deposited a body in a receiving vault temporarily: when he -went some days later to remove it for burial, what was his horror, upon -opening the niche in which the coffin had been placed, to find the body -crouching at the door, stark in death, the hair dishevelled, the flesh -of the arms lacerated and torn, and the face having the most appalling -expression of horror and despair ever witnessed by mortal eyes! - -An undertaker, writing to the _Plymouth Morning News_, October 2, 1895, -mentions that he reluctantly buried a young person, who lay in the -coffin for seven clear days without sign of decomposition, and only -consented to close the coffin then, on the assurance that the same -conditions attended all the deaths which had previously occurred in the -family. Dr. Hartmann and other authorities have found that such cases -are probably the subjects of catalepsy, a malady which sometimes runs -in families and affects every member. The undertaker adds that, in -future, he should decline to close the coffin of the apparently dead -until signs of decomposition set in, “thus preventing the possibility -of our worst fears being realised.” If undertakers generally would -adopt these wise and necessary precautions, living sepulture would -come to an end. Under the existing imperfect system of medical -examination--and, as we have shown, both in England and in the United -States, where there is usually no examination at all--there is often -a reckless haste in interments. No thoughtful persons can contemplate -the burial of a million and a half human beings annually in these two -countries without mistrust and misgivings. - -Many well-to-do people in civilised countries provide in their wills -for the prevention of premature interment, by leaving instructions for -surgical operations after their decease, _post-mortems_, embalmment, -or cremation. It may happen, however, that wills are mislaid, lost, -or withheld by the testators, or are not opened and read until after -the funeral, when the instructions in this regard, however strictly -enjoined, are rendered abortive. Legacies should be given conditionally -on the observance of certain duties, and only payable on proofs to -the executors that they have been carried out. A large majority of -people do not, however, leave testamentary instructions, for the -simple reason that they have nothing to bequeath. And the majority -have an equal claim with the minority to be safeguarded by the State -against such terrible misfortunes. Syncope, sometimes mistaken for -death, is a condition to which both men and women, who are compelled -by their poverty in all large cities to endure exhausting labours in -ill-ventilated work-rooms, and their often ill-nourished children in -board schools in England and in the public schools in America, are -peculiarly liable. - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - -SUDDEN DEATH. - - -THE idea commonly entertained is that with animal bodies there are -only two possible conditions--either life or death; that the presence -of one of these conditions implies the absence of the other; that when -the body has assumed the appearance of death, as during the sudden -suspension of all the functional activities, it must be dead. This -last is far from being true; for all the appearances of death are -fallacious, especially those that accompany so-called sudden death. -All such cases should be challenged as of doubtful character, and held -so till recovery or putrefaction of the tissues proves the presence of -life or of death. This subject is too often treated by medical writers -with indifference. Technically, it is regarded as a failure of the -brain, or lungs, or heart, to perform their functions; popularly, we -say that “the thread of life is snapped asunder;” or it is “the going -out of life,” like the sudden extinguishing of a candle. The author’s -experience, however, at the sick bedside, and in the death-chamber, -has taught him that life leaves the body in a gradual manner, and that -death approaches, and takes the place of life, in one part or organ -after another, thus creeping through the tissues, and sometimes defying -all tests to prove its presence, leaving putrefaction to be its only -sign. There can be no such thing as veritable sudden death, unless the -body is crushed into a shapeless mass, like an insect under foot. - -The late Dr. Farr, of the Registrar-General’s Department, London, -says:--“No definition of the sense in which _sudden death_ is -practically understood by coroners has been given.” Dr. Granville says: -“The writers on medical jurisprudence do not state with any strictness -what they mean by sudden death, whether it be death in ten minutes, -ten hours, or ten days.”[9] And he asks in the same vein, “Does sudden -death mean death in three minutes, three hours, or three days?”[10] -Still further he remarks regarding the customary definitions, “They -lead one to infer that a certain mysterious principle, called LIFE, -has been instantaneously withdrawn from a healthy and well-constituted -individual, who was at the very moment, as heretofore, exercising his -proper animal functions with a regularity that promised to endure for a -long continuance of years.... No such phenomena occur in Nature, unless -through violence or from accident. Under Nature’s laws there is no such -thing as sudden death.... In every case where death has abruptly cut -short the thread of life, there has been a preparation, more or less -antecedent to the occurrence, which must inevitably have led to it.... -The victim may seem to have been struck down, as if by lightning. But -in reality the event was only the natural termination of an inward -state of things which insidiously and unexpectedly was preparing the -blow.”[11] - -[DR. TIDY ON CAUSES OF DEATH.] - -Dr. Tidy, in “Legal Medicine,” p. 29, says:--“As a rule, the action -required to bring about complete molecular death--_i.e._, the -suspension of vital activity in every part--is progressive. In a -given case, therefore, we are unable to state any definite time as -the period of its occurrence. The popular idea of death is that the -entire body dies at once. Somatic death is an impossibility.” Thus, -it is clear that the process of death, or the departure of life, may -require days or weeks for its completion; and it may even be delayed -to a time when putrefaction has set in quite generally, as when the -hair and nails grow after the body has been buried some weeks, as has -been credibly reported. Writers upon so-called sudden death recite a -number of diseases and conditions which quickly destroy the machinery -that carries on the vital functions, thus rendering resuscitation quite -impossible. Tidy[12] names some twelve of such causes: prominent among -them are diseases of the heart, rupture of the heart, clots in the -blood vessels, aneurisms, effusions of blood in the brain, bursting of -visceral abscesses, ulcers of the stomach, extra-uterine pregnancy, -rupture of the uterus or bladder, large draughts of cold water taken -when the body is heated, cholera, alcoholic poisoning, mental emotions, -etc. But he remarks upon these causes--“Because a person dies suddenly, -there being no evidence of violence or poison, the action adopted by -many coroners in not requiring a _post-mortem_ examination leaves -the most important witness--the dead body itself--unheard, and the -inquest so far valueless.” Which may mean that, without the risk of an -autopsy, it is impossible in such cases to determine whether they are -beyond resuscitation or not, unless putrefaction settles the question. -Unfortunately there is nothing in the external appearance of those -cases of so-called sudden death in which the vital machinery may be -totally wrecked, to distinguish them from those of apparent death, -in which all the organism is in a state of perfect integrity, and in -which resuscitation is possible, provided the vital principle has not -entirely left the body. Consequently, the only safe rule to observe -in all cases in which death has not followed poisoning, or injuries -which kill outright, or some known disease of sufficient duration and -severity to bring on dissolution, is to wait for unmistakable evidences -of decomposition before autopsy, embalming, cremation, or burial is -allowed. - -In former times precipitate interments of persons who died suddenly -were specially guarded against. - -Nothing is more common, on opening a newspaper, than to see one or more -announcements of sudden death. These occurrences are so frequent that -the great London dailies, except when an inquest is held, or when the -deceased is a person of note, omit to record them. The narratives are -much alike: the person, described to be in his usual health, is seized -with faintness in the midst of his daily-avocation, and he falls down -apparently dead; or he retires for the night, and is found dead in his -bed. In many instances _post-mortems_ are made, and an inquest held; -but in other cases the opinion of the attendant doctor, that the death -is due to heart-disease, syncope, asphyxia, coma, apoplexy, or “natural -causes,” is deemed sufficient. The friends who are called in to look at -the body will remark, “how natural and how life-like,” “how flexible -the limbs,” “how placid the face;” and, without the faintest attempt -at resuscitation, arrangements are made for an early burial. - -[DR. WILDER ON SUDDEN DEATH.] - -Dr. Alexander Wilder, Professor of Physiology and Psychology, in -a letter to the author, says:--“There are a variety of causes for -sudden death. The use of tobacco is one. Another is overtaxed nervous -system. Men of business keep on the strain till they drop from sheer -exhaustion. At the base of the brain is a little nerve-ganglion, the -medulla oblongata, which, once impaired, sends death everywhere. -Overtaxing the strength by study and mental stress will do this. The -solar ganglion below the diaphragm is the real vital focus of the body. -It is first to begin, last to die. A blow on it often kills. An emotion -will paralyse it. Even undue excess at a meal, or the use of overmuch -alcohol, may produce the effect. - -“Tobacco impairs the action of the heart. An overfull stomach -paralyses the ganglionic store, and breathing is likely to stop. It is -dangerous in such cases to lie on the back. All these deaths are by -heart-failure.” It is syncope where the heart fails first; asphyxia -where the lungs are first to cease; coma when the brain is first -at fault. “Natural causes” and “heart-failure” usually mean, like -“congestion,” that the doctor’s ideas are vague. - -Dr. Wilder continues:--“I would choose such a death if I could be sure -it was death. _But most of those things which I have enumerated may -cause a death which is only apparent._” - -The following briefly extracted cases from English papers are typical -of thousands of others, and can be duplicated, with slight variation -in terms, throughout the United States. The absolute proof of the -reality of such deaths is not found in hasty diagnosis or in medical -certificates, but in the presence of putrefaction:-- - - - “SUDDEN DEATH AT ST. AUSTELLS. - - “Mr. P. G---- died suddenly yesterday. Apparently in his ordinary - health, he had been busily occupied during the morning; went upstairs, - and was found lying on his face on the floor. Dr. Jeffery was called, - and pronounced life extinct, and expressed the opinion that death - arose from syncope.”--_Western Morning News, September 14, 1895._ - - - “SUDDEN DEATH IN PEASCOD STREET. - - “An inquiry was held as to the circumstances attending the death of W. - P----, which took place suddenly the previous evening. The deceased - was forty-three years of age, and invariably enjoyed good health, - except that he complained of headache at times. The jury returned a - verdict of death from natural causes.”--_Windsor Express, September - 21, 1895._ - - - “SUDDEN DEATH. - - “T. B---- was seized with sudden illness after retiring to rest, and - expired before medical aid could be obtained. Deceased had been in his - accustomed health, had been at work all day, and had eaten a hearty - supper before retiring to rest. The Coroner was communicated with; - but, as death was certified to be due to heart-disease, no inquest was - necessary.”--_Middlesex County Times, October 2, 1895._ - - - “SUDDEN DEATH OF A SERVANT. - - “The deceased, L. E----, aged twenty, retired on Sunday evening in her - usual state of good health. In the morning she was found insensible, - and, when the doctor arrived, shortly afterwards, he found life to - be extinct. Evidence was given to show that she had previously been - perfectly bright, cheerful, and well. Verdict of the jury, that - ‘Deceased died from failure of the action of the heart in the natural - way.’”--_Harrogate Advertiser, October 12, 1895._ - - - “AWFULLY SUDDEN DEATH NEAR AMBLESIDE. - -[TYPICAL EXAMPLES.] - - “Mr. H----, who had been remarkably cheerful during the day, was just - in the act of lighting his pipe to enjoy a smoke, when his head fell - back, and he died in a moment. The family doctor certified to the - cause of death.”--_Lancaster Guardian, October 12, 1895._ - - - “SUDDEN DEATH AT SEA. - - “Mr. R. B. Tobins, the County Coroner, held an inquiry at the - Guildhall, Plymouth, concerning the sudden death of P. E----. - The deceased was sixty years of age, and was speaking to William - Parkinson, when he began to cough, and passed away suddenly. Witness - never knew deceased to be ill. Dr. Williams made a superficial - examination of the body, and attributed death to heart-disease. - Verdict: ‘Natural causes.’”--_The Western Mercury, Plymouth, October - 22, 1895._ - - - “SUDDEN DEATH AT TWICKENHAM. - - “Lieutenant S. C. G---- fell down and expired suddenly while walking - near Kneller Hall, yesterday afternoon. Deceased was forty-four years - of age, and had been in his usual health.”--_Daily News, November 1, - 1895._ - - - “SUDDEN DEATH AT FOREST OF DEAN. - - “Mr. J. W. W---- died very suddenly. He was forty-five years of age; - in his usual health and spirits on Monday; slept well; got up at five; - told Mrs. W. W---- he was giddy; felt ill; went to bed; and died in - her arms in a few minutes.”--_Western Press Bristol, November 1, 1893._ - - - “SUDDEN DEATH, WESTON-SUPER-MARE. - - “Mrs. E. T---- was found dead in her bedroom. She appeared ‘all right’ - when she retired to rest on Monday evening.”--_Bristol Times and - Mirror, November 7, 1895._ - - - “SUDDEN DEATH AT NELSON. - - “The East Lancashire Coroner has received notice of the death of Ann, - the wife of T. B----. She retired to bed apparently all right on - Friday night. At two a.m. on Saturday the husband, who was awakened - by the crying of the baby, went to his wife’s bedroom and found her - dead, she having apparently died in her sleep.”--_Lancashire Express, - Blackburn, November 11, 1895._ - - - “SUDDEN DEATH. - - “A painful shock was caused at Lowestoft last evening by the sudden - death of Mr. T. R.----, who was forty-seven years of age, and - apparently in his usual health. He drove out to pay a visit, but death - took place a few minutes after his arrival.”--_Morning Advertiser, - November 19, 1895._ - - - “SUDDEN DEATH AT LLANDERFEL. - - “Mr. D. L---- was found dead in bed on Sunday morning at half-past - eight. The deceased, who was fifty-four years of age, was apparently - in the best of health on Saturday, and had come on a visit to his - daughter. The verdict at the inquest was: ‘Death from natural - causes.’”--_Western Mail, Cardiff, November 19, 1895._ - - - “SUDDEN DEATH. - - “On Tuesday morning, between nine and ten o’clock, A. S----, - thirty-six, was in her bedroom apparently in her usual health, when - she suddenly fell back against a chair and expired.”--_Portsmouth - Mail, November 28, 1893._ - - - “DIED AT HIS WORK. - - “Yesterday the district Coroner was notified of the death of T. C. - F----, aged thirty-nine, a butcher. F---- was cutting some meat on - the block when he suddenly fell backwards dead. He had always enjoyed - excellent health.”--_Sun., November 29, 1895._ - - - “SUDDEN DEATH AT EAST GRINSTEAD. - - “Mr. W. P----, a carpenter, died suddenly yesterday morning. He was - engaged at a light task at his bench, apparently in his usual health, - when about ten o’clock he was seen to fall backwards. The doctor on - arriving could only pronounce life extinct.”--_Sussex Daily News, - December 4, 1895._ - - “SUDDEN DEATH. - - “W. D. D---- died suddenly yesterday morning. Deceased appeared to be - in his usual health when he retired on Monday. About half-past six in - the morning he was supplied with a cup of tea, and an hour later was - found dead in bed. Dr. R---- was called in, and said death was due to - natural causes.”--_Dundee Advertiser, December 4, 1895._ - - - “SUDDEN DEATH OF A TRAM CONDUCTOR ON DUTY. - - “A shock was occasioned the passengers as they were proceeding to - town this morning by the sudden death of the conductor in charge. - The deceased, J. D----, whose age is twenty-nine, had always been - a steady, faithful servant, an army reserve man, and _suffered - from no ailment, and certainly not from one likely to cause sudden - death_.”--_Daily Argus, Birmingham, December 5, 1895._ - - - “SUDDEN DEATH OF A WALSALL LABOURER. - - “On Tuesday, E. W----, aged thirty-six, retired to bed to all - appearances in his usual health. His wife tried to awaken him about - a quarter past seven on the following morning, but found that her - husband was dead.”--_Wolverhampton Evening News, December 6, 1895._ - - - “SUDDEN DEATH OF A COLLIERY MANAGER. - - “Last night Mr. A. B. Stouth held an inquest concerning the death of - T. S----. The deceased, who was described _as a very healthy man_, - went to the colliery shortly after six o’clock; he conversed freely - with the workmen, and when in the act of taking off his coat he fell - down and died. The verdict, without _post-mortem_ was returned: ‘Died - from natural causes.’”--_Birmingham Daily Gazette, December 10, 1895._ - - - “SUDDEN DEATH OF A VICAR. - - “The Rev. T. S. C----, of Salop, died very suddenly at his residence. - He attended to his usual duties in the morning, apparently in the - full enjoyment of health, and in the afternoon conducted a funeral. - Immediately upon his return he was taken ill, and died a few minutes - afterwards.”--_Daily Argus, Birmingham, December 16, 1895._ - - - “SUDDEN DEATH OF A RAILWAY EMPLOYEE. - - “A painfully sudden death occurred at Hounslow. A. H----, aged - nineteen, clerk, started from home to attend his duties at the office, - apparently in robust health. At about eight o’clock, whilst sitting - between two companions at a table, he suddenly fell forward and - expired.”--_Hounslow Chronicle, December 21, 1895._ - - - “SUDDEN DEATH OF A SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER. - - “A painful sensation was created at Leicester yesterday by the - discovery that Mr. R. M----, a leading Wesleyan, had been found dead - in his bed. He was apparently in excellent health when he retired, - after a light supper.”--_Middlesborough Daily Gazette, December 30, - 1895._ - - - “SUDDEN DEATH. - - “Major Taylor held an inquest on C. N. W---- yesterday. The deceased - was described as a fine healthy boy. On Sunday forenoon he was placed - on his grandmother’s knee to nurse, when he fell back and expired. A - verdict of death from natural causes was returned.”--_Evening Press, - York, January 1, 1896._ - - - “SUDDEN DEATH. - - “Yesterday, Mr. Reilly, Coroner, held an inquest on H. A. C----. It - appeared that the servant, in passing his room, heard him moaning. - Medical aid was procured, but he died in a few minutes. Deceased was - in the enjoyment of robust health previously. Verdict: ‘Death from - natural causes.’”--_Irish Times, Dublin, January 3, 1896._ - - - “SUDDEN DEATH. - - “Mr. H. W---- was suddenly taken ill between five and six yesterday - evening, apparently suffering from an apoplectic fit, and expired in - a few minutes. Mr. W---- was a gentleman enjoying most robust health, - and earlier in the afternoon was chatting genially with several of - his friends. An inquest will probably not be necessary.”--_Darlington - North Star, January 17, 1896._ - - - “SUDDEN DEATH. - - “The City Coroner held an inquiry on Saturday at the Stanley Arms - relative to the death of Alice M. A----, aged twenty-eight, who died - suddenly. On Friday she seemed in good health and spirits. From an - internal examination of the body Dr. Miller was of opinion that she - died of syncope or failure of the heart’s action. Verdict: ‘Death - from natural causes; to wit, heart-disease.’”--_Eastern Daily Press, - Norwich, January 20, 1896._ - -[RECENT CASES OF SUDDEN DEATH.] - -Amongst other sudden deaths more recently reported are:--R. F----, -of Torquay, described as “a man of exceptional physique, who had -every appearance of possessing a very robust constitution.”--F. -P. C---- “looked more than usually robust of late, had never been -known to complain of his head, and appeared in the best of health -and spirits.”--W. W----“had always appeared to enjoy good health, -with the exception of a cough.”--O. P----, “beyond failing appetite, -had given no indication of ill health.”--W. M----“was in his usual -health, and went to bed all right.”--Mrs. T. B---- “was in the best -of health, and was attending to her household duties.”--L. T----, “a -powerfully-built fisherman, and most unlikely to come to such a sudden -termination of life.”--M. J. M----, at East Garston. “A _post-mortem_ -was made by Dr. K. and his assistant, but they were unable to find any -evidence as to the cause of death. Verdict: ‘Natural causes.’”--The -sudden death, while playing the pianoforte, of a girl, aged twelve, -“who had never had a day’s illness in her life.”--S. G----“was quite -well, and in excellent spirits.”--T. B. B---- was “a robust man, and -had not been ailing.”--G. R---- was “in excellent health and spirits, -and attended to his duties as usual.”--A little girl, M. B----, who -appeared to be in her usual health, died very suddenly while sleeping -in a cot by the side of her parents. Verdict at the inquest: “Death -from natural causes.”--A. S----, aged twenty-three, a strong young -fellow, who went to rest before eleven o’clock. About one o’clock the -following morning he was seized with pain, became unconscious, from -which he succumbed.--R. J. C----, labourer, “a fine, robust-looking -man,” suddenly expired before medical aid could be procured. Verdict -at inquest: “Died suddenly from natural causes.”--Mrs. R----, “who -was quite well when her daughter left the room, was found dead on her -return a few minutes later.”--T. H----, blacksmith, “went to bed in his -usual health and spirits” in company with a comrade, who on attempting -to wake him in the morning found life extinct. - -The above are given simply as typical examples of a class of cases of -which thousands might be cited, but it has not been thought necessary -to weary the reader with the details of further instances. - -While it is not suggested that the foregoing are cases of premature -burial, yet it is absolutely certain that they belong to the category -of persons of whom a considerable percentage are liable to such -misadventures unless precautions very different from those in vogue are -taken to prevent them. All medical practitioners allow that a man may -be half drowned or half dead, and that cases of suspended animation -occur where the most experienced physician is unable to detect the -faintest indication of breathing or cardiac movement. They are, -however, quite sceptical as to absolute suspensions of life where all -the ordinary methods to test its existence fail; and, owing to this -scepticism, and the readiness to give certificates of death in cases of -alleged sudden death, have unwittingly promoted premature burials, as -will appear by the facts quoted in these pages. - -[HASTY BURIAL CONDEMNED.] - -Mr. M. Cooper, in the “Uncertainty of the Signs of Death,” p. 49, -cites from a letter by one William Fabri, a surgeon, the opinion that -we “... have just reason to condemn the too precipitate interment of -persons overpowered by lethargies, apoplexies, or suffocation of the -matrix; for I know there have been some, supposed to be irretrievably -cut off by these disorders, who, resuming strength and returning to -life, have raised the boards of their own coffins, because in such -disorders the soul only retires, as it were, to her most secret and -concealed residence, in order to make the body afterwards sensible -that she had not entirely forsaken it.” These wise counsels were -written two hundred and sixty-eight years ago, since which time -thousands of our fellow-creatures have, it is feared, been the victims -of premature interment, and yet the danger then pointed out remains. -The _Undertakers’ and Funeral Directors’ Journal_, the conductors of -which are laudably anxious to keep their profession from the odium -of burying people alive, referring to sudden deaths and this danger, -says, in its issue of January 24, 1894, under the head of “A Burning -Question”:--“Sufferers from such chronic ailments as are reputed to -end suddenly are in constant danger from the present state of the -law, if they are in the hands of people interested in their death.” -And continues: “Even where a medical certificate is obtained, such -general laxity has entered into proceedings that but little protection -is thereby afforded to the public. While the medical man is bound -to state what he believes to be the cause of death, he is under no -obligation to make sure either that the patient is dead at all, or -that, if dead, he died from a particular disease for which he was -attending him.” - - -VIVISECTION. - -The _Medical Times and Gazette_, 1859, vol. xviii., p. 256, has the -following:-- - - - “A CRIMINAL’S HEART. - - “We find in an account taken from the ‘Boston Medical and Surgical - Journal’ some observations on the heart of a hanged criminal, - which are remarkable in a moral point of view, as well as in their - scientific aspect. The man died, it appears, as the phrase is, without - a struggle; and, therefore, probably in the first instance, he fell - into a syncope. The lungs and brain were found normal. Seven minutes - after suspension, the heart’s sounds were distinctly heard, its - pulsations being one hundred a minute; two minutes later they were - ninety-eight; and in three minutes sixty, and very feeble. In two - minutes more the sounds became inaudible. The man was suspended at ten - o’clock, and his body was cut down twenty-five minutes afterwards. - There was then neither sound nor impulse. At 10.40 the cord was - relaxed, and then the face became gradually pale; the spinal cord was - uninjured.... At 11.30 a regular movement of pulsation was observed in - the right subclavian vein; and on applying the ear to the chest, there - was heard a regular, distinct, and single beat, accompanied with a - slight impulse. Hereupon Drs.. Clark, Ellis, and Shaw open the thorax, - and expose the heart, which still continues to beat! The right auricle - contracted and dilated with energy and regularity. At twelve o’clock - the pulsations were forty in a minute; at 1.45 five per minute. They - ceased at 2.45; but irritability did not entirely disappear until - 3.18, more than five hours after suspension. ‘This fact,’ says M. - Séquard, ‘demonstrates that in a man, unfortunately, even when syncope - exists for some minutes at the commencement of strangulation, the - ventricles of the heart cease to beat almost as quickly as they do - in strangulation without syncope.’ With regard to the moral aspects - of this case, the same gentleman remarks:--‘People will probably be - surprised that the body of this man should have been opened while the - beating of the heart was still audible. We will not ask here if the - doctors committed or not a blamable action; we will only say that - we know them personally, and that, if they have in part merited the - violent reproaches addressed to them, they are, nevertheless, _hommes - de cœur_, who, in an excess of scientific zeal, did not notice that - the body upon which they experimented was not, perhaps, at the time a - dead body.’” - - -SYNCOPE. - -The deaths attributed to syncope in the Registrar-General’s reports for -England and Wales during the last six years are:-- - - MALES. FEMALES. - 1888 817 896 - 1889 939 922 - 1890 1,237 1,250 - 1891 1,355 1,301 - 1892 941 943 - 1893 848 770 - -[DEATHS ATTRIBUTED TO SYNCOPE.] - -Syncope, however, is not a disease, though often certified as such, -but is merely a symptom of certain maladies, or a manifestation of -suspended animation from unascertained cause. In Hoblyn’s “Dictionary -of Medical Terms,” p. 632, syncope is described as--“Fainting or swoon; -a sudden suspension of the heart’s action, accompanied by cessation -of the functions of the organs of respiration, internal and external -sensation, and voluntary motion.” There appears, therefore, every -probability that, with careless or ignorant medical practitioners, -syncope is not seldom mistaken for trance, and a certificate of death -may be given where there is merely a suspension and not a termination -of life; and this probability is reduced to a certainty when we -learn the number of premature burials and narrow escapes reported by -Winslow, Bruhier, Köppen, E. Bouchut, Lénormand, F. Kempner, Moore -Russell Fletcher, Gannal, Gaubert, Hartmann, and other recognised -authorities. Dr. James Curry, Senior Physician to Guy’s Hospital, and -Lecturer on the Theory and Practice of Medicine, in the introduction -to his “Observations on Apparent Death,” London, 1815, 2 ed., p. 1, -says--“The time is still within the recollection of many now living -when it was almost universally believed that _life_ quitted the body in -a very few minutes after the person had ceased to breathe. Remarkable -examples to the contrary were, indeed, upon record; but these, besides -being extremely rare, were generally cases wherein the _suspension_, -as well as the _recovery of life_, had occurred _spontaneously_; they -were, therefore, beheld with astonishment, as particular instances of -Divine Interposition.” It is believed that the majority of the members -of the medical profession still entertain the idea that a human being -is dead when breathing can no longer be detected, as in the cases of -reported sudden deaths; and, except in those which occur from drowning, -or suffocation through noxious gases, attempts are very rarely made -to promote restoration, and, unless they return to life spontaneously -while above ground, there are good reasons to fear that an appreciable -number do so under ground. The prevailing belief in the existence of -sudden deaths is one of the chief causes of the terrible mistakes -that lead to live burials. If this delusive idea were removed, those -concerned, such as physicians, undertakers, relatives, and friends, -would treat a person who unexpectedly took on the appearance of death -as one needing careful attention by physician and nurse to bring him -round to health again, as is usually done in cases of fainting. If -trance were understood, doctors would be on the lookout for it; but, -as it is not understood, it is called death, and we bury our mistakes -under ground. - -Dr. Hilton Fagge, while doubting whether there is any foundation for -the strong fear which many persons entertain of being buried alive -after supposed death, allows that there is danger in cases of sudden -death. In his “Principles and Practice of Medicine,” Dr. Fagge says: -“The cases really requiring caution are some very few instances of -persons found in the streets, or losing consciousness unexpectedly and -in unusual circumstances.”[13] - -Dr. Léonce Lénormand, in “Des Inhumations Précipitées,” p. 86, says -that medical archives record details of a great number of apoplectic -cases revived after one, two, and three days’ apparent death; and -observes that the most celebrated physicians, both ancient and modern, -agree in recommending delay in the burial of persons who succumb to -this affliction. - -Dr. Franz Hartmann, in his “Premature Burial,” p. 11, quotes the -following:-- - -[REVIVAL AFTER APPARENT DEATH.] - - “In the Bukovina, a young woman, in the vicinity of Radautz, died of - spasms of the heart. They waited five days for the funeral, because no - signs of putrefaction appeared. The clergyman then refused any longer - delay, and the final arrangements for interment were made. Just as - they were about to put the coffin into the grave, the sister of the - deceased woman, who lived at another place, arrived, and begged to be - permitted to see the dead body. Owing to her entreaties the coffin was - opened, and as the woman saw the unaltered features of her sister, - she asserted her belief that the supposed dead was still living. - She procured a red-hot poker, and, in spite of the remonstrances - of those present, she touched with it the soles of the feet of the - corpse. There was a spasmodic jerk, and the woman recovered. The - most remarkable thing was that the supposed dead woman had not been - unconscious for a moment, but was able to describe afterwards all the - details of what had taken place around her, from the moment when she - was supposed to die up to the time of her recovery; but she had looked - upon all that like an unconscious spectator, and not experienced any - sensation, nor was she able to give any sign of life.” - -In “Les Signes de la Mort,” by Dr. E. Bouchut, p. 51, Dr. J. Schmid is -cited for the case of a girl, seven years of age, who, while playing -with her companions, fell suddenly down (as if struck by lightning), -and died. There was paleness, absence of pulse, insensibility to -all stimulus. Nevertheless, owing to the requests of the distressed -parents, the apparently hopeless attempts at resuscitation were -continued. After three quarters of an hour the girl gave a sigh and -recovered. - -[DR. WATERMAN’S CASE.] - -The _Medical Record_, New York, 1883, vol. xxiii., p. 236, contains -a paper on “Revivification” (in cases of sudden apparent death from -heart-disease, and in the still-born), by S. Waterman, M.D., New York -Case 1, February, 1880.--Mr. B----, aged 84, suffered from valvular -disease of the heart, and likewise from Bright’s disease. “One morning, -while I was sitting at his bedside and in friendly conversation with -him, he being to all appearance in a very happy mood of mind, he -suddenly fell back, his eyes became fixed and glassy, a deadly pallor -crept over his countenance, respiration and the heart’s action ceased -simultaneously, and death seemed to have carried him off suddenly and -unexpectedly. It was this suddenness of the event that impelled me to -make efforts at revivification. Two nephews of Mrs. B----, who were -fortunately in the house, were brought under requisition, and, under -my direction, systematic artificial movements were carried on for -nearly thirty minutes, when one deep inspiratory effort was made by -the patient himself. Thus encouraged, we redoubled our efforts for ten -minutes more; other inspiratory efforts followed in quicker succession; -the heart began to respond. Hardly audible at first, it acquired force -and momentum; it could now be felt at the wrist; the deadly pallor -passed away, the eyes lost their glassy, fixed aspect, sighs and groans -could be heard, twitchings of the muscles of the arm and fingers -could be distinctly felt, and the appearances of death made way for -reanimated conditions. He lay unconscious for more than ten hours, -respiration being hurried, and breathing stertorous, the heart’s action -wild and irregular. During the night he was delirious and restless; -toward morning all untoward symptoms subsided, and a quiet sleep -followed the extreme restlessness.... He died six weeks afterwards, -under symptoms of uræmic toxication. During these six weeks he had -several other attacks--one very prolonged and almost fatal--in which -artificial respiration was resorted to with the same success.” - -The editor of the _Manchester Criterion_, December 11, 1895, -says:--“Many cases of sudden death have been entombed who were really -alive, so far as the union of the body and soul is concerned. Sudden -disappearance of life is very common, due to excessive weakness or a -partial cessation of the heart’s action; and doctors should be very -chary in giving death-certificates until it has been ascertained -that decomposition has ensued. Many object to this delay, and on the -approach of an indication of death, or apparent death, often hurry the -body to the grave. We know of a young lady, for whom the shroud was -bought, and the crape fastened on the door, who was restored to life.” - - -SUDDEN DEATH. - -Professor Alexander Wilder, M.D., in “Perils of Premature Burial,” p. -16, says:--“In this country (America), however, the peril of interment -before death has actually taken place is very great. For years past -it has been a very common occurrence for persons in supposed good -health to fall down suddenly, with every appearance of having died. We -do not regard sudden death with terror, as it is so often painless, -and exempts the individual from the anxiety and other unpleasant -experiences which so often accompany a lingering dissolution. But -there is a terrible liability of being prostrated by catalepsy, the -counterpart of death, under such circumstances that those who have the -body in charge will not hesitate about a prompt interment.” - -[PREVENTIVE LEGISLATION.] - -“The difficulty of distinguishing a person apparently dead from one -who is _really_ so has, in all countries where bodies are interred -precipitately, rendered it necessary for the law to assist humanity. -Of several regulations made on this subject, a few of the most recent -may suffice--such as those of Arras in 1772; of Mantua in 1774; of -the Grand Duke of Tuscany in 1775; of the Senechaussée of Sivrai in -Poitou in 1777; and of the Parliament of Metz in the same year.... -These edicts forbid the precipitate interment of persons who die -suddenly. Magistrates of health are to be informed, that physicians -may examine the body; that they may use every endeavour to recall -life, if possible, or to discover the cause of death.”--_Encyclopædia -Britannica, quoted by John Snart in Apparent Death, 1824, pp. 81-82._ - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -SIGNS OF DEATH. - - -THE absence of respiration is the most ordinary sign of death, but at -the same time perhaps the one most likely to deceive. To ascertain -whether breathing be entirely suspended, it is a practice to hold a -looking-glass to the face. - - “Lend me a looking-glass; - If that her breath will mist or stain the stone, - Why, then, she lives.”--_King Lear_, Act v., Sc. 3. - -The common belief is that, if the operations of the heart or lungs be -arrested for ever so brief a period, they will never be resumed, and -upon a hasty diagnosis and perhaps a trifling experiment the person -is declared dead. It would appear presumptuous to attempt to doubt or -deny a theory so widely accepted by both the lay and medical world, but -numerous well-attested facts show that the action of the vital organs, -with life itself, may occasionally be actually suspended, as proved by -the most rigorous tests known to science, and that various forms of -suspended animation taking on the appearance of actual death are of -not unfrequent occurrence. Scepticism, prejudice, and apathy on this -subject have led to thousands of persons being consigned to the grave -to return to consciousness in that hopeless and dreadful prison. - -[VARIOUS TESTS CONSIDERED.] - -One of the most distinguished physicians in London informed the author -that, being called in to decide a case of apparent or real death, he -had applied the stethoscope and failed to detect the faintest pulsation -in the heart, and yet the woman recovered. The danger of premature -burial he believed to be very real and by no means an imaginary one, -and his opinions were well known in the profession. - - -THE RESPIRATORY TEST. - -Sir Benjamin Ward Richardson, in his paper on “The Absolute Signs and -Proofs of Death,” in the _Asclepiad_, No. 21 (1889), vol. vi., p. 6, -says:-- - -“About the existence of respiratory movements there is always some -cause for doubt, even amongst skilled observers; for so slight a -movement of respiration is sufficient to carry on life, at what I have -in another paper designated ‘life at low tension,’ the most practised -eye is apt to be deceived.” - -“The cessation of the indications of respiratory function, although -useful in a general sense, is not by any means reliable. It is quite -certain that in poisoning by chloral, and in catalepsy, there may be -life when no external movement of the chest is appreciable.”--_Ibidem, -pp. 13, 14._ - - -CARDIAC AND ARTERIAL FAILURE TEST. - -“Equal doubt attends the absence of the arterial pulsations and heart -sounds. It is quite certain that the pulses of the body, as well as the -movements and sounds of the heart, may be undetectable at a time when -the body is not only not dead but actually recoverable.”--_Ibidem, p. -14._ - -In a review of several works on the “Signs of Death” in _The British -and Foreign Medical and Chirurgical Review_, vol. XV. [1855], p. 74, -W. B. Kesteven writes that Bouchut’s test of the cessation of the -action of the heart for one or two minutes is not to be relied upon -as a certain sign of death. “M. Josat has recorded several instances -wherein newly-born children have been most carefully examined during -several minutes without the detection of the slightest cardial sound or -movement, and yet these have rallied and lived. M. Depaul has collected -ten similar instances. M. Brachet has recorded[14] an instance of a -man in whom neither sound nor movement of the heart could be heard for -eight minutes, and who, nevertheless, survived. Another adult case -is mentioned by Dr. Josat as having been witnessed by M. Girbal, of -Montpellier.... Sir B. Brodie and others have described children born -without hearts. The circulation is maintained at one period of human -life without the aid of the heart. It is, besides, quite consistent -with the facts observed in hysterical and other conditions of the -nervous system, that the action of the heart, like that of other -muscles, should be so extremely feeble as not to be cognisable by any -sound or impulse, and yet it may have sufficient movement slowly to -move the blood through the system, whose every function and endowment -is suspended and all but annihilated. In cases of catalepsy, and of -authentic instances of apparent death, the respiratory muscles have not -been seen to move, yet inspiration and expiration--however slowly and -imperceptibly--must have taken place.” - - -THE PUTREFACTIVE TEST. - -[THE PUTREFACTIVE TEST.] - -Dr. Roger S. Chew, of Calcutta, whose personal experiences of apparent -death are elsewhere recorded in this volume, says:-- - -“Numerous expedients have been suggested as means of ascertaining -whether a body is really dead or whether the animation is temporarily -suspended; but, though these suggestions may collectively yield a -correct diagnosis, still they are valueless when separately considered, -and cannot compare with the ‘putrefaction test.’” - -In the “Principles and Practice of Medicine” of the late Dr. Hilton -Fagge, edited by Dr. Pye-Smith, vol. i., p. 19, of the second edition, -is the following:-- - -“In most cases there is no difficulty in determining the exact moment -at which death occurs. But sometimes it cannot be fixed with certainty, -and there are some altogether exceptional instances (though I have -never myself met with one) in which for hours, or even for days, it -remains uncertain whether life is extinct or merely suspended. _I -believe that the only sign of death which is both certain to manifest -itself in the course of a few days, and also absolutely conclusive and -infallible, is the occurrence of putrefaction_, which is generally -first indicated by discoloration of the surface of the abdomen. And in -any case admitting of doubt, the coffin should not be closed until this -has shown itself.” (Italics ours.) - -The _Medical Examiner_, Philadelphia, vol. vi., p. 610, says:-- - -“A recent French reviewer in the _Gazette Médicale_ closes a survey -of the differences between real and apparent death, by the following -remarks:--‘Experience,’ says he, ‘has shown the insufficiency of -each of these signs, with one exception--_putrefaction_. The absence -of respiration and circulation, the absence of contractility and -sensibility, general loss of heat, the hippocratic face, the cold -sweat spreading over the body, cadaveric discoloration, relaxation of -the sphincters, loss of elasticity, the flattening of the soft parts -on which the body rests, the softness and flaccidity of the eyes, the -opacity of the fingers, cadaveric rigidity, the expulsion of alimentary -substances from the mouth;--all these signs combined or isolated may -present themselves in an individual suffering only from apparent -death.’” - -Prof. D. Ferrier, in an article on “Signs of Death” in Quain’s -“Dictionary of Medicine,” pp. 327, 328, says:-- - -“It is not always easy to determine when the spark of life has become -finally extinguished. From fear of being buried alive, which prevails -more abroad than in this country, some infallible criterion of death, -capable of being applied by unskilled persons, has been considered -a desideratum, and valuable prizes have been offered for such a -discovery. The conditions most resembling actual death are syncope, -asphyxia, and trance, particularly the last. We cannot, however, -say that any infallible criterion applicable by the vulgar has been -discovered.” - -The writer then proceeds to describe the various symptoms usually -considered to denote death. The chief of these is putrefaction, but he -observes that putrefaction may occur locally during life, and general -septic changes may occur to some extent before death. - -Dr. Gannal, in “Signes de la Mort,” p. 31, says:-- - -“I share the opinion of the majority of authors who have written on -this subject, and I consider _putrefaction_ as the only certain sign of -death.” The author then shows that all other signs are uncertain, and -adds “that it is possible, by taking certain measures, to wait until -putrefaction is well manifest, without injuring the public health.” If -the attending medical practitioner could always be relied upon to look -for any such combination of signs as above suggested, there would be -much less danger of premature burial than at present almost everywhere -prevails; but personal investigation obliges the author deliberately to -declare that these are looked for only in a comparatively few instances. - - -_RIGOR MORTIS._ - -[RIGOR MORTIS.] - -With reference to _rigor mortis_, one of the signs many physicians -regard as infallible as putrefaction, and to which the _British Medical -Journal_ attaches much importance, I cite the following:-- - -Dr. Samuel Barker Pratt says that _rigor mortis_, which is regarded as -an absolute proof of death, is in itself a life-action, caused by a -gradual withdrawal of the nerve-forces from the body, and is distinctly -akin to, and the same in effect as, the tightening of a muscle, and -other similar physiological actions in the living body. - -Dr. Roger S. Chew observes:-- - -“_Rigor mortis_ is a condition that seldom or never supervenes in the -hot weather in India, and is often a feature of catalepsy. - -“Ecchymoses, or _post-mortem_ stains, are sometimes of value, but very -frequently they do not appear, even though there are strong evidences -of putrefaction having set in, and in some cases this cadaveric -lividity, as it is termed, may be the result of violence received -before animation was suspended, and, the vital spark not having been -extinguished though the body was apparently dead, echymosis had -asserted itself as a process of life, and not death.” - -Ebenezer Milner, M.D.Edinb., L.R.C.S.E., observes in a paper on -“Catalepsy or Trance” in the _Edinburgh Medical and Surgical Journal_, -1850, vol. lxxiv., p. 330:-- - -“Patients labouring under an intense and prolonged paroxysm of -catalepsy have been supposed to be dead, and have been interred alive. - -[VARIOUS OTHER TESTS.] - -“There are numerous cases of this kind on record, and many more where -individuals, after being laid in their coffins, have fortunately -recovered from the attack before the period of interment. In such -cases respiration is insensible, and the heart’s action is almost in -abeyance; the surface of the body is nearly cold, and presents the -pallor of death; and the articulations are stiff. Although it is no -doubt a difficult task to distinguish this state of trance from the -state of death, yet a careful examination of the body, and time, would -lead to a correct diagnosis. The limbs after death are first lax, then -stiff, and ultimately lax again. The stiffness of the limbs, known -as the cadaveric rigidity, or _rigor mortis_, lasts for a longer or -shorter time, according to circumstances; the sooner it supervenes, the -shorter is its duration, and conversely. Now the stiffness of the limbs -accompanying this intense form of trance supervenes at once, and lasts -as long as the paroxysm continues. This is consequently a valuable -diagnostic sign.” - -It may be observed that only in rare and very exceptional cases is time -allowed for careful and accurate diagnosis. - - -CADAVEROUS COUNTENANCE. - -Anthony Fothergill, in “A New Inquiry,” 1795, p. 92:-- - -“Nor can even the cadaverous countenance be, separately considered, -an infallible test of life’s total extinction. Nay, even putrefaction -itself, though allowed to be the most unequivocal sign of death, might -chance to deceive us in that syncope which sometimes supervenes on the -last stage of the confluent small-pox, sea-scurvy, or other highly -putrid diseases.” - - -REGARDING CLENCHED JAWS. - -A. de Labordette, Chirurgien de l’Hôpital de Lisieux, states in a -letter to the Secretary of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution:-- - -“I have collected manifold observations relating to persons drowned or -asphyxiated, in whose case contraction of the jaws was remarked, and -who were subsequently restored to life,” Dr. Brown-Séquard concurred in -this, and declared further that such contraction is rather a sign of -life than of death.--_Lancet, 1870, vol. i., p. 436._ - - -THE DIAPHANOUS TEST, - -for the discovery of which a prize was given by the French Academy -of Medicine, is regarded by Sir B. Ward Richardson as of secondary -importance. It has certainly failed in many instances. - -The following communication on - - THE PROPER VALUE OF THE DIAPHANOUS - TEST OF DEATH, - -by Edwin Haward, M.D.Edin., F.R.C.S.Eng., appears in the _Lancet_ of -June 10, 1893, p. 1404:-- - -[THE DIAPHANOUS TEST.] - -“A case has come lately under my observation in which the value of -the diaphanous test of death has been illustrated at its just worth, -and, as the matter is one of supreme practical moment, I think it may -be considered deserving a brief notice in the pages of the _Lancet_. -Readers of the _Lancet_ need scarcely be informed that the diaphanous -test consists in taking a hand of a supposed dead person, placing -it before a strong artificial light, with the fingers extended and -just touching each other, and then looking through the narrow spaces -between the fingers to see if there be there a scarlet line of light. -The theory is that if there be such a line of scarlet colour there is -some circulation still in progress, and therefore evidence of vital -action, whilst if there be no illumination, then the circulation has -ceased and death has occurred. The French Academy of Medicine was so -impressed with the value of this test that it awarded, I believe, to -the discoverer of it a considerable prize. The illustration I am about -to give indicates, however, that this test must be received with the -utmost caution. The facts run as follows:--I was called in January last -to visit a lady seventy-three years of age, suffering from chronic -bronchitis. She had often suffered at intervals from similar attacks -during a period of twenty-five years. The present attack was very -severe, and as she was obviously in a state of senile decrepitude her -symptoms naturally gave rise to considerable anxiety. Nevertheless, she -rallied and improved so much that after a few days my attendance was -no longer required. I heard nothing more of this lady until February -6--a period of three weeks--when I was summoned early in the morning -to see her immediately. The messenger told me that she had retired -to bed in the usual way, and had apparently died in the night, but -that she looked so life-like there was great doubt whether death had -actually taken place. Within half an hour I was by her bedside; there -was no sign of breathing, of pulse, or of heart-beat, and the hands, -slightly flexed, were rather rigid, but the countenance looked like -that of a living person, the eyes being open and life-like. I believed -her to be dead, and that the rigidity of the upper limbs indicated -commencing _rigor mortis_; but this curious fact was related to me by -a near relative, that once before she had passed into a death-like -state, with similar symptoms, even to the rigidity of the arms and -hands, from which state she had recovered, and after which she had -always experienced the direst apprehension of being buried alive. Her -anxiety, it will be easily conceived, was readily communicated to her -relatives, who urged me to leave nothing undone for determining whether -life was or was not extinct. Under the circumstances I suggested -that Dr. (now Sir) Benjamin Ward Richardson, who has made the proofs -of death a special study, should be summoned. He soon arrived, and -submitted the body to all the tests in the following order:--1. Heart -sounds and motion entirely absent, together with all pulse movement. -2. Respiratory sounds and movements entirely absent. 3. Temperature -of the body taken from the mouth the same as that in the surrounding -air in the room, 62° F. 4. A bright needle plunged into the body of -the biceps muscle (Cloquet’s needle test) and left there shows on -withdrawal no sign of oxidation. 5. Intermittent shocks of electricity -at different tensions passed by needles into various muscles and -groups of muscles gave no indication whatever of irritability. 6. The -fillet-test applied to the veins of the arm (Richardson’s test) causes -no filling of veins on the distal side of the fillet. 7. The opening -of a vein to ascertain whether the blood has undergone coagulation -shows that the blood was still fluid. 8. The subcutaneous injection of -ammonia (Monteverdi’s test) causes the dirty brown stain indicative -of dissolution. 9. On making careful movements of the joints of the -extremities, of the lower jaw, and of the occipito-frontals, _rigor -mortis_ is found in several parts. Thus of these nine tests eight -distinctly declared that death was absolute; the exception, the -fluidity of the blood, being a phenomenon quite compatible with blood -preternaturally fluid and at a low temperature, even though death had -occurred. 10. There now remained the diaphanous test, which we carried -out by the aid of a powerful reflector lamp, yielding an excellent and -penetrating light. To our surprise the scarlet line of light between -the fingers was as distinct as it was in our own hands subjected to the -same experiment. The mass of evidence was of course distinctly to the -effect that death was complete; but, to make assurance doubly sure, we -had the temperature of the room raised and the body carefully watched -until signs of decomposition had set in. I made a visit myself on a -succeeding day to assure myself of this fact. - -[INADEQUACY OF DIAPHANOUS TEST.] - -“The results of these experimental tests were satisfactory, as -following and corroborating each other in eight out of the ten -different lines of procedure; but the point of my paper is to show the -utter inadequacy of the diaphanous test, upon which some are inclined -entirely to rely. Sir Benjamin Richardson has reported an instance in -which the test applied to the hand of a lady who had simply fainted -gave no evidence of the red line; she therefore, on that test alone, -might have been declared dead. In my case the reverse was presented; -the body was dead, whilst the red line supposed to indicate life was -perfectly visible. Hence the test might possibly lead to a double -error, and ought never of itself to be relied upon. - -“It is a question worthy of consideration whether the colouration -observed was due to the fluid state of the blood after death; it is not -unreasonable to suppose so but I prefer merely to offer the suggestion -without further comment.” - -Dr. Gannal, in his “Signes de la Mort,” p. 54, says:-- - -“The loss of transparency of the fingers is an uncertain sign, because -with certain subjects it takes place some time before death; next, -because it does not always occur in the corpse; and finally, because -it exists under certain circumstances in sick persons--in intermittent -fever, for example, when the skin loses colour, the hands get cold, and -the nails blue, as happens at the onset of the fits.” - -Orfila, “Médicine Légale,” vol. i., p. 478, 4th edit., observes:-- - -“This sign can be of no use, because it is easy to prove that the -fingers of corpses placed between the eye and the flame of a candle are -transparent, even when this experiment is made one or two days after -death.” - -Sir Benjamin Ward Richardson read a paper before the Medical Society -of London on “The Absolute Signs and Proofs of Death,” published (in -1889) in No. 21 of the _Asclepiad_. The circumstance which originated -his investigation was a case of the revival of an apparently dead -child immediately before the funeral. Dr. Richardson has seen persons -apparently dead, and presenting all the signs of death, but who were -really living. Amongst these he cites the following:-- - -“A medical man found dead, as it was presumed, from an excessive dose -of chloral. To all common observation this gentleman was dead. There -was no sign of respiration; it was very difficult for an ear so long -trained as my own to detect the sounds of the heart; there was no pulse -at the wrist, and the temperature of the body had fallen to 97° Fahr. -In this condition the man had lain for some hours before my arrival; -and yet, under the simple acts of raising the warmth of the room to 84° -Fahr. and injecting warm milk and water into the stomach, he rallied -slowly out of the sleep, and made a perfect recovery.” - -More remarkable is the case of a man struck by lightning, details of -which Sir Benjamin received, in 1869, from Dr. Jackson, of Somerby, -Leicestershire. - -“The patient reached his home in a state of extreme prostration, in -which he lay for a time, and then sank into such complete catalepsy -that he was pronounced to be dead, and heard the sound of his own -passing bell from the neighbouring church; by a desperate attempt at -movement of his thumbs he attracted the attention of the women engaged -about him, and, being treated as one still alive, recovered, and lived -for several years afterwards, retaining in his memory the facts, and -relating them with the most consistent accuracy.” - -[SIR B. W. RICHARDSON’S ENUMERATION.] - -Medical practitioners tell us that the signs of death are quite easy -and impossible to mistake. Dr. Richardson, who has had the best of -reasons, as already shown, for observation and investigation, holds a -different opinion, and enumerates the signs of death as follows:-- - -(1) Respiratory failure, including absence of visible movements of -the chest, absence of the respiratory murmur, absence of evidence of -transpiration of water vapour from the lungs by the breath. - -(2) Cardiac failure, including absence of arterial pulsation, of -cardiac motion, and of cardiac sounds. - -(3) Absence of turgescence or filling of the veins on making pressure -between them and the heart. - -(4) Reduction of the temperature of the body below the natural standard. - -(5) Rigor mortis and muscular collapse. - -(6) Coagulation of the blood. - -(7) Putrefactive decomposition. - -(8) Absence of red colour in semi-transparent parts under the influence -of a powerful stream of light. - -(9) Absence of muscular contraction under the stimulus of galvanism, of -heat, and of puncture. - -(10) Absence of red blush of the skin after subcutaneous injection of -ammonia (Monteverdi’s test). - -(11) Absence of signs of rust or oxidation of a bright steel blade, -after plunging it deep into the tissues. (The needle test of Cloquet -and Laborde.) - -Sir Benjamin sums up as follows:-- - -“If all these signs point to death--if there be no indications of -respiratory function; if there be no signs of movement of the pulse -or heart, and no sounds of the heart; if the veins of the hand do -not enlarge on the distal side of the fillet; if the blood in the -veins contains a coagulum; if the galvanic stimulus fails to produce -muscular contraction; if the injection of ammonia causes a dirty -brown blotch--the evidence may be considered conclusive that death is -absolute. If these signs leave any doubt, or even if they leave no -doubt, one further point of practice should be carried out. The body -should be kept in a room, the temperature of which has been raised to a -heat of 84° Fahr., with moisture diffused through the air; and in this -warm and moist atmosphere it should remain until distinct indications -of putrefactive decomposition have set in.” - -Dr. Franz Hartmann, whose recent monograph[15] has excited much -attention both in the English and American Press, observes:-- - -“Apparent death is a state that resembles real death so closely that -even the most experienced persons believe such a person to be really -dead. In many cases not even the most experienced physician, coroner, -or undertaker can distinguish a case of apparent death from real -death, neither by external examination nor by means of the stethoscope, -nor by any of the various tests which have been proposed by this or -that writer, for all those tests have been proved fallible, and it -is now useless to discuss them at length, because many of the most -experienced members of the medical profession have already agreed that -there is no certain sign that a person is really and not apparently -dead, except the beginning of a certain stage of putrefaction. All -other tests ought to be set down as delusive and unreliable.” - -[RULES FOR OFFICIAL INSPECTORS.] - -In the Royal Decree issued by the Government for examining the dead -in Würtemberg, dated January 24, 1882 (_Dienst-Vorschriften für -Leichenschäuer_, Stuttgart, 1885), various signs and experiments for -enabling the official inspector of deaths to ascertain if actual death -has taken place are laid down. Among these are:-- - -(1) “The cessation of sensibility may be assumed if, on raising the -eyelid, the pupil remains unaltered when a lighted candle is held -close to it; or if pungent odours, such as those derived from onions, -vinegar, sal-ammoniac, or severe friction of the chest, arms, or -soles of the feet, the application of mustard, or burning tinder, -or if sealing-wax dropped upon the chest produces no reaction, and -particularly if in the latter case the skin does not blister. - -(2) “The stoppage of the circulation of the blood, apart from the -absence of heart beating, if, after tying a tight bandage around the -arm, the veins do not swell up, upon the hands being firmly gripped; -also if, upon pricking the lips, no blood escapes; furthermore, if, on -holding the hand in front of a bright light (the diaphanous test), the -finger-tips are no longer translucent as in the living.” - -Nor should the inspector ever neglect to examine the heart to ascertain -the complete absence of all sound, and to test the absence of breath by -other experiments. - -The rescript further adds that these experiments “may not furnish -absolute proof of death,” and describes what further proceedings to -institute. These are referred to in this volume in the chapter devoted -to Death Certification. - -An editorial note in the _Lancet_, January 29, 1887, p. 233, shows the -difficulty of distinguishing real from - - -[CASES FROM THE “LANCET.”] - -APPARENT DEATH. - -“It was only last year that we commented in our columns upon the ‘signs -of death,’ drawing attention to the more important criteria by which -a skilful observer may avoid mistaking cases of so-called suspended -animation from actual disease. Quite recently two instances have been -recorded, in which, if report be true, it would seem there is still -room for maturing the judgment upon the question herein raised. At -Saumur a young man afflicted with a contagious disease apparently died -suddenly. His body was enshrouded and coffined, but as the undertaker’s -men were carrying the ‘remains’ to their last resting-place they -heard what they believed to be a knocking against the coffin-lid, and -the sound was repeated in the grave. Instead of testing at once the -evidence of their senses, they, in accordance with judicial custom, -sent for the Mayor, in whose presence the lid was removed from the -coffin. Whereupon, to the horror of the spectators, it was observed -that the dead man had only just succumbed to asphyxia. The above -narrative seems on the face of it too ghastly to be true, especially as -the occupant of the coffin must have been shut up in a space containing -oxygen in quantity totally inadequate to sustain an approximation -to ordinary breathing. But in cataleptic and similar states the -organic functions are reduced to the lowest ebb, and history records -several instances in which, for a time at least, the determination -of the living state was a matter of uncertainty. In our issue of the -15th inst., p. 129, the reader will find an account of ‘Post-mortem -Irritability of Muscle,’ in which the phenomenon was manifested in a -marked degree two hours after death from a chronic wasting disorder--a -condition which favours early extinction of vital action in muscle. -It may be argued, then, with some show of reasonableness, that it -is quite possible for the heart to stand still, as it were, and yet -retain the power of action, although experience tells us but little on -the question as regards the human subject. Experiments on the lower -animals, however, show that over-distension of the right cavities of -the heart causes cessation of cardiac contraction, and that relief -from the distension may be followed by resumption of the function of -contractibility. It must not be forgotten that an analogous condition -is witnessed at times in patients suffering from capillary bronchitis -or other physical states underlying acute distension of the right -heart; for, in these cases, venesection is not uncommonly instrumental -in arresting the rapidly failing cardiac contractions. The second -case of apparent death alluded to above happened in ‘the land of big -things.’ An inhabitant of Mount Joy, Paramatta, was believed to be -dead, and his supposed remains were about to be committed to the -earth, when a mourning relative startled the bystanders by exclaiming, -‘I must see my father once more; something tells me he is not dead.’ -The coffin was taken from the grave to the sexton’s tool-house, and -there opened, and was found to contain a living inmate, who justified -the presentiment of his son by ‘slowly recovering.’ As no mention is -made in either case of the period that elapsed between the occurrence -of apparent death and the body being placed in the coffin, or of the -time during which the encasement lasted, special and minute criticism -is uncalled for. Enough has been said on the subject to emphasize -the exhortation, ‘Get knowledge, and with all thy getting get -understanding.’” - -The _British Medical Journal_, of September 28, 1895, in a leading -article on the “Signs of Death,” says:-- - -“The question of the possibility of the interment of living beings -has recently been exercising the minds of a portion of the public, -whose fears have found expression in a series of letters to some of -the daily papers. It is a matter of regret that so much irresponsible -nonsense and such hysterical outpourings should find a place in the -columns of our great daily press. No attempt at the production of -evidence in support of their beliefs or fears has been made by the -majority of writers, whilst the cases mentioned by the few are either -the inventions of the credulous or ignorant, or are destitute of -foundation. It cannot be said that the few medical men who have joined -in this public correspondence have either contributed any useful -information or have seriously attempted to allay the fears of the -public. One medical gentleman managed to earn for himself a cheap -notoriety by employing, with very scanty acknowledgment of the source, -copious extracts from Dr. Gowers’ article on ‘Trance’ in Quain’s -‘Dictionary of Medicine.’ - -“The possibility of apparent death being mistaken for real death can -only be admitted when the decision of the reality of death is left to -ignorant persons. We are quite unprepared to admit the possibility of -such a mistake occurring in this country to a medical practitioner -armed with the methods for the recognition of death that modern -science has placed at his disposal. Moreover, even by the ignorant the -reality of death can only be questioned during the period preceding -putrefaction. During this period various signs of death appear which, -taken collectively, allow of an absolute opinion as to the reality of -death being given. To each of these, as a sign of death, exception may -perhaps be individually taken, but a medical opinion is formed from a -conjunction of these signs, and not from the presence of an individual -one.” - -[THE “BRITISH MEDICAL JOURNAL.”] - -The writer must surely have overlooked the able treatises by Winslow, -Kempner, Russell Fletcher, Hartmann, Gannal, and others, supported by -evidence in the aggregate of thousands of cases of premature burial -or narrow escapes, or have forgotten the dreadful cases which have -appeared from time to time in the columns of the _British Medical -Journal_ itself. Commenting upon the case of a child nearly buried -alive, this medical authority in its issue of October 31, 1885, -under the head of “Death or Coma,” sensibly refers to some of the -difficulties in distinguishing apparent from real death as follows:-- - -“The close similarity which is occasionally seen to connect the -appearance of death with that of exhaustion following disease, was -lately illustrated in a somewhat striking manner. An infant, seized -with convulsions, was supposed to have died about three weeks ago at -Stamford Hill. After five days’ interval, preparations were being made -for its interment, when, at the grave’s mouth, a cry was heard to -come from the coffin. The lid was taken off, and the child was found -to be alive, was taken home, and is recovering. Such is the published -account of the latest recorded case of suspended animation. We need -not now attempt a dissertation on the physical meaning of coma. It -is well known that this condition may last for considerable periods, -and may at times, _even to the practised eye_, wear very much the -same aspect as death. In the present instance, its association with -some degree of convulsion may easily have been mistaken by relatives, -dreading the worst, for the rigid stillness of _rigor mortis_. This -is the more likely, since the latter state is apt to be a transient -one in infants, though it is said to be unusually well marked in death -from convulsions. One cannot, however, help thinking that the presence -of the various signs of death was not, in this case, very carefully -inquired into. It is hardly possible that, had the other proofs as well -as that of stiffening been sought for, they would have been missed. _It -is true that hardly any one sign short of putrefaction can be relied -upon as infallible._ In actual death, however, one may confidently -reckon on the co-existence of more than one of these. After a period of -five days, not one should have been wanting. Besides _rigor mortis_, -the total absence of which, even in forms of death which are said -not to show it, we take leave to doubt, the _post-mortem_ lividity of -dependent parts afford sure proof, as its absence suggests a doubt, -of death. Then there is the eye, sunken, with glairy surface, flaccid -cornea, and dilated insensitive pupil. Most practitioners, probably, -are accustomed to rely upon stethoscopic evidence of heart-action or -respiration. These alone, indeed, are almost always sufficient to -decide the question of vitality, if they be watched for during one or -two minutes. There is no information as to whether the child so nearly -buried alive was seen by a medical man. It is difficult to believe -that, if it had been, some sign of life would not have been observed. -Still, the case is a teaching one, even for medical men, and warns us -to look for a combination of known tests where any doubt exists as to -the fact of death.” The italics are ours. - -Prof. Alex. Wilder, M.D., in “Perils of Premature Burial,” p. 20, -says:-- - -[DR. ALEXANDER WILDER’S OPINION.] - -“The signs of total extinction of life are not so unequivocal as many -suppose. Cessation of respiration and circulation do not afford the -entire evidence, for the external senses are not sufficiently acute to -enable us to detect either respiration or circulation in the smallest -degree compatible with mere existence. Loss of heat is by no means -conclusive; for life may continue, and recovery take place, when no -perceptible vital warmth exists.” - -M. B. Gaubert, in “Les Chambres Mortuaires d’Attente,” p. 187, Paris, -1895, says:-- - -“One of the most celebrated physicians of the Paris hospitals, -according to Dr. Lignières, declares that out of twenty certified -deaths, one only presented indubitable characteristics of absolute -death.” - -The difficulty of diagnosis in many cases being allowed renders -the obligation and necessity for a radical change in our methods -of treating the supposed dead a very urgent one. Medical writers, -whilst admitting the unsatisfactory nature of the current practice of -medical certification, allege that the remedy lies with Parliament -to make compulsory a personal medical inspection of the dead, and to -allow a fee as compensation for the trouble. This, however, would be -very far from meeting the difficulty. How many general practitioners -would be willing to submit half-a-dozen, say, of the eleven tests of -death formulated by Sir Benjamin Ward Richardson, in any given case, -and if willing, how many, having regard to the fact that these tests -are not taught in the Medical Schools, and form no part of the usual -medical curriculum, would be competent to make them with the requisite -skill? In most of the Continental States there are State-appointed -surgeons to examine the dead, _médécins vérificateurs_, and in -some of these--Würtemburg, for instance--the official is obliged -to examine the corpse several times before his certificate is made -out. But notwithstanding this careful official inspection, cases of -premature burial and narrow escapes are telegraphed by _Reuter_ and -_Dalziel_ every now and then to the English Press, as we have seen, and -additional details, with the names and addresses of the victims, are -furnished by responsible special correspondents. - -[CONFUSION OF MEDICAL OPINIONS.] - -The best proof that one can give of the uncertainty of the signs of -death is the great divergence of opinion amongst medical experts. Dr. -Gannal, in “Signes de la Mort,” Paris, 1890, p. 27, observes:--“If -any of these signs had presented characters of absolute certainty, it -is unquestionable that the unanimity of authors would have recognised -it; now, there is none. One sign held to be good by some, is declared -bad by others.” Dr. Gannal affirms with iteration that there is only -one unequivocal sign and proof of dissolution--decomposition. All -authorities agree that whatever degree of doubt attends the ordinary -appearances of death, none dispute that this amounts to a demonstration. - -When standing round the bed of a sick patient, reduced to a state -of coma or suspended animation, to which death is the expected -termination, as soon as the doctor utters the fatal words “all is -over,” no one present thinks of doubting the verdict, or putting it to -the test. Mr. Clarke Irvine, who has had a wide experience, writing in -the _Banner of Light_, December 14, 1895, Boston, U.S., says:-- - -“I have known of hundreds of deaths in my experience, and never have -I known of any instance wherein a bystander has doubted save once, -and then the person supposed dead was revived, and is now living out -in Colorado. The mere accident of a stranger coming in just previous -to the enclosing in a coffin prevented the man from the awful fate of -burial alive, so far as we can see. - -“In one other, the supposed dead man came to life a little before the -time set for his funeral, by the accident of some one seizing hold of -his foot: he is still living, and a resident of this country. The case -was widely published in the newspapers after he was interviewed by a -reporter in Chicago, where the rescued man was visiting at the time of -the great Fair. He is known as Judge William Poynter. I saw him a few -days ago, and have heard him relate the experience. - -“The case of the little girl who was rescued while the funeral was -in progress, at St. Joseph, Missouri, I have already contributed to -_The Banner_. These people were saved by a mere chance; how many have -passed underground forever, of whom nothing was ever suspected! All -through the country, people are dying or apparently dying, or falling -into death-like trances daily, and being placed in their coffins _as a -matter of course_, and hurried to and into their graves, _as of course_ -also--and in the very nature of things it must be and must have been -that hundreds upon hundreds have been and are being consigned to that -most awful of all the dooms possible. The horror of the thing is simply -unspeakable.” - - -OFFICIAL REGULATIONS FOR THE PREVENTION OF PREMATURE INTERMENT IN -BAVARIA. - -[BAVARIAN REGULATIONS.] - -The following are extracts from the Police Regulations for the -inspection of the dead, and the prevention of premature burial in -Bavaria, and issued by the Royal State-Ministry for Home affairs:-- - - - § 4. - - In public hospitals, penitentiaries, charitable or other similar homes - or institutions, the duty of inspection falls upon the physician in - chief. - - Outside these institutions the inspectors must be chosen, in the - first instance, from among physicians, after them surgeons, former - assistants of military hospitals, and lastly, in default of such, from - lay people. The latter must, however, be of undoubted respectability, - and, before their appointment, must be properly instructed by the - district physician, and subjected from time to time to an examination. - - - § 6. - - As a rule the inspection of dead bodies must be made once if by - doctors, and twice if by laymen. In communities which possess a - mortuary a _second inspection_ has to be made, even though the regular - inspection has previously been made by doctors or laymen. - - - § 7. - - The first inspection has to be made as soon as possible after death, - and, where practicable, within twenty-four hours, and in cases - described under § 6, sec. 2, at least before removal of the body to - the mortuary. - - The second inspection must take place just before burial. - - - § 8. - - The body, until the arrival of the Inspector, must be left in - an undisturbed position, with the face uncovered, and free from - closely-fitting garments. - - The instructions of the Inspector, for the resuscitation of a body - suspected of apparent death only, are to be followed most strictly. - - - § 9. - - The Inspector has to give a certificate of corpse inspection - confirmatory of his inspection, but he must only issue the same if he - has fully ascertained the actuality of death. - - - § 10. - - (1) As a rule the bodies must not be interred before the lapse of 48 - hours, but not later than 72 hours, after death. - - The Police Authorities may, however, at the recommendation of the - Corpse Inspector, exceptionally grant permission for the burial before - the expiration of 48 hours if a _post-mortem_ dissection has taken - place, also if decomposition has set in, and if on account of lack of - room the body has to be preserved in an overcrowded habitation. - - - APPENDIX to the Police Instructions as to Corpse Inspection and time - of Burial, of 20th November, 1885. - - - I. - - The purpose of corpse inspection is to prohibit the concealment of - deaths by violent means or resulting from medical malpractices; - to detect infectious diseases, and the establishment of correct - death lists; and particularly _to prevent the burial of people only - apparently dead_. For this purpose each corpse is to be closely - examined on the first inspection as to any signs of death, both in the - front and the back of the body. - - - II. - - The Inspectors have primarily to establish the actuality of death by - observing and notifying all the symptoms accompanying or following the - decease. - - Indications of death may be noted:-- - - (1) If there is no indication of any pulsation noticeable, either in - the region of the heart, at the neck, at the temples, or the forearm. - - (2) If the eyelids when pulled asunder remain open, and the eyes - themselves appear sunken into their sockets, dulled, and lustreless, - also if the eyeballs feel soft and relaxed. - - (3) If parts of the body are pale and cold, if chin and nose are - pointed, if cheeks and temples are sunken. - - (4) If the lower jaw hangs down and immediately drops again if pushed - up, or if the muscles feel hard and stiff (rigidity). - - (5) If the skin of the fingers held against one another, held towards - light, do not appear reddish. - - (6) If a feather or burning candle held against the mouth show no sign - of motion, or if there is no sign of moisture upon a looking-glass - held before the mouth. - - (7) If on different parts of the body, particularly the neck, back, or - posterior, or the undersurface of the extremities there are bluish-red - spots (death spots) visible. - - (8) If the skin, particularly at the sides of the stomach, show a - dirty-green discoloration (decomposition spots). - - The non-Medical Inspector has to observe at least all the symptoms 1 - to 4. - - In doubtful cases the Medical Inspectors are advised to test the - muscles and nerves by electric currents. - - - IV. - - If the inspection gives rise to suspicions of apparent death - (Scheintod), the inspector must (if he is not himself a doctor) - immediately call for the assistance of a practised physician, so as to - establish the actual condition, and to adopt the necessary measures - for resuscitation, as follows:-- - - (1) Opening of the windows, and warming the room. - - (2) Efforts at artificial respiration. - - (3) Applications of warm mustard-plaisters to the chest and the - extremities. - - (4) Rubbing with soft brushes, with cloths saturated in vinegar, or - spirit of camphor, also with hot woollen cloths. - - (5) Irritation of the throat with a feather. - - (6) Smelling sal-ammoniac. - - (7) Dropping from time to time a few drops of “extract of balm” or - similar essences into the mouth. - - Unless medical aid has meanwhile arrived, the application of these - measures must be continued until the apparently dead comes, back to - life, and begins to swallow, in which case he ought to have warm - broth, tea, or wine, or until there is absolutely no doubt as to the - total ineffectiveness of all attempts at reanimation. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -DURATION OF DEATH-COUNTERFEITS. - - -THE differences observed in the length of time that persons have -remained in this condition depended, doubtless, upon the constitutional -peculiarities of the patients--such as strength or weakness--or upon -the nature of the disease from which they may have suffered. Struve, -in his Essay, pp. 34-98, says “that it depends upon the proportion -of vital power in the individual. Hence children and young persons -will endure longer than the aged. Also upon the nature of the element -in which the accident happened, whether it contained greater or less -proportion of oxygenated or carbonic acid gas, or other poisonous -vapours. The latent vital power seems to be much longer preserved -when animation has been suspended by cold. A man revived after being -under snow forty hours. Persons apparently dead sometimes awake after -an interval of seven days, as was the case with Lady Russell.... In -the female sex, the suspension of vital power, spasms, fainting fits, -etc., originating from a hysterical, feeble constitution, are not -rare, nor is it improbable that the state of apparent death may be of -longer duration with them; nay, it may be looked upon as a periodical -disorder, in which all susceptibility of irritation is extinguished.” -Struve further remarks, p. 98, “that the state in which the vital -power is suspended, or in which there is a want of susceptibility -of stimuli, consists of infinite modifications, from the momentary -transient fainting fit, to a death-like torpor of a day’s duration. -The susceptibility of irritation may be completely suppressed, and the -apparently dead may be insensible of the strongest stimuli, such as the -operation of the knife, and the effects of a red-hot iron.” - -[M. JOSAT’S OBSERVATIONS.] - -M. Josat, in “De la Mort et de ses Caractères,” gives the result of -his own observations in one hundred and sixty-two instances, in which -apparent death lasted-- - - In 7 from 36 to 42 hours. - 20 ” 20 to 36 ” - 47 ” 15 to 20 ” - 58 ” 8 to 15 ” - 30 ” 2 to 8 ” - -The order of frequency of diseases in which these occurred was as -follows:--Asphyxia, hysteria, apoplexy, narcotism, concussion of the -brain, the cases of concussion being the shortest. - -The length of time a person may live in the grave will depend upon -similar concomitant conditions; but all things considered, a person -buried while in a state of trance, catalepsy, asphyxia, narcotism, -nervous shock, etc., and in any of the other states that cause apparent -death without passing through a course of disease, and that occur -during his or her usual health, will have a longer struggle before -life becomes extinct than one whose strength had been exhausted by -an attack of sickness. Estimates of the duration of such a struggle -differ considerably. Some writers believe that “however intense, it -must be short-lived.” As to the prolongation of the horrible suffering -incident to such tragic occurrences, Dr. Léonce Lénormand, in his -“Des Inhumations Précipitées,” pp. 2-4, observes--“It is a mistake to -think that a living person, enclosed in a narrow box, and covered with -several feet of earth, would succumb to immediate asphyxiation.”[16] - -Dr. Charles Londe, in his “La Mort Apparent,” remarks:--“It has been -calculated that, after one quarter of the quantity of atmospheric air -contained in the coffin--approximately estimated at one hundred and -twenty litres--was exhausted, death would set in; therefore, it is -quite certain that, if the shroud is thick, and the coffin well closed, -and the grave impenetrable to the atmosphere, life could not last more -than forty to sixty minutes after inhumation. But is not that a century -of torture?” - -Some allowance should be made for the persistence of the vital energy, -which continues after all atmospheric air is cut off. “Experiments on -dogs show that the average duration of the respiratory movements after -the animal has been deprived of air is four minutes five seconds. The -duration of the heart’s action is seven minutes eleven seconds. The -average of the heart’s action after the animal has ceased to make -respiratory efforts is three minutes fifteen seconds. These experiments -further showed that a dog may be deprived of air during three minutes -fifty seconds, and afterwards recover without the application of -artificial means.”[17] - -[PERSISTENCE OF LIFE.] - -Prof. P. Brouardel, M.D., Paris, in “La Morte Subité,” p. 35, observes -that:--“A dog, placed in a common coffin, lived five to six hours; -but a dog occupies less room than a man, who, in such a coffin, when -closed, would not have more than one hundred litres, so he would -possibly live twenty minutes. I would not wish anybody to pass twenty -such cruel minutes.” - -“Mr. Bernard, a skilful surgeon of Paris, certified that, in the parish -of Riol, he himself, and several other bystanders, saw a monk of the -Order of St. Francis, who had been buried for three or four days, taken -from his grave breathing and alive, with his arms lacerated near the -swathes employed to secure them; but he died immediately after his -releasement. This gentleman also asserts that a faithful narrative of -so memorable an accident was drawn up by public authority, and that -the raising of the body was occasioned by a letter written from one of -the monk’s friends, in which it was affirmed that he was subject to -paroxysms of catalepsy.”--_The Uncertainty of the Signs of Death, by -Surgeon M. Cooper. Dublin, 1748._ - -In a volume, entitled “Information Relative to Persons who have been -Buried Alive,” by Heinrich Friedrich Köppen, Halle, 1799, dedicated to -Frederick William III., King of Prussia, and Louise, Queen of Prussia, -are the nine following amongst many other cases:-- - - “_England._--Lady Russell, wife of a colonel in the army, was - considered dead, and only through the tender affection of her husband - was she saved from living burial. He would not allow her to be taken - away until decomposition would absolutely force him to do so. After - seven days, however, in the evening, when the bells were ringing, the - faithful husband had the triumph to see her eyes open and her return - to full consciousness.” - - “_Halle, Germany._--Medical Professor Junker, in Halle, a very humane - man, had a corpse of a suicide--by hanging--delivered for dissection - at his college. He was placed on a table in the dissecting room, and - covered with a cloth. About midnight, while the professor was sitting - at his writing-table in an adjoining room, he heard a great noise - in the dissecting room, and fearing that cats were gnawing at the - corpses, he went out, and saw the cloth in a disturbed condition, - and on lifting it up found the corpse missing. As all the doors and - windows were closed, he searched the room, and found the missing one - crouching in a corner, trembling with cold, in the terror of death. - He besought the professor for mercy, help, and means for escape, as - he was a deserter from the army, and he would be severely punished - if caught. After consideration the kind professor clothed him, - and took him out of town at night as his own servant--passing the - guards--pretending to be on a professional visit, and set him free - in the country. Years afterwards he met the same man in Hamburg as a - prosperous merchant.” - - “_Leipsic._--The wife of the publisher, Mathäus Hornisch, died, and, - according to the custom of the times, the coffin was opened before - being put into the ground. The grave-digger noticed golden rings on - her fingers, and in the following night went to the grave to steal - them--which he found was not easy to do--when suddenly she drew back - her arm. The robber ran away frightened, leaving his lantern at the - grave. The woman recovered, but could not make out where she was, and - cried for help. No one heard her; so she got out of the grave, took - the lantern, and went to her home. Knocking at the door, the servant - called to know who it was. She replied, “Your mistress. Open the door; - I am cold, and freezing to death.” The master was called; and happily - she was restored to her home again, where she lived for several years - longer.” - - “_Pavese, Italy, 1787._--A clergyman was buried, and noises were heard - in his grave afterwards. Upon opening the grave and the coffin, the - man was found alive, and violently trembling with fright.” - - “_Paris, 1787._--A carpenter was buried, noises were heard proceeding - from his grave, and upon opening it he was found to be breathing. He - was taken to his home, where he recovered.” - - [DR. KÖPPEN’S CASES.] - - “_Stadamhof, 1785._--A young, healthy girl, on the way to a wedding, - had an apoplectic stroke, as it was thought, and fell as if dead. The - following day she was buried. The grave-digger, who was occupied near - her grave that night, heard noises in it, and being superstitious ran - home in fright. The following morning he returned to finish a grave - he was digging, and heard the whining again from the girl’s grave. - He called for help, the grave was opened, when they found the girl - turned over, her face scratched and bloody, her fingers bitten, and - her mouth full of blood. She was dead, with evidences of most dreadful - suffering.” - - “_France._--Madame Lacour died after a long sickness, and was buried - in a vault of a church, with all her jewels on. Her maid and the - sexton opened the coffin the following night to steal the jewellery, - when some hot wax from the candle they were using fell on the - woman’s face and woke her up. The robbers fled in fright, and the - woman went back to her home. She lived many years afterwards, and - had a son who became a priest, who in turn--inheriting his mother’s - nature--underwent a fate similar to her own.” - - “_Lyons, France._--The wife of a merchant died. Two days after her - seeming death, and just before the time set for her burial, her - husband, who, it seems, had some doubts as to her death, had her - taken from the coffin, and had a scarifier used in cupping applied in - twenty-five places without bringing any blood, but the twenty-sixth - application brought her to consciousness with a scream, and she - recovered completely.” - - “_Cadillac._--A woman had been buried in the morning. In the following - morning whining was heard in her grave. It was opened, and the woman - was found still alive, but she had mutilated half of her right arm and - the whole hand. She was finally restored.” - -The _Spectator_, October 11, 1895, publishes particulars of a recent -case of recovery, after three days’ interment, in Ireland. See pp. 111, -112 in this volume. - -Köppen’s investigations led him to observe that--“Human life may -appear to come to a stop, and no one can say it will not go on again, -if time enough is allowed for it to do so. This even the most learned -in medicine cannot explain away or deny; and the greatest precaution -should be taken before death is declared to exist.” - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - -THE TREATMENT OF THE DEAD. - - -THE following extracts from French, English, and American authorities, -who have made the subject of premature burial one of patient research, -show how the dead, or apparently dead, were treated in their respective -countries at the time they wrote, and when no reforms had been -instituted. Buffon, who wrote more than a century ago, said:--“Life -often very nearly resembles death. Neither ten, nor twenty, nor -twenty-four hours are sufficient to distinguish real from apparent -death. There are instances of persons who have been alive in the grave -at the end of the second, and even the third day. Why, then, suffer to -be interred so soon those whose lives we ardently wished to prolong? -Most savages pay more attention to deceased friends and relatives, -and regard as the first duty what is but a ceremony with us. Savages -respect their dead, clothe them, speak to them, recite their exploits, -extol their virtues; while we, who pique ourselves on our feelings, do -not show common humanity; we forsake and fly from our dead. We have -neither courage to look upon or speak to them; we avoid every place -which can recall their memory.” - -In his “History of the Modes of Interment among Different Nations,” pp. -191-193, Mr. G. A. Walker, surgeon, quotes the following observations, -as deserving consideration on the subject of premature interment:--“On -many occasions, in all places, too much precipitation attends this -last office; or, if not precipitation, a neglect of due precautions -in regard to the body in general; indeed, the most improper treatment -that can be imagined is adopted, and many a person is made to descend -into the grave before he has sighed his last breath. Ancient and -modern authors leave us no doubt respecting the dangers or misconduct -of such precipitation. It must appear astonishing that the attention -of mankind has been, after all, so little aroused by an idea the most -terrible that can be conceived on this side eternity. According to -present usage, as soon as the semblance of death appears, the chamber -of the sick is deserted by friends, relatives, and physicians; and the -apparently dead, though frequently living, body is committed to the -management of an ignorant and unfeeling nurse, whose care extends no -further than laying the limbs straight, and securing her accustomed -perquisites. The bed-clothes are immediately removed, and the body is -exposed to the air. This, when cold, must extinguish any spark of life -that may remain, and which, by a different treatment, might have been -kindled into flame; or it may only continue to repress it, and the -unhappy person afterwards revive amidst the horrors of the tomb. - -“The difference between the end of a weak life and the commencement of -death is so small, and the uncertainty of the signs of the latter is -so well established, that we can scarcely suppose undertakers capable -of distinguishing an apparent from a real death. Animals which sleep -in the winter show no signs of life. In this case, circulation is -only suspended; but were it annihilated, the vital spark does not so -easily lose its action as the fluids of the body, and the principle -of life, which long survives the appearance of death, may re-animate -a body in which the action of all the organs seems to be at an end. -But how difficult it is to determine whether this principle may not -be revived.... Coldness, heaviness of the body, a leaden, livid -colour, with a yellowness in the visage, are all very uncertain signs. -M. Zimmermann observed them all upon the body of a criminal, who -fainted through dread of that punishment which he had merited. He was -shaken, dragged about, and turned in the same manner as dead bodies -are, without the least signs of resistance, and yet, at the end of -twenty-four hours, he was recalled to life by means of the volatile -alkali.” Mr. Walker’s history was written nearly sixty years ago, but -the custom he deprecates still continues. - -[IN THE UNITED STATES.] - -Dr. Moore Russell Fletcher, in his “Suspended Animation and -Restoration,” Boston, 1890, p. 19, speaking of the treatment of the -dead in the United States, says:--“It is doubtful whether modern -civilisation has much advanced the rites of burial, or the means of -preventing interment before positive death. The practice now is, as -soon as apparent death takes place, to begin at once preparing the body -for burial; the relatives and physician desert the room, pack it in ice -or open the windows, thus banishing any possible chance of reviving or -resuscitating any spark of vitality which may exist. No examination -is ever made by the physician or the friends to see if there are even -the faintest signs of life present. Under such circumstances, and with -no attempts made at discovering whether any signs of life were still -present (but a hasty burial instead), it is not strange that cases of -premature interment frequently occur.” - -The Rev. Walter Whiter, in his “Dissertation on the Disorder of -Death,” 1819, p. 328, sensibly observes:--“The signs marked on the -dying and the dead are fallacious. The dying man may be the sinking -man, exhausted by his malady, or perhaps exhausting his malady, and -fainting under the conflict. Exert all the arts which you possess, -and which have been found not only able to resuscitate and restore -the dying, but even the dead; rouse him from this perilous condition, -and suffer him not, by your supineness and neglect, to pass into a -state of putrefactive death.” And in p. 363:--“If the humane societies -had applied the same methods in various cases of natural death which -they have adopted in the case of drowning, and if they had obtained a -similar success in the cultivation of their art, the gloom of the bed -of death would be brightened with cheering prospects, and would have -become the bed of restoration and the scene of hope.” - -[AN OPENING FOR THE PROFESSION.] - -In this connection we may remark that no profession is more overcrowded -at the present time than that of medicine, particularly in the United -Kingdom, the English Colonies, and the United States. Hundreds of young -men graduate from medical colleges every year, vainly seeking openings -for a practice; and some, for the purpose of gaining a livelihood, -resort to expedients which the _Lancet_ denounces as undignified, -unprofessional, and disgraceful.[18] Then, again, the number of nurses -and of those qualifying for this honourable vocation is already -in excess of the demand, and nursing institutions under the keen -competition to which they are subjected, are reducing their charges. -Now, the care and treatment of the supposed dead is an honourable -vocation, offering a wide field for the instructed physician and the -tender and sympathetic nurse, and if the appliances for resuscitation -were always at hand, as they should be, in every hospital, town-hall, -mortuary, police station, and in all large hotels and churches, many -lives now subjected to the risks of premature burial would be saved. -While in London there are two or more houses or retreats for the dying, -there is no place for the apparently dead but a shunned and neglected -coffin. The time is not far distant when the present mode of treating -the dead and the apparently dead--a practice born of superstition -and fear, by which many are consigned to premature graves--will be -catalogued amongst the barbarisms of the nineteenth century. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - -NUMBER OF CASES OF PREMATURE BURIAL. - - -THOSE interested in the movement, if we are right in designating the -widespread feeling of discontent by this name, are occasionally asked -if the cases of premature burial are numerous, and what estimates, -if any, have been made of them. We have no means of answering these -queries. We do not even know the percentage of people who are subject -to trance, catalepsy, shocks, stroke of lightning, syncope, exhausting -lethargy, excessive opium-eating, or other diseases or conditions -which produce the various death-counterfeits. Personal inquiries over -a considerable portion of Europe, America, and the East prove that -such cases are by no means of infrequent occurrence, and this is the -deliberate conclusion of nearly all the authorities cited in this -volume. - -Dr. Chambers wrote in 1787--“Every age and country affords instances -of surprising recoveries, after lying long for dead. From the number -of those preserved by lucky accidents, we may conclude a far greater -number might have been preserved by timely pains and skill.”--_Cited in -Mort Apparente et Mort Réelle, p. 17._ - -In his introduction to the work above cited, “Information Relative -to Persons who have been Buried Alive,” by Henrich Friedrich Köppen, -Halle, 1799, the author says:--“General Staff Medical Officer, D. O. -in D., states that, in his opinion, one third of mankind are buried -alive.” This estimate is very obviously exaggerated, although many -trustworthy experiences prove that a certain number of those who die -have returned to consciousness in their graves. A great many are buried -alive from ignorance of their relatives, who mistake coldness of the -body, stoppage of the pulse and breathing, the colour of death, spots -of discolouration, a certain odour, and stiffness of the limbs--which -are only deceptive signs, not the signs of real death. - -[DR. HUFELAND’S ADVICE.] - -The very respectable Dr. Hufeland says:--“One cannot be too careful in -deciding as to life or death, therefore I always advise a delay of the -funeral as long as possible, so as to make all certain as to death. No -wonder when those who are buried alive, and who undergo indescribable -torture, condemn those who have been dearest to them in life. They will -have to undergo slow suffocation, in furious despair, while scratching -their flesh to pieces, biting their tongues, and smashing their heads -against their narrow houses that confine them, and calling to their -best friends, and cursing them as murderers. The dead should not be -buried before the fourth day; we even have examples that prove that -eight days or a fortnight is too soon--as there have been revivals as -late as that. I say every one should respect those who only seem to -be dead. They should be treated gently, and kept in a warm bed for -thirty-six hours.” - -Mr. John Snart, in his “Thesaurus,” pp. 27, 28, London, 1817, -says:--“The number of dreadful catastrophes, arising from premature -interment, ... that have been _discovered_ only, or have transpired -to man, _above ground_, both in ancient and modern times, conveys to -every reflecting mind the fearful thought that they are but a _sample_ -(per synecdochen) out of such an incalculable host, perhaps one in a -thousand.” - -Professor Froriép, quoted in Kempner’s volume, says that--“In 1829, -arrangements were made at the cemetery, New York, so as to bury the -corpses in such manner as not to prevent them communicating with the -outside world, in case any should have awakened to life; and among -twelve hundred persons buried six came to life again.” In Holland, the -same author states, of a thousand cases investigated, five came to life -before burial or at the grave. The Rev. J. G. Ouseley, in his pamphlet -on “Earth to Earth Burial,” London, 1895, estimates “that two thousand -seven hundred persons at least, in England and Wales, are yearly -consigned to a living death, the most horrible conceivable.” - -The Rev. Walter Whiter, in the “Disorder of Death,” 1819, p. 362, -calls attention to one of the reports (of Humane Societies) where the -following passage occurs: “Monsieur Thieurey, Doctor Regent of the -Faculty of Paris, is of opinion that one third, or perhaps half, of -those who die in their beds are not actually dead when they are buried. -He does not mean to say that so great a number would be restored to -life. In the intermediate state, which reaches from the instant of -apparent death to that of total extinction of life, the body is not -insensible to the treatment it receives, though unable to give any -signs of sensibility.” - -Maximilian Misson, in his “Voyage Through Italy,” vol. i., letter 5, -tells us “that the number of persons who have been interred as dead, -when they were really alive, is very great, in comparison with those -who have been, happily, rescued from their graves.” He then proceeds -to substantiate his statement by the recital of cases. - -[VARIOUS ESTIMATES.] - -Dr. Léonce Lénormand, in his able treatise, “Des Inhumations -Précipitées,” has given his deliberate opinion that a thousandth part -of the human race have been, and are, for want of knowledge, annually -buried alive. This we regard as an under, rather than an overestimate. - -M. Le Guern, in his “Danger des Inhumations Précipitées,” which has -passed through several editions, declares that he has personally met -with forty-six cases of premature burial in twelve years. He devoted -thirty years to the study of the facts, and collected a list of two -thousand three hundred and thirteen cases from various sources. He -estimates the number of premature burials in France at two per thousand. - -On February 27, 1866, the petition of M. Cornot was presented to the -French Senate by M. de la Gueronnière, stating that a comparatively -large number of persons are annually buried alive, which he supported -by statistics. The author has tried to procure a copy of this petition, -but these documents are not published by the State department. - -The following appears in the _Lancet_, June 14, 1884, p. 1104:-- - - - “BURIED ALIVE. - - “Sir,--That this is an incident that does happen, and frequently - has happened, has for some years past been my firm conviction; and - during epidemics, particularly in the East, its possible contingency - has frequently caused me much anxiety; and when the burial has, for - sanitary reasons, had to be very hurried, I always made it a rule to - withhold my certificate unless I had personally inspected the body and - assured myself of the fact of death. - - “The reason and necessity for extreme caution in such matters were - impressed vividly upon me some years ago, when visiting the crypt - of the cathedral at Bordeaux, where two bodies were shown, to whom, - I think it obvious, this most terrible of all occurrences must have - happened; and I am unable to attribute the position in which they were - found in their coffins, and the look of horror which their faces still - displayed, to any action of _rigor mortis_ or any other _post-mortem_ - change, but simply and solely to their having awakened to a full - appreciation of their most awful position. In the case of one of - these bodies, which was found lying on its side, the legs were drawn - up nearly to a level with the abdomen, and the arms were in such a - position as to convey the impression that both they and the legs had - been used in a desperate, but futile, attempt to push out the side of - the coffin; whilst the look of horror remaining on the face was simply - indescribable. In the other case, the body was found lying on its - face, the arms extended above the head, as if attempting to push out - the top of the coffin. In the year 1870 these two bodies were still on - view; and the attendants used to dwell at some length upon the horrors - of being interred alive. It appears that some years prior to 1870, - in making excavations in a church-yard in the immediate vicinity of - the cathedral, the workmen came upon a belt of ground that apparently - was impregnated with some antiseptic material, as all the bodies - within this belt, to the number of about two hundred, were found to - be almost as perfect as when they were buried; of these a selection - appears to have been made; and at the time I mention about thirty or - forty were exhibited, propped up on iron frames, in the crypt of the - cathedral. The impression left on my mind at the time was that; if out - of two hundred bodies so discovered there could be two in which, to - say the least, there is a strong probability of live interment, this - awful possibility was a thing that should receive more attention than - is generally devoted to it.--I am, Sir, your obedient servant, - - “H. S. - - “Bayswater, June 10, 1884.” - -[PROTESTS OF GENERAL COUNCILS.] - -Protests against the present state of the law in France are very -frequent. M. Gaubert in “Les Chambres Mortuaires d’Attente,” page 80, -says: “During the monarchy of July petitions have not ceased to come -in from all parts of France to the Chamber of Deputies.” For a great -number of years, said the Deputy Varin, in the sitting of April 10, -1847, every year petitions having the same object (the prevention -of premature burial) are presented to the Chambers and referred to -the Ministry. What has been done, however? Nothing! Again M. Gaubert -in p. 88, referring to resolutions of the General Councils of the -Departments, observes: “That under the movement of protest, which we -are examining and find particularly serious, is shown the widespread -character which it assumes. It is, indeed, from all parts of France, -and under every form, that the sad complaints of the public (for the -prevention of premature burial) arrive at the office of the Minister -of the Interior. Those protests adopted by the General Councils (of -Departments) were not the less numerous nor the less conspicuous in -important places. Many of those who take the trouble to petition -or draw up resolutions have been prompted to action by melancholy -experience of such catastrophes in their own families.” - -M. Gaubert in “Les Chambres Mortuaires d’Attente” (Paris, 1895), pp. -193-195, says that in France there are in round numbers thirty-six -thousand Communes, and it is beyond doubt that in every one of these -will be found cases of premature burial. Communes with a population -of eight hundred have even several. Dr. Pineau has recorded twelve in -the single Commune of Fontenay-le-Comte in Poitou. In the large towns, -especially in those which have great hospitals, the proportion is -more considerable. In Paris, Dr. Rousseau, verificateur of the dead, -in 1853 wrote: “Le médecin n’est jamais appelé que pour constater la -mort apparente.” M. Gaubert declares that he would not be far from the -truth in estimating the number of victims to apparent death at eight -thousand a year, and asks if France be so rich in population as to be -able to pay such an enormous tribute. Dr. Josat, lauréat de l’Institut, -declares that a considerable number of people refuse to visit France -through fear that they might be overtaken by apparent death and -precipitately buried alive. - -The _Undertakers’ Journal_, July 22, 1889, the editor of which has -exceptional opportunities of knowing the true facts, observes: “It -has been proved beyond all contradiction that there are more burials -alive than is generally supposed. Stories of these cases are numerous. -Five cases are reported on p. 85 of this same issue, one the wife of a -well-known tradesman at St. Leonards, medically pronounced dead, but -who revived before it was too late. Many undertakers could describe -similar experiences.” - -[OPINIONS OF DRS. CHEW AND HARTMANN.] - -Dr. Roger S. Chew, of Calcutta, in reply to the author’s inquiries -while in India in the early part of the year (1896) says: “There are -hundreds of instances on record where from some cause, as syncope, -shock, chloroform, hysteria, or other condition not clearly understood, -the powers of life assumed a static condition in which oxidation -was completely arrested, carbonification was held in abeyance, and -nitrification maintained at positive rest, with the consequence that -the vital functions have passed into a condition of hibernation or -apparent death so closely simulating real or absolute death as to -render differential diagnosis an almost impossibility, and to lead to -the interment or cremation while yet alive of a body apparently dead.” - -Dr. Franz Hartmann, of Hallein, Austria, whose book, “Buried Alive,” -is now being translated into French, has collected seven hundred cases -of premature burial and narrow escapes, several of which have occurred -in his own neighbourhood, and is of opinion that the actual danger to -every member of the human family is of serious proportions, and that -the subject should not be trifled with. He is a strong advocate for -cremation as offering the easiest practical method of prevention. - -It will have been noticed that whenever the subject of premature burial -has been introduced in an influential journal published in England, -the United States, or the Continent, one contribution follows another -in quick succession, by persons furnishing particulars of cases of -trance, catalepsy, and of narrow escapes from living burial. The Paris -_Figaro_ opened its columns two years ago for this subject, and in -fifteen days received four hundred letters from all parts of France. -When we consider that nearly all the reported cases of resuscitation -have come about spontaneously and independently of human intervention, -it becomes evident, owing to our ignorance and apathy, that cases of -premature burial are far from infrequent, and our church-yards and -cemeteries, like those examined by Dr. Thouret in Paris, are probably -the silent witnesses of unnumbered unspeakable tragedies. Immediate -legislation is called for to remedy a national evil, and to remove the -feeling of disquietude which extensively prevails. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. - -EMBALMING AND DISSECTIONS. - - -AN intelligent and observing correspondent writes to the author that -“under the prevailing custom of embalming in vogue in the United -States, it is almost impossible to have a living burial, as the -injection of the fluids used in the operation would prevent revival -and make death certain. Of course, the class denominated ‘poor folks,’ -who cannot afford this security, have to take their chances with the -mysteries of trance and other forms of apparent death, as well as with -ignorance, indifference, and unseemly haste, that seem to encompass a -man at a time when he is in need of the most considerate care.” - -Embalming is no doubt preferable, as was thought by the late Lady -Burton, to the risks, prevailing in almost all countries, of burial -before careful medical examination, for the reason that it is better -to be killed outright by the embalmer’s poisonous injections, or even -to come to life under the scalpel of the anatomist, than to recover -underground. A leading New York investigator has openly declared his -belief that a considerable number of human beings (supposed by their -relatives to be dead, but who are really only in a state of death -trance) are annually killed in America by the embalming process. - - -EMBALMING. - -In the second edition of Dr. Curry’s “Observations on Apparent Death,” -1815, p. 105, the case is cited of William, Earl of Pembroke, who died -April 10, 1630. When the body was opened in order to be embalmed, he -was observed, immediately after the incision was made, to lift up his -hand. - -F. Kempner, in “Denkschrift,” p. 6, says:-- - - “Owing to some great mental excitement, the Cardinal Spinosa fell - into a state of apparent death. He was declared to be dead by his - physicians, and they proceeded to open his chest for the purpose of - embalming his body. When the lungs were laid open, the heart began - to beat again; the cardinal returned to consciousness, and was just - able to grasp the knife of the surgeon when he fell back and died in - reality.”[19] - -[PREMATURE EMBALMENT.] - -The _Journal de Rouen_, Aug. 5th, 1837, relates the following:-- - - “Cardinal Somaglia was seized with a severe illness, from extreme - grief; he fell into a state of syncope, which lasted so long that the - persons around him thought him dead. Preparations were instantly made - to embalm his body, before the putrefactive process should commence, - in order that he might be placed in a leaden coffin, in the family - vault. The operator had scarcely penetrated into his chest when the - heart was seen to beat. The unfortunate patient, who was returning to - his senses at that moment, had still sufficient strength to push away - the knife of the surgeon, but too late, for the lung had been mortally - wounded, and the patient died in a most lamentable manner.” - -Dr. Hartmann in “Premature Burial,” p. 80, says:-- - - “The celebrated actress Mlle. Rachel died at Paris, on 4th January, - 1858. After the process of embalming her body had already begun, she - awoke from her trance, but died ten hours afterwards owing to the - injuries that had been inflicted upon her.” - -The _Celestial City_, New York, June 15, 1889, records:-- - - - “MRS. BISHOP’S EXPERIENCE. - - “Mrs. Eleanor Fletcher Bishop, the mother of the celebrated - mind-reader, has a thrilling experience of her own regarding the - horrors of being railroaded into the grave. Anent the unseemly haste - exercised by the doctors who made the autopsy on her son, the old lady - stated what terrible perils she at one time barely escaped. ‘I am - subject to the same cataleptic trances in which my boy often fell,’ - said Mrs. Bishop. ‘One can see and hear everything, but speech and - movement are paralyzed. It is horrible. For six days, some years ago, - I was in a trance, and saw arrangements being made for my funeral. - Only my brother’s determined resistance prevented them from embalming - me, and I lay there and heard it all. On the seventh day I came to - myself, but the agony I endured left its mark forever.’” - -Dr. P. J. Gibbons, M.A., says:-- - -“In my mind there is no doubt that bodies in which life is not extinct -are embalmed. To prevent the embalming of live bodies in cases where -doubt exists, my method for resuscitation should be resorted to. If -success does not follow, death has taken place. When one in whom the -vital spark may possibly not yet have fled is found, two objects should -be aimed at, viz., first, to restore breathing, and, second, to promote -warmth and circulation.”--_The Casket_, Rochester, New York, April 1, -1895. - -The Select Committee of the House of Commons appointed in 1893 to -enquire into the subject of Death Certification, suggests in their -report that in all cases where it is desired to embalm a dead body -an authorisation should be obtained from the Home Secretary. This is -probably intended to prevent concealing cases of death by poisoning. -The Select Committee might very well have extended its recommendations -to the need of verifying the death before the embalmer was allowed to -exercise his art on the subject. Legislation in the United States, -where embalming is extensively practised among well-to-do people, is a -matter of urgent necessity. The author is aware of only one town where -the city ordinance enforces such verification before permitting burial. - -Mr. M. Cooper, surgeon, in his admirable little volume “The Uncertainty -of the Signs of Death,” London, 1746, p. 196, observes that “those who -are dissected run no risk of being interred alive. The operation is an -infallible means to secure them from so terrible a fate. This is one -advantage which persons dissected have over those who are, without any -further ceremony, shut up in their coffins.” - -[PREMATURE AUTOPSIES.] - -The following from Ogston’s _Medical Jurisprudence_, p. 370, is a -case in point (quoted by the _Lancet_):--“In October, 1840, a servant -girl, who had retired to bed apparently in perfect health, was found -the following morning, as it appeared, dead. A surgeon who was called -pronounced her to have been dead for some hours. A coroner’s inquest -was summoned for four o’clock, and the reporter and the surgeon who -had been called in to the girl were ordered to inspect the body -previous to its sitting. On proceeding to the house for this purpose -at two o’clock, the inspectors found the girl lying in bed in an easy -posture, her face pallid, but placid and composed, as if she were in -a deep sleep, while the heat of the body had not diminished. A vein -was opened by them, and various stimuli applied, but without affording -any sign of resuscitation. After two hours of hesitation and delay, a -message being brought that the jury were waiting for their evidence, -they were forced to proceed to the inspection. In moving the body for -this purpose, the warmth and pliancy of the limbs were such as to give -the examiners the idea that they had to deal with a living subject! The -internal cavities, as they proceeded, were found so warm that a very -copious steam issued from them on exposure. All the viscera were in a -healthy state, and nothing was detected which could throw the smallest -light on the cause of this person’s death.” Tidy (_Legal Medicine_), -part i., p. 140, remarks thereon--“A mistake had no doubt been made in -this case, as its warmth was not caused by decomposition.” - -In the _Cyclopædia of Practical Medicine_, edited by Sir John -Forbes, M.D., and others, 1847, vol. i., pp. 548-9, we find the -following:--“Nothing is more certain than death; nothing is more -uncertain at times than its reality; and numerous instances are -recorded of persons prematurely buried, or actually at the verge of the -grave before it was discovered that life still remained; and even of -some who were resuscitated by the knife of the anatomist.... Bruhier, -a celebrated French physician, who wrote on the uncertainties of the -signs of death in 1742, relates an instance of a young woman upon whose -supposed corpse an anatomical examination was about to be made when -the first stroke of the scalpel revealed the truth; she recovered, -and lived many years afterwards. The case related by Philippe Pue is -somewhat similar. He proceeded to perform the Cæsarean section upon -a woman who had to all appearance died undelivered, when the first -incision betrayed the awful fallacy under which he acted.... ‘There -is scarcely a dissecting-room that has not some traditional story -handed down of subjects restored to life after being deposited within -its walls. Many of these are mere inventions to catch the ever greedy -ear of curiosity; but some of them are, we fear, too well founded to -admit of much doubt. To this class belongs the circumstance related -by Louis, the celebrated French writer on medical jurisprudence. A -patient who was supposed to have died in the Hospital Salpétrière was -removed to his dissecting-room. Next morning Louis was informed that -moans had been heard in the theatre; and on proceeding thither he -found to his horror that the supposed corpse had revived during the -night, and had actually died in the struggle to disengage himself from -the winding sheet in which he was enveloped. This was evident from -the distorted attitude in which the body was found. Allowing for much -of the fiction with which such a subject must ever be mixed, there -is still sufficient evidence to warrant a diligent examination of -the means of discriminating between real and apparent death; indeed, -the horror with which we contemplate a mistake of the living for the -dead should excite us to the pursuit of knowledge by which an event -so repugnant to our feelings may be avoided.... If life depends upon -the presence of a force or power continually opposed to the action of -physical and chemical laws, real death will be the loss of this force, -and the abandonment of organised bodies to these agents; while apparent -death will be only the suspension of the exercise of life, caused by -some derangement of the functions which serve as instruments of vital -action. This suspension must have been lost for a considerable time, -if we may judge by the cases collected by credible authors, to some of -which we have alluded, and by the numerous instances of drowned persons -restored to life after long submersion. From this definition of life -and death, it would follow that putrefaction is the only evidence of -real death.’ ... The absence of the circulation of the blood has been -looked upon as a certain indication of death; but this test is not much -to be depended on, for it is well known that persons may live even for -hours in whom no trace of the action of the heart and arteries can be -perceived.” - -Le Guern, in “Du Danger Des Inhumations Précipitées,” chap. iv., p. 24, -relates that “The Abbé Prévost was found in the forest of Chantilly -perfectly insensible. They thought him dead. A surgeon proceeded -to make a _post-mortem_; but hardly had he put the scalpel in the -body of the unfortunate victim before the supposed corpse uttered a -cry, and the surgeon realised the mistake he had made. Prévost only -became conscious to feel aware of the horror of the death by which he -perished.” - -Dr. Franz Hartmann, in his “Premature Burial,” p. 80, has the -following:-- - - “In May, 1864, a man died very suddenly at a hospital in the State of - New York, and, as the doctors could not explain the cause of death, - they resolved upon a _post-mortem_ examination, but, when they made - the first cut with the knife, the supposed dead man jumped up and - grasped the doctor’s throat. The doctor was terrified and died of - apoplexy on the spot, but the “dead” man recovered fully. - -Brigade-Surgeon W. Curran in his 8th paper, entitled “Buried Alive,” -relates the following:--“At the Medical College at Calcutta, on the 1st -of February, 1861,” so writes my friend as above, “the body of a Hindu -male, about 25 years of age, was brought from the police hospital for -dissection.... It was brought to the dissecting-room about 6 a.m., and -the arteries were injected with arsenical solution about 7. At 11 the -prosector opened the thorax and abdomen for the purpose of dissecting -the sympathetic nerve. At noon Mr. Macnamara distinctly saw the heart -beating; there was a regular rythmical vermicular action of the right -auricle and ventricle. The pericardium was open, the heart being freely -exposed, and lying to the left in its natural position. The heart’s -action, although regular, was very weak and slow. The left auricle was -also in action, but the left ventricle was contracted and rigid, and -apparently motionless. These spontaneous contractions continued till -about 12.45 p.m., and, further, the right side of this organ contracted -on the application of a stimulus, such as the point of a scalpel, &c., -for a quarter of an hour longer.”--_Health_, May 21st, 1886, p. 121. - -Bruhier in his work, “Dissertation sur l’Incertitude de la Mort et -l’Abus des Enterrements,” records a number of cases of the supposed -dead who, after burial, were revived at the dissecting table, together -with fifty-three that awoke in their coffins before being buried, -fifty-two persons actually buried alive, and seventy-two other cases of -apparent death. This was at a time when body-snatching was in vogue, -and it is a curious comment on our civilisation to be compelled to -admit that a subject of trance or catalepsy during the last or the -early part of the present century had a better chance of escape from so -terrible a fate than now, when the vocation of the resurrection-man has -become obsolete. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII. - -DEATH-CERTIFICATION. - - -A SELECT COMMITTEE of the House of Commons, under the chairmanship -of Sir Walter Foster, M.D., was appointed on March 27, 1893, to -inquire into the subject of death-certification in the United Kingdom. -Fourteen sittings were held, and thirty-two witnesses examined. All -the witnesses practically agreed as to the serious defects in the law, -and a number of recommendations were made. It was shown that in about -four per cent. of the cases the cause of death was ill-defined and -unspecified, many practitioners having forms specially printed for -their own use, in which all mention of medical attendance is omitted, -the object being to enable the doctor to give certificates in cases -which he has never attended. Numerous deaths attended by unqualified -practitioners were certified by qualified practitioners who had -probably never seen the cases; and deaths were certified by medical -practitioners who had not seen the patient for weeks or months prior -to death, and who knew only by hearsay of the deaths having occurred. -Deaths were also certified in which the true cause was suppressed in -deference to the feelings of survivors; these last in particular are -reported to be very numerous. - -[INADEQUATE RECOMMENDATIONS.] - -In Q. 2552-83, remarkable evidence was produced as to the reckless mode -of death-certification. One medical witness testified that he saw a -certificate of death, signed by a registered medical practitioner, -giving both the fact and the cause of death of a man who was actually -alive at the time, and who lived four days afterwards, with facts of -even a more startling character described as “murder made easy.” It was -pointed out that fraud and irregularity in giving false declarations of -death are by no means infrequent. Various other matters are treated, -and the following are some of their recommendations:-- - - 1. That in no case should a death be registered without the production - of a certificate of the cause of death by a registered medical - practitioner, or by a coroner after inquest, or, in Scotland, by a - procurator-fiscal. - - 2. That in each sanitary district a registered medical practitioner - should be appointed as public medical certifier of the cause of - death in cases in which a certificate from a medical practitioner in - attendance was not forthcoming. - - 3. That a medical practitioner in attendance should be required, - before giving a certificate of death, to personally inspect the body, - but if, on the ground of distance, or for other sufficient reason, he - is unable to make this inspection himself, he should obtain and attach - to the certificate of the cause of death a certificate signed by two - persons, neighbours, verifying the fact of death. - - 4. That medical practitioners be required to send certificates of - death direct to the registrar instead of handing them to the relatives - of the deceased. - - 5. That a form of certificate of death should be prescribed, and that - medical practitioners should be required to use such form. - -From the _Times_, May 23, 1896:-- - - - DEATH-CERTIFICATION. - - At the special meeting of the Metropolitan Counties Branch of the - British Medical Association, held last night at the Museum of - Practical Geology, Jermyn Street, the subject of an improvement in - the present procedure in death-certification and registration came up - for discussion. Sir W. Priestley, M.P., president, took the chair. - - Sir Henry Thompson moved the following resolution:--“Considering - that a Select Committee of the House of Commons has in 1893 made - an extended inquiry into the subject of death-certification and - registration on the plan now followed in this country, and has - reported that it manifestly fails to accomplish the purpose for - which it was designed, this meeting is of opinion that Her Majesty’s - Government should be respectfully memorialised to bring in a bill as - soon as possible to give effect to an improved procedure in general - accordance with the suggestions offered in the Committee’s report.” - He said that, during the last twenty years or more, circumstances had - not unfrequently occurred to attract public attention to the existence - of grave defects in the system of death-certification adopted in this - country, whether regarded as a safeguard against criminal attempts - on life, or as a means of forming trustworthy records of disease for - scientific purposes. From the Registrar-General’s report for England - and Wales for the year 1892, it was shown that in fifteen thousand - cases of death no inquiry had been made as to its cause, and that no - certificate had been obtained from any source--a number amounting to - nearly three per cent. on the total returned for the year. On the - same authority it appeared that in twenty-five thousand more, or four - and a half per cent., the cases “were so inadequately certified as - not to be classifiable,” making together a class of seven and a half - per cent. in which no evidence of any value as to the cause of death - existed. After what had already been done in the matter, all that - appeared to be necessary at present seemed to him to be that they - should forward a memorial to the Home Secretary, with a request that - he would consider the important work which had been already done by - the Select Committee, and, if he saw fit, take steps to embody their - recommendations in an Act of Parliament, for the purpose of giving the - country a greatly improved procedure in exchange for that at present - employed. Dr. Isambard Owen, in the absence of Dr. Farquharson, M.P., - seconded the resolution, and asserted that the State now winked at - an exceedingly loose system of death-certification, since under - the present procedure it was possible for a medical man to give a - death-certificate on a patient whom he might not have seen for an - interval of several weeks, and perhaps months. The resolution was - supported by Dr. Nelson Hardy, Dr. Alderson, Dr. Hugh Woods, Dr. - Sykes, and others, and was unanimously adopted. - -A well-known physician in large practice, writing to the author from -a Midland town, October 10, 1895, says:--“Medical men, attending -patients seriously ill, accept the statement of the friends that the -patient died in the night, and give a certificate at once, without any -inspection of the body. This is the regular practice.” - -[INTERMENTS WITHOUT CERTIFICATES.] - -In Ireland matters are no better, and clergymen and others, with whom -the author has been in correspondence, say they are much worse, and -the danger of premature burial is, if possible, greater than it is in -England. The Rev. W. Walters, writing from Ventry Parsonage, Dingle, -Ireland, September 16, 1895, says:--“In Ireland interment usually takes -place the day after decease, and no certificate as to the cause of -death is ever required. There is no safeguard whatever, and amongst the -ignorant poor I fear premature burial is terribly frequent.” - -A prominent medical officer of health, having charge of a populous -metropolitan parish, wrote to the author, October 8, 1895, in reply to -inquiries:--“When a doctor attends a patient in an illness, and the -patient dies, he usually accepts the word of the friends as to the -facts of death, and if they are poor, or in moderate circumstances, -he grants the certificate in the ordinary way. If he is satisfied as -to the cause of death he dare not refuse the certificate. You will -see by the form I send you that _he need not actually satisfy himself -that the patient is dead_; if he is not satisfied he writes, ‘As I -am informed,’ in the space left for the words.... On one occasion -I was directed by a lady to drive a very long hat-pin through her -heart after death, to ensure that she should not be buried alive. -I have given so little attention to the matter that I cannot say -if the Continental practice in this respect is better than ours. -_Signs of decomposition are, I believe, the only ones of any real -value._ The form of certificate of death referred to is marked, -‘Printed by authority of the Registrar-General,’ and a request marked -‘N.B.’ is to read the suggestions on page ii. In this other form, -which is entitled ‘Suggestions to medical practitioners respecting -certificates of the cause of death,’ elaborate instructions are set -forth under ten separate clauses, with examples showing in what way the -death-certificates are to be filled up, but not one word of instruction -or caution as to the fact of death--whether it be real or apparent--the -absolute signs of death, or the steps to be taken in doubtful cases, -or in the various forms of suspended animation, such as coma, trance, -catalepsy, etc.” - -The _Times_, January 19, 1878, p. 9, foot of column 6, reports a -singular case in point:-- - -“PREMATURE.--A poor woman lay very ill in her scantily-furnished home -in Sheffield. The doctor was sent for, and came. He at once saw that -hers was a very grave case, and that she had, as he thought, little -chance of recovery, even if she could get the nourishment her illness -required. As he was about to leave, the question was put, ‘When should -we send for you again, doctor?’ ‘Well,’ was the reply, as he looked at -the poor woman and then at her wretched surroundings, ‘I don’t think -you need send for me again. She cannot possibly get better; and to -save you further trouble I’ll just write you out a certificate for her -burial.’ And he did. After the doctor departed the woman--women always -were wilful--got better rapidly. She has now completely recovered, -and goes about carrying her burial certificate with her.--_Sheffield -Telegraph._” - -[WORTHLESS DEATH-CERTIFICATES.] - -Dr. Charles Cameron, M.P., in moving the introduction of the Disposal -of the Dead (Regulation) Bill, in the House of Commons, on April 30, -1884, said:--“A very large number of our population die without any -medical attendance at all, or at least without having ever received -sufficient medical attention to enable a certificate of the cause of -death to be given worth the paper on which it is written. In many -of these cases some sort of worthless certificate is procured and -presented to the registrar, but many thousands of persons are each year -buried in the United Kingdom without even this formality.” - -The contrast between the laxity at home and the regulations laid down -by authority in Würtemburg, Bavaria, and other Continental States, is -remarkable, and should receive the attention of the Registrar-General -without delay. - -From the _Lancet_, 1890, vol. i., p. 1440:-- - - -“UNCERTIFIED CAUSES OF DEATH IN ENGLAND. - -“Considering the general progress that has been made in public health -during the last twenty years, it is seriously to be regretted that this -matter of unknown and uncertified causes of death has been practically -left untouched, and its settlement is, therefore more urgently needed -now than when so often pressed upon the public notice by the late -Dr. William Farr during his connection with the Registrar-General’s -department.” - -The Parliamentary Committee above referred to omitted an unexampled -opportunity of inquiring into the facts of premature burial. They -could have summoned pathologists, who had made trance and catalepsy a -subject of close and searching investigation, as well as physicians, -who, in their practice, have been called in to decide upon cases of -apparent death, and of witnesses up and down the country who know -of such cases, and others who have met with narrow escapes from -these horrible mishaps. Instead of taking this reasonable course of -procedure, the Committee contented themselves by examining two or -three medical men, who had been summoned to give evidence upon the -irregularities of death-certification only, and whose negative and -apathetic replies showed either that the subject had never engaged -their attention, or that they were unwilling to charge any member of -the profession with a fault so ruinous to his professional reputation -as to be unable to discriminate between the living and the dead. No -questions were submitted to the witnesses as to the signs of death, -the characteristics of catalepsy, trance, asphyxia, syncope, etc., or -how to distinguish these from death, or as to the submission of tests -in doubtful cases in order to ascertain the fact of death. Indeed, it -may be observed that the investigation regarding a most vital point -connected with death-certification appears to have entirely escaped -the notice of this tribunal. As a specimen of the proceedings under -this head are the following (“Report,” p. 116)--Mr. John Tatham, M.A., -M.D., being under examination by the chairman, Si Walter Foster, M.D. - -[RELUCTANT ANSWERS.] - - Q. 2112--Have you ever had any instances within your knowledge, or - brought to your notice, of cases where persons have been buried - alive?--Never. - - Q. 2113--Do you think such cases occur frequently?--I have no means of - knowing. - - Q. 2114--Supposing the public think they do sometimes, your methods - (of medical death-certification) would be a great barrier to anything - like that?--Yes. - - Q. 2115--The doctor’s examination and identification of the body would - enable them to detect in many instances if such an occurrence was - likely to take place?--I think so. - -Further questions were asked of the same witness by Dr. Farquharson. - - Q. 2178--You do not believe in people being buried alive?--I do not - think that occurs in Manchester. - - Q. 2179--Do you think it occurs anywhere?--I do not know. - - Q. 2180--We read occasionally very horrifying descriptions of bodies - having been found to have turned in their coffins. How do you explain - that?--I am not able to explain it. - -A correspondent of the _Undertakers’ and Funeral Directors’ Journal_, -July 22, 1893, p. 92, writes:-- - - - “PREMATURE BURIAL. - - “Sir,--The newspapers continue to give us fresh accounts of premature - burials. Seeing how frequently cases are heard of (in spite of the - exhumations being not one-thousandth per cent. of the interments), the - occurrence is probably far more common than is generally supposed. - It is, therefore, surprising that medical men have not discovered an - infallible evidence of death--whatever the cause of death may be; or - a simple means of proving, beyond the possibility of doubt, that life - is extinct. Further, the application of such a test should, by law, - be made to form part of the certificate of death.--I am, Sir, your - obedient servant, - - “LUX. - - “July 3.” - - -VERIFICATION OF DEATHS. - -“In Paris and the large French towns medical inspectors, called -_médecins verificateurs_, are appointed, whose business it is to visit -each house where a death occurs, and ascertain that the person is -really dead, and that there are no suspicious circumstances connected -with his or her decease. More than eighty qualified medical men are -employed for this purpose in Paris. - -“In the rural districts of France this system is not in force; two -witnesses making a declaration to a civil officer that a death -has taken place, is considered sufficient. The burial is not -allowed to take place until at least twenty-four hours after the -declaration.”--_Blyth: Dictionary of Hygiene and Public Health._ - -[VERIFICATIONS ILLUSORY.] - -Dr. Léonce Lénormand, in his admirable work “Des Inhumations -Précipitées,” p. 140, accuses the _médecins des morts_ in France -with culpable carelessness in the exercise of their function, which -consists in verifying the reality of the death. Instead of making a -minute examination of the body to ascertain the fact of death, this -writer says they are content (except in cases of death from violence) -to merely glance at the body, and immediately to hand the family the -necessary authorisation for interment. The inspector knows that if -he examined every part of the body, as in duty bound, he would be -accused of barbarism and profanation. Those, therefore, who think that -premature burial could be prevented in England by means only of a more -stringent law of compulsory death-certification, would, if it were -carried, find themselves in hardly any better position than at present, -where the fact of death is left to a great extent to the judgment of -friends, if the deceased has any, or to the perfunctory inspection of -the undertaker. It is in France where probably, in spite of _médecins -verificateurs_, more premature burials occur than in any country in -Europe except Turkey, immediate burial after real or apparent death -being the inexorable rule. Dr. Lénormand attributes the frequency -of premature burials in France, first of all, to the negligence and -prejudices of the families of the deceased; then to the carelessness of -the doctors charged by the State with the inspection of the dead; and -lastly, to the imperfection of the police regulations. - -From the _British Medical Journal_, January 28, 1893, p. 204. (Special -Correspondence, Paris.) - -“PREMATURE BURIAL. - -“The question whether premature burial occurs, and how to prevent it, -is, notwithstanding the all-absorbing interest of the Panama question, -attracting some attention here. The ‘Union Medicale’ devotes one of -its feuilletons to it, in which two or three _nouvelles à sensation_ -are reproduced, and easily proved to be untrue. Premature burial -cannot occur, the writer says, when a death is duly verified. The -77th Article of the Code obliges the _officier de l’état civil_ to -visit the death-bed and verify every death; but this Article is a -dead letter. The officer in question has neither time nor knowledge -sufficient to put it in practice. In small country places, rarely any -precautions are taken to prevent premature burials. In more important -villages and towns, the mayors delegate the doctors of the locality -to verify deaths before burial. Throughout the whole of France, it -appears that there are not fifty towns where the death-verifying -service is well organised; and, on an average, there are from twenty -thousand to thirty thousand burials without previous verification of -death. The declaration of two witnesses is sufficient, who obtain -their information from those around the deceased. In Paris, the two -mortuaries already in existence--one at the Montmartre Cemetery, -the other at Père La Chaise--are rarely used. The bodies of those -who die in the streets, from accident or sudden death, are taken -there when there is no domicile; also, those of foreigners who die -in lodging-houses. In the course of eighteen months the mortuary of -Montmartre received five dead bodies, and Père La Chaise one. In -Germany the mortuaries are much used, and every arrangement made is in -order that any who come back to life may be able to easily summon help. -At Munich, a ring in connection with a bell-cord is put on one of the -fingers of the hands of the dead. At Frankfort, similar precautions are -taken.” - -[CONTINENTAL REGULATIONS.] - -Extracts from “Regulations for the Domiciliary Examination of the Dead -in the City of Brussels Civil Government (Medical Service).” - - “ARTICLE 1.--The Medical Service of the Civil Government is - distributed among the medical heads of divisions, the deputies and - chiefs of the Department of Hygiene.” - - “ARTICLE 5.--No interment can take place except after the decease has - been verified by the doctors of the Civil Government by means of a - careful and complete examination of the corpse.” - -This verification, as well as the identity of the person deceased, -shall be certified by a _procès-verbal_ [statement, or description, -for which a blank is furnished “A”], which they shall leave at the -house of the deceased. - - “ARTICLE 8.--They shall notify the officers of the Civil Government, - and their superintendents of police, of any infractions of the - regulation provisions which forbid proceeding with autopsy, moulding - [making a cast?], embalmment, or putting in a coffin the corpse, - before the death has been duly ascertained.” - - “ARTICLE 9.--The verification of the decease of still-born or of - newly-born infants shall exact a most attentive examination on the - part of the examining doctors. They shall indicate in their report if - the infant has died before, during, or after birth; and, in the last - case, how long it lived after birth.” - - “ARTICLE 10.--If they doubt the reality of the death, they shall - employ, without delay, every means of recovery that science suggests - under the circumstances. They shall immediately notify the visiting - doctor, and, in every case, shall prepare the _procès-verbal_ of the - verification of death only after certainty has been established, and, - if need be, by repeated visits.” - - “ARTICLE 11.--When a woman has died in a state of advanced pregnancy, - they shall direct the artificial extraction of the infant, supposed to - be yet living; and, in the lack of an attending doctor, shall perform - it themselves when necessary.” - - -EXAMINATION AND CERTIFICATION OF THE DEAD IN WÜRTEMBURG. - -A Royal Decree, entitled “Dienst-Vorschriften für Leichenhaüser,” -for the inspection and burial of the dead, promulgated by the King -of Würtemburg, January 24, 1884, provides for the appointment of -medical inspectors of the highest integrity and qualifications in -every commune, the position being justly regarded as one of great -responsibility. - -Immediately after a death, the body must under no circumstances be -interfered with, and must not be removed from the death-bed until after -the authorised inspection. _Post-mortems_ can be made only if the fact -of death has been previously clearly established. Precise instructions -are laid down, so that the inspector, who is to examine the entire -body, may see that the various forms of suspended animation are not -certified as actual death. Amongst these are the following:-- - - “Section ii.--To see that sensibility, pulsation of the heart, neck, - temples, and forearm, and the breath, have ceased. That the muscles of - the body have lost their elasticity; therefore the limbs are limp, the - face sunken, the nose pinched, the eyes sunken, and, when the eyelids - are forcibly opened, they remain so, the lower jaw drops more or less, - and drops again when pressed upwards. - - “In actual death the body gradually gets colder, beginning with the - exposed limbs, and in from ten to sixteen hours the body will be - quite cold. The colour of the face becomes ashy pale, and the lips - discoloured. The eye loses its brilliancy, and is usually dulled by a - covering of dried mucus. - - “If all the foregoing symptoms are exhibited, and particularly if the - deceased was of an advanced age, or if the death was caused by severe - or long illness, which led to the expectation of a fatal result, the - fact of death may be safely assumed. - - “But, on the other hand, if part of these symptoms are missing, or in - cases of pregnancy, or exhaustion in consequence of flooding after - confinement, or if death occurs under fits, or in violent outbursts - of passion, the possibility of counterfeit-death is to be taken for - granted. - - “Notwithstanding the existence of all the symptoms (signs of death) - before mentioned, the possibility of _apparent_ death is not excluded - in cases where the death has occurred after syncope, tetanus, - suffocation, or in cases of drowning, stroke of lightning, or from a - severe fall, or from frost, or in still-born children.” - -After detailing instructions as to a variety of experiments to -ascertain whether the death is actual or apparent, this Royal Decree -proceeds:-- - - “Section viii.--These experiments may, however, not give absolute - certainty as to the complete extinction of all life. If, therefore, - the slightest doubt remains as to the reality of death, the inspector - is to take the necessary precautions for the protection of the - deceased, by frequent inspections, and the most careful examinations, - and to obtain the assistance of the nearest physician or surgeon, who - is to co-operate with him to promote resuscitation. If these attempts - prove abortive, he must see that nothing is done which would be - detrimental to reanimation, or resumption of life.” - -Then follow minute instructions how to proceed under the varied -circumstances which may have produced the symptoms known as apparent -death. _In no case must the burial certificate be handed over by the -inspector until he has thoroughly satisfied himself of the presence of -unmistakable signs of actual death._ - -One cannot help contrasting these carefully considered rules with -the lax and haphazard methods of dealing with the dead and apparent -dead both in England and in the United States. As a consequence, -cases of premature burial in Würtemburg are of very rare occurrence, -and sensible people in that country, knowing that the danger of -premature burial has been reduced to a minimum, are not consumed by an -ever-abiding anxiety as with us, nor is it the custom for testators in -Würtemburg to give instructions to their executors for piercing the -heart or severing the jugular vein, or some other form of mutilation, -as in France, Spain, and other countries, where the risks are so -terribly great. - -[IN WÜRTEMBURG.] - -The only case of the danger of premature burial that has come to the -author’s notice in Würtemburg is related by Bouchut, in his “Signes de -la Mort,” p. 48:-- - - “In the village of Achen, in Würtemburg, Mrs. Eva Meyers, twenty-three - years of age, was taken ill during an epidemic. Her condition became - rapidly worse, and she apparently died. They put her into a coffin, - and carried her from the warm into a cold room, there to await burial, - which was to take place at two p.m. on the following day. Shortly - after noon on that day, and before the carriers arrived, she awoke and - made an effort to rise. Her aunt, who was present, and who believed - that a ghost had taken possession of her, took a stick and would - have killed her, if she had not been prevented by another woman. - Nevertheless, she succeeded in pushing the body back violently into - the coffin, after which she indignantly went to her room. The patient - remained helplessly in that condition, and would have been buried if - the usual hour for the burial had not for some reason been changed. - Thus she remained for another twelve hours, when she was able to - gather sufficient strength to arise. She still lives, and has paid - the charges for her funeral, which were claimed by the clergy, the - bell-ringer, and the undertaker.” - -In the United States the subject of Death-Verification has only -recently begun to engage public attention. The following appears to -be the only instance in which reasonable, although not altogether -adequate, precautions are adopted. - - - “DOVER, NEW HAMPSHIRE.--CITY ORDINANCES, 1895. - - “CHAP. XVII.--VITAL STATISTICS. - -[AN AMERICAN CITY ORDINANCE.] - - “SECTION 3.--Whenever any person shall die within the limits of the - city, it shall be the duty of the physician, attending such person, - during his or her last sickness, to examine the body of such deceased - person before the burial thereof, and to make out a certificate, - setting forth, as far as the same may be ascertained, the name, age, - colour, sex, nativity, occupation, whether married or single, duration - of residence in the city, cause, date, and place of death of such - deceased person; and it shall be the duty of the undertaker, or other - person in charge of the burial of such deceased person, to add to such - certificate the date and place of burial, and, having duly signed the - same, to deposit it with the city clerk, and obtain a permit for - burial; and, in the case of death from any contagious or infectious - disease, said certificate shall be made and forwarded immediately; - and, in each case of a physician so examining and reporting, he shall - receive of the city a fee of one dollar.” - - “SECTION 4.--Whenever a permit for burial is applied for, in case of - death without the attendance of a physician, or it is impossible to - obtain a physician’s certificate, it shall be the duty of the city - physician to make the necessary examination, and to investigate the - case, and make and sign a certificate of the probable cause of death; - and, if not satisfied as to the cause and circumstances attending such - death, he shall so report to the mayor.” - - “SECTION 5.--No interment or disinterment of the dead body of any - human being, or disposition thereof in any tomb, vault, or cemetery, - shall be made within the city without a permit therefor, granted as - aforesaid, nor otherwise than in accordance with such permit. - - “No undertaker, superintendent of cemetery, or other person shall - assist in, assent to, or allow any such interment, or disinterment, to - be made, until such permit has been given as aforesaid.... - - “Any person violating any of the provisions of this chapter shall be - fined not less than ten nor more than twenty dollars.” - -Mr. A. Braxton Hicks, Barrister-at-Law, and Coroner for London and -Surrey, states that-- - - “The giving of certificates of death, and the registration of deaths, - is regulated by 37 and 38 Vict. c. 88, called the Registration of - Births and Deaths Act, its object being to provide a proper and - accurate registration of births and deaths, with the causes of the - latter. - - “In case of the death of any person who has been attended during his - last illness by a registered medical practitioner, that practitioner - shall sign and give to some person, required by this Act to give - information concerning the death, a certificate stating, to the best - of his knowledge and belief, the cause of death. - - “No certificate given by an unregistered medical man can be - registered, and any person who covers an unregistered medical - man by giving a certificate, or lending his name to the giving - of a certificate by an unregistered medical man, is guilty of - _unprofessional conduct_, as defined by the Medical Council.”--_Hints - to Medical Men concerning the granting of Certificates of Death._ - - -A DOCTOR FOR THE DEAD. - -Dr. J. Brindley James, in a communication to the _Medical Times_, -May 23, 1896, pp. 355-356, calls attention to the insufficient -safeguards against premature burial under the present system of -death-certification, and observes--“The dread possibility of premature -interment ever hangs like a gloomy sword of Damocles over all our -heads, and fearful indeed is the authentic record of persons buried -alive, who have recovered consciousness; too late, alas! to be rescued -from their frightful dungeon. How often does our overworked--we do not -say careless--practitioner sign the death-certificate of a patient -whose death-bed he did not attend--whose corpse he has not visited? And -even assuming him to have done so, and conscientiously too, in how many -of the fearful cases above alluded to have not these formalities proved -insufficient, clearly suggesting the advisability of a specialist, -experienced in _post-mortem_ inspection, solely sanctioning interment -in all cases.” And Dr. Frederick Graves, writing in the same journal of -July 18, 1896, says:-- - - “I have recently heard of a case which illustrates the utility of - a medical examination before burial. A soldier in the German army, - during the forced march on Paris, became unconscious, with five - others, from sunstroke, and the six were put aside for burial by - their comrades, when the timely examination of the army surgeon - prevented premature burial of the person referred to, who is alive and - well at the present time.” - -[STRINGENT LEGISLATION SUGGESTED.] - -The _Daily Chronicle_, London, September 16, 1895, in a leading article -on the danger of premature burial, says:--“The truth is, the whole -system of certifying for burial needs to be reconsidered and reformed, -and that for other reasons than the danger of entombment before life is -extinct. We do not want a coroner’s inquest, with its jury, for every -death; but the doctors should be compelled, under severe penalties, to -discover the certain sign of death before they authorise the burial, -and to know the cause of death in every case. We trust now too much to -individuals in a generally trustworthy profession, who may not reach -the high general standard of their class, or may grow listless through -the indifference wrought by use and wont, or who think they can detect -the _rigor mortis_ at a glance, never having seen the severest form -of catalepsy. There would be no difficulty in getting Parliament to -pass a more stringent regulation for death-certificates without much -discussion, and there is no reason why Sir Matthew White Ridley should -not turn his attention to the matter, and, with such medical advice as -the Health Department of the Local Government Board will be pleased to -lend him, propose a necessary little bill to the House of Commons next -February.” - -The following letter by a German resident in England appeared in the -_Times_ of September 20, 1895:-- - - - “BURIED ALIVE. - - “Sir,--As this important subject appears to be arresting the - attention of the public in England, may I venture to state the law - as to the examination of corpses in my own country? In a copy of - the official regulations in Würtemburg for the inspection of dead - bodies (‘Dienst-Vorschriften für Leichenhaüser in Würtemburg, 1882.’ - Stuttgart, W. Kohlhammer), I find the following:-- - - “‘No corpse must be interfered with before the arrival of the - inspector, who is expected to pay several visits before granting the - death-certificate, which he alone is authorised to do. In cases of - death from infectious disease the body must be removed to a mortuary, - where it is carefully watched.’ - - “These inspectors are highly qualified, State-appointed physicians, - but, as if to show the uncertainty of all this care and experience, - as we see by the researches of Dormodoff, Hufeland, Hartmann, and - others, as well as by the reports of startling cases in the press, - those medically and officially declared to be dead do occasionally - come to life before burial. This is a state of things unworthy of the - civilisation and humanity of which we are proud. - - “Medical examination, not being infallible when carried out at its - best, must be very unreliable when performed in a careless manner. - - “A safer plan would be to send every supposed corpse to a mortuary, - there to remain until decomposition manifests itself. As a German I - should be afraid to die in England (excuse the paradox) for fear of - being buried alive. - - “P. P. - - “Forest Hill, September 17.” - - - - -CHAPTER XIX. - -SUGGESTIONS FOR PREVENTION. - - -THE learned Dr. Vigné, of Rouen, who won the respect of his -fellow-citizens during a long and honourable career, was for many years -engaged in the study of this question, and published the result of his -researches shortly before his death. Convinced that the resources of -science were insufficient to distinguish real from apparent death, he -left testamentary instructions to provide against his own premature -burial. (“Des Inhumations Précipitées, p. 83,” by Lénormand.) - -Dr. Winslow, a French physician, who had on two different occasions -very nearly fallen a victim to premature burial, having been laid out -for dead, chose for the subject of his thesis before the Paris Faculty -of Medicine, “Les moyens les plus propres à reconnaître la réalité -de la mort.” Dr. Winslow may be said to have been the pioneer of a -movement in France for exposing the danger of, and educating the public -into the necessity of reforms in, the mode of treating the apparent -dead; and, although his efforts and warnings were as of one crying -in the wilderness or amongst an apathetic people, with a legislature -apparently uninfluenced either by facts or by reason, they were never -relaxed. Numerous writers have since confirmed the truth of Dr. -Winslow’s contention by facts within their own experience, and it is -believed that legislation in France cannot be much longer delayed. - -That the risk of premature burial is not an imaginary one, as recently -declared by a leading London medical journal, has been shown by the -citation in this volume of cases of death-like trance which have -baffled the ablest of medical experts; also the instances of numerous -narrow escapes from this terrible occurrence, and of others where the -victims were suffocated before timely aid could be obtained, most of -which are drawn from medical sources, and some from the columns of -the said sceptical journal. The painful reality is also shown by the -multitude of preventive measures suggested by medical authorities, and -by the ingenious contrivances of those who have made this distressing -subject one of patient and laborious research. Several of the remedies -suggested for adoption in cataleptic cases are really homicidal, or -seriously mutilative; many of them are impracticable, and have been -shown by Hufeland, Lénormand, Richardson, Hartmann, Bouchut, Fletcher, -and Gannal to be delusive. The merits and demerits of some of these -methods might be inquired into by the appointment of a Parliamentary -Committee, or a Royal Commission, as a supplement to that appointed in -1893, by Mr. Asquith, on Death-Certification. - - -CUTANEOUS EXCITATION. - -Dr. James Curry, F.R.S., in his “Observations on Apparent Death,” pp. -56, 57, says, concerning the application of stimulants to the skin:-- - - “To assist in rousing the activity of the vital principle, it has been - customary to apply various stimulating matters to different parts - of the body. But, as some of these applications are in themselves - positively hurtful, and the others serviceable only according to the - time and manner of their employment, it will be proper to consider - them particularly. - - “The application of all such matters in cases of apparent death is - founded upon the supposition that the skin still retains sensibility - enough to be affected by them. It is well known, however, that even - during life the skin loses sensibility in proportion as it is deprived - of heat, and does not recover it again until the natural degree of - warmth be restored. Previous to the restoration of heat, therefore, to - a drowned body, all stimulating applications are useless, and, so far - as they interfere with the other measures, are also prejudicial.” - -Several writers, besides Dr. Winslow, whose views on premature burial -are cited in this volume, have themselves been the victims of hasty -and erroneous medical diagnosis; and, having had narrow escapes of -premature burial, their experience has prompted them to take a deep -interest in the subject, with the determination to do what they could -to enlighten and safeguard the public from so terrible a danger. In -other cases, members of their families have been the unhappy victims -of mistaken certificates. Mr. George T. Angell, the editor of “_Dumb -Animals_,” Boston, U.S., whose father was pronounced by his physician -dead, and returned to consciousness after preparations for the funeral -had been made, has repeatedly alluded to the subject in his paper, -and published preventive suggestions at various times, including the -following from a physician:-- - - “When I arrived, the man had been dead twenty-four hours. I empanelled - a jury; the family of the deceased testified to the extent of their - knowledge; but I was unable to find he had any disease sufficient - to kill him. I looked at the body and examined it carefully. Then I - lighted a match, and applied it to the end of one of the fingers of - the corpse. Immediately a blister formed. I had the man put back into - his bed, applied various restoratives, and to-day he is alive and - well. - - “That is the test. Do you see the philosophy of it? If you are alive, - you cannot burn your hand without raising a blister. Nature, in the - effort to protect the inner tissues, throws a covering of water, a - non-conductor of heat, between the fire and the flesh. If you were - dead, and flames should come in contact with any part of your body, no - blister would appear, and the flesh would be burned. - - “All you have to do is to apply a match to any part of the supposed - corpse. If life remains, however little, a blister will at once form.” - -The test, like the following one, is deceptive, because life may be so -torpid and inactive as to be unable to respond to the irritation of -heat, or even to the application of red hot irons. - - -THE BLISTER TEST. - -The _British Medical Journal_, January 18, 1896, p. 180, under the head -of “Living or Dead?” prints the following communication concerning this -test:-- - -[THE BLISTER TEST.] - - “Sir,--Burial alive, though of exceedingly rare occurrence, sometimes - does happen, and calls for increased attention to the means of - detecting with certainty the presence of vitality, however feeble. - The ordinary means of deciding the vital question are known to all - persons. Auscultation may detect the enfeebled heart-beat, while the - electric battery can elicit any existing muscular contractility. - Conditions of trance are occasionally almost mystical in their - profundity (Brahmin trance), and a simple and ready-to-hand test to - decide whether death has occurred is of prime importance. We can - ascertain whether or not life still lingers in uncertain cases by - applying (say) to the back of the forearm a small stream of boiling - water directly from the kettle. If life is present, the boiling water - will soon and unfailingly raise a blister where applied, and the - blister will contain fluid, the serum of the blood. The production of - the serum blister being essentially a vital process, its production - or non-production becomes an infallible test, and determines the - question. This test, not generally known, should be widely proclaimed. - - “J. MILFORD BARNETT, M.D., Edin. - - “Belfast, January 11, 1896.” - -This test has frequently failed, and should not be relied upon. - - -[AUSCULTATION.] - -AUSCULTATION. - -The stethoscope, which is regarded by many medical practitioners as an -infallible means of preventing premature burial, has proved a broken -reed in hundreds of cases, and can be of use only when applied with -other tests. Dr. Roger S. Chew, of Calcutta, writes to me, February, -1896:-- - -“The _British Medical Journal_ (September 28, 1895) tells us that the -careful use of the stethoscope will enable a medical man to distinguish -a living from a dead body. Auscultation may give startling results, -and the body yet be absolutely dead. I recollect an instance of death -from cobra-bite, when, though decomposition had set in, the relatives -refused to believe she was dead, because one of them declared that, -though he did not see her chest rise and fall, he had distinctly heard -her sigh. A medical man was called in, applied the stethoscope over -her thorax, and declared he could hear sounds from her lungs, and a -peculiar ‘_sough_,’ ‘_sough_’ towards the apex of the heart. So far he -was right, but, as the girl had already been dead some fourteen hours, -and the weather was warm, the sounds he heard were those of the escape -of the putrefactive gases bubbling upward and unable to find exit, as -her mouth was closed with a chin-bandage, and her nostrils plugged with -mucus. To convince the parents that the girl was really dead, I offered -to perform artificial respiration, to which end I untied the bandage, -prized open her jaws, and pressed _heavily_ on her thorax, when some of -the imprisoned gases escaped, emitting an abominable odour that brought -conviction of the girl being beyond all hope. - -“In another case, that of my son, aged two years, after a series of -brain symptoms and severe clonic convulsions preceding an outbreak -of confluent small-pox, the stethoscope told me and a medical friend -who was present that my little boy had ceased to exist; but a liberal -application of ice to his head and cardiac region, together with -violent friction and artificial respiration vigorously employed for -_forty_ minutes, restored the child to me, and I thanked God that I had -refused to accept the evidence of the stethoscope as final.” - - -ELECTRICITY. - -The application of the electric current is a powerful restorative agent -in cases of suspended animation, if judiciously applied. Struve in -his essay, “Suspended Animation,” p. 151, under the head of “Apparent -death from a fall,” says:--“A girl, three years of age, fell from a -window two stories high upon the pavement. Though she was considered -as lifeless, Mr. Squires, a natural philosopher, applied electricity. -Almost twenty minutes elapsed before the shocks produced any effect. At -last when some of the electric force pervaded the breast he observed a -slight motion of the heart. The child soon after began to breathe and -groan with great difficulty, and after some minutes a vomiting ensued. -For a few days the patient remained in a state of stupefaction, but in -the course of a week she was perfectly restored to health.” - -[THE ELECTRICAL TEST.] - -Referring to the subject of premature burial, Dr. W. S. Hedley, writing -to the _Lancet_, October 5, 1895, says:--“Forty years ago the subject -was investigated by Crimotel, twenty years later by Rosenthal, and more -recently by Onimus. It seems safe to say that in no disease, certainly -in none of those conditions usually enumerated as likely to be mistaken -for death, is galvanic and faradaic excitability abolished in every -muscle of the body. On the other hand, electro-muscular contractility -disappears in all the muscles within a few hours after death -(generally ninety minutes to three hours, according to Rosenthal), its -persistence varying to some extent with the particular muscle examined -(1), and with the mode of death (2). Therefore, if electro-muscular -contractility be present in any muscle, it means life or death only -a few hours before. It is clear that no interment or _post-mortem_ -examination ought to take place so long as there is any flicker of -electric excitability. To me it seems almost equally obvious that in -all doubtful cases, sometimes in sudden death, and often to allay the -anxiety of friends, this test ought to be applied, and applied by -one who is accustomed to handle electric currents for purposes of -diagnosis.” - -The _Medical Record_, New York, March 30, 1895, contains the -following:--“In a case reported by M. D’Arsonval, a man was struck with -a current of four thousand five hundred volts. The current entered at -his hand and issued at his back. Half an hour or more elapsed before -any attempts at resuscitation were made, but, on artificial respiration -being practised on Silvester’s method, recovery took place. Dr. -Donnellan reports a case of the passage of a current of one thousand -volts through a man, which instantly caused coma, dilated pupils, -pallor of the face, and sweating; delirium and tonic, alternating -with clonic, spasms followed. The pulse was eighty. The respiration, -at first stertorous, passed into the Cheyne-Stokes type. After the -injection, first of morphia, and then of strychnia, the patient fell -into a deep sleep, from which he awoke convalescent.--_Centralblatt für -die medicinischen Wissenschaften._” - -The apparatus for applying electrical currents, long used by the -Humane Society for restoration of the drowned, might with advantage -be kept at public mortuaries, for use in cases of apparent death due -to other causes, where decomposition has not manifested itself. The -Weather Bureau at Washington advises those who are in the neighbourhood -of persons struck by lightning to make immediate efforts to restore -consciousness, because the effect of lightning is to suspend animation -rather than to produce death. Respiration and circulation should be -stimulated, and the usual remedies for relief in such cases should be -administered for at least an hour before giving up the victim as dead. - -Dr. Moore Russell Fletcher says:--“When persons without pulse or -breathing are found in bed, in the field, or elsewhere, treat them -in such manner as will restore from stroke of lightning, paralysis, -or suspended animation from catalepsy, trance, or somnambulism, and -continue the treatment until resuscitation rewards the exertions, or -decomposition is evident.”--_Suspended Animation, pp. 7, 8._ - - -HYPODERMIC INJECTIONS. - -Mr. E. E. Carpmael, of the Medical Department, Berkeley University, -U.S.A., recommends, in the _Morning Post_, London, September 19, -1895, the injection of strychnine in “a supposed corpse;” while -“Medicus,” in the _Daily Chronicle_, September 17, 1895, considers -that _post-mortems_ “would be to the advantage of the patient, to -his relations, to science, and the community at large.” No doubt -either of these plans would prevent live sepulture, by killing the -cataleptic subject; while “M.R.C.S.,” in _Morning Post_, September -20, says:--“Obviously the simplest and best proof of death is -putrefaction--shown chiefly by the discolouration of the abdomen.” - -[HYPODERMIC INJECTIONS.] - -A correspondent in the _English Mechanic_, October 25, 1895, says:--“I -have long advised hypodermic injection of morphia before placing in -coffin for burial. _Ex hypothesi_, the vital spark is not supposed to -have expired, and the circulatory system not finally stopped. Hence the -hypodermic injection cannot be futile.” - -A medical correspondent writing from Dresden, August 18, 1895, sends me -the following as showing the value of - - -ARTIFICIAL RESPIRATION. - -“Major J. H. Patzki, Surgeon, U.S. Army, reports that in 1882, at St. -Augustine, Florida, a lady patient of his had an attack of tetanus, -caused by a scratch upon her foot by a nail while bathing. The -convulsive symptoms commenced in the muscles of the face, and increased -in violence in spite of energetic treatment, until the fifth day, when -the respiratory muscles became involved. The breathing was completely -suspended by the spasmodic action, and the radial and carotid pulse -ceased. The cardiac sounds became utterly inaudible to careful -stethoscopic examination repeatedly employed. The lady assumed all -the appearances of death, and there was _rigor mortis_, the result of -muscular spasm. Artificial respiration was resorted to, but not until -after the expiration of eighteen minutes did the first faint efforts -of respiration, and a feeble action of the heart, become perceptible. -Artificial respiration was continued for an hour afterwards, and the -life of the patient was saved, although the muscular spasms continued -to some extent for six days. - -“This case is instructive in showing that tetanus, when it involves the -chest, may produce a state of apparent death, by interfering with the -respiratory and cardiac functions; and that artificial respiration, if -persistently employed, may rescue patients so affected from the perils -of apparent death.” - -[DR. JOHN OSWALD’S OPINION.] - -Dr. John Oswald, in “Suspended Animal Life,” Philadelphia, 1802, p. -65, says:--“The books of authors on this subject are replete with -criteria to judge of the existence or non-existence of the vital -principle. It is not necessary to take a separate view of the propriety -or impropriety of adopting any of these ambiguous signs, when we have -the accomplishment of so great an end as that of restoring suspended -life! Our exertions should never be influenced by any of them, but -continued with ardour and unremitted attention for a length of time. -It would be more happy for our unfortunate patients, and a source of -greater satisfaction to ourselves, were they expunged altogether. They -are all fallacious to a certain degree, and ought never to have the -smallest influence on the propriety or impropriety of persevering in -our attempts to revive the latent spark; for it is an unfortunate fact, -in consequence of an ignorant confidence placed in them, that persons -who might have been restored to life, to their friends, and to society -have been consigned to the grave.... This important subject has been -anxiously investigated by philosophers, to discover a just criterion of -judging with more certainty in these cases whether life is extinct, and -our patient a mass of dead matter, or whether, by our perseverance, he -may not be again recovered. The most indubitable sign is allowed to be -putrefaction of the body, or disorganisation of the fibre.” - -The following extracts from an instructive but apparently forgotten -article in Dickens’ “All the Year Round,” July, 1869 (_à propos_ of a -pamphlet, “Lettre sur la Mort Apparente, les Conséquences Réelles des -Inhumations Précipitées, et le Temps pendant lequel peut persister -l’Aptitude à être rappellé à la Vie,” by the late regretted Dr. -Charles Londe), afford valuable suggestions:-- - - “Suffocation by foul air and mephitical gas is not a rare form of - death in the United Kingdom. It is possible that suspended animation - may now and then have been mistaken for the absolute extinction - of life. Dr. Londe gives an instructive case to the purpose. At - the extremity of a large grocer’s shop, a close, narrow corner, or - rather hole, was the sleeping-place of the shopman who managed the - night sale till the shop was closed, and who opened the shutters at - four in the morning. On the 16th of January, 1825, there were loud - knocks at the grocer’s door. As nobody stirred to open it, the grocer - rose himself, grumbling at the shopman’s laziness, and, proceeding - to his sleeping-hole to scold him, he found him motionless in bed, - completely deprived of consciousness. Terror-struck by the idea of - sudden death, he immediately sent in search of a doctor, who suspected - a case of asphyxia by mephitism. His suspicions were confirmed by - the sight of a night-lamp, which had gone out, although supplied - with oil and wick, and by a portable stove containing the remains - of charcoal partly reduced to ashes. In spite of a severe frost, he - immediately had the patient taken into the open air, and kept on a - chair in a position as nearly vertical as possible. The limbs of the - sufferer hung loose and drooping, the pupils were motionless, with - no trace either of breathing or pulsation of the heart or arteries; - in short, there were all the signs of death. The most approved modes - of restoring animation were persisted in for a long while without - success. At last, about three in the afternoon--that is, after _eleven - hours’_ continued exertion--a slight movement was heard in the region - of the heart. A few hours afterwards the patient opened his eyes, - regained consciousness, and was able to converse with the spectators - attracted by his resurrection. Dr. Londe draws the same conclusions - as before--namely, that persons suffocated by mephitism are not - unfrequently buried when they might be saved.” - - [DANGER TO CHOLERA PATIENTS.] - - “We have had cholera in Great Britain, and we may have it again. - At such trying times, if ever, hurried interments are not merely - excusable, but almost unavoidable. Nevertheless, one of the - peculiarities of that fearful disease is to bring on some of the - symptoms of death--the prostration, the coldness, and the dull livid - hues--long before life has taken its departure. Now, Dr. Londe states, - as an acknowledged fact, that patients pronounced dead of cholera have - been repeatedly seen to move one or more of their limbs after death. - While M. Trachez (who had been sent to Poland to study the cholera) - was opening a subject in the dead-house of the Bagatelle Hospital, in - Warsaw, he saw another body (that of a woman of fifty, who had died - in two days, having her eyes still bright, her joints supple, but - the whole surface extremely cold) which vividly moved its left foot - ten or twelve times in the course of an hour. Afterwards, the right - foot participated in the same movement, but very feebly. M. Trachez - sent for Mr. Searle, an English surgeon, to direct his attention - to the phenomenon. Mr. Searle _had often remarked it_. The woman, - nevertheless, was left in the dissecting-room, and thence taken to the - cemetery. Several other medical men stated that they had made similar - observations. From which M. Trachez draws the inference: ‘It is - allowable to think that many cholera patients have been buried alive.’” - - “Dr. Veyrat, attached to the Bath Establishment, Aix, Savoy, was - sent for to La Roche (Department of the Yonne), to visit a cholera - patient, Thérèse X., who had lost all the members of her family by - the same disease. He found her in a complete state of asphyxia. He - opened a vein; not a drop of blood flowed. He applied leeches; they - bit, and immediately loosed their hold. He covered the body with - stimulant applications, and went to take a little rest, requesting to - be called if the patient manifested any signs of life. The night and - next day passed without any change. While making preparations for the - burial, they noticed a little blood oozing out of the leech-bites. - Dr. Veyrat, informed of the circumstance, entered the chamber just as - the nurse was about to wrap the corpse in its winding-sheet. Suddenly - a rattling noise issued from Thérèse’s chest. She opened her eyes, - and in a hollow voice said to the nurse: ‘What are you doing here? - I am not dead. Get away with you.’ She recovered, and felt no other - inconvenience than a deafness, which lasted about two months.” - - “Exposure to cold may also induce a suspension of vitality liable to - be mistaken for actual death. This year the French Senate has again - received several petitions relative to premature interments.... And, - considering the length of time that trances, catalepsies, lethargies, - and cases of suspended animation have been known occasionally to - continue, it is scarcely, in England, less interesting to us, though - public feeling, which is only an expression of natural affection, - approves, and indeed almost compels, a longer delay. The attention - of the French Government being once more directed to the subject, - there is little doubt that all reasonable grounds for fear will be - removed.[20] - - “The petitioners have requested, as a precaution, that all burials for - the future should, in the first instance, be only provisional. Before - filling a grave, a communication is to be made between the coffin and - the upper atmosphere by means of a respiratory tube; and the grave is - not to be finally closed until all hope of life is abandoned. These - precautions, it will be seen at once, however good in theory, are - scarcely practicable. Others have demanded the general establishment - of mortuary chambers, or dead-houses, like those in Germany. And not - only the petitioners, but several senators, seem to consider that - measure the full solution of the problem. Article 77 of the Civil Code - prescribes a delay of twenty-four hours only, which appears to them - to be insufficient, since, they urge, it admits the certainty that - death has taken place only after putrefactive decomposition has set - in. Now, a much longer time than twenty-four hours may elapse before - that decomposition manifests itself. Deposit, therefore, your dead in - a mortuary chapel, until you are perfectly sure, from the evidence of - your senses, that life is utterly and hopelessly extinct. - - [DIFFICULTY OF DIAGNOSIS.] - - “When Article 77 of the Civil Code was under discussion by the Council - of State, Fourcroy added: ‘It shall be specified that the civil - officer be assisted by an officier de santé (a medical man of inferior - rank to a doctor of medicine); because there are cases in which it is - difficult to make certain that death has actually occurred, without a - thorough knowledge of its symptoms, and because there are tolerably - numerous examples to prove that people _have_ been buried alive.’ - - “In Paris, especially since Baron Hausmann’s administration, Article - 77 has been strictly fulfilled; but the same exactitude cannot be - expected in out-of-the-way nooks and corners of the country, where - a doctor cannot always be found at a minute’s warning, to declare - whether death be real or apparent only. It is clear that the - Legislature has hit upon the sole indisputable practical solution; the - difficulty lies in its rigorous and efficient application. - - “It has been judiciously remarked that it would be a good plan to - spread the knowledge of the sure and certain characteristics which - enable us to distinguish every form of lethargy from real death. It - cannot be denied that at the present epoch the utmost pains are taken - to popularise every kind of knowledge. Nevertheless, it makes slow way - through the jungles of prejudice and vulgar error. Not long ago it was - over and over again asserted that an infallible mode of ascertaining - whether a person was dead or not was to inflict a burn on the sole of - the foot. If a blister full of water resulted, the individual was not - dead; if the contrary happened, there was no further hope. This error - was unhesitatingly accepted as an item of the popular creed. - - “The Council of Hygiene, applied to by the Government, indicated - putrefaction and cadaverous rigidity as infallible signs of actual - death. In respect to the first--putrefaction--a professional man is - not likely to make a mistake; but nothing is more possible than for - non-professionals to confound hospital rottenness (gangrene) with true - _post-mortem_ putrefaction. M. de Parville declines to admit it as a - test adapted for popular application. Moreover, in winter, the time - required for putrefaction to manifest itself is extremely uncertain. - - “The cadaverous rigidity--the stiffness of a corpse--offers an - excellent mode of verifying death; but its value and importance are - not yet appreciable by everybody, or by the first comer. Cadaverous - rigidity occurs a few hours after death; the limbs, hitherto supple, - stiffen; and it requires a certain effort to make them bend. But when - once the faculty of bending a joint is forcibly restored--to the - arm, for instance--it will not stiffen again, but will retain its - suppleness. If the death be real, the rigidity is overcome once for - all. But if the death be only apparent, the limbs quickly resume, with - a sudden and jerking movement, the contracted position which they - previously occupied. The stiffness begins at the top, the head and - neck, and descends gradually to the trunk. - - “These characteristics are very clearly marked; but they must be - caught in the fact, and at the moment of their appearance, because, - after a time of variable duration, they disappear. The contraction - of the members no longer exists, and the suppleness of the joints - returns. Many other symptoms might be added to the above; but - they demand still greater clearness of perception, more extended - professional knowledge, and more practised habits of observation. - - “Although the French Government is anxious to enforce throughout the - whole empire the rules carried out in Paris, it is to be feared that - great difficulties lie in the way. The verification of deaths on so - enormous a scale, with strict minuteness, is almost impracticable. - But, even if it were not, many timid persons would say: ‘Who is - to assure us of the correctness of the doctor’s observations? - Unfortunately, too many terrible examples of their fallibility are on - record. The professional man is pressed for time. He pays a passing - visit; gives a hurried glance; and a fatal mistake is so easily made!’ - Public opinion will not be reassured until you can show, every time a - death occurs, an irrefutable demonstration that life has departed. - - “M. de Parville now announces the possibility of this great - desideratum. He professes to place in any one’s hands a self-acting - apparatus which would declare not only whether the death be real, - but _would leave in the hands of the experimenter a written proof of - the reality of the death_. The scheme is this: It is well known that - atropine--the active principle of _belladonna_--possesses the property - of considerably dilating the pupil of the eye. Oculists constantly - make use of it when they want to perform an operation, or to examine - the interior of the eye. Now, M. le Docteur Bouchut has shown that - atropine has no action on the pupil when death is real. In a state of - lethargy, the pupil, under the influence of a few drops of atropine, - dilates in the course of a few minutes; the dilatation also takes - place a few instants after death; but it ceases absolutely in a - quarter of an hour, or half an hour at the very longest; consequently - the enlargement of the pupil is a certain sign that death is only - apparent. - - [AN INGENIOUS CONTRIVANCE.] - - “This premised, imagine a little camera obscura, scarcely so big as an - opera-glass, containing a slip of photographic paper, which is kept - unrolling for five-and-twenty or thirty minutes by means of clockwork. - This apparatus, placed a short distance in front of the dead person’s - eye, will depict on the paper the pupil of the eye, which will have - been previously moistened with a few drops of atropine. It is evident - that, as the paper slides before the eye of the corpse, if the pupil - dilate, its photographic image will be dilated; if, on the contrary, - it remains unchanged, the image will retain its original size. An - inspection of the paper then enables the experimenter to read upon it - whether the death is real or apparent only. This sort of declaration - can be handed to the civil officer, who will give a permit to bury in - return. - - “By this simple method a hasty or careless certificate of death - becomes impossible. The instrument applies the test, and counts the - minutes. The doctor and the civil officer are relieved from further - responsibility. The paper gives evidence that the verification has - actually and carefully been made; for suppose that half an hour is - required to produce a test that can be relied on, the length of the - strip of paper unrolled marks the time during which the experiment has - been continued. An apparatus of the kind might be placed in the hands - of the minister or one of the notables of every parish. Such a system - would silence the apprehensions of the most timid; fears--natural - enough--would disappear, and the world would be shocked by no fresh - cases of premature burial.” - -The authors have not heard whether this ingenious contrivance had been -put into practice, or with what result. - -Various prizes have been offered, and awards made, by scientific and -medical societies, but, with one exception, the so-called proofs of -death for which the awards have been given are deemed unsatisfactory. -The most notable of the prizes is that of the Marquis d’Ourches, -who by his will bequeathed the sum of twenty thousand francs to be -given to the author of the discovery of a simple and common means of -recognising beyond doubt the absolute signs of death, by such a test -as could be adopted by poor villagers without technical instruction. -The Marquis d’Ourches left also a prize of five thousand francs for -a similar discovery, but requiring the intervention of an expert. M. -Pierre Manni, Professor at the University of Rome, offered a prize, -which was awarded to Dr. E. Bouchut, in 1846. And M. Dusgate, by will, -dated January 11, 1872, bequeathed to the French Academy of Sciences -a sufficient sum in French _Rentes_, to found a quinquennial prize of -two thousand five hundred francs to the author of the best work on -the diagnostic signs of death, and the means of preventing premature -interments. A decree of November 27, 1874, authorised the Academy to -accept this legacy. - -Dr. Gowers, on “Diseases of the Nervous System,” vol. ii., p. 1037, -says:--“In cases of ‘death-trance,’ in which no sign of vitality can be -recognised, the presence of life may be ascertained (1) by the absence -of any sign of decomposition; (2) by the normal appearance of the -_fundus oculi_ as seen with the ophthalmoscope; (3) by the persistence -of the excitability of the muscles to electricity. This excitability -disappears in three hours after actual death. In a case observed by -Rosenthal, thirty hours after supposed death, the muscles were still -excitable, and the patient awoke.” - -The _British Medical Journal_, January 21, 1893, p. 145, reports, -through its Paris correspondent, the first award. “The Académie des -Sciences proposed as the subject for the Dusgate Prize for 1890, ‘The -Signs of Death, and the Means of Preventing Premature Burial.’ The -prize has been awarded to Dr. Maze, who considers that putrefaction is -the only certain sign. He urges that the deaths should be certified -by medical men on oath; also that in every cemetery there should be a -mortuary where dead bodies can be deposited, and that burial should -take place only when putrefactive changes set in. Cremation should be -adopted.” - - - - -CHAPTER XX. - -CREMATION AS A PREVENTIVE OF PREMATURE BURIAL. - - -[SUGGESTIONS FOR PREVENTION.] - -[SIR HENRY THOMPSON’S OPINION.] - -AMONGST the numerous suggestions made by correspondents in the press -with a view of preventing live sepulture, none has been more frequently -put forward than that of cremation. Sir Henry Thompson, the president -of the Cremation Society of England, in the second edition of his -admirable volume, “Modern Cremation: Its History and Practice,” p. 41, -observes:--“There is a source of very painful dread--as I have reason -to know--little talked of, it is true, but keenly felt by many persons -at some time or another, the horror of which to some is inexpressible. -It is the dread of a premature burial--the fear lest some deep trance -should be mistaken for death, and that the awakening should take -place too late. Happily such occurrences must be exceedingly rare, -especially in this country, where the interval between death and -burial is considerable, and the fear is almost a groundless one. -Still, the conviction that such a fate is possible--which cannot -be altogether denied--will always be a source of severe trial to -some. With cremation no such catastrophe could ever occur; and the -completeness of a properly-conducted process would render death -instantaneous and painless if by any unhappy chance an individual -so circumstanced were submitted to it. But the guarantee against -this danger would be doubled, since inspection of the entire body -must of necessity immediately precede the act of cremation, no such -inspection being possible under the present system.” While agreeing -with this distinguished authority as to the advantages of cremation -from the sanitary and æsthetic point of view, which he dwells upon -in the treatise referred to, and admitting that a certain amount of -protection against live burial is obtainable by means of the dual -medical inspection, we cannot agree that this protection is absolute. -Cases of trance are on record where some half a dozen doctors, after -careful examinations, have pronounced a cataleptic patient to be dead, -and the patient, in defiance of their united opinion, has recovered -consciousness, and been restored to health. - -Dr. Franz Hartmann, in his “Premature Burial,” quotes the two following -cases amongst many others:-- - - “Madame de P----, aged eighteen years, and subject to hysteria, - apparently died, and for forty hours she presented all the signs of - real death. All possible means of restoring her to life were taken, - but proved of no avail. _Five physicians of Lyons were called in, and - they finally agreed, positively, that the lady was really dead._ The - funeral preparations were made; but owing to the supplications of a - sister of the deceased the burial was delayed, when after a while the - patient recovered. She said that she had been all the time aware of - all that was going on, without being able to give a sign, and without - even being desirous of attempting it.” (F. Kempner, p. 38.) - - “In 1842 a remarkable affair occupied the attention of the court - at the city of Nantes. A man apparently died, and _his death was - certified to both by the attending physicians and the medical - inspector_; he was put into a coffin, and the religious ceremonies - were performed in good style. At the end of the funeral service, and - as he was about to be buried, he awoke from his trance. The clergy and - the undertakers sent in their accounts for the funeral expenses; but - he refused to pay them, giving as his reason that he had not ordered - them; whereupon he was sued for the money.” (F. Kempner, p. 39.) - -Neither can we share the optimistic views of Sir Henry Thompson as -to the rarity of premature interment. The results of searching and -independent inquiries and study in various countries by each of the -authors of this treatise all point the other way, and the various -authorities whose names and opinions are cited elsewhere in this -volume confess their astonishment at the number of cases brought to -light during their investigations. The Rev. H. R. Haweis also, in his -work “Ashes to Ashes: A Cremation Prelude” (London, 1895, now out -of print), advocates cremation on the ground of preventing living -burial, and quotes several cases of persons buried while in a state of -trance. During a discussion on the merits and demerits of cremation -in the _Birmingham Gazette_, September 17, 1895, Lieutenant-General -Phelps, an able and judicious observer, advocated cremation for similar -reasons, and said that “the use of a crematorium would entirely prevent -that ghastly accident, the burial of the living. There is no room to -doubt that this frightful catastrophe is of continual occurrence. The -phenomena of trance are little understood, and a certificate of death -is held by most of us to justify the burial of the ‘corpse,’ dead or -alive. Those of us who object to the risk of being buried alive should -do all in our power to promote the success of this sanitary contrivance -for disposing of our dead.” - -The writer of the following communication, which appeared in the -_Sunday Times_, September 6, 1896, has substantial reasons for -preferring cremation to the risks of burial:-- - - - “BURIAL DANGER AND ITS PREVENTION. - -[COMMUNICATION TO THE “SUNDAY TIMES.”] - - “Madam,--When I was about five years old, my paternal home was one - day plunged into a state of great consternation, through the sudden - apparent death of my father, who had been sitting up during a part - of the previous night occupied with some literary work, without a - fire (it was in January), which brought on a death-like numbness, - in which he was found the next morning. The family doctor, who was - sent for at once, declared life to be extinct, but said he could not - tell the cause of death until after the opening of the dead body. - My mother, however, who did not see any reason why a young man of - thirty-six should have died without any previous illness, caused the - body of my father to be rubbed for about two hours, which renewed its - circulation and brought it to life again. My father lived thirty-two - years after that memorable day. Without the prudence of my mother, - he would either have been dissected or buried alive. About twenty - years after that occurrence, I visited the cemetery of Père La Chaise - (Paris), accompanied by some friends. While inspecting the monuments - of some musical celebrities we heard a noise from another part of the - cemetery, whereto we proceeded without delay. When we had arrived - there we found a strong body of policemen surrounding an open grave. - But in answer to our inquiring ‘what had happened,’ we were simply - requested to leave the cemetery at once, which, of course, we had to - do. Neither the _portier_ nor any other person connected with the - burial-ground would give any satisfactory answer to our questions. - We left puzzled. But a week after, a young lady, who had been of our - party the week before, went again to the Père La Chaise, determined - to penetrate the mystery, in which endeavour she succeeded, partly - through persuasion and partly through the gift of a twenty-franc piece - to a grave-digger, who then told her the following story:--A poor - young man of twenty-one years had been buried on the day of our visit. - When the mourners had left the cemetery the grave-digger, who was - occupied in filling up the grave, heard some noise coming from below. - He hastened to the superintendent of the cemetery, imploring him - to have the coffin opened, which, however, the superintendent could - not do without the permission and the presence of the Commissaire de - Police of that district. When the Commissaire appeared at last with - his men, all was silent in the grave. But he had the coffin opened, - nevertheless, ‘to appease the mind of that poor grave-digger,’ as - he mockingly said. But great was the horror of the Commissaire de - Police and his followers when the coffin was opened. The unfortunate - young man (who was now quite dead) had been buried alive, recovered - consciousness in his grave, scratched his face, bitten off the tips of - his fingers, and turned around in his coffin, until suffocation put an - end to his sufferings, which, if not long, must have been terrible. - The Parisian newspapers did not mention the case. They were probably - forbidden by the French Government to do so. But would it not have - been wiser to let the whole world know of it, and thereby prevent - repetitions of such dreadful occurrences? A similar case of live - sepulture occurred in a village near Wiesbaden some thirty years ago, - where a girl of sixteen was found with the same signs of suffocation - in her coffin as those of that unfortunate young man in Paris. We are - assured by a German authority that thousands of people are buried - alive every year. But why should this be the case? If people must be - buried before they begin to show signs of putrefaction (which seems - to be the only reliable proof that life is really extinct), why not - shorten their sufferings, in case of resuscitation, by opening an - artery before they are buried? There is still much prejudice against - the cremation of dead bodies, although two great facts are decidedly - in its favour--viz., the impossibility of recovering consciousness - when once inserted in the crematory oven, and the prevention of - the unhealthiness which the slow process of putrefaction must - entail.--Yours, etc., - - “J. H. BONAWITZ. - - “London.” - -Professor Alexander Wilder, M.D., in his “Perils of Premature Burial,” -1895, p. 16, says:--“I have often wished that the old Oriental practice -of cremation was in fashion among us. There would then be at least -the comfortable reflection of no liability to suffocation in a coffin. -The application of fire, however, will generally rouse the cataleptic -person to some manifestation of life.” - -[CREMATION SOCIETY OF ENGLAND.] - -Having regard to the importance of the subject the author wrote to the -hon. secretary of the Cremation Society of England, and received the -following reply, dated 8 New Cavendish Street, London, W.:-- - - “With reference to your inquiry as to the steps adopted to prevent a - person in a trance being cremated, I may say that this society has not - made any special provision in that respect. You will notice, however, - that before a cremation can be carried out, the cause of death must be - certified without the slightest shadow of doubt by two duly qualified - medical men. This being so, I think there is less likelihood of a - person who is simply in a trance being cremated than buried, one - doctor’s certificate being sufficient in the latter case. - - “(Signed) T. C. SWINBURNE-HANHAM.” - -In the present state of medical knowledge on an occult subject not -usually taught in the medical schools, and regarding phenomena as to -which a large number of medical men are sceptical, to say the least, -we fail to see how the fact of death, in the absence of putrefaction, -can be certified “beyond the slightest shadow of doubt.” Many of the -cases cited in this volume are those regarding which the examining -medical practitioners have been most sure. The Rev. John Page Hopps, in -_Light_, July 4, 1896, says:-- - - “We are told that respect for the dead urges to burial as against - cremation, but many are now very keenly feeling the reverse of this. - They can bring the mind to bear the liberation of the body by one - swift act of disintegration and purifying, but cannot overcome the - shrinking from subjecting it to the foul and lingering processes of - the grave--or, perchance, to the horror of recovering consciousness in - the grave.” - -We take the occasion, however, to express on general grounds our -cordial adherence to the cremation movement. Mr. Hopps further states -one of the strongest arguments thus:-- - - “Respect for the living, too, is an urgent motive. The highest - authorities tell us that the air we breathe and the water we drink are - often contaminated by the emanations of graves. It cannot be right - that London, for instance, with all its inevitable impurities, should - add to its foulnesses that of trying to live in company with thousands - upon thousands of decaying bodies in its very midst.” - -To dispose of the dead decently, and at the same time without injury to -the living, is one of the first obligations of civilised communities, -and cremation seems best calculated to fulfil the conditions. Zymotic -diseases, such as typhus, scarlatina, and the plague, have been traced -in certain instances to emanations from burial-grounds. - -Dr. Charles Creighton, in his “History of Epidemics in Britain,” vol. -i., p. 336, says:--“The grand provocative of plague was no obvious -nuisance above ground, but the loading of the soil, generation after -generation, with an immense quantity of cadaveric matters, which were -diffused in the pores of the ground under the feet of the living, to -rise in emanations more deadly in one season than in another.” - -It would seem from these experiences as though there was quite as much -truth as poetry in Shakespeare when he said, “Grave-yards yawn, and -hell itself breathes out contagion on the world.” Before many years it -is not unlikely that cremation in this as in some other countries will -be made obligatory in cases of death from all infectious diseases. As -the late Bishop of Manchester observed, “The earth is not for the dead, -but for the living.” During the thirteen years ending 1890 there were -three hundred and three thousand four hundred and sixty-six deaths from -cholera in Japan, and all the bodies of these persons were cremated. In -India, as we have already shown, cremation is practised under most of -the religious systems, as it is believed that the soul is not free from -its earthly tenement until the body is reduced to ashes. The method of -burning is slow and cumbersome as compared with that adopted in Europe; -but during the author’s last visit to Ceylon, in the early part of the -present year (1896), there was some talk of establishing a crematorium. - -[THE LONDON BURIAL-GROUNDS.] - -In “The London Burial-Grounds,” by Mrs. Basil Holmes, 1896, p. 269, the -question is asked:--“Are we ever to allow England to be divided like a -chess-board into towns and burial-places? What we have to consider is -how to dispose of the dead without taking so much valuable space from -the living. In the metropolitan area alone we have almost filled (and -in some places over-filled) twenty-four new cemeteries within sixty -years, with an area of above six hundred acres; and this is as nothing -compared with the huge extent of land used for interments just outside -the limits of the metropolis. If the cemeteries are not to extend -indefinitely they must in time be built upon, or they must be used for -burial over and over again, or the ground must revert to its original -state as agricultural land, or we must turn our parks and commons into -cemeteries, and let our cemeteries be our only recreation grounds, -which heaven forbid!” - -According to Dr. Ebenezer Duncan eight thousand bodies are buried -yearly in Glasgow and its neighbourhood, poisoning both air and water, -and endangering the public health. The same state of things has existed -in London, Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, and other large towns. -The following resolution was unanimously adopted in the Preventive -Medicine Department of a Health Congress, Glasgow, in July, 1896:-- - - “That in the opinion of this Congress cremation of the dead, - especially in cases of infectious disease, is a natural and very - desirable hygienic process, and that this Congress of the British - Institute of Public Health use all proper means to urge upon the - Government the desirability of their promoting a measure to enable - sanitary authorities, if they so desire, to build crematoria and to - conduct them under proper superintendence.” - -It must be allowed, however, that cremation, in spite of its obvious -advantages, is not one of those movements which advance by leaps and -bounds. The recent annual report of the Cremation Society of England -states that during the last year there were two hundred and eight -cremations in the United Kingdom--viz., one hundred and fifty at -Woking, and fifty-eight at Manchester. Crematoria have recently been -established at Glasgow and Liverpool. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI. - -WAITING MORTUARIES. - - -OF all the various methods that have been suggested or introduced for -the prevention of premature interment, none has been attended with such -satisfactory results as the erection of mortuaries (Leichenhäuser) in -Germany. These structures, described in pp. 294 _et seq._, ought to -be provided, as far as practicable, in every parish, and certainly -in every Sanitary District in the United Kingdom, and by the Boards -of Health in the United States, and adapted to the requirements of -the population. They should be of chaste and elegant design, well -ventilated; their atmosphere made antiseptic with living plants and -flowers, and by plenty of light; provided with baths and couches, and -a skilled attendant--edifices where both the dead and the apparent -dead can be deposited pending burial, cremation, or resuscitation. -Separate compartments are necessary for cases where death has been due -to accidents and for those who have succumbed to infectious diseases. -Every modern appliance should be introduced for the restoration of -such as may exhibit signs of returning consciousness, and of those in -whom, after sufficient time had elapsed, no sign of putrefaction was -observable. The temperature of the room should be kept at eighty-four -degrees, as suggested by Sir Benjamin Ward Richardson, and no -interment, cremation, _post-mortem_, or embalming should be permitted -until a medical examination by one or more experienced physicians -showed unequivocal signs of putrefaction. Perhaps the Royal Humane -Society, which during the last one hundred and fifty years has done -such splendid work in restoring the drowned and asphyxiated, might -be willing to extend the field of its benevolent operations to other -neglected forms of suspended animation where intelligent direction and -supervision is so much required. - -A writer in the _British and Foreign Medico-Chirurgical Review_, 1855, -vol. xv., p. 75, says:--“The earliest movements in the direction of -means for the prevention of premature interments originated with -Winslow in France, followed by other well-known writers upon the signs -of death. It was Madame Necker, however, who embodied their suggestions -in a practicable form as submitted to the National Assembly, in -1792, by Count Berchshold. In the ninth year of the first French -Republic (1801) a project was entertained for the erection of six -‘temples funeraires’ in Paris, but came to no good, as attendant evils -preponderated. To Germany belongs the credit of having executed these -designs in such wise that they should not prove the positive sources -of more danger to the living than could be counter-balanced by the -occasional preservation of an individual from the risk of premature -interment. Believing that this risk had been prodigiously diminished -since the establishment of these institutions for the reception of -cases where doubt of the reality of death has existed, Hufeland, in -Weimar, devised the plan that Frankfort-on-the-Maine incorporated -with its reform in sepulture and establishment of extra-mural -cemeteries, in 1823. Hufeland’s plans have subsequently been adopted -and carried out in many other German States.... As a sanitary measure -the separation of the dead from the living, especially from among -the crowded poor, would be, apart from the not less important point -of verification of death, an incalculable benefit.... It behoves us -in this matter to learn another lesson from our neighbours, and to -take measures to prevent the occurrence of catastrophes too fearfully -horrible to contemplate in thought, too dreadful for the most vivid -imagination to realise. Science can hold out no token by which to -recognise the certainty of death. Sanitary police, at least in England, -is indifferent about the risk of a few burials alive, and thinks it -superfluous to prevent their occurrence.” - -[THE GERMAN SYSTEM.] - -That the people have a right to protection by the State against -preventable sources of danger, all civilised nations have acknowledged, -by the making of laws that guard their citizens from the invasion of -diseases of domestic or foreign origin, as well as many other perils. -But the German-speaking countries have gone further than any other -in this humane direction _by recognising apparent death as a special -peril to be guarded against by law_, in order to prevent living -burials. For this purpose they have established mortuaries connected -with cemeteries, in which the apparently dead are placed, under the -observation of physicians and attendants. Here the bodies are placed -upon tables, dressed in their ordinary clothes, amidst light, warmth, -and ventilation, surrounded by plants and floral tributes. Thus they -are kept from forty-eight to seventy-two hours, unless decomposition -sets in earlier, or the death was due to an infectious disease. Further -delay is allowed on application by the attending physician, or by some -member of the family interested. Cords connected with an alarm bell are -attached to the fingers, under the conviction that the least movement -of the body would arouse the attendant in an adjoining room. No doubt -these mortuaries have saved a certain number from being buried alive; -but the system can be improved by extending the observation until -such time as death is certain, for experience shows that no stated -limit of time can apply to all cases of trance and catalepsy, which -are the chief causes of apparent death. Some of these continue for -a week, and cases of even longer duration are not unknown. It often -happens that returning vital activity consists merely in scarcely -perceptible movements of the eyelids or the mouth, a change of the -complexion, slight moisture on the face, or a faint action of the -heart, or a warmth in that region, or feeble thoracic movements--all -of which might escape observation until the allotted time had expired, -and no contrivance, however delicately adjusted, could announce their -presence. Time alone will test the existence of life or death in such -cases. - -The extensive literature on this subject shows that the struggle to -bring about the existing mortuary system in Germany was kept up for -many years before it obtained its measure of success. It was legalised -about the year 1795, after the physicians of Germany, France, and -Austria had shown the absolute necessity for it. - -Mortuaries have continued in high favour with the people wherever they -have once been properly established; none, so far as the author has -been able to learn, have ever been abolished. At the present time the -city of Munich is constructing a mortuary at the Southern cemetery upon -a costly scale, surpassing in sumptuous accessories anything of the -kind before attempted in Germany. It will be not unworthy of the public -buildings of the city. This is an emphatic endorsement of the necessity -of the system by a people that for more than fifty years has given it a -thorough trial; and it is a strong argument for its adoption elsewhere. - -The question suggests itself here: Why should not the English-speaking -peoples accept the long experience of a philosophical, painstaking, -clear-minded people like the Germans, supported as it is by many -sanitary and medical authorities in France, England, and the United -States, and establish these institutions in connection with existing -cemeteries, with such modifications as national habits, local tastes, -and customs may dictate? - -The following practical suggestions are from a paper in the _Medical -Times_, vol. xvi., No. 415, p. 574, September 11, 1847, entitled, “On -the construction of houses for the reception of the dead; and on the -means to be used for the recovery of those who are only in trances or -fits, or in whom life is only impassive,” by Robert Brandon, Esq., -Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury:-- - - - “_DUBIÆ VITÆ REFUGIUM_; OR, ASYLUM FOR DOUBTFUL LIFE. - - [ASYLUM FOR DOUBTFUL LIFE.] - - “The building should be large enough to provide means for - resuscitation, and have room enough for the deposition of bodies - when epidemics are prevalent. There should be hot baths, for these - often are alone enough to recall the vital spark; and a kitchen to - prepare nourishment for those who are recovered, and for the porter - and other officers who would live on the building. The room for the - deposit of the bodies should communicate with the porter’s room by - means of a glass door, and every body should have a wire fixed to - the feet and hands, in communication with a bell, which bell must - ring in the porter’s room, in order to warn him should there be any - motion in those thought to be dead. There should be men and women on - the premises to use friction, a galvanic machine, and the implements - necessary for transfusion and artificial respiration. As the usual - and accepted signs of death are not signs to be relied on, so is - decomposition a true sign, and none should be buried until this be - present; but as the presence of decomposed animal matter would be - injurious, not only to the inmates of houses, but to the surrounding - inhabitants, and as it is inconvenient to the poor man who has but one - room to keep a body in that room, where he and his family eat, drink, - and sleep, asylums for the reception of those thought to be dead - should be constructed, and are absolutely necessary. Nor is it enough - to wait for decomposition, but we should endeavour to prevent this - by endeavouring to restore vitality by means of hot baths, external - heat, artificial respiration, galvanism, or transfusion; the first of - these is oftentimes enough. Now, I think it probable that many persons - would be recovered, thought to be dead, for, out of a number of those - reputed dead, a certain number have recovered--some by the sticking of - the pins into them which fixed the shrouds, some under the surgeon’s - knife, some from delays in the burial, and others from the accidental - overturning of the coffins, as we learn from a paper published on - premature burials. Some time since a woman was kept above ground for - a considerable time, as medical men could not decide if she were dead - or no. And at Constantinople a sailor the other day was attacked with - apoplexy, and a vein was opened in his arm; no blood came, and the - man was thought to be dead, but on the road to the grave blood began - to flow, and the supposed dead man recovered. There is now living in - Brussels a man who escaped from the grave; and another built a house - at Cologne to commemorate his escape. These cases will be enough to - show that we have no certain sign of death but decomposition; and, - if this be true, we must have asylums for the reception of bodies - previous to decomposition, and for the application of means which can - do no harm, and may do much good, such as those before indicated. - Medical men think that the absence of respiration and want of heart’s - action, with loss of motion and sensation, are signs of death; but - this is not the case, for many bodies which have been drowned have all - these signs present and yet recover. Again, infants are often born - without any action of the heart or lungs, and yet are recovered by - very simple means, such as the hot bath; and I myself have recovered - persons by stimulants who were thought to be dead. Many may be - recovered by transfusion (first introduced into this country by the - celebrated Dr. Blundel) when the heart still palpitates, but the - brain is insensible; or by stimulants given at that period; or by - hot bath, and the external application of heat; by galvanism, where - other means have failed; and these can do no harm. Since the brain - is insensible there can be no suffering; and many lives will be saved - by perseverance, and the skilful application of means which have - succeeded in isolated cases. Buildings for the reception of those - thought to be dead should be placed in cemeteries. - - “I divide life into active and passive. Life is active when man is - in the enjoyment of all his faculties, intellectual and moral; when - the various organs necessary for circulation and respiration are in - play; when there is sensation, perception, and motion; and when the - sphincters are not relaxed. Passive life is that state hitherto called - death; but, according to me, death is decomposition. - - “Nor should we despair at any period previous to this, since we - can give motion by galvanism; blood by transfusion; respiration by - artificial respiration; heat by this and the external application - of caloric; and by stimulants we can keep up that action which has - been excited by other means. Nor must we despair if we do not at once - succeed in our endeavours to recall life, for perseverance often - accomplishes that which at first sight seems impossible. - - [MR. ROBERT BRANDON’S SUGGESTIONS.] - - “Men have recovered from simulated death after being in the sea twenty - minutes, and I see no reason why, after disease, men may not also be - recovered from a state resembling death. Many who are left as dead - are only in fainting fits, some are in trances; and graves have been - opened where the buried man has been found to have eaten portions of - his own flesh, which of course he could not have done unless recovery - had taken place. How horrible to think that we may awake up in our - graves tormented with the pangs of hunger, unable scarce to breathe, - and finding all escape from our narrow cell impossible; the prisoner - in his grave has nought to do but to commend his soul afresh to his - Maker, and lay himself down to die! May not much of this be prevented - by asylums for doubtful life, by the application of reagents, and by - building vaults in our cemeteries instead of graves? I earnestly hope - that the day has arrived when we see these things in the proper light; - when our church-yards will be no longer overloaded with the remains - of those who, perhaps, might have lived had they been left a little - longer above ground--had they been transfused, or even buried in - vaults instead of graves, with a guardian to watch over their mortal - remains! Life may exist, but not be evident; but the non-evidence - of life is no proof of death, as many have been recovered in whom - life was only latent--in whom there was no action of the heart, - no respiration, no motion, no sensation. This has happened after - drowning, in infants born asphyxiated, in women after flooding, and - would happen much more often were the proper means applied in all - cases to recall life, and to ascertain those who may be recoverable. - Simple inspection is not enough to decide if a man be dead or not, - because persons are often only in trances or fainting fits when they - are thought to be dead; and I wish to insist on the fact that there is - no sign of death but decomposition, and that, therefore, none should - be buried until this sign be present, nor until an attestation of the - presence of decomposition be given by some surgeon.” - -Referring to the universal fear of burying relatives alive, the -_Lancet_, September 20, 1845, vol. ii., p. 321, observed:--“It is -but little use to descant upon an evil without pointing out a remedy. -In Frankfort, Munich, and in various other towns, houses, properly -situated, have been fitted up for the temporary reception of the -dead. Corpses are there deposited immediately after death, and taken -care of until the signs of decomposition have become unequivocal, -medical assistance being at hand should symptoms of vitality manifest -themselves. By this simple plan all the objections which attend on the -retention of the dead in the dwellings of the poor may be obviated, and -at the same time their dread of burying their relatives whilst still -alive respected. This plan is evidently much preferable to that which -is followed in France. In the latter country, in the large towns, there -is in every district a medical inspector of the dead. The inspector -is informed of the death as soon as it has taken place, and within -a very limited time is bound to inspect the body and give a formal -certificate. This guarantee having been obtained, the inhumation of -the deceased is enforced by law within two or three days of the death. -Notwithstanding this precaution, cases have occurred, even during the -last few years, which appear to prove that inhumation has taken place -before life was quite extinct. We doubt, also, whether such early -interment could under any circumstances be enforced in our own country. -Some modification of the German plan is evidently what we must look -for in any system of legislation which may hereafter be decided on.” -These admirable suggestions from the leading medical journal were made -more than half a century ago; since that time, every year has brought -to light cases of living burial, and confirmed the urgent need of -reform; but nothing has been done until quite recently to awaken public -attention to their importance. The subject is of such a gruesome, -unpleasant, and depressing character that few people care to have -their names associated with a movement of this character, beneficent -though it is, and certain to save thousands of unfortunate people, -particularly women and children (who are more especially liable to -various forms of suspended animation), from such tragic occurrences. - -The _Undertakers’ and Funeral Directors’ Journal_, August 22, 1895, -referring to the fact that in 1892 thirty-one thousand eight hundred -and ninety-two inquests were held in England, and to the urgent -necessity for the erection of mortuaries, says:-- - -[EVERYWHERE NEEDED.] - - “The bountiful, or private enterprise, should provide these - mortuaries. But once let their necessity be recognised and the scheme - approved,--fashion leading the way,--then undertakers would readily - supply what was wanted. If not, then the local authority should take - the initiative. Mortuaries are sadly needed almost everywhere for - present purposes, as newspapers constantly affirm. In providing them, - care should be taken to build with an eye to future requirements when - it shall become customary if not compulsory to remove the dead from - among the living within a reasonable time after death. - - “It is merciful sometimes to be inexorable, and what a lot of willing - and unnecessary discomfort and risk would be saved were it possible - and the practice to find a temporary resting-place for our departed - friends till we are ready to carry them befittingly to the tomb.” - - -MORTUARIES OF LONDON. - -Each of the sanitary districts in the Metropolis is supposed to have -a mortuary of some kind for the reception of bodies from hospitals, -infirmaries, hotels, private houses, as well as from the river and -streets, or in transit to and from foreign countries, where they are -kept without charge for about five days, unless the public health -requires earlier interment. Hospitals, hotels, and families are -thus relieved of the presence of corpses, for convenience, and for -purposes of inquest. The mortuaries are nearly all plain, gloomy, and -depressing structures of brick. The best of them comprise a coroner’s -courtroom, coroner’s private room, the caretaker’s rooms, waiting -room, _post-mortem_ room, chapel, and viewing room connected. There is -no physician in attendance, and no autopsies are performed except by -surgeons upon their own cases, or for purposes of inquests. There are -no appliances or conveniences for resuscitation, as all the bodies are -regarded as dead, having been, for the most part, certified as such by -a medical practitioner, the exceptions being such as are taken from the -water or street by the police, or left there for inquest. The buildings -are usually well lighted, and some of the rooms contain fire-places, -but they are devoid of taste or ornamentation of any kind. The bodies -are kept in coffins, which, if there is any odour proceeding from them, -are screwed down. Permission is afforded for inspection by doctors or -by any of the family of the deceased on application to the keeper. -These mortuaries are kept clean, and decent and respectful treatment of -the bodies is enforced by regulations. - -[THE LONDON MORTUARIES.] - -The London County Council issued a return (No. 157) dated March 9, -1894, in pursuance of the Public Health (London) Act, 1891, relating to -coroners’ courts, mortuaries, etc., from which it appears that there -were fifty-one mortuaries in the sanitary districts of London up to -September 30, 1893. In most of these the accommodation is described -as “sufficient,” “good,” “well arranged,” “excellent,” “convenient.” -Others are of an opposite character. The one attached to the Town -Hall, Holborn district, is reported as “very small (about nine feet by -nine feet), inconvenient, and badly situated.” In the Poplar district -the mortuary “is an old crypt, quite unfit for the purpose, and has -no convenience for _post-mortems_.” At Ratcliffe, in the Limehouse -district, the mortuary “consists of a railway arch, and is very -unsuitable.” “There is a very small mortuary in the church-yard” at -Shadwell. The mortuary under the church-yard of St. Martin’s Church -(St. Martin’s-in-the-Fields) is reported “very imperfect.” The one in -the Southern Coroner’s district is situated under a railway arch, and -there is no mortuary-keeper. At St. Paul’s, Deptford, the mortuary -contains only one room, which serves for mortuary and _post-mortem_ -room. Plumstead is possessed of an underground mortuary in the -church-yard, reported as “unsatisfactory.” The Lewisham district -has an “unsuitable” mortuary at the cemetery. Rotherhithe has “an -inadequate mortuary in the old burial-ground.” At St. George the -Martyr (Southwark) the mortuary is reported to be “inadequate and -unsuitable.” In the Strand district there is “no proper mortuary, but -a small dead-house attached to the Savoy Chapel is used.” Eltham, -Lea, and Kidbrooke, in the Plumstead district, have no mortuaries. -The part of Lambeth, S. and S.E., up the Clapham and Kennington Park -roads, is without a mortuary, and _bodies awaiting inquest are kept in -private houses_. Nor are there any mortuaries in the Greenwich district -(Hatcham), Wapping, or Mile End Old Town. Arrangements are reported to -be in progress for the enlargement of some of these establishments and -the erection of others. - -No resuscitations are reported from any of these places, except in -the case of Ernest Wicks, a boy two years old, who was found lying -on the grass in Regent’s Park apparently dead, and resuscitated in -St. Marylebone Mortuary (after being laid out on a slab as dead) in -September, 1895, by the keeper, Mr. Ellis, assisted by Mrs. Ellis. -When the doctor arrived, the child was breathing freely, though still -insensible. The child was taken to the Middlesex Hospital, and was -reported by the surgeon to be recovering from a fit. - -[HOSPITAL MORTUARIES.] - -The London mortuaries stand well in the estimation of the authorities, -medical practitioners, and the people, on account of their usefulness -and convenience in relieving hotels and private houses of the dead -pending funerals, and in cases of deaths from infectious diseases, as -well as from accidents and acts of violence (amongst which suicides are -included) which require investigation. In consequence of this, there is -a disposition on the part of the authorities to enlarge and improve the -older and smaller ones, and to introduce the later conveniences. Those -in St. Marylebone and St. Luke’s are the latest examples, and could, -with comparatively little outlay, be rendered creditable and useful -establishments. First of all, they require the means of resuscitation, -such as are in use at the Royal Humane Societies’ Depôts, and at -the German mortuaries; also baths, couches, plants, flowers, and -mural ornaments, with a skilled nurse or caretaker, and a medical -practitioner either on the establishment or within telephone call. A -fundamental regulation should be added to the standing orders that, -when there is no sign of decomposition, bodies should be treated not -as dead but as sick needing attention, and to be kept under careful -observation. Such simple and inexpensive alterations, gradually -introduced by County, Parish, and District Councils, would, in the -course of time, bring about a greater respect for the dead, with proper -consideration for the apparently dead, besides increasing the feeling -of the sanctity of human life. In the course of time these improvements -would educate the public, and lead to the erection of new and handsome -structures of beautiful design, with appropriate artistic decorations, -such as are to be found in Munich and other parts of Germany. - -The _Medical Times_, September 5, 1896, p. 569, says:-- - - “In a recent issue of the _Nursing Record_, there is an interesting - article on hospital mortuaries by a special commissioner.... At - Guy’s the mortuary only contains room for one body. There is a bier, - covered by a cradle and a red and white washing pall, and over this - is a shelf, on which are placed a cross, fresh flowers, and candles. - At St. Bartholomew’s the mortuary itself is certainly not a place - where one would care to find one’s dead. The bare, white-washed - walls, the sloping floor, the black lidless shells, covered by - white sheets, would depress most people even if they had no special - interest in them. That this is felt to some extent by the hospital - authorities is evident from the fact that, when a member of the - staff dies, they do their best to make other arrangements for the - disposal of the body until it is removed from the hospital. There - is an hospital not named [continues the _Medical Times_] where the - only place available as a mortuary is the wash-house. It would appear - that the managers of metropolitan hospitals do not believe in the - reality of death-counterfeits, and therefore make no arrangements for - resuscitation.” - - -MORTUARIES IN THE PROVINCES. - -With the object of ascertaining the utility of these establishments, -the author wrote to the clerks or other officials in all the larger -towns in the United Kingdom, fifty in number, requesting copies of -the regulations, reports, etc. To these communications twenty-four -replies were received. Of these, only three sent copies of reports, -furnishing particulars of the number of bodies received, and the number -of inquests and _post-mortems_; three sent copies of regulations; -and the remainder do not publish either reports or regulations. One, -however (Poplar), states that the by-laws in use are approved by the -Local Government Board. The Chief Constable at the Town Hall, Salford, -writes, July 26, 1896--“There are three mortuaries in the borough, but -a separate record of the bodies laid in the mortuaries is not kept, and -no papers exist respecting them.” Mr. Hagger, the Vestry Clerk of the -Parish of Liverpool, says--“I know of no public mortuary in Liverpool -which is considered to be of such importance as to call for anything -in the shape of periodical reports.” Mr. R. Davidson, Governor of the -City Parish Poorhouse, Glasgow, writes, July 27, 1896--“I have never -had any reports relating to the mortuary here.” Mr. J. Jackson, Chief -Constable, Sheffield, writes, July 29--“We have never had papers or -reports connected with it (the mortuary), except the ordinary rules and -regulations for preserving decency, cleanliness, etc.” Similar replies -were received from Manchester, Swansea, Scarborough, Wigan, Bristol, -St. Mary’s (Islington), Dundee, and Catford. Mr. Robert Clinton, Master -of the Bethnal Green Workhouse, writes, July 30--“That their mortuary -has not been the subject of any reports,” and continues, “The subject -of persons being buried alive is a very important one, and should -arouse the interest of every intelligent person. Some method ought -certainly to be devised that will prevent anyone being subjected to so -horrible a fate.” - - -IRELAND. - -The following extracts are from the report by Dr. J. E. Kenny, M.P., -Coroner for the City of Dublin, received in January, 1894:-- - -[BURIAL CUSTOMS IN IRELAND.] - -“There are no local laws in Dublin or in Ireland relative to the mode -of disposal of the dead, but the Sanitary Acts, which refer to the -United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, can be availed of when -necessary to compel the burial of the dead within a reasonable period, -on the ground that an unburied body is a nuisance dangerous to public -health. There is, however, no fixed period. Among Roman Catholics it -is customary to bury the dead on the third or fourth day after death, -but there is no hard-and-fast rule.... The local burial authorities -usually require a medical certificate of death before opening the -grave, but there is no legal sanction for this, and it is merely the -custom. The coroner’s order for burial where an inquest is held does -away with the necessity of such certificates as those above referred -to, but _post-mortem_ examinations in these cases are the exception, -not the rule. A good many, however, are held on those who die in -local hospitals when the consent of the relatives or friends can -be obtained. I have not heard of any case of cremation in Ireland, -and earth-burial is the universal practice. Occasionally, when so -ordered by the will of the deceased, a body is removed to England -for cremation. I am myself rather in favour of cremation as a more -scientific and safer method of disposing of the dead. - -“There are no chambers (mortuaries) of the kind referred to in this -question in Dublin, nor, so far as I know, in Ireland. I know of no -law as to the signs of death which must be recognised to exist before -burial is permitted, nor is there any officer on whom is thrown the -duty of ascertaining or deciding whether such exist or not. - -[REFORMS URGENTLY NEEDED.] - -“If cremation be generally adopted, it ought not to be performed -earlier than the third day after death, or perhaps not until some -unmistakable sign of decomposition has set in. I think this rule of -some such sign of decomposition setting in ought to apply to all -methods of disposal of the dead. Whenever well-marked warmth of the -body exists after apparent death, burial of any kind ought not to take -place until after a full and exhaustive examination by a competent -authority. In all doubtful cases I would suggest the application of -either a hot iron to some sensitive part of the body, or that a small -incision should be made over the course of some small artery, a person -being left to watch the result for some time in the latter case, so as -to take proper precautions against hæmorrhage, should the person be not -really dead. It might perhaps with advantage be made the law that in -every case of death or supposed death the body should be viewed by a -medical man, who, having satisfied himself that death had taken place, -would sign a certificate to that effect. If I understand rightly, such -is the law in France. I would, however, be opposed to any law making an -autopsy necessary in every case. The existence of such a public officer -as a coroner is undoubtedly of advantage in reference to cases of -sudden death or supposed death, as it is among such cases that mistakes -are most likely to occur. I can see no objection to the establishment, -at the public expense, of chambers for the reception of dead bodies -under certain circumstances.” - -In reply to a similar inquiry Sir Charles A. Cameron, Superintendent -Medical Officer of Health, writes, August 10, 1896--“There is no public -mortuary in Dublin, but we are taking steps for the establishment of -one.” - -It need hardly be said that the mortuaries described in these reports -have little in common with certain _Leichenhäuser_ of Germany or -the _Mortuaires d’ Attente_ urgently called for by various writers -of France, and proposed to be erected. The English mortuaries may -more appropriately be described as _morgues_ or depositories for -the homeless and neglected dead--useful for this purpose, but in no -respect fulfilling the requirements of the present day. Without skilful -attendants and scientific appliances for the restoration of suspended -life, to which all are liable, the apparently dead, if deposited -in such chilling establishments, would, through neglect, be more -likely to lose what spark of life remained than to have it kindled -into a flame and recover. The erection of mortuaries for the sake of -death-counterfeits, and in order to give peace of mind to doubting -friends, would no doubt be opposed chiefly on the ground of expense. -The outlay must come from the pockets of the rate-payers, who have been -accustomed to accept the cursory inspection of “the corpse” and the -certificate of the doctor as a satisfactory solution of any misgivings -as to the actuality of death. Under the circumstances it would not -be surprising if the unreflecting majority preferred to take what -they would consider to be an infinitesimal risk rather than to incur -the expense of the necessary outlay. This volume has been written to -remove such apathy, and, if possible, to arouse public attention to -the subject; and if the facts are, as the author believes, absolutely -true, and the danger real, other and abler contributions furnishing -the results of wider and more extensive investigations may be expected -to follow. It is believed that the expense of constructing tastefully -designed mortuaries in all populous districts could be met by a rate of -from a farthing to a penny in the pound, and in the smaller or thinly -populated districts groups of parishes could unite in providing such -useful institutions. At present, under existing customs, probably ten -times the amount required is annually expended in funeral trappings, -mourning habiliments, costly wreaths, and ornamental monuments (mainly -for the purpose of ostentatious display) than would provide temporary -resting-places for the real and apparently dead in every part of the -United Kingdom. The erection of such establishments, where the fact -of death in every case could be unequivocally demonstrated before -burial or cremation, would remove an ever present and consuming load of -anxiety from the hearts of thousands of sensitive souls. - - -CONTINENTAL MORTUARIES. - -[CONTINENTAL MORTUARIES.] - -The author is indebted to a “Treatise on Public Health,” by Albert -Palemberg and A. Newsholme, London, 1893, for the following details:-- - - - BRUSSELS. - - “This city possesses two mortuaries to which bodies are conveyed from - confined houses. One of these, within the town, only receives the - bodies of persons not having died of an infectious disease; all others - are conveyed to the mortuary at the Evère Cemetery.... - - “In times of epidemic the removal of corpses to the mortuary is - compulsory, and so also in other cases where the medical health - officer decides that it is necessary. No corpse, without special - permission, can be kept in the mortuary more than forty-eight hours - after death, but this interval can be shortened or lengthened by - special order.” - - - PARIS. - - “By a decision of July 21, 1890, the Municipal Council of Paris has - decided to establish a mortuary in each of the cemeteries of the east - (Père La Chaise) and the north (Montmartre).... The mortuaries are - not available for the bodies of persons having died from infectious - disease. - - “Bodies are only admitted to the mortuary--(1) On the written - application of the head of the family or some other persons competent - to undertake the funeral. (2) On the production of a certificate of - death from the doctor who attended the patient, stating that the death - was not caused by infectious disease. - - “Up to the present time (1893) these mortuaries do not appear to have - been of great service, owing to the unwillingness of families to part - with their dead before the time of interment. - - “‘La Morgue.’--This establishment only receives bodies on which a - _post-mortem_ examination is required, and the bodies of unknown - persons, placed there for recognition. In the hall where the bodies - are exposed, the temperature is kept several degrees below zero by a - system of refrigeration, thus retarding putrefaction. This system - would, in consequence of the low temperature, greatly retard or - prevent the revival of persons who may only be in a state of torpidity - from submergence, or of trance or catalepsy, who could be resuscitated - if warmth and other proper means were promptly applied to them.” - - - BERLIN. - - “In some of the cemeteries mortuaries have been built, which are - placed at the disposal of the public by the authorities, with the - understanding that the corpses shall be taken from them as soon as - possible. - - “The bodies of the poor are first placed in the depository of the old - cemeteries, within the city enclosure, whence they are removed by - night in carriages kept for the purpose to the mortuary in the large - cemetery outside the city, to be buried the next day. The Jews have - built a mortuary chapel in their new cemetery at Weissensee, which - fulfils all the conditions required by modern hygiene, and contains - everything necessary for washing, isolating, and enveloping the bodies. - - “A new establishment, which answers its purpose perfectly, has - been built in the old cemetery--Charité--and is used for inquests, - _post-mortem_ examinations, etc., also for the exhibition of bodies - of unknown persons. The bodies are preserved from putrefaction by an - apparatus in which refrigeration is produced by ammonia and chloride - of calcium, as the Morgue in Paris.” - - - VIENNA. - - “There is a mortuary in each district of the city to which are brought - corpses belonging to families who have imperfect accommodations. - - “The district doctor must decide whether removal is necessary, as it - is his duty to register deaths and their causes. He should at the same - time examine into the state of the dwelling from a sanitary standpoint. - - “In cases of sudden death, and when the cause of death is not - apparent, a _post-mortem_ examination must be made. - - “The bodies of persons who have died from infectious disease must not - be taken to the common mortuaries, but to one built in the common - cemetery. - - “Bodies must not be buried in the city. The principal cemetery is at - Kaiser-Ebersdorf, north-west of the city, and cost four millions of - marks.” - - - STOCKHOLM. - - “Every parish possesses a mortuary vault. According to the regulations - of the Health Commission, bodies must not remain there more than - forty-eight hours in the hot season, and seventy-two in the cold - weather.” - -The first modern mortuary was opened at Weimar, Germany, in 1791. - -In a “Handbook for Travellers in Europe” for 1890, by W. Pembroke -Fetridge, p. 622, is the following description of the model mortuary in -Weimar:-- - - “The New Church-yard is a sweet place of its kind. Here may be seen - an admirable arrangement to prevent premature burials in cases of - suspended animation. In a dark chamber, lighted with a small lamp, - the body lies in a coffin. In its fingers are placed strings, which - communicate with an alarm clock; the least pulsation of the corpse - will ring the bell in an adjoining chamber, where a person is placed - to watch, when a medical attendant is at once supplied. There have - been several cases where persons supposed to be dead were thus saved - from premature burial.” - -The _Middlesborough Gazette_ of 11th October, 1895, says:-- - - “Those who have visited burying grounds in some parts of the South - of England are well aware that tombs made in the shape of ‘waiting - rooms’ are largely in vogue with the well-to-do classes. One in a - little church-yard in Sussex was elegantly fitted up. The coffins were - placed on one side of the well-lighted vault, while on the opposite - side was a couch, chairs, and a table, together with books. The - relatives of the deceased--eccentric they may have been, we are not - prepared to say--visited the vault, access to which was gained by a - flight of steps, and there passed much of their time in reading, the - ladies doing needle work. But this sort of thing is only for the - rich. The poor must be protected from being buried alive by other and - more economical methods--namely, by stricter attention to the actual - and unmistakable evidences of death, and by careful registration on - medical certificates only.” - -It would appear by the following announcement, that an effort is being -made to supply one of the several properly fitted mortuaries needed in -the French capital:-- - - “The _Pall Mall Gazette_ of September 21, 1895, announces a decided - novelty in the way of limited liability companies--the Mortuary - Waiting-room Company, which, it says, is on the point of being floated - in the French capital. Our contemporary says that the amount for - subscription is stated to be £20,000, and dividends at the rate of at - least 100 per cent. may, it is claimed, be confidently looked for. The - company undertake to provide separate waiting-rooms, of two classes, - in a large mortuary building. The alleged corpse will be comfortably - deposited there upon a couch, and carefully looked after till the - fact that it is a corpse shall have been established beyond question. - The waiting-rooms will be tastefully decorated, with everything about - them to welcome the revived tenant agreeably back to life. It is - interesting to hear that no shareholder’s heirs will be allowed to - visit him.” - -Some sanitarians and funeral reformers urge with much reason that the -presence of the dead should not be allowed to endanger the health of -the living, and recommend that if death has occurred from infectious -disease, the body should be covered with charcoal and conveyed at once -to a mortuary chamber; and others advise early burials for all as soon -as possible. If, however, this volume has not demonstrated the danger -of such early burials, except where decay of the earthly vesture is -visible, it will have been written in vain. - -The following recommendation from a well-known physician and surgeon -appears in _London_, p. 613, September 27, 1894:-- - - “Coroners’ Courts and Mortuaries,” a paper read at the Hygiene - Congress at Buda Pesth, by W. J. Collins, M.D., M.S., B.Sc., D.P.H. - (Lond.), L.C.C. - - “I therefore hold that every inducement should be held out to the - poor by local authorities, by the provision of decent, suitable, and - attractive mortuaries, to allow their dead to be removed from danger - to the living to a place where sentiment shall be respected and - sanitation satisfied.” - - -THE UTILITY OF MORTUARIES. - -[THE MAYOR OF MUNICH’S OPINION.] - -During the discussion on Premature Burials in the press, the erection -of mortuaries (chambres mortuaires d’attente) has been objected to -(1) on the ground of expense to the rate-payers; and (2) because the -results by way of resuscitation of those constructed in Germany have -not justified the cost of their erection and maintenance, and that -if they had not already been in existence they would not now, it is -said, be established. The most recent investigations on this subject -have been made by Monsieur B. Gaubert, the results of which appear in -his work, “Les Chambres Mortuaires d’Attente,” a volume of 308 pages, -published in Paris, 1895. The author shows by the citation of facts -that both in France and Germany numerous cases of resuscitation of -persons certified as dead, and deposited in mortuaries, in spite of -many drawbacks connected with their management, have occurred, and that -their continuance is amply justified on the ground of utility. In the -report of the Municipal Council of Paris for 1880, No. 174, p. 84, is a -letter from Herr Ehrhart, Mayor of Munich, May 2, 1880, who says:--“The -lengthy period during which these establishments have been utilised, -the order which has always prevailed, the manner in which the -remains are disposed and adorned, _the resuscitation of some who were -believed to be dead_, have all contributed to remove any sentimental -objections to these establishments. The bodies are transported to the -Leichenhäuser twelve hours after death, without the least opposition on -the part of the relatives.” The expense of these institutions would, no -doubt, in the aggregate be a considerable sum, but not nearly so large -as that voted for the erection and maintenance of public libraries, -now so common; but in the presence of so serious and real a danger -as that of living burial, to which any of us is liable, it is hardly -worth considering. For peace of mind the cost of such insurance would -be cheerfully paid by thousands, and ought to be provided for the poor -and for those who would in time come to value it. This is a matter that -might appropriately be taken up by the County, District, and Parish -Councils and Boards of Guardians, under the powers granted to them by -the Local Government Act of 1894. - -Dr. Josat, in his treatise “De la mort et de ses caractères,” shows -by numerous arguments and examples that, as there is an interval or -condition provided by nature between disease and health known as -_convalescence_, and the transition between the one and the other -is preceded by a variety of phenomena known as a _crisis_, so there -is an interval between the termination of a fatal malady and real -death (erroneously described as the agony), the symptoms which denote -intermediate or apparent death. But while the result of an error may -be of little moment in the first case, it may in the other become -disastrous, by abandoning the dying before absolute death. It is during -this interval, between (so called) death agony and absolute death, -which sometimes has been known to last a week, that the transfer to a -suitable mortuary should be made. - -The following may be cited as typical illustrations of the utility of -mortuaries in discovering the existence of life after apparent death. - -[AND CASES OF RESUSCITATION.] - -H. L. Kerthomas in “Dernières Considérations sur les Inhumations -Précipitées,” Lille, 1852, p. 17, relates that-- - - “At a hospital in Liege two house-surgeons were at the ‘Salles des - décades’ in pursuance of their anatomical studies, when hearing at - one side of them a noise like stifled breathing great was their fear! - Still they coolly finished their examination, and then discovered the - supposed corpse moving convulsively amongst his dead companions; but, - thanks to efficient help, he was completely restored to health.” (The - above occurred in 1847.) - -M.B. Gaubert, in “Les Chambres Mortuaires d’Attente,” records the six -following cases:--“On the 25th of January, 1849, the _Journal des -Débats_ recorded a fact somewhat similar to that which lately disturbed -the town of Perigueux:-- - - - “‘MUNICH. - - “‘A young man who was asphyxiated by charcoal had been declared dead - by the doctor. After they had been watching the body twenty-four hours - at the mortuary chamber, the family caused it to be carried to the - church, where it passed the night without the customary caretaker. The - next morning “the corpse” was found bathed in its own blood, and the - floor of the church was stained. Restored to consciousness during the - night and not having any help, the poor young man had succumbed to - hæmorrhage, brought on by the incisions which they blindly practised - on the body of the supposed dead one to make sure of his death.’ - - “‘The mother of a family had just lost her child, aged five years. She - carried to the Leichenhäuser a heart broken by grief, cherishing the - vague hope in the depth of her love that this separation would not - be the last. According to habit the families of Munich exposed the - corpse in a mortuary chamber amidst flowers and trees, and surrounded - by a circle of light. The Leichenhäus then appeared to have lost its - habitual funereal character--for it had quite a festive air. The - poor mother passed the night amidst tears and prayers, waiting with - anxiety and hoping for the arrival of the good news. The next morning - a workman of the Leichenhäuser knocked at the door of the house with - a large bundle which he carried in his arms; a few seconds after, the - mother pressed to her heart the resuscitated child which she was told - she had just lost. The transports of joy she experienced were so great - that she fell down dead. The child had come to life in the mortuary by - himself, and, when the keeper saw it, it was playing with the white - roses which had been placed on its shroud.’ (P. 179.) - -“The same recent writer quotes the following on the testimony of the -surgeons Louis and Junker:-- - - - “‘SALTPÉTRIÈRE. - - “‘A young country girl,’ said Surgeon Louis, ‘strong and vigorous, - twenty-five years old, left on foot from the Hotel Dieu, Paris, where - she had been resting the night before, and came to Saltpétrière. The - fatigue of the journey induced an attack of syncope on her arrival. - They put her on the bed, and with cordials and warmth she revived, - but at the end of an hour she had another attack. They thought she - was dead, and carried her to the mortuary. After leaving the body--it - had remained there some time--they carried it to the amphitheatre. - The next morning a young surgeon said he had heard plaintive cries in - the amphitheatre, and his fear had prevented him from coming to tell - me. I went into the amphitheatre, and saw with sorrow that the poor - girl, who had vainly struggled to free herself from the sheet which - enveloped her, was now quite dead. She had one leg on the floor, and - an arm on the seat of the trestle of a dissecting table. I here recall - the feelings of horror with which I was agitated on this occasion. - I doubt if there ever was a sadder or more touching spectacle than - this.’ (P. 187.) - -“BERLIN. - -“‘A Berlin apothecary wrote to me lately’ (says Dr. Lénormand) ‘in this -town to the effect that during an interval of two years and a-half, ten -people stated to be dead had been recalled to life. I shall quote only -the following:-- - - - “‘SOLDIER OF THE GUARD. - - “‘In the middle of the night the bell of the vestibule rang violently. - The caretaker, who had only entered on duties within a few days, much - startled, ran towards the mortuary. As soon as he opened the door he - found himself confronted with one of “the corpses” enveloped in his - shroud who had quitted his bier and was making his way out. He was a - soldier of the guard believed to be dead, and he was able to join his - regiment five days later.’ (_Ibid._, p. 180.) - - -“FRANKFORT-ON-THE-MAINE. - -“Dr. Josat said that during his sojourn in Germany, Herr Schmill, -director of the mortuary at Frankfort, related to him a case of -apparent death which occurred under his own eyes. - - “‘In the year 1840, a girl of nineteen years died of acute - pleuro-pneumonia. Her body, during very hot weather, was exposed - in the mortuary for a period of eight days in a state of perfect - preservation. Her face retained its colour, the limbs were supple, - and the substance of the cornea transparent, whereas in ordinary - cases decomposition shows itself on the third day. The parents could - not reconcile themselves to have their daughter buried, and found - themselves much troubled. Finally on the ninth day the supposed dead - suddenly awoke without any premonitory indications of life.’ (_Ibid._, - p. 180.) - - -“BELGIUM. - -“There was a case at Brussels in January, 1867, of a person who -returned to life just as the bearers arrived at the mortuary. - - “‘A workman of the suburbs, employed by a firm of carriers, fell ill, - and in a few days died. This suddenness of the death caused doubts - as to its reality, and after the usual delay he was taken to the - mortuary connected with the cemetery. The body was left for a few - days’ observation. As soon as they arrived a noise escaped from the - coffin, and arrested the attention of the people present. At once they - hastened towards the coffin, and tried to restore him, and in a short - time he came to life. The same evening he was able to return to his - home. On the following day he went himself to the authorities to annul - the record of his supposed death.’” (P. 182.) - -M. Gaubert continues:--“We have collected in Germany fourteen cases of -apparent death followed by return to life in mortuaries, in spite of -all that has been done for the prevention of such occurrences.” (P. -182.) - - - CASSEL. - - “Dr. E. Bouchut, in ‘Signes de la Mort,’ 3rd edition, p. 50, relates - that an apothecary’s assistant had an attack of syncope, which - continued for eight days, when he was apparently dead, and was removed - to the mortuary of the Military Hospital, Cassel, where he was covered - with a coarse wrapper and left amongst the dead. The following night - he awoke from his lethargy, and, on recognising the horrible place - where he was, dragged himself to the door and kicked against it. The - noise was heard by the sentinel, aid arrived, and the patient was put - in a warm bed, where he recovered. Dr. Bouchut says that, if he had - been swathed in tight bandages, his efforts at release would have been - futile, and he would have been buried alive.” - - -LILLE. - -The Paris _Figaro_, March 31, 1894, on the authority of the _Progrés du -Nord_, April 2, 1894, reports that:-- - - “M. Vangiesen, aged eighty-one years, awakened from supposed death on - the flagstones of the mortuary at the Charité Hospital at Lille.” - -The _Undertakers’ Review_, January 22, 1894, reports that Lena Fellows, -aged twenty-two years, a servant in the employ of A. R. Knox, of -Buffalo, fell dead, as was thought, while at work on December 8. -The remains were taken to the morgue in a coffin, but next morning -when morgue-keeper McShane began to lift the supposed corpse into -the refrigerator he found that the woman was alive. It was a case of -catalepsy. - -The case of a child found apparently dead in Regents’ Park, London, -and carried to the Marylebone Mortuary, where it subsequently revived, -has already been noticed. The incident caused a good deal of comment, -and suggested, doubtless, to the reflective reader that other cases of -suspended animation might have a less fortunate issue. - -[NEED OF CAREFUL SUPERVISION.] - -It is quite impossible on the Continent for an enquirer, as the author -knows from experience, to obtain reliable information with regard -to what takes place within the walls of mortuaries, because of the -numerous officials and others who are interested in covering up any -errors of previous death-certification that may come to light in -them. These comprise the health authorities, and the police in places -where the latter regulate funerals, as well as the physicians, whose -credit is at stake, and the nurses and undertakers. In many districts -in Germany the original object of the mortuaries--the prevention of -premature burial--advocated by Hufeland and others, has not been kept -in view, but the edifices have rather been used for the convenience -of the undertakers and their assistants, the bodies in many cases -being removed before actual dissolution was established by evidence -of putrefaction. This will need to be guarded against by more careful -supervision. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII. - -CONCLUSION. - - -IT is universally admitted that nothing is less certain than life; and -if the reader will weigh the facts, which it has been the authors’ -intention to understate rather than overstate, he will rightly conclude -that nothing is more uncertain than the signs which are ordinarily -accepted as indicating death. It would have been easy to fill a much -larger volume than this with reports of authentic cases of premature -burial, and narrow escapes from such terrible mischances, and with more -detailed results of the authors’ researches on the subject in various -parts of Europe and America, as well as in the East. The cases adduced -to illustrate the text are, however, presented as types of hundreds of -others obtainable from equally reputable sources, and to be found in -the works of various trustworthy authorities, the titles of which can -be seen in the Bibliography at the end of this volume. - -The _London Review_ for July, 1791, p. 40, referring to “An Essay -on Vital Suspension: Being an Attempt to Investigate and Ascertain -those Diseases in which the Principles of Life are Apparently -Extinguished,” by a Medical Practitioner--observes, that this is one -of many publications “written by physicians and surgeons, versed in -medical science, and well skilled in anatomy, to demonstrate, beyond -a possibility of contradiction, that there are many cases in which -the human body has the appearance of death, and preserves it for a -considerable time, without the reality; the vital principle being -still unsubdued, and a restoration of all its powers and functions -practicable by the administration, in due time, of proper means.” -The author of the pamphlet under review says, “It is a proof of the -temerity and imbecility of human judgment, that we have too many -instances on record, wherein even the most skilful physicians have -erred in the decisions they have pronounced respecting the extinction -of life.” - -[IMBECILITY OF HUMAN JUDGMENT.] - -Unfortunately, we appear to be no nearer the prevention of these -terrible mistakes now than we were when the reviewer called attention -to them a century ago. The imbecility of human judgment complained -of exists now in an unmitigated degree. The appearance of death is -generally taken for its reality: and the great mass of the inhabitants -of this planet are hurried to their graves without (except in a -comparatively few cases of drowning or poisoning) the application of -any serious efforts at restoration, and without waiting for unequivocal -signs of dissolution. - -Whether the risks of being buried alive are as great as those declared -by some of the authorities quoted in this volume, must be left to the -reader to determine for himself; but that they are considerable there -appears little room for doubt by those who have taken the trouble to -inquire into the facts. How often is the reader shocked by reading -narratives in his daily or weekly newspaper of persons either buried -alive, or of those in a state of suspended animation, but diagnosed and -duly certificated by the attending doctor as dead, who have returned to -consciousness during the funeral rites or at the grave itself. - -The _Lancet_ has borne frequent testimony to these disasters, some -of which are quoted in this volume; and, just as we are writing the -closing chapter, the leading medical journal, in its issue of September -12, 1896, p. 785, records the following from its Cork correspondent as -having occurred at Little Island, Ireland, which, the writer says, is -thoroughly vouched for:-- - -“A child of four years of age contracted (typhoid) fever, and to all -ordinary appearances died. The time of the funeral was appointed, and -friends were actually on their way to attend it. When the supposed -corpse was about to be removed from the bed to the coffin, signs of -animation were exhibited. The services of the medical man were again -requisitioned, and the child, opportunely rescued from such a terrible -death, is now progressing satisfactorily.” - -Amongst the headings of paragraphs taken from recent papers lying -before me are the following:--“Buried Alive,” “A Gruesome Narrative,” -“Restored to Life in a Mortuary,” “Premature Burial,” “The Dead Alive,” -“Buried Alive,” “Sounds from Another Coffin,” “Mistaken for Dead,” “A -Lady Nearly Buried Alive,” “Revivification After Burial,” “A Woman’s -Awful Experience,” “Bolt Upright in His Coffin,” “Almost Buried while -Alive,” “A Woman Buried Alive,” “The Corpse Sat Up,” “Alive in Her -Coffin,” “Seemed to Rise from Death,” “Escaped Burial Alive,” “Revival -at a Wake,” “Snatched from Death at the Graveside,” “Laid Out, but not -Dead,” “Alive in His Grave,” “Interment before Death,” “Came to Life in -the Coffin,” “Corpse Seems to Live,” “The Corpse Moved,” etc. - -According to the “London Manual and Municipal Year Book,” 1896-97, -there are over four hundred public authorities at work in governing -London, who spend over twelve million pounds a year, and from other -sources it is said that seven millions a year are collected in the -Metropolis for charitable purposes, and yet there are no officials, -associations, or insurance companies to safeguard the people either in -this wealthy Metropolis or in any part of the United Kingdom against -one of the most terrible physical calamities that can overtake any -member of the human family. - -[EXPECTATIONS OF LIFE.] - -The Registrar-General’s Decennial Supplement for 1881-90, published -this year (1896), includes a “Life Table” furnishing the expectations -of life in England and Wales. It appears that the death-rate has fallen -from 21.3 in the decade ending 1880 to 19.0 per thousand living in -that ending 1890. The expectation of life at birth, according to the -actuary’s standard in the decade 1871-80, was 41.3 years for males, and -44.6 years for females. This has been increased, as shown in the “Life -Table” 1881-90, to 43.6 for males, and 47.2 for females, mainly through -sanitary amelioration. A perceptible increase, the author believes, -could be shown if steps were taken to restore still-born children, who -constitute about five per cent. of births, and if the same trouble were -adopted to restore the apparently dead from other diseases (which are -sometimes only crises of repose after wasting disease) as is generally -taken with respect to those accidentally poisoned or drowned. Besides -reducing the mortality and increasing the expectation of life, such -a reform would greatly diminish the appalling suffering of those -who, through our apathy and ignorance, are, under our present system -of _laissez faire_, consigned to precipitate interment, and would -bring tranquillity of mind to those who are haunted all their lives -through fear of such a catastrophe. Why we should limit our efforts -at restoration of those apparently dead to a few cases has never been -shown, and is surely a serious oversight, which should be remedied -without delay. - -Dr. Hartmann, in “Premature Burial,” observes--“As by cleaning a -dusty watch the watchmaker causes the hindrances to be removed which -prevented the energy stored up in the watch from setting the clockwork -in motion, so, in cases of apparent death from catalepsy, asphyxia, -syncope, and other diseases causing obstacles to the manifestation -of the life-energy in the body, these obstacles may be removed by -appropriate means, such as are known to many intelligent physicians, -and the energy of life being latent in the physical form may be enabled -to manifest itself again when the harmony of the organism has been -sufficiently restored, even after the heart has entirely ceased to -beat.” - -Dr. A. Fothergill says:--“Since no one, from prince to peasant, can -at all times be secure from these dreadful disasters, which suddenly -suspend vital action; and since medical practitioners themselves are -not exempt, it surely becomes them to use every exertion to _improve_ -the art of _restoring animation_. May each progressive step in this -interesting path of science tend to that great object! and may every -laudable attempt undertaken with that benevolent view enable us with -more certainty to preserve life and to diminish the sum of human -infelicity!” - -It is regrettable that medical practitioners, neither in this nor in -any of the Continental states, except, possibly, a few in Germany, -have been trained to distinguish apparent from real death; and when -a case of death-trance occurs, they certify to actual death, and the -unfortunate person is interred in a strong coffin, which effectually -conceals the tragedy following resuscitation. Moreover, the ordinary -practitioner, both in England and the United States, considers himself -exonerated from blame when he thus follows the traditions and practice -of the heads of his profession. Personally, he has neither the time, -opportunity, or inclination to study the abnormal phenomena of trance, -catalepsy, or hypnotisation, and thus the evil of live sepulture is -perpetuated from generation to generation. - - -SUMMARY OF CONCLUSIONS. - -(1) An examination of both the historical and modern cases of trance, -catalepsy, and other death-counterfeits shows that nothing is more -uncertain than the so-called signs of death, and that in all countries -and in all ages many persons supposed by their attendant physicians and -relations to be dead have revived, while the cases are as numerous and -the danger as great at the present day as at any previous period. - -(2) That the risk of premature burial is especially serious in France, -in Spain and Portugal, in the west of Ireland, in both European and -Asiatic Turkey, and in India; also amongst the Jews, where both the -Jewish law and ancient customs enjoin burial within a few hours of -death, and for similar reasons in all Oriental countries; and in the -Southern States of North America. - -(3) That the various signs which are supposed to indicate death, such -as the cessation of respiration and of cardiac action, a pale, waxy -and death-like appearance, the stiffening of the limbs, or _rigor -mortis_, insensibility to cutaneous excitation, the departure of heat -from the body, are singly and collectively illusory; the only safe and -infallible test of dissolution being the manifestation of putrefaction -in the abdomen. - -(4) That medical death-certificates have been shown by various -witnesses before the Select Parliamentary Committee of Inquiry -of 1893-94 to be often misleading as to the cause of death, and -inconclusive as to the fact of death. Any compulsory extension of the -death-certification system in the present imperfect state of medical -knowledge would only partially meet the necessities of the case, -and might have the effect of crystallising a defective system into -perfunctory routine. A certain safeguard would, however, be provided -if the law made it binding on medical practitioners to set forth on -the death-certificate a precise statement of indications showing that -dissolution has actually occurred. - -(5) That the only safe and effective method of reform is the -establishment of appropriately designed waiting mortuaries, such as -are provided at Munich, Weimar, Stuttgart, and other German cities, -with qualified attendants and appliances for resuscitation, and where -doubtful cases of death (and all are doubtful in which decomposition -has not clearly manifested itself) can be deposited until the fact of -death is unequivocally established. - -(6) That premature burial in civilised countries is mainly possible -owing to the fact that instruction in the phenomena of trance, -catalepsy, syncope, and other forms of suspended animation is not -systematic in the medical schools in any country, and the means of -prevention are therefore practically unknown. This omission should be -immediately remedied by the inclusion of the subject at the appropriate -place in the medical curriculum, and in the examination for degrees. - -(7) That, inasmuch as a radical change in the methods of treating -the dead or supposed dead is extremely urgent, and legislation with -an overworked Parliament in England and apathetic State Legislatures -in America will probably be delayed, the authors recommend, as a -preliminary measure of protection, the formation of associations for -the prevention of premature burial amongst their members, as in some -cities in France, Austria, and the United States, or the alternative -plan of engrafting such an obligation of prevention upon existing -associations, clubs, and insurance companies established for other -purposes. - - * * * * * - -If the foregoing conclusions are established, the need for immediate -action is urgent and imperative, and the prompt intervention of -Parliament should be at once invoked. May we hope for the cordial -co-operation of all classes and of all sections on a question in -which the whole community have a deep and vital interest, and on which -procrastination will certainly be fatal to some of its members. It is -not an academic question, but one of the gravest practical character, -the earnest consideration and treatment of which cannot be neglected -with impunity. - - - - -APPENDICES. - - - - -APPENDIX A. - -HISTORICAL CASES OF RESTORATION FROM APPARENT DEATH. - - -FROM the time of Kornmann, Terilli, and Zacchia (see “Bibliography,” -seventeenth century), certain notable instances, from old authors, -of restoration from apparent death have been cited, with a good deal -of uniformity, in essays or theses on this subject. One of the most -convenient (to English readers) of these compilations is to be found in -an anonymous essay, “The Uncertainty of the Signs of Death,” Dublin, -1748 (printed by George Faulkner), from which the following extracts -are taken _verbatim_:-- - -Plutarch informs us that a certain person fell from an eminence, but -did not show the least appearance of any wound, for, three days after, -he suddenly resumed his strength, and returned to life as his friends -were conveying him to the grave. - -Asclepiades, a celebrated physician, on his return from his country -seat, met a large company conveying a corpse to the grave. A principle -of curiosity induced him to ask the name of the deceased person, but -grief and sorrow reigned so universally that no one returned him -answer; upon which, approaching the corpse, he found the whole of it -rubbed over with perfumes, and the mouth moistened with precious balm, -according to the custom of the Greeks; then carefully feeling every -part, and discovering latent signs of life, he forthwith affirmed that -the person was not dead, and the person was saved.--_Celsus ii., 6, “De -re Medica.”_ - -In the tenth book of Plato’s Republic is related the story of one -Er, an Armenian, who was slain in battle. Ten days after, when the -surviving soldiers came with a view to inter the dead, they found all -the bodies corrupted except his; for which reason they conveyed him to -his own house in order to inter him in the usual manner. But two days -after, to the great surprise of all present, he returned to life when -laid on the funeral pile. Quenstedt remarks upon this case, which he -took from Kornmann’s treatise “De Miraculis Mortuorum,” “That the soul -sometimes remains in the body when the senses are so fettered, and, as -it were, locked up, that it is hard to determine whether a person is -dead or alive.” Pliny in his “Natural History,” book vii., chap. 52, -which treats of _those who have returned to life when they were about -to be laid in the grave_, tells us that Acilius Aviola, a man of so -considerable distinction that he had formerly been honoured with the -consulship, returned to life when he was upon the funeral pile; but, as -he could not be rescued from the violence of the flames, he was burnt -alive. The like misfortune also happened to Lucius Lamia, who had been -praetor. These two shocking accidents are also related by Valerius -Maximus. Celius Tubero had a happier fate than his two fellow-citizens, -since, according to Pliny, he discovered the signs of life before it -was too late. His state, however, was far from eligible, since, being -laid on the funeral pile, he stood a fair chance of being exposed to -the like misfortune. Pliny, from the testimony of Varro, adds that when -a distribution of land was making at Capua, a certain man, when carried -a considerable way from his own house in order to be interred, returned -home on foot. The like surprising accident also happened at Aquinum. -The last instance of this nature related by the author occurred at -Rome, and Pliny must, no doubt, have been intimately acquainted with -all its most minute circumstances, since the person was one Cerfidius, -the husband of his mother’s sister, who returned to life after an -agreement had been made for his funeral with the undertaker, who was -probably much disappointed when he found him alive and in good health. - -These examples drawn from Roman history greatly contribute to establish -the uncertainty of the signs of death, and ought to render us very -cautious with respect to interments. - -Greece and Italy are not the only theatres in which such tragical -events have been acted, since other countries of Europe also furnish -us with instances of a like nature. Thus, Maximilian Misson, in his -“Voyage Through Italy,” tome i, letter 5, tells us-- - -“That the number of persons who have been interred as dead, when they -were really alive, is very great in comparison with those who have -been happily rescued from their graves; for, in the town of Cologne, -Archbishop Geron--according to Albertus Krantzïus--was interred alive, -and died for want of a seasonable releasement.” - -It is also certain that in the same town the like misfortune happened -to Johannes Duns Scotus, who in his grave tore his hands and wounded -his head. Misson also relates the following:-- - -“Some years ago the wife of one, Mr. Mervache, a goldsmith of -Poictiers, being buried with some rings on her fingers, as she had -desired when dying, a poor man of the neighbourhood, being apprised -of that circumstance, next night opened the grave in order to make -himself master of the rings, but as he could not pull them off without -some violence, he in the attempt waked the woman, who spoke distinctly, -and complained of the injury done her. Upon this, the robber made -his escape. The woman, now roused from an apoplectic fit, rose from -her coffin, returned to her own house, and in a few days recovered a -perfect state of health.” - -What induced Misson to relate these histories was a certain piece of -painting preserved in the Church of the Holy Apostles at Cologne, in -order to keep up the memory of a certain accident, which that traveller -relates in the following manner:-- - -“In the year 1571, the wife of one of the magistrates of Cologne being -interred with a valuable ring on one of her fingers, the grave-digger -next night opened the grave in order to take it off, but we may readily -suppose that he was in no small consternation when the supposed dead -body squeezed his hand, and laid fast hold of him, in order to get -out of her coffin. The thief, however, disengaging himself, made his -escape with all expedition; and the lady, disentangling herself in the -best manner she could, went home and knocked at her own door, where, -after shivering in her shroud, after some delay she was admitted by the -terror-stricken servants; and, being warmed and treated in a proper -manner, completely recovered.” - -Simon Goubart, in his admirable and memorable histories, printed at -Geneva in 1628, relates the following accident:--“A lady, whose name -was Reichmuth Adoloh, was supposed to fall a victim to a pestilence, -which raged with such impetuous fury as to cut off most of the -inhabitants of Cologne. Soon after, however, she not only recovered her -health, but also brought into the world three sons, who, in process of -time, were advanced to livings in the Church.” - -“The town of Dijon, in Burgundy, was, in the year 1558, afflicted -with a violent plague, which cut off the inhabitants so fast that -there was not time for each dead person to have a separate grave; -for which reason large pits were made and filled with as many bodies -as they could contain. In this deplorable conjuncture, Mrs. Nicole -Tentillet shared the common fate, and after labouring under the -disorder for some days, fell into a syncope so profound that she was -taken for dead, and accordingly buried in a pit with the other dead -bodies. The next morning after her interment she returned to life, -and made the strongest efforts to get out, but was held down by the -weight of the bodies with which she was covered. She remained in this -wretched condition for four days, when the grave-diggers took her out -and carried her to her own house, where she recovered perfectly.” -Following this case, that of a labouring man of Courçelles, near -Neuchâtel, is narrated. He fell into so profound syncope that he was -taken for dead; but the persons who were putting him into his grave -without a coffin, perceived some motion in his shoulders, for which -reason they carried him to his own home, where he perfectly recovered. -This accident laid the foundation for his being called the ghost of -Courçelles. - -“A lawyer of Vesoul, a town of Franche-Comté, near Besançon, so -carefully concealed a lethargy, to which he was subject, that nobody -knew anything of his disorder, though the paroxysms returned very -frequently. The motive which principally induced him to this secrecy -was the dread of losing a lady to whom he was just about to be married. -Being afraid, however, lest some paroxysm should prove fatal to him, -he communicated his case to the Sheriff of the town, who, by virtue of -his office, was obliged to take care of him if such a misfortune should -happen. The marriage was concluded, and the lawyer for a considerable -time enjoyed a perfect state of health, but at last was seized with so -violent a paroxysm of the disease that his lady, to whom he had not -revealed the secret, not doubting his death, ordered him to be put in -his coffin. The Sheriff, though absent when the paroxysm seized him, -luckily returned in time to preserve him; for he ordered the interment -to be delayed, and the lawyer, returning to life, survived the accident -sixteen years.” - -Another case is that of a certain person who was conveyed to the church -in order to be interred, but one of his friends sprinkling a large -quantity of holy water on his face, which was covered, he not only -returned to life, but also resumed a perfect state of health. - -This writer subjoins other histories of persons who, being interred -alive, have expired in their graves and tombs, as has afterwards been -discovered by various marks made, not only in their sepulchres, but -also in their own bodies. He in a particular manner mentions a young -lady of Auxbourg, who, falling into a syncope, in consequence of a -suffocation of the matrix, was buried in a deep vault, without being -covered with earth, because her friends thought it sufficient to have -the vault carefully shut up. Some years after, however, one of the -family happened to die; the vault was opened, and the body of the young -lady found on the stairs at its entry, without any fingers on the right -hand. - -It is recorded in “Tr. de Aere et Alim. defect.,” cap. vii., that a -certain woman was hanged, and in all appearances was dead, who was -nevertheless restored to life by a physician accidentally coming in and -ordering a plentiful administration of sal ammoniac. - -Another case of hanging is the story of Anne Green, executed at Oxford, -December 14, 1650. She was hanged by the neck for half an hour, -some of her friends thumping her on the breast, others hanging with -all their weight upon her legs, and then pulling her down again with -a sudden jerk, thereby the sooner to despatch her out of her pain. -After she was in her coffin, being observed to breathe, a lusty fellow -stamped with all his force on her breast and stomach to put her out of -pain. But by the assistance of Dr. Petty, Dr. Willis, Dr. Bathurst, and -Dr. Clark, she was again brought to life. - -Kornmann, in his treatise “De Miraculis Mortuorum,” relates the -following history:--“Saint Augustine, from Saint Cirille, informs -us that a Cardinal of the name of Andrew having died in Rome in the -presence of several bystanders, was next day conveyed to the church, -where the Pope and a body of the clergy attended service in order to do -honour to his memory. But to their great surprise, after some groans, -he recovered his life and senses. This event was at the time looked -upon as a miracle, and ascribed to Saint Jerome to whom the Cardinal -was greatly attached.” - -The following account seems more to resemble a miracle, though we do -not find that it was looked upon as such:--“Gocellinus, a young man, -and nephew to one of the Archbishops of Cologne, falling into the -Rhine, was not found for fifteen days after, but was discovered to be -alive as he lay before the shrine of Saint Guibert.” - -Persons curious or incredulous upon the dangers of precipitate burials -may, for their satisfaction, have recourse to the medical observations -of Forestus; those of Amatus Lusitanus; the chirurgical observations of -William Fabri; the treatise of Levinus Lemnius on the secret miracles -of Nature; the observations of Schenkins; the medico-legal questions -of Paul Zacchias; Albertinus Bottonus’s treatise of the Disorders of -Women; Terilli’s treatise on the Causes of Sudden Death; Lancisi’s -treatise Concerning Deaths, and Kornmann’s treatise on the Miracles of -the Dead. These authors furnish us with a great variety of the most -palpable and flagrant instances of the uncertainty of the signs of -death. As examples of the possibility of even great anatomists being -imposed upon by these fallacious signs, the two following accidents are -given:-- - -“Andreas Vesalius, successively first physician to Charles the Fifth -and his son Philip the Second of Spain, being persuaded that a certain -Spanish gentleman, whom he had under management, was dead, asked -liberty of his friends to lay open his body. His request being granted, -he no sooner plunged his dissecting-knife in the body than he observed -signs of life in it, since, upon opening the breast, he saw the heart -palpitating. The friends of the deceased, horrified by the accident, -pursued Vesalius as a murderer; and the judges inclined that he should -suffer as such. By the entreaties of the King of Spain, he was rescued -from the threatening danger, on condition that he would expiate his -crime by undertaking a voyage to the Holy Land.” - -The account of the accident that befell the other anatomist is taken -from Terilli, and runs as follows:-- - -“A lady of distinction in Spain, being seized with an hysteric -suffocation so violent that she was thought irretrievably dead, her -friends employed a celebrated anatomist to lay open her body to -discover the cause of her death. Upon the second stroke of the knife -she was roused from her disorder, and discovered evident signs of -life by her lamentable shrieks extorted by the fatal instrument. This -melancholy spectacle struck the bystanders with so much consternation -and horror that the anatomist, now no less condemned and abhorred -than before applauded and extolled, was forthwith obliged to quit not -only the town but also the province in which the guiltless tragedy -was acted. But though he quitted the now disagreeable scene of the -accident, a groundless remorse preyed upon his soul, till at last a -fatal melancholy put an end to his life.” - -Physicians of the earlier ages knew that there were disorders which so -locked up or destroyed the external senses that the patients labouring -under them appeared to be dead. According to Mr. Le Clerc, in his -“History of Medicine,” Diogenes Laertius informs us “that Empedocles -was particularly admired for curing a woman supposed to be dead, though -that philosopher frankly acknowledged that her disorder was only a -suffocation of the matrix, and affirmed that the patient might live in -that state (the absence of respiration) for thirty days.” - -Mr. Le Clerc, in the work already quoted, tells us that “Heraclides -of Pontus wrote a book concerning the causes of diseases, in which he -affirmed that a patient is without respiration in certain disorders -for thirty days, and that they appeared dead in every respect, except -corruption of the body.” - -To these authorities we may add that of Pliny, who, after mentioning -the lamentable fate of Aviola and Lamia, affirms--“That such is the -condition of humanity, and so uncertain the judgment men are capable of -forming of things, that even death itself is not to be trusted to.” - -Colerus, in “Oeconom.” part vi., lib. xviii., cap. 113, observes, “That -a person as yet not really dead may, for a long time, remain apparently -in that state without discovering the least signs of life; and this has -happened in the times of the Plague, when a great many persons interred -have returned to life in their graves.” Authors also inform us that the -like accident frequently befalls women seized with a suffocation of the -matrix (hysteria). - -Forestus, in “Obs. Med.,” 1. xvii., obs. 9, informs us--“That drowned -persons have returned to life after remaining forty-eight hours in the -water; and sometimes women, buried during a paroxysm of the hysteric -passion, have returned to life in their graves; for which reason it is -forbidden in some countries to bury the dead sooner than seventy-two -hours after death.” This precaution of delaying the interment of -persons thought to be dead is of a very ancient date, since Dilberus, -in “Disput. Philol.,” tome i., observes that Plato ordered the bodies -of the dead to be kept till the third day, _in order to be satisfied of -the reality of death_. - -The burial customs of the ancients often included steps that were taken -as a precaution against mistaking the living for the dead. Indeed the -fear of such an accident seems to have always been entertained as a -thing liable to occur in every case of seeming death. The embalming -process employed by the Egyptians was a surgical test of the kind. -The abdomen was first opened in order to remove the intestines, and -some startling experiences must have been had in consequence of the -incisions required for this operation, because it was customary for the -friends and relatives of the deceased to throw stones at the persons -employed in embalming as soon as the work was over, owing to the horror -with which they were struck upon witnessing what must have been at -times a cruel proceeding. - -The funeral ceremonies used in the Caribbee Islands are, in a great -measure, conformable to reason. They wash the body, wrap it up in -a cloth, and then begin a series of lamentations and discourses -calculated to recall the deceased to life, by naming all the pleasures -and privileges he has enjoyed in the world, saying over and over again, -“How comes it, then, that you have died?” When the lamentations are -over, they place the body on a small seat, in a grave about four or -five feet deep, and for ten days present aliments to it, entreating it -to eat. Then, convinced that it would neither eat nor return to life, -they, for its obstinacy, throw the victuals on its head, and cover up -the grave. It is evident from the practices of this people that they -wait so long before they cover the body with earth, because they have -had instances of persons recalled to life by these measures. - -Lamentations of a similar kind were employed by the Jews and Romans, as -well as by the ancient Prussians and the inhabitants of Servia, founded -doubtless upon similar experiences. - -The Thracians, according to Herodotus, kept their dead for only three -days, at the end of which time they offered up sacrifices of all kinds, -and, after bidding their last adieu to the deceased, either burned or -interred their bodies. - -According to Quenstedt, the ancient Russians laid the body of the dead -person naked on a table, and washed it for an hour with warm water. -Then they put it into a bier, which was set in the most public room in -the house. On the third day they conveyed it to the place of interment, -where the bier, being opened, the women embraced the body with great -lamentations. Then the singers spent an hour in shouting and making -a noise in order to recall it to life; after which it was let down -into the grave and covered with earth. So that this people used the -test of warm water, that of cries, and a reasonable delay, before they -proceeded to the interment. - -In the laws and history of the Jews, there is but one regulation with -respect to interment (in the twenty-first chapter of Deuteronomy), -where the Jewish legislator orders persons hanged to be buried the same -day. From this, one is led to infer that the funeral ceremonies, as -handed down from Adam, were otherwise perfect and unexceptionable. The -bier used by the Jews, on which the body was laid, was not shut at the -top, as our coffins are, as is obvious from the resurrection of the -Widow of Nain’s son, recorded in the seventh chapter of Luke, where -these words occur:--“And he came and touched the bier, and they that -bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise; -and he that was dead sat up and began to speak.” - -Gierus and Calmet inform us that the body, before its interment, lay -for some days in the porch or dining-room of the house. According to -Maretus, it was probably during this time that great lamentations were -made, in which the name of the deceased was intermixed with mournful -cries and groans. - -Mr. Boyer, member of the Faculty at Paris, observes that such -lamentations are still used by the Eastern Jews, and even by the Greeks -who embrace the articles of the Greek Church. These people hire women -to weep and dance by turns round the body of the dead person, whom they -interrogate with respect to the reasons they had for dying. - -Lanzoni, a physician of Ferrara, informs us that “when any person among -the Romans died, his nearest relatives closed his mouth and eyes, and -when they saw him ready to expire, they caught his last words and -sighs. Then calling him aloud three times by his name, they bade him an -eternal adieu.” This ceremony of calling the name of the dying person -was called Conclamation, a custom that dates prior to the foundation of -Rome, and was only abolished with paganism. - -Propertius acquaints us with the effect they expected from the -first Conclamation--since there were several of them. He introduces -Cynthia as saying, “Nobody called me by my name at the time my eyes -were closing, and I should have enjoyed an additional day if you had -recalled me to life.” - -Conclamations were made also by trumpets and horns, blown upon the -head, into the ears, and upon neck and chest, so as to penetrate all -the cavities of the body, into which, as the ancients imagined, the -soul might possibly make her retreat. - -Quenstedt and Casper Barthius, in “Advers.,” lib. xxxvii., ch. 17, tell -us that it was customary among the ancients to wash the bodies of their -dead in warm water before they burned them, “that the heat of the water -might rouse the languid principle of life which might possibly be left -in the body.” - -By warm water we are to understand boiling water, as is obvious from -the copious steam arising from the vessel represented in pieces of -statuary in such instances: as also from the Sixth Book of Virgil’s -“Æneid”--“Some of the companions of Æneas, with boiling water taken -from brazen vessels, wash the dead body, and then anoint it.” - -The Romans, as Lanzoni informs us, kept the bodies of the dead seven -days before they interred them; and Servius, in his commentary on -Virgil, tells us “that on the eighth day they burned the body, and -on the ninth put its ashes in the grave.” Polydorus and Alexander ab -Alexandro are also of opinion that the Romans kept the dead seven -days; and Gierus affirms that they sometimes did not bury them till -the ninth; but it is easy to believe that they deviated from the most -universal custom when evident and incontestable marks of death rendered -it safe to inter before the usual time. Alexander ab Alexandro also -observes that it was customary among the Greeks to keep the bodies of -their dead seven days before they put them on the funeral pile. - -It would have, perhaps, been sufficient to have kept the bodies of the -dead seven days, or nine, or till putrefaction evinced the certainty of -death; but the Romans carried their circumspection farther, since, to -use the words of Quenstedt, “Those who were employed in watching the -dead now and then began their conclamations, and all at once called -the dead person aloud by his name, because, as Celsus informs us, the -principle of life is often thought to have left the body when it still -remains in it; for which reason conclamations were made, in order, if -possible, to rouse it and excite it.” - -If our senses are so imperfect that the signs of life may escape -them; if the languid state of the sensitive powers, or the origin of -the nerves, is such that the most painful chirurgical operations are -sometimes insufficient to put the spirits in motion; if the duration -of a perfect insensibility for a considerable number of days is a -precarious and uncertain mark of death; and if situations, apparently -the most inconsistent with life, for a considerable time amount only to -strong presumptions that life is destroyed, we ought, with Mr. Winslow -and a great many other celebrated authors, to conclude that a beginning -of putrefaction is the only certain sign of death. - -Mr. Winslow evidently proves that the most cruel chirurgical operations -are sometimes insufficient to ascertain death. From these observations -we can but conclude--(1) That it is to no purpose to use the most -cruel chirurgical operations; and (2) that it is necessary to abstain -from such as may prove mortal to the patient. Mr. Winslow is indeed so -far from recommending operations of the last mentioned kind, that he -calls it rash to plunge a long needle under the nail of an apoplectic -patient’s toe. - -But if Mr. Winslow thinks it rash to make a simple puncture in a -nervous part, we ought, surely, not to entertain a favourable notion of -the large and enormous incisions made in dissections. Those, indeed, -who are dissected run no risk of being interred alive. The operation is -an infallible means to secure them from so terrible a fate. This is one -advantage which persons dissected have over those who are without any -further ceremony shut up in their coffins. - - * * * * * - -In the appendix to the second edition of Dr. Curry’s “Observations on -Apparent Death” several instances of a similar kind are added, and -amongst others the case of William Earl of Pembroke, who died April -30, 1630. When the body was opened in order to be embalmed, he was -observed, immediately after the incision was made, to lift up his hand. -This is capped by the incident of Vesalius already given. - -“A correspondent of the late Dr. Hawes assures us that there was then -living in Hertfordshire a lady of an ancient and honourable family -whose mother was brought to life after interment by the attempt of a -thief to steal a valuable ring from her finger. (See Reports of the -Royal Humane Society for 1787-88-89, p. 77.) Whether it was the same -or not I cannot say, but Lady Dryden, who resided in the southern part -of Northamptonshire, in consequence of some such event having occurred -in her family expressly directed in her will that her body should -have the throat cut across previous to interment; and to secure this -bequeathed fifty pounds to an eminent physician, who actually performed -it.”--_Ibid., p. 106._ - -Dr. Elliotson refers to a case of a female who was pronounced to be -dead. Her pulse could not be felt, and she was put into a coffin; and, -as the coffin lid was being closed they observed a sweat break out, and -thus saw that she was alive. She recovered completely, and then stated -that she had been unable to give any signs of life whatever; that she -was conscious of all that was going on around her; that she heard -everything; and that when she found the coffin lid about to be put -on,the agony was dreadful beyond all description, so that it produced -the sweat seen by the attendants. - - -DEATH-TRANCE. - -In two cases related by the late Mr. Braid, of Manchester, “the -patients remained in the horrible condition of hearing various remarks -about their death and interment. All this they heard distinctly -without having the power of giving any indication that they were -alive, until some accidental abrupt impression aroused them from their -lethargy, and rescued them from their perilous situation. On one of -these occasions, what most intensely affected the feelings of the -entranced subject, as she afterwards communicated to my informant, -was hearing a little sister, who came into the room, where she was -laid out for dead, exulting in the prospect, in consequence of her -death, of getting possession of a necklace of the deceased.” In -another instance, the patient remained in a cataleptic condition for -fourteen days. During this period, the visible signs of vitality were a -slight degree of animal heat and appearance of moisture when a mirror -was held close to her face. But although she had no voluntary power -to give indication by word or gesture, nevertheless she heard and -understood all that was said and proposed to be done, and suffered the -most exquisite torture from various tests applied to her.... There is -hardly a more interesting chapter in the records of medical literature -than the history of well-authenticated cases of profound lethargy or -death-trance. Most of the reported cases in which persons in a state -of trance are stated to have been consigned to the horrors of a living -burial may possibly be apocryphal. Still, on the other hand, there are -unquestionably too many well-substantiated instances of the actual -occurrence of this calamity, the horrors of which no effort of the -imagination can exaggerate, and for the prevention of which no pains -can be excessive and no precaution superfluous. - -The following is taken from “Memorials of the Family of Scott, of -Scott’s Hall, in the County of Kent, with an Appendix of Illustrative -Documents,” by James Benat Scott, F. S. A., London, 1876, page 225:-- - -“Robert Scott, Esq., tenth (but sixth surviving) son of Sir Thomas -Scott, of Scot’s-Hall, Knight, married Priscilla, one of the daughters -of Sir Thomas Honywood, of Elmsmere, Knight, by whom he had nine -children. Remarkable accidents happened to the said Robert Scott and -Priscilla, his wife, before their marriage, at their marriage, and -after their marriage, before they had children. At their marriage, -which was in or about the year 1610, the said Robert Scott having -forgot his wedding ring when they were to be married, the said -Priscilla was married with a ring with death’s head upon it. - -“Within a short time after they were married, the said Robert Scott, -and Priscilla, his wife, sojourning with Sir Edward at Austenhanger, -the said Robert Scott, about Bartholomewtide, fell sick of a desperate -malignant fever, and was given over for dead by all, insomuch as that -he was laid forth, the pillows pulled from under him, the curtains -drawn, and the chamber windows set open, and ministers spoke to to -preach the funeral service, and a book called for his funeral that was -to have been kept at Scott’s Hall, where Sir John Scott the eldest -brother then lived. At night he was watched with by his own servant, -named Robins, and another servant in the house, and about midnight -they, sitting together by the fire in the chamber, the said Robins said -to the other, ‘Methinks my master should not be dead, I will go and -try,’ and presently starting up went to the bedside where his master -laid, and hallooed in his ear, and laid a feather to his nostrils, and -perceived that he breathed, upon which he called them up in the house, -and they warmed clothes and rubbed him, and brought him to life again. -He lived afterwards to be upwards of seventy-two years of age, and to -have nine children. - -“Another remarkable passage was that his wife, Priscilla, being then -very sick also, they told her that he was dead. She answered that she -did not believe that God would part them so soon. The said Priscilla, -when born, was laid for dead, no one minding her, but all the women -went to help her mother, who was then like to die after her delivery; -but at last an old woman, taking the child in her arms, carried it -downstairs, and using means, brought her to life. The other women, -missing the child, and hearing the old woman had carried her down to -get life in her, laughed at her, as thinking it impossible to bring the -child to life; but in a little time she brought it into the chamber, to -the amazement of them all, and said she might live to be an old woman; -and so she did to the age of fifty-two, and had nine children.” - -The following cases are from Mrs. Crowe’s “Night Side of Nature,” pp. -133-136:-- - -“Dr. Burns mentions a girl at Canton, who lay in a trance, hearing -every word that was said around her, but utterly unable to move a -finger. She tried to cry out, but could not, and supposed that she was -really dead. The horror of finding that she was about to be buried at -length caused a perspiration to appear on her skin, and she finally -revived. She described that she felt that her soul had no power to act -upon her body, and that it seemed to be _in her body and out of it at -the same time_.” - -“Lady Fanshawe related the case of her mother who being sick of a -fever, her friends and servants thought her deceased, and she lay in -that state for two days and a night; but Mr. Winslow, coming to comfort -my father, went into my mother’s room, and looking earnestly into her -face, said, ‘She was so handsome, and looked so lovely, that he could -not think her dead,’ and, suddenly taking a lancet out of his pocket, -he cut the sole of her foot, which bled: upon this he immediately -caused her to be removed to the bed again, and she opened her eyes, -after rubbing and other restorative means, and came to life.” - -“On the 10th of January, 1717, Mr. John Gardner, a minister at Elgin, -fell into a trance, and being to all appearances dead, he was put -into a coffin and on the second day was carried to the grave. But -fortunately a noise being heard, the coffin was opened, and he was -found alive and taken home again, where, according to the record, ‘he -related many strange and amazing things which he had seen in the other -world.’” - -Under the head of “Suspended Animation: Cases of Recovery, etc.,” the -Report of the Royal Humane Society for 1816-17, pp. 48-50, copies -the following:--“A young lady, an attendant on the Princess of----, -after having been confined to her bed for a great length of time with -a violent disorder, was at last to all appearances deprived of life. -Her lips were quite pale, her face resembled the countenance of a dead -person, and her body became cold. - -“She was removed from the room in which she died, was laid in a -coffin, and the day of her funeral was fixed on. The day arrived, -and, according to the custom of the country, funeral songs and hymns -were sung before the door. Just as they were about to nail on the lid -of the coffin, a slight perspiration was observed to appear on the -surface of her body. It grew greater every moment, and at last a kind -of convulsive motion was observed in the hands and feet of the corpse. -A few moments after, during which time fresh signs of returning life -appeared, she at once opened her eyes, and uttered a pitiable shriek. -Physicians were quickly procured, and in the course of a few days she -was considerably restored, and is probably alive at this day.” - -The description which she herself gave of her situation is extremely -remarkable, and forms a curious and authentic addition to psychology:-- - -“She said it seemed to her, as if in a dream, that she was really -dead; yet she was perfectly conscious of all that happened around her -in this dreadful state. She distinctly heard her friends speaking, -and lamenting her death at the side of her coffin. She felt them pull -on the dead-clothes and lay her in it. This feeling produced a mental -anxiety which was indescribable. She tried to cry, but her soul was -without power and could not act on her body. She had the contradictory -feeling as if she were in her body, and yet not in it, at one and the -same time. It was equally impossible for her to stretch out her arms, -or to open her eyes, or to cry although she continued to do so. The -internal anguish of her mind was, however, at its utmost height when -the funeral hymns began to be sung, and when the lid of the coffin was -about to be nailed on. The thought that she was to be buried alive was -the first one which gave activity to her soul, and caused it to operate -on her corporeal frame.” - -Related by Dr. Herz in the “Psychological Magazine,” and transcribed -by Sir Alexander Crichton in the introduction to his essay on “Mental -Derangement.” [2 vols., Lond., 1798.] - - * * * * * - -“One of the most frightful cases extant is that of Dr. Walker, of -Dublin, who had so strong a presentiment on this subject, that he -had actually written a treatise against the Irish custom of hasty -burial. He, himself, subsequently died, as was believed, of a fever. -His decease took place in the night, and on the following day he was -interred. At this time, Mrs. Bellamy, the once-celebrated actress, was -in Ireland; and as she had promised him, in the course of conversation, -that she would take care he should not be laid in the earth till -unequivocal signs of dissolution had appeared, she no sooner heard of -what had happened than she took measures to have the grave reopened; -but it was, unfortunately, too late. Dr. Walker had evidently revived, -and had turned upon his side; but life was quite extinct.” - -Mr. Horace Welby, in a chapter on “Premature Interment,” says that “the -Rev. Owen Manning, the historian of Surrey, during his residence at -Cambridge University, caught small-pox, and was reduced by the disorder -to a state of insensibility and apparent death. The body was laid out -and preparations were made for the funeral, when Mr. Manning’s father, -going into the chamber to take a last look at his son, raised the -imagined corpse from its recumbent position, saying, ‘I will give my -poor boy another chance,’ upon which signs of vitality were apparent. -He was therefore removed by his friend and fellow-student, Dr. -Heberden, and ultimately restored to health.”--_The Mysteries of Life -and Death, pp. 115-116._ - - * * * * * - -A most conspicuous and interesting monument in St. Giles’s Church, -Cripplegate, London (where Cromwell was married and John Milton -buried), is associated with a remarkable case of trance or catalepsy. -In the chancel is a striking sculptured figure in memory of Constance -Whitney, a lady of remarkable gifts, whose rare excellences are fully -described in the tablet. She is represented as rising from her coffin. -Welby, at p. 116, relates the story that she had been buried while -in a state of suspended animation, but was restored to life through -the cupidity of the sexton, which induced him to disinter the body to -obtain possession of a valuable ring left upon her finger, which he -concluded could be of no use to the wearer. A study of the facts of -premature burial shows that the rifling of tombs and coffins to obtain -valuables has in other instances revealed similar tragic occurrences. - -The often-cited case of Mrs. Goodman, one of those recalled to life by -the sexton’s attempt to remove a ring from the finger, is thus related -in the “History of Bandon,” by George Bennett:-- - -Hannah, wife of Rev. Richard Goodman, vicar of Ballymodan, Bandon, from -1692 to 1737, fell into ill-health, and apparently died. Two or three -days after her decease, the body was taken to Rosscarbery Cathedral, -and there laid in the family vault of the Goodmans. The attempt of the -sexton to recover a valuable diamond ring from the finger is said to -have been made at an early hour the next morning. Much violence was -used, so that the corpse moved, yawned, and sat up. The sexton having -fled in terror, leaving his lantern behind and the church door open, -the lady in her shroud made her way out of the vault and through the -church to the residence of her brother-in-law, the Rev. Thomas Goodman, -which was just outside the church-yard. Having been admitted after -some delay and consternation, she was put to bed, and fell asleep soon -after, her brother-in-law and his man-servant keeping watch over her -until mid-day, when she awoke refreshed. She is said to have shown -herself in the village in the afternoon, to have supped with the -family in the evening, and to have set out for home on horseback next -morning. She is said to have survived this episode for some years, and -to have borne a son subsequent to it, who died at an advanced age at -Innishannon, a village near Bandon. - -In Smith’s “History of Cork,” vol. ii., p. 428, the same incident is -thus mentioned:--“Mr. John Goodman, of Cork, died in January, 1747, -aged about four score; but what is remarkable of him, his mother was -interred while she lay in a trance, having been buried in a vault, -etc.... This Mr. Goodman was born some time after.” - - * * * * * - -Mr. Peckard, Master of Magdalen College, Cambridge, in a work entitled -“Further Observations on the Doctrine of an Intermediate State,” -mentions that Mrs. Godfrey, Mistress of the Jewel Office, and sister -of the great Duke of Marlborough, is stated to have lain in a trance, -apparently dead, for seven days, and was declared by her medical -attendants to have been dead. Colonel Godfrey, her husband, would not -allow her to be interred, or the body to be treated in the manner of a -corpse; and on the eighth day she awoke, without any consciousness of -her long insensibility. - -The daughter of Henry Laurens, of South Carolina, the first President -of the American Congress during the Revolutionary War, died when young -of small-pox. At all events a medical certificate pronounced her dead, -and she was shrouded and coffined for interment. It was customary in -those days to confine the patient amidst red curtains with closed -windows. After the certificate of death had been duly made out, the -curtains were thrown back and the windows opened. The fresh air revived -the patient, who recovered and lived to a mature age. This circumstance -occasioned on her father so powerful a dread of living interment, that -he directed by will that his body should be burnt, and enjoined on his -children the performance of this wish as a sacred duty. - -Bouchut in his “Signes de la Mort,” p. 58, relates that the physician -of Queen Isabella of Spain was treating a man during a dangerous -illness, and as he went to see his patient one morning he was informed -by the assistants that the man had died. He entered, and found the -body, in the habit of the Order of St. Francis, laid out upon a board. -Nothing daunted, he had him put back to bed in spite of the ridicule of -those present, and the patient soon revived and fully recovered. - -The following cases are from Köppen (see Bibliography, 1799):-- - -Vienna. 1791.--A castle guard (_portier_) was in a trance for several -days. His funeral was prepared, and he was placed in a coffin. All at -once he unexpectedly opened his eyes and called out, “Mother, where is -the coffee?” - -Halle, 1753.--In the register of deaths, at St. Mary’s Church, is the -following entry:--“Shoemaker Casper Koch was buried, aged eighty-one -years. Thirty years ago he had died, to all appearances, and was put in -a coffin, when suddenly, when they were about to bury him, he recovered -his consciousness.” - -Haag, Holland, 1785.--The son of a cook died, and while the coffin was -being carried to the grave-yard, he was heard to knock. On opening the -coffin he was found alive. He was taken home and was restored. - - * * * * * - -In the “Cyclopædia of Practical Medicine,” edited by John Forbes, M.D., -F.R.S., and others, 1847, vol. i., pp. 548-549, is the following:--“A -remarkable instance of resuscitation after apparent death occurred -in France, in the neighbourhood of Douai, in the year 1745, and is -related by Rigaudeaux, (_Journal des Sçavans_, 1749,) to whom the -case was confided. He was summoned in the morning to attend a woman -in labour, at a distance of about a league. On his arrival, he was -informed that she had died in a convulsive fit two hours previously. -The body was already prepared for interment, and on examination he -could discover no indications of life. The os uteri was sufficiently -dilated to enable him to turn the child and deliver by the feet. The -child appeared to be dead also; but, by persevering in the means of -resuscitation for three hours, they excited some signs of vitality, -which encouraged them to proceed, and their endeavours were ultimately -crowned with complete success. Rigaudeaux again carefully examined the -mother, and was confirmed in the belief of her death; but he found -that, although she had been in that state for seven hours, her limbs -retained their flexibility. Stimulants were applied in vain; he took -his leave, recommending that the interment should be deferred until -the flexibility was lost. At five p.m. a messenger came to inform him -that she had revived at half-past three. The mother and child were both -alive three years after.” - - - - -APPENDIX B. - -RESUSCITATION OF STILL-BORN AND OTHER INFANTS. - - -THE danger of premature burial of still-born (apparently dead) infants -is clearly shown by the following quotation from Tidy’s “Legal -Medicine,” part ii., page 253, from tables given on the authority -of the _British and Foreign Medical Review_, No. ii., p. 235, based -on eight millions of births. “It would appear that from one in -eighteen to one in twenty births are still-born. Dr. Lever found that -the proportion in his three thousand cases was one in eighteen. So -notorious is it that a large number of these deaths could be averted, -that some legislation is urgently needed, requiring that still-borns, -whose bodies weigh, say, not less than two pounds (the average weight -about the sixth and seventh months at which children are viable), -should not be buried without registration and a medical examination.” - -Many instances can be found in current medical literature of still-born -infants that have been revived by artificial respiration. Such cases -not infrequently revive without any means being employed for their -resuscitation; but among the poor, who dispose of the new-born -apparently dead in a hasty manner, they might be buried alive through -carelessness. The use of mortuaries, where the seeming dead would be -kept under observation until decomposition appears, would of course -prevent such disasters. - -Struve, in the Essay cited in the Bibliography (1802), says:-- - -“All still-born children should be considered as only apparently dead, -and the resuscitative process ought never to be neglected. Sometimes -two hours or more will elapse before reanimation can be effected. An -ingenious man-midwife, says Bruhier, was employed for several hours in -the revival of an apparently still-born child, and as his endeavours -proved unavailing, he considered the subject really dead. Being, -however, accidentally detained, he again turned his attention to the -child, and by continuing the resuscitative method for some time it was -unexpectedly restored to life” (p. 150). - -The following is one of Struve’s most striking cases:-- - -A Mr. E.---- called in 18---- to obtain a certificate of death for a -still-born child of seven months’ gestation. Arriving at the house, -the doctor found the child laid upon a little straw and covered with -a slight black shawl; this was one p.m., and the child had been there -since five a.m. It was icy cold, and there was no heart sound nor -respiration, but there was a slight muscular twitching over the region -of the heart. The child was immersed in a hot bath and artificial -respiration employed, but for twenty minutes the case seemed hopeless; -then the eyes opened and after continued effort the respirations began, -laborious and interrupted at first, then normal by degrees. The child -was saved, and became an accomplished violinist. - -The mortality and waste of infant life, particularly in large cities -like Paris, London, Berlin, Vienna, and New York, is admitted by all -investigators to be enormous. In France medical writers, in view of -the small percentage of births to population, are waking up to the -realisation that the State cannot afford the loss, and that, among -other things, steps should be taken to resuscitate the still-born, -so that none should be buried before unequivocal signs of death are -manifested.[21] The premature abandonment of the still-born among the -poorer classes in crowded cities is only too probable. There are also -cases recorded which show a corresponding risk to infants who have -survived their birth:-- - -The _British Medical Journal_, January 21, 1871, p. 71, gives the -following case, under the heading, “Alive in a Coffin”:--“Stories of -this kind are generally very apocryphal; but the following reaches us -from an authentic source. A child narrowly escaped being buried alive -last week in Manchester. The infant’s father had died, and was to be -buried in Ardwick Cemetery. The day before the burial the infant was -taken ill, and apparently died. A certificate of death was procured -from a surgeon’s assistant who had seen the child, and, to save -expense, it was decided to place it in the same coffin with the father. -This was done, and the next morning the bearers set off to the cemetery -with their double burden; but before reaching the grave-yard a cry was -heard to issue from the coffin. The lid being removed, the infant was -discovered alive and kicking. It was at once removed to a neighbour’s -house, but died eight hours afterwards. - -The _British Medical Journal_, 1885, ii., p. 841, gives the following -case, under the heading, “Death or Coma?” - -“The close similarity which is occasionally seen to connect the -appearance of death with that of exhaustion following disease, was -lately illustrated in a somewhat striking manner. An infant seized with -convulsions was supposed to have died about three weeks ago at Stamford -Hill. After five days’ interval, preparations were being made for its -interment, when, at the grave’s mouth, a cry was heard to come from the -coffin. The lid was taken off, and the child was found to be alive; it -was taken home, and is recovering.” - -The following is from Tidy’s “Legal Medicine,” pt. i., p. 29:-- - -“In a communication to the French Academy, Professor Fort mentions -a child (_ætat._ three) having been resuscitated by artificial -respiration continued for four hours, and not commenced until three and -a half hours after its apparent decease. - -“Ogston records one case of a child alive for seven hours, and a second -case of a young woman alive for four hours, after they had been left as -dead.” - -From the _Lancet_, April 22, 1882, p. 675:-- - - -“PREMATURE INTERMENT. - - “A daily contemporary states that at the gates of the Avignon cemetery - the parents of a child certified to have died of croup insisted on - having the coffin opened to take a last look. The child was found - breathing, and is expected to be saved.” - -The following letter to the editor of the _Lancet_, March 31, 1866, p. -360, illustrates the danger to which infants supposed to be dead are -exposed, under one of our traditional customs:-- - - -“LAYING-OUT OF DEAD INFANTS. - - “Sir,--In your journal of last Saturday, among the ‘Medical - Annotations,’ you notice the inquiry into the circumstances under - which an infant, being still living and moving, was ‘bandaged’ - beneath the chin, and ‘laid-out’ at St. Pancras Workhouse. Allow me - to state that in the _Lancet_, vol. ii., 1850, a contribution from me - ‘On the Danger of Tying-up the Lower Jaw immediately after Supposed - Death’ was published. An infant, aged two months, was brought to me - on a Friday with the lower jaw tied up by its mother, who asked for a - certificate of death; but on my removing the bandage, the child began - to show symptoms of vitality, and it lived until the following Monday. - - C. J. B. ALDIS, M.D., F.R.C.P. - - “Chester Terrace, Chester Square, March 26, 1866.” - -It is recorded that Dr. Doddridge showed so little signs of life at -his birth that he was laid aside as dead, but one of the attendants -observing some signs of life, took the baby under her charge, and by -her judicious treatment perfectly restored it. - -Mr. Highmore, Secretary of the London Lying-in Hospital, confirmed -(by a communication to the Royal Humane Society, April, 1816,) the -statement of Mrs. Catherine Widgen, the matron of that excellent -establishment, that, by a zealous perseverance in the means recommended -by that Society, she had been the happy instrument of restoring from -a state of apparent death in the space of _three years_ no less than -forty-five infants, who, but for her humane attention and indefatigable -exertions, must have been consigned to the grave. Later on, Mrs. Widgen -restored in one year twenty-seven apparently dead-born children--a -striking instance of the truth of the remark of a celebrated writer -(Osiander) that “the generality of infants, considered as still-born, -are only apparently so; if, therefore, persons would persevere in their -exertions to revive them, most of them might be restored.”--_Report of -the Royal Humane Society, 1816-17, pp. 52-54._ - -“For these exertions the General Court adjudged the Honorary Medallion -to Mrs. Widgen, and it was accordingly presented to her by His Royal -Highness the Duke of Kent.”--_Ibid., p. 52._ - -[The question naturally suggests itself in this place: If the matron -of such a noble institution as the above was able to save seventy-two -apparently dead children from the grave in four years, how many of -these poor little beings are consigned to the grave all over the world -for lack of the “humane attention and indefatigable exertions,” such as -this skilful matron gave to those that came under her intelligent care?] - - -“RECURRENCE OF SUSPENDED ANIMATION. - -“A child, who had a cough for some time, was suddenly attacked with -difficulty of breathing, and _to all appearances died_. A medical -gentleman immediately inflated the lungs, and by persisting in this -for a considerable time, recovered the child. A similar state of -suspended animation took place three or four times, and inflation -was as often had recourse to with the same success; but the attack, -happening, unfortunately, to recur whilst the medical gentleman in -whose family the case happened was from home, the proper measures were -not taken, and the child was lost.”--_Ibid., p. 140._ - - -“SHOCK FROM LIGHTNING. - -“A boy was struck down by a flash of lightning near Hoxton (in the -suburbs of London), and lay exposed to the rain at least an hour, until -his companions carried him home on some boards, apparently dead--the -body being stiff and universally cold, the fingers and toes contracted, -and the countenance livid. He was stripped of his wet clothes, put in -hot blankets, and bled twenty ounces. In half an hour, interrupted -respiration commenced, without inflating the lungs; in an hour more, -regular pulsation and breathing were established, together with power -of swallowing; and in a week he was quite well.”--_Ibid., p. 147._ - -In the _Lancet_, 1884, vol. i., p. 922, W. Arnold Thompson, F.R.C.S.I., -reports a case of resuscitation of a child delivered by the forceps, -which was “apparently to myself [he says] and the nurse and relatives, -a perfectly dead child, and with no signs of respiration or life about -it.... My opinion was that the death was real and positive, but that, -there being no actual disease present, and the blood still warm, the -machinery of life was set going, and resuscitation followed as a -consequence of suitable means being taken and persevered in without -undue delay. In the future I do not intend to allow any still-born -children to be put away without making strenuous efforts to restore -vitality.” - -The _Lancet_, 1880, vol. ii., p. 582:--In a discussion at the Royal -Medical and Chirurgical Society upon Artificial Respiration in New-born -Children, Dr. Roper related three cases in which the child was left -for dead. “One of these occurred in the practice of Mr. Brown, of St. -Mary Axe. The child was still-born in the absence of a medical man. It -was taken to the surgery, and thence to the late Mr. Solly, who next -day, in dissecting the body, found that the heart was still beating. -A second instance was of a fœtus of five months and a half, which was -set aside as dead, Dr. Roper attending the mother, who was suffering -from hæmorrhage. He was astonished next day to find that this immature -child, which had lain on the floor for eleven hours through a cold -night, was breathing and its heart beating....” Such examples show that -the new-born have greater tenacity of life than is supposed. - -The _Lancet_, 1881, vol. ii., p. 430, under the heading of “The -Burial of Still-born Infants,” states that “Greater security for the -due observance of these necessary regulations (the Births and Deaths -Registration Act of 1874), for the burial of infants said to be -still-born, is urgently called for. It is constantly patent that the -burial of deceased infants as still-born, if checked, is by no means -prevented; and that the authorities of burial grounds, by their laxity -in carrying out the provisions of the Act, afford dangerous facilities -for the concealment of crime, or negligence, and for a practice which -threatens to impair the value of our birth and death registration -statistics; for, if a live-born infant be buried as still-born, neither -its birth nor its death is registered.” - -A case of forceps-delivery occurred in the hands of the writer -(E.P.V.), in which the child, when extracted, was quite purple in -colour, and absolutely dead to all appearances--there was no breathing -nor impulse to be found anywhere. After some efforts at resuscitation -in the way of artificial respiration--not very thoroughly done, nor -much prolonged (for the child was believed to be dead)--with a warm -bath and frictions, it was laid aside and covered up. At a subsequent -visit some hours later, the child was found in the nurse’s lap, -completely recovered, and changed in colour to a bright pink. The nurse -said she did not like to give the little fellow up, and by breathing -into his mouth for some time he showed returning life, and by keeping -it up he soon began to breathe himself. - -Cases like this are believed to be not infrequent, because physicians -and nurses are not, as a general rule, aware of the great tenacity of -life possessed by the new-born infant. - -“_Still-births_ are not registered in England; but, under the -new Registration Act, no still-born child can be buried without -a certificate from a registered practitioner in attendance, or -a declaration from a midwife, to the effect that the child was -still-born. The proportion of still-births in this country is supposed -to be about four per cent., but this is uncertain.”--A. NEWSHOLME, -_Vital Statistics, 1889, p. 61_. - -“The proportion of deaths from premature births, compared with the -total number of births, in 1861-65 was 11·19 to 1,000 births; since -which time it has steadily increased, reaching the ratio of 15·89 per -births in 1,000 in 1887.”--_Ibid., p. 216._ - -The same author, p. 17, states that “a certain proportion of the -_births remain unregistered_(_a_). There is strong reason for thinking -that a certain number of children born alive are buried as still-born.” - - - - -APPENDIX C. - -RECOVERY OF THE DROWNED. - - -THIS is perhaps the best known and most generally appreciated occasion -of rescuing the apparently dead. The high degree in which it has -excited public sympathy will appear from a glance at that section of -the “Bibliography” (towards the end of the eighteenth century) which -gives the titles of essays and reports connected with the Royal Humane -Society and the corresponding foreign institutions upon which our own -was modelled. The following general remarks and cases are from the -essay of Dr. Struve, of Görlitz, Lusatia, 1802:-- - -“A great number of persons apparently drowned have been restored -to life without the use of stimulants, merely by the renovated -susceptibility of irritation. I have collected thirty-six cases of -persons apparently drowned in Lusatia from the year 1772 to the year -1792. Most of them were treated by uninformed people, and revived by -friction and warming; two persons, however, were indebted for their -lives to the continuation of the resuscitative process for several -hours. The greatest number were children; which is to be ascribed not -only to the greater danger to which they are exposed of drowning, but -also to the longer continuance of vital power in the infant frame” (p. -136). - -“A boy of about a year and a half old had lain upwards of a quarter -of an hour in the water, and was found face downwards, and the whole -body livid and swollen. He was undressed, wiped dry, and wrapped in -warm blankets; but the most particular part of the process was rolling -the body upon a table, shaking it by the shoulders, and rubbing the -feet. This having been continued for an hour, a convulsive motion -was observed in the toes; sneezing was excited by snuff; the tongue -stimulated by strong vinegar; the throat irritated with a feather; an -injection given. The child vomited a large quantity of water, and in an -hour afterwards began to breathe, and was completely restored to life” -(p. 137). - -“A woman upwards of thirty years of age, and who was affected with -epilepsy, fell in a fit from a height of twenty feet into the water, -where she remained a full quarter of an hour before she was taken out. -Mr. Redlich, surgeon, of Hamburg, had her put into a bed warmed by hot -bottles; she was rubbed with warm flannels, some spirits were dropped -into her mouth, when in a quarter of an hour symptoms of life, such as -convulsive motion and a very weak pulse, appeared. In three hours from -the time she was taken out of the water she recovered completely” (p. -138). - -Dr. Charles Londe, in a remarkable pamphlet (“Lettre sur la Mort -Apparente, les Conséquences Réelles des Inhumations Précipitées, et -le Temps Pendent lequel peut persister l’Aptitude à étre Rapellé à la -Vie.” Paris, Bailliére, 1854), records some instances of narrow escapes -from premature burial of the drowned, one of which may be cited:-- - -“On the 13th of July, 1829, about two p.m., near the Pont des Arts, -Paris, a body, which appeared lifeless, was taken out of the river. -It was that of a young man, twenty years of age, dark-complexioned, -and strongly built. The corpse was discoloured and cold; the face and -lips swollen and tinged with blue; a thick and yellowish froth exuded -from the mouth; the eyes were open, fixed, and motionless; the limbs -limp and drooping. _No pulsation of the heart nor trace of respiration -was perceptible._ The body had remained under water for a considerable -time; the search for it, made in Dr. Bourgeois’s presence, lasted -fully twenty minutes. That gentleman did not hesitate to incur the -derision of the lookers-on by proceeding to attempt the resuscitation -of what, in their eyes, was a mere lump of clay. Nevertheless, several -hours afterwards, the supposed corpse was restored to life, thanks to -the obstinate perseverance of the doctor, who, although a strong man -and enjoying robust health, was several times on the point of losing -courage and abandoning the patient in despair. But what would have -happened if Dr. Bourgeois, instead of persistently remaining stooping -over the inanimate body, with watchful eye and _attentive ear_, to -catch the first rustling of the heart, had left the drowned man, after -half an hour’s fruitless endeavour, as often happens? The unfortunate -man would have been laid in the grave, _although capable of restoration -to life_!” - -To this case, Dr. Bourgeois, in the “Archives de Medecine,” adds -others, in which individuals remained under water as long as SIX HOURS, -and were recalled to life by efforts which a weaker conviction than his -own would have refrained from making. These facts lead Dr. Londe to the -conclusion that, _every day, drowned individuals are buried, who, with -greater perseverance, might be restored to life_! - -The following case in point appears in the _Sunnyside_, New York, -communicated by J. W. Green, M.D.:-- - -“A few years since I was walking by the Central Park, near One Hundred -and Tenth Street and Fifth Avenue. Noticing a crowd that was acting in -an unusual manner by the side of the lake, I approached and inquired of -one of the bystanders what was the cause of the excitement. He replied, -‘A boy is drowned.’ I advanced to the edge of the water, and saw two -or three men in the water searching for the body. As they had not yet -discovered it, I made enquiries, and found at last a small boy who had -been a comrade of the victim. He showed me the spot from which the boy -had fallen. I then pointed out to the searchers where to look, and -immediately the body was recovered. I took it at once from the hands of -the person who had it, and held it reversed, in order to disembarrass -it of all the water possible, for a minute or two, then stripped it of -its clothing, sent for a blanket and brandy. I took a woollen coat from -one of the bystanders until the blanket should arrive, laid the child -upon it and commenced to rotate it. This I continued to do for at least -fifteen minutes by the watch. I then tried auscultation; no murmur -could be heard. - -“The skin was cold, the lips were blue. Every artery was still. With -all these signs of death present it was still obligatory upon me to -persevere. At the end of fifteen minutes there was a slight gasp. A -small quantity of brandy was placed upon the tongue. A little of this -ran into the larynx, and the stimulation was sufficient to produce -a long inspiration and then a cough. This was more than a half-hour -from the time when the boy had been removed from the water. Complete -restoration did not occur until nearly an hour from that time. He was -now given to his mother, and I was informed on the following day that -he entirely recovered, without an unfavourable symptom.” - -The three following cases of resuscitation from apparent death by -drowning are copied from the most recent reports of the Royal Humane -Society, London:-- - -“On 13th of August, 1895, Samuel Lawrence, aged five years, while -playing on the bank of a disused clay-pit at South Bank, Yorkshire, -fell into the water and sank. Two of his companions dived into the -water, and brought him up after a submersion of from seven to ten -minutes in an unconscious state. Two working men commenced artificial -respiration, and Dr. Steele continued it for ten hours before the boy -showed signs of returning sensibility and his complete recovery.” - -“October 6th, 1895.--At Deptford, Surrey, a woman with a baby in her -arms threw herself into the canal. They were rescued by the Royal -Humane Society’s drags. Two ladies took possession of the bodies (time -of submersion not stated), and they employed Silvester’s system of -artificial respiration with success, in the case of the woman in about -one hour, and with the child one hour and a half.” - -“August 6th, 1895.--At Bradford, England, Rudolf Pratt, a clerk -with Midland R.R. Company, was bathing, and sank in deep water. A -bystander by diving brought him up. After a submersion of five minutes, -unconscious, and not breathing, Dr. Oldham restored respiration by -Sylvester’s method after one and a half hour’s treatment.” - -These three cases are instructive on account of the length of time -animation remained suspended before it could be aroused to a state of -activity; and they lead to the belief that many cases that are given up -as actually dead could be saved if efforts at resuscitation were kept -up for a lengthened period, as in the first case. - -In cases of drowning some persons are quickly revived after a long -submersion; others again who are under water only a short time require -artificial respiration for a long time before they show signs of -returning life, as was the case with Samuel Lawrence, who was submerged -only ten minutes, yet required ten hours’ active treatment to revive -him. - - - - -APPENDIX D. - -MISCELLANEOUS ADDENDA. - - -HASTY BURIALS. - -AS an illustration of hasty burials dealt with in Chapter X. -the following case is cited from the _King’s County Chronicle_, -Parsonstown, Ireland, August 27, 1896:-- - - -“ROSCREA GUARDIANS. - -“Thursday--Present: T. Jackson, D.V.C., in the chair; L. S. Maher, -J.P.; M. Bergin, J.P.; W. J. Menton, W. Jackson, P. Roe. - -“Mr. Roe--You made short work of Jack Ryan at the chapel of Knock. He -was alive and speaking at three o’clock, and buried at six the same -day. The Master stated that, it being supposed the man died from an -infectious disease, no person would assist in coffining him till a -message came asking that he (the Master) would send out some of the -male inmates, and he sent two and had him coffined and interred. Mr. -Roe--The man was not cold when he was buried. Master--The nun tells -me the man had an ounce of tobacco clasped tightly in his hands. -Chairman--What disease had he? Clerk--Pneumonia was certified by -the doctor. The people believed that he had died from an infectious -disease, and insisted he should be buried immediately. Mr. Roe--It was -certainly short work--a man dying at three o’clock and buried at six. -Master--This man was married to a woman who was a nurse in the old -Donoughmore workhouse, and they lived at Drumar, Knock.”[22] - - -EVIDENCE OF RESUSCITATIONS IN GRAVE-YARDS. - -Reference has been made in this volume to the discoveries of premature -burial brought to light during the investigations of charnel-houses -in France, and the removal of grave-yards, necessitated through the -rapid expansion of towns, in America. The _Casket_, Rochester, New -York, U.S., of March 2, 1896, gives a detailed narrative of recent -discoveries made by T. M. Montgomery in the removal of Fort Randall -Cemetery, with the condition of the bodies found as to decay or state -of preservation, and says:-- - -“We found among these remains two that bore every evidence of having -been buried alive. The first case was that of a soldier that had been -struck by lightning. Upon opening the lid of the coffin we found that -the legs and arms had drawn up as far as the confines of the coffin -would permit. The other was a case of death resulting from alcoholism. -The body was slightly turned, the legs were drawn up a trifle, and the -hands were clutching the clothing. In the coffin was found a large -whisky flask, showing that those who buried him were not his friends, -or else that they too were afflicted with the disease that had cut -short the life of their companion. - -“It occurred to us at that time that this was a great argument in -favour of incineration. Nearly two per cent. of those exhumed here -were, no doubt, victims of suspended animation. Once before in our -experience have we noted this; and while not believing in as large a -percentage of live burials as the radical advocates of cremation claim, -yet we know that the percentage is larger than most scientists give. -Disinterment is the only solution of the question. In regard to these -two cases, we wish to say that science has proved that electricity does -not always kill, and that persons addicted to the liquor habit, after -long debauches, sometimes relapse into a comatose state, and are to all -appearances dead. Statistics show that a great many die annually of -these causes, hence the percentage in cases of this kind must be very -large. What is the remedy?” - - -HASTY EMBALMMENTS IN THE UNITED STATES. - -The _Casket_, Rochester, New York, September, 1896, observes:--At -different times considerable opposition has been raised against -embalming by Boards of Health and other officials in various -localities, on account of the haste with which the embalmer proceeds -with his duties. A few recent cases of supposed corpses recovering, one -of which occurred in Philadelphia, Pa., have revived the question, and -it is reported that the Philadelphia Board of Health may take action -looking to the enactment of a law prescribing the period of time which -should elapse after death before a body should be embalmed. - -In a recent issue of the Philadelphia _Times_, Funeral-Director John J. -O’Rourke, a well-known professional of that city, expresses himself on -the subject as follows:-- - -“These two narrow escapes from burial alive have further impressed me -with one of the perils attending the disposition of the dead--I mean -the danger of hasty embalming. As you know, in most cases the doctor -who has had the patient is not called in after death, and very often -the relatives of the deceased expect the undertaker, if embalming is to -be done, to proceed with it at once. All the embalming schools teach -that the only proper way to thus treat the body is by use of fluids -through the arteries. But in the lectures on the subject no period that -should be permitted to elapse before it is begun is prescribed, and, as -a rule, it follows dissolution as quickly as possible. - -“I contend that there should be some law or official rule governing -the matter, because after the artery is punctured and the fluid goes -through the whole body, it is sure to destroy any spark of life that -might remain. I have never met with any cases of resuscitation myself, -but have had instances of deaths that made me hesitate in the work -of embalming. Some months ago a man came to me fifteen minutes after -a relative had breathed his last, and asked me to embalm the body. I -went to the house, and, after seeing the corpse, refused, saying that -I would not do it until after the expiration of twelve hours. The man -had died of consumption, yet, for fear of it being a case of suspended -animation, I would take no chances. - -“At another time a person had died of dropsy. Within half an hour I was -summoned. The attending physician had not been there, and twenty-four -hours afterwards he gave a certificate of death from cancer. The body -was very warm when I arrived, and neighbours who had kindly volunteered -to prepare it were doubtful if life was extinct. I had the corpse laid -on an embalming table for two hours, and then placed it in what is -known as a Saratoga patent box, in which are pans filled with salted -ice, so arranged that cold air circulates around the body. Had this -been a case of suspended animation, it would have taken several hours -to dispel the heat within the corpse. - -“Of course there are some supposed unmistakable signs. The only -positive signs of dissolution are those which depend on molecular -change or death-rigidity of the muscles of the whole body, and -putrefaction of the tissues. These are most marked in organs and -tissues the vital functions of which are the most active. The action -of the heart, the movements of respiration, may be reduced as to be -altogether imperceptible, so that the functions of circulation and -respiration appear to be arrested. This is occasionally observed in -temporary syncope, in which a person to all appearances dead has, after -a time, regained consciousness and recovered. - -“The peculiar condition of the nervous system called catalepsy, and -the state of trance, are likewise further examples of the so-called -apparent deaths; but, on the occurrence of actual death, the -irritability of the muscles by degrees disappears, electricity no -longer excites their contraction, and then cadaverous rigidity sets -in.... Some action will, in all probability, be urged upon the next -Legislature or upon the Board of Health.” - - - - -APPENDIX E. - -SUMMARY OF ORDINANCES, ETC., RELATING TO THE INSPECTION OF CORPSES AND -OF INTERMENTS. - - -IN the sixteenth Council of Milan, Saint Charles Borromeo prohibited -burials before twelve hours after ordinary cases of death, and -twenty-four hours after cases of sudden death. As early as the -sixteenth century serious attention in the examination of the dead -was made obligatory by the enactment of Article 149 of the Criminal -Statutes of Charles the Fifth. This was the foundation of legal -medicine in Germany. In France, a similar ordinance was first -established in 1789. - - -NETHERLANDS. - -_Act of April 10th, 1869._ - -No burial is allowed without the written permission of the Civil -Recorder, granted upon the production of a certificate of a qualified -physician, and not until thirty-six hours have elapsed after death, -nor later than the fifth day after death. But this regulation can be -set aside, and a longer period allowed, by the Burgomaster, on the -application of a doctor. - -Dead-houses are in use for bodies dead of infectious diseases. - - -FRANKFORT-ON-THE-MAIN. - -Death must first be established by a licensed physician, who carefully -examines the body for that purpose, and, if satisfied, then issues -a certificate which states the name, age, sex, place, and date, and -immediate cause of death. The certificate is taken within twenty-four -hours after the death to the Standesamt, where the death is recorded, -and a certificate to that effect is given, and presented to the -Cemetery Commission, which assigns the place of burial. The corpse is -required to remain unburied three days, either at the place of death or -at the mortuary, where it is under the observation of attendants; but -there is no State-appointed inspector of the dead, nor electric bells -or other means for announcing and recording any movements of the body. -The system of inspection and certification by qualified physicians, -with the delay of three days, and the favourable condition of the -dead-houses, have been the means of preventing the living from being -mistaken for the dead in a number of cases. - - -FRANCE. - -Interments must not take place, according to Article 77 of the Code -Napoleon, before twenty-four hours of death, but in practice it is -twenty-four hours after death-notification by the _mort-verificateur_. -During epidemics, or when deaths occur from infectious or contagious -diseases, the interments must invariably be made within twenty-four -hours of death. - -Article 77 of the Civil Code states that “No burial shall take place -without an authorisation, on free paper and without expense, of the -officer of the Civil State, who will not be empowered to deliver it, -unless after having visited the deceased person, nor unless twenty-four -hours after the decease, except in cases provided for by the -regulations of the police.” It results from this that no corpse can be -buried before a minimum delay of twenty-four hours shall have expired -after the decease. The formal record of the decease must be made by the -officer of the Civil State (the mayor), or, which is what takes place -in most of the communes, by a medical man delegated by the mayor, and -who takes the title of medical officer of the Civil State. - -The Article 77 of the Civil Code is generally strictly observed in -Paris and in other cities of France. The obligation to await the delay -of twenty-four hours is intended to prevent too hasty burials. One -considers, in fact, that that delay is generally necessary in order to -be able to have certain proofs of death. - -By Article 358 of the Penal Code, the burial of a deceased person -without such authorisation is punishable by a maximum period of two -months’ imprisonment, and a maximum fine of fifty francs, without -prejudice to other criminal proceedings which may be applicable under -the circumstances. - -Exceptions, however, have been established in certain cases. For -example, in times of epidemics, or of too rapid decomposition of the -corpse in the usual case, there is urgent need, in fact, to bury the -body of a person attacked with a contagious or epidemic malady, in -order to suppress one of the causes of propagation of the epidemic, -or of the contagion. In the second case, it is understood that one -could not keep longer, without danger to the public health, a corpse -in complete putrefaction. There is occasion also to observe that, in -these circumstances, the end which the legislator has proposed to -himself is equally obtained, since there cannot be any doubt as to the -real death. However that may be, it is the mayor (officer of the Civil -State) to whom it appertains, according to the terms of the Article -77 of the Civil Code, to give authority to bury; and if he gives that -authorisation before the expiration of the delay of twenty-four hours, -it is after having established by himself, or by the medical officer -of the Civil State, the fact of its necessity, resulting from the -circumstances of which we have just spoken. - -It is to be remarked that the Article 77 fixes a _minimum_ and _not a -maximum_ delay. It is always the mayor to whom it appertains to fix -the day and the hour of the burial, and there may happen such and such -a circumstance which necessitates a delay of the obsequies. The mayor -need only assure himself in that case that no danger will result to the -public health, which naturally is the case when the corpse is embalmed, -or is placed in a leaden coffin. - -Outside Paris and other large cities, and especially in the rural -districts, much laxity prevails both as to verification of death and -the time of burial, and cases of premature burial are not infrequent. - - -AUSTRIA. - -The laws relative to funerals and burials are very strict--perhaps the -most thorough in their requirements of any in Europe. They provide for -a very careful inspection of the body by medical inspectors, quite -independently of the attending physicians, in order to ascertain if the -death be absolute. Minute and specific official directions guide them -as to the method of examination and the signs of death to be looked -for. And they further provide for carrying out any particular method, -as to which the deceased may have given directions, in order to prevent -a possible revival in the coffin. Should the surviving relatives -desire it, a _post-mortem_ operation may be made upon the body, in the -presence of the medical inspectors and the police; in which case the -heart is pierced through; and a full report of the operations must be -forwarded to the civic magistrate. A fee of six florins is allowed for -such an operation. - - -CITY OF VIENNA. - -Every death to be inquired into by the municipal physician. The first -of five objects is to ascertain whether the person be really dead. -In examining whether there are any remaining indications of life, he -will rely not upon any one sign, nor even upon putrefaction, but upon -the totality of the signs of death. If there are any indications of -life remaining, he must at once institute the means of resuscitation -approved by science, and continue them until such time as the family -medical attendant is assured of their uselessness. If there be any -doubt as to the reality of the death, a second inspection of the body -is to be made by the municipal physician within twenty-four hours. -Burial, as a rule, is not to be until forty-eight hours after death; -but the interval may be shortened in cases of infectious diseases or of -unusually rapid decomposition. - - -PROVINCE OF DALMATIA. - -_Vice-Governor’s Order of 29th April, 1894._ - -Every death to be inquired into by the parish physician, or a deputy -appointed by the mayor. The first of six objects of the inquest is -to ascertain whether the person be really dead. In the event of a -non-medical examiner discovering signs of life, he is to send for a -doctor. Inasmuch as decomposition, the only sure sign of death, is, as -a rule, a phenomenon of later occurrence than the time appointed for -the inquest (within twelve hours of the notification of death), the -examining person must base his certainty of the extinction of life, not -upon one sign, but upon the totality of the signs of death. - - -KINGDOM OF SAXONY. - -_Law of 20th July, 1850._ - -The burial of a corpse must not take place until seventy-two hours -after death, and the signs of decomposition are clearly visible. -Any proposed departure from this rule, in the event of earlier -putrefaction, or the absence of decomposition at the end of -seventy-two hours, requires the authority of a physician called in. -By the above Law, the following Orders are suspended: (1) the Order -of 11th February, 1792, concerning the treatment of the dead, and -the precautions necessary to prevent the apparently dead from being -buried prematurely; (2) the General Order of 13th February, 1801, -concerning precautionary measures in the burial of those dead of -infectious diseases; (3) the Law of 22nd June, 1841, together with the -Administrative Orders, concerning the examination of corpses and the -establishment of mortuaries. - - -CITY OF MUNICH. - -_Order of 30th October, 1848._ - -The ordinance hitherto in force, as to making an incision in the -sole of the foot in cases of patients who die in the hospitals, is -abolished; the hospital physicians to use their discretion whether or -not the incision should be made; but, in cases for which is demanded -an earlier burial than is usually prescribed, whether they have been -hospital or private patients, the incision is to be made in the sole -of the foot at the end of the second inspection, and every other means -taken to ascertain whether the death be apparent or real. - - -CALCUTTA. - -1. The prevailing custom for Christians and Mahomedans is to bury the -dead. The Hindoos burn them as a rule, but many prefer to throw them -into a sacred river, particularly the Ganges or its tributaries, if -they can do so unmolested by the authorities. - -2. There are no mortuaries. The signs which are assumed to indicate -death are the various conditions and appearances when animation is -suspended. - -3. Cases of revival from supposed death are sometimes heard of among -the Hindoos, who regard such persons as outcasts. If the signs of -returning life are not very manifest when a person begins to revive, -he is sometimes killed by stuffing the mouth and nose with mud, which -generally accomplishes the object. - - -BOMBAY. - -1. There are no laws or regulations in India for the disposal of -the dead. The customs and formalities follow the traditions and -requirements of religious belief. - - _a._ The Hindoos burn their dead immediately after death takes place. - - _b._ The Parsees take their dead to a “Tower of Silence” as soon as - death takes place, and, after certain prescribed ceremonies, the body - is speedily devoured by vultures. - - _c._ The Europeans and Mahomedans bury their dead within from - twenty-four to forty-eight hours, because putrefaction usually sets in - soon after death on account of the heat and humidity of the climate. - -2. There are no mortuaries, excepting in connection with hospitals, -where observations can be made. - - -CAPE TOWN, AFRICA. - -1. There are no laws nor regulations relative to the disposal of -the dead, excepting in cases requiring an inquest or _post-mortem_ -examination. The custom is to bury within twenty-four to thirty hours -after death, but the time is sometimes extended to two or three days. - -2. There are no dead-houses, except at the hospitals, which are under -the management of the superintendent. - -3. The certificate of the medical attendant is sufficient for burial -purposes. The complete cessation of respiration and the heart’s action -are considered an absolute indication of death. When decomposition sets -in, it usually appears within twenty-four hours after death, although -in winter that process may be longer delayed. - - -MOSCOW. - -Orthodox Russians keep their dead three days before burial. During that -time the body lies with the face uncovered, and a deacon chants and -prays over it twice a day. A medical certificate of death is imperative -before burial. - - -BRUSSELS. - -Burials are regulated by the Communal Council in accordance with law. -The system is complicated, but thorough. The medical men connected with -the Government Medical Service (“Doctors of the Civil Government”) have -the sole control of the examinations of deaths, as well as births, -accidents, sudden deaths, suicides; and attend to burials, autopsies, -postponements of burials, etc., on their own motion. Interments usually -take place within forty-eight hours of death, but they may be carried -out sooner during epidemics for the public safety. - -There are mortuaries in the city and suburbs, to which bodies may -be taken at the request of surviving relatives, or by the order of -the health authorities, according to private necessities or for the -public safety. Except by the special authorisation of the officers of -the civil government, bodies cannot remain in the mortuaries longer -than forty-eight hours; and a burial cannot take place in less than -twenty-four hours. Special care is taken to test the reality of -death in still-born infants, and efforts are made to revive them, as -well as all other cases of seeming death. In cases of women dying -during advanced pregnancy, the infant must be roused by artificial -respiration, in order to restore animation if possible. The process -for obtaining a delay for burial is intricate and cumbersome, and to a -foreigner unaccustomed to the language and the local usages the chances -would be against securing such a permit before the time allowed for -burial had transpired. - - -DENMARK. - -Mortuaries are connected with all the churches, cemeteries, and some -of the hospitals, and are growing in favour in the country places; but -as yet they are unprovided with any appliances for the resuscitation -of the apparently dead, or for the prevention of premature burials. -No corpse, however, is allowed to be taken to a mortuary before it -has been inspected, and a death-certificate issued by a qualified -physician; but, when this is done, death is considered absolute. No -corpse is allowed to remain in any church, chapel, or mortuary longer -than seven days after supposed death, without special permission. -Coffins that contain bodies which have died from infectious diseases -must be so indicated, and cannot be opened in the mortuaries. - -As a rule, bodies are kept seventy-two hours before burial. The signs -that are considered sufficient to establish death are the glazed -appearance of the eyes, livid spots on the skin, and muscular rigidity. -In doubtful cases, the time before burial can be extended by authority -of the Board of Health, of which the Police Director is a member. - - -SPAIN. - -Burials usually do not take place until twenty-four hours after death. -For example, if a death takes place about four p.m., the burial is -made late in the following afternoon. In time of epidemic, bodies are -hurried to the cemeteries, where depositories are provided, which -are under the care of watchers until the expiration of twenty-four -hours after death. The certificate of a reputable physician as to -death is sufficient to authorise burial. Relatives or friends usually -remain with the body until burial, excepting in cases when judicial -proceedings are held over it to determine the circumstances of the -death. - - -IRELAND. - -There are no laws in Ireland regarding the disposal of the dead, but -the Sanitary Acts of the United Kingdom can be applied in any case -within a reasonable period, on the ground of public health. There is -no fixed period for keeping a body before burial. The Roman Catholics -usually bury on the third or fourth day after death; but in some -districts custom sanctions burial within twenty-four or thirty-six -hours. Local burial authorities sometimes require a medical certificate -before burial, but, there being no legal obligation for it, this is -often omitted. In cases of suicide, sudden death, or death by violence, -the Coroner holds an inquest, and gives a certificate accordingly. - -There are no dead-houses in Ireland, where bodies may be observed for a -period of time before burial. - -Concerning burials in England, see Glen’s “Burial Acts” for the general -burial practice; also “Regulations for Wilton Cemetery.” - - -THE UNITED STATES. - -In the United States of America, as a rule, everything relative to -the disposal of the dead is regulated by local Boards of Health, -as authorised by State laws. A burial cannot take place without a -certificate from a legally licensed physician, which must state the -cause of death; the place and time when it occurred; the full name; -age; sex; colour; occupation; birth-place; names and birth-places -of both parents. There are no laws or regulations that require the -inspection of the body to verify the fact of death (the certificate, -as in England, as to the cause is considered sufficient for this -purpose), and no time is fixed when a body must, or must not, be -buried. This is regulated by, and left to, the convenience of the -family of the deceased, by the season of the year, by the opinion of -the attending physician, etc. But the Health Officers can order the -burial whenever, in their opinion, the public health requires it. As a -rule, burials after supposed death are made sooner in the South, and -among the poor, than in the North, and among the well-to-do classes. In -remote unsettled regions burials not seldom take place without these -formalities, and they are often carried out in a hasty manner; but -usually they do not take place till three days after supposed death, -and sometimes, particularly in cold weather, a longer time is allowed. -All large cemeteries have chambers for the temporary deposit of bodies, -but they are not under observation, as it is taken for granted that -they are dead. - - - - -APPENDIX F. - -THE JEWISH PRACTICE OF EARLY BURIAL. - - -R. J. WUNDERBAR, in his standard work on “Biblisch-talmudische -Medicin,” Riga and Leipzig, 1850-60, gives, in pp. 5-15 of the -concluding section (Abtheil. 4, Bd. ii.), the following summary of the -origin of the peculiar Jewish practice of burying the corpse within a -few hours of death:-- - -In the Levitical law (Num. xix. 11-22) every dead body was an unclean -thing, including those dead in the tent and on the battlefield. -Touching a corpse involved purification and separation for seven days. -This ordinance is supposed to have had a sanitary motive, having -probably originated with cases of infectious disease. There is only -one Biblical ordinance as to early burial, and that is indubitably -restricted to persons executed for crime: Deut. xxi. 22, 23, “And if -a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be put to death, -and thou hang him on a tree, his body shall not remain all night upon -the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day (for he that is -hanged is accursed of God), that thy land be not defiled which the Lord -thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.”This statutory limit to the -exposure of the bodies of malefactors was the most convenient way of -checking the practice, common in other countries, of leaving corpses of -criminals to hang upon the gibbet until they rotted, or were consumed -by birds of prey. Its motive was to prevent, by the promptest measure, -an indefinite degree of neglect in altogether special cases. - -There is nothing else in the Bible concerning early burial; on the -contrary, the patriarchal practice, in the case of eminent persons, -seems to have been to keep the body for a considerable time above -ground, after the manner of Egypt. Prior to the Babylonian exile -there is not a trace of the later practice of speedy burial. The -post-Talmudic custom had arisen entirely from a misunderstanding. -It is true that the Talmud enjoins that corpses--according to -circumstances--be kept unburied not longer than one day; but it also -permits them to lie above ground for days, so that elaborate funeral -preparations might be made, or time given for mourners to arrive from a -distance. Lastly, the Talmud relates the burial of one apparently dead -who revived and lived for twenty-five years, and begat five children; -whereupon a rabbinical ordinance was made that the corpse (which would -have been laid in a vault or in a tomb above ground) should be visited -diligently until three days after death. (The references to the Talmud -are: Semachoth 8; Moedkaton 1, 6; Sabbat 151, 152; Sanhedrin 46a.) - -Wunderbar admits that there had been cases of premature burial -among the Jews, but he asserts their extreme rarity, and doubts the -authenticity of most of the traditional or historical cases in general. - -In Jewish circles in Germany towards the end of last century there -was much controversy as to the inexpediency of the practice of early -burial. In the “Berlinische Monatschrift” for April, 1787, p. 329, -(cited by Marcus Herz, “Ueber die frühe Beerdigung der Juden,” Berlin, -1788, p. 6,) there is printed a letter from Moses Mendelssohn to the -Jews of Mecklenburg, in which he advises them to keep their dead -unburied for three days. “I know well,” he adds, “that you will not -follow my advice; for the might of custom is great. Nay, I shall -perhaps appear to you as a heretic on account of my counsel. All the -same, I have freed my conscience from guilt.” - -The above-cited essay by Dr. Marcus Herz, of Berlin, arguing against -the Jewish practice, called forth a reply by Dr. Marx, of Hanover, who -was of opinion that the burial might safely proceed after the body had -been left on the bed for three hours, and had then been pronounced -lifeless by the medical attendant, according to the practice in that -part of the country. To that Dr. Herz rejoined, in a second edition, -that the medical attendant was no better judge than an ordinary man, -inasmuch as all experimental tests were fallacious, and decomposition -the only sure sign. He cites the following statement by an experienced -Jewish physician, Dr. Hirschberg, of Königsberg (from the Jewish -periodical, “Sammler,” vol. ii., p. 153):--“I have practised medicine -for forty years, and have always grieved over the practice amongst us -of too hasty burial of the dead--on the day of decease. It happened -once in my practice that a woman lay for dead three days and then awoke -and revived. At first I would not allow the body to be moved from the -bed, but the undertaker’s men violently resisted me, taking up the body -and laying it on the ground. According to their custom, they would have -buried it the same day, had I not earnestly called out to them: ‘Beware -lest you do lay her in the ground this day! She is still alive, and the -blame will be on you.’ I had her covered with warm, woollen clothes; on -the following morning some signs of life were manifest; she lay still, -and gradually awoke out of her death-slumber.” - -Herz declared, as Wunderbar did subsequently, that the passages in the -Talmud on which the Jewish custom was based had been misinterpreted; -and he specially accused the rabbis Jacob Emden, of Altona, and -Ezechel, of Prague, of rabbinical subtilty on the one hand, and of a -fallacious dependence upon scientific signs of death on the other. - - * * * * * - -At the World’s Medical Congress (Division of Eclectic Medicine), held -in Chicago, June 3, 1893, the following resolution was proposed by Dr. -John V. Stevens, and adopted:-- - - “Whereas we believe that many persons in the past, in the condition - simulating death from various causes, have been buried alive; - therefore, - - “Resolved--That it should be the duty of all Governments to pass laws - prohibiting the burial of bodies without positive proofs of death; - that the nature of these proofs should be taught in all schools and - printed in all newspapers throughout the world.” - - - BIBLIOGRAPHY. - - -_SEVENTEENTH CENTURY._ - -KORNMANNUS (Henricus). De miraculis mortuorum. Francof., 1610. - -TIRELLUS (Mauritius). De causis mortis repentinae. Venet., 1615. - -ZACCHIAS (Paulus). Quaestiones medico-legales. Lib iv. cap. i., quaest. -xi, “De mortuorum resurrectione,” fol. 241-247 of editio tertia. -Amstelaedami, 1651. - -[Gives many of the classical cases, with critical remarks.] - -KIRCHMAIER (Theodor) and NOTTNAGEL (Christoph). Elegantissimum ex -physicis thema de hominibus apparenter mortuis. 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De signis mortem hominis absolutam ante putredinis -accessum indicantibus. Havniae, 1833. - -SCHWABE (C.). Das Leichenhaus in Weimar. Nebst einigen Worten über den -Scheintod und mehrer, jetzt bestehender Leichenhäuser, sowie über die -zweckmässigste Einrichtung solcher Anstalten im Allgemeinen. Leipzig, -1834. - -KAY (J. P.). The physiology, pathology, and treatment of asphyxia, -including suspended animation in new-born children, and from -drowning, hanging, wounds of the chest, mechanical obstruction of the -air-passages, respiration of gases, death from cold, etc. London, 1834. - -KOOL (J. A.). Tabellarisch overzigt over alle gevallen von schijndoode -drenkelingen, gestikten, en gehangenen, bekroond door de Maatschappij -tot Redding van Drenkelingen, opgerigt in den jare 1767 te Amsterdam. -Seder thare stichting tot en met den jare 1833 [-53]. Uit authentieke -stukken opgemaakt en met opmerkingen voorzien. Four vols. Amsterdam, -1834-54. - -MANNI (Pietro), professor at Rome. Manuale pratico per la cura degli -apparentemente morti, premessevi alcune idee generali di polizia medica -per la tutela della vita degli asfittici. Roma, 1833. Napoli, 1835. -Germ. transl. by A. F. Fischer, Leipzig, 1839. - - -SIMON (L. C.). Quelques mots sur les enterrements prématures, et sur -les précautions à prendre sur-le-champ, relativement aux noyés et -asphyxiés. St. Petersbourg, 1835. - -LE GUERN (H.). Rosoline, ou les mystères de la tombe. Paris, 1834. - ----- Du danger des inhumations précipitées, exemples tant anciens que -récents de personnes enterrées ou dissequées de leur vivant. Paris, -1837, 1844. - ----- Encore un mot, etc. Paris, 1843. - -LESSING (Mich. Bened.). Ueber die Unsicherheit der Erkenntniss des -erloschenen Lebens, etc. Berlin, 1836. - -SCHNACKENBERG (Wilh. Ph. J.). Ueber die Nothwendigkeit der -Leichenhallen zur Verhütung des Erwachens im Grabe. Cassel, 1836. - -MISSIRINI (Melchiore). Pericolo di seppillire gli uomini vivi creduti -morti. 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Namur, 1842. - -HICKMANN (J. N.). Die Elektricität als Prüfungs-und-Belebungsmittel im -Scheintode. Wien, 1841. - - -DENDY (W. C.). The philosophy of mystery, etc. London, 1841. [Contains -chapters on premature interment, resuscitation from catalepsy or -trance, etc.] - -WELCHMAN (E.). Observations on apparent death from suffocation or -drowning, choke-damp, stroke of lightning, exposure to extreme cold, -with directions for using the resuscitating apparatus invented by -author, and gen. instruc., etc. 8vo. New York, 1842. - -LENORMAND (Leonce). Des inhumations précipitées. Macon, 1843. - -GAYET (----). De la nécessité de la verification des décès Nantes, 1843. - -CHALETTE (J.), fils. Du danger des inhumations précipitées et de -l’importance de faire constater les décès par les gens de l’art. -Châlons-sur-Marne, 1843. - -BARJAVEL (C. F. H.). Nécessité absolue d’ouvrir au plus tôt des maisons -d’attente; considérations de police médicale, précedées d’un sommaire -analytique, et suivies d’indications bibliographiques relatives au -sujet de cet écrit. (Tirage à cinquante exemplaires seulement). -Carpentras, 1845. - -DEBAY (Auguste). Les vivants enterrés et les morts resuscités. -Considerations physiologiques sur les morts apparentes et les -inhumations précipitées. Paris, 1846. - -GAILLARD (X.). Préservatif contre le danger d’être enterré vivant, ou -devoirs sacrés des vivants envers les morts. Paris, 1847. - -LOTHMAR (C. J.). Ueber das Lebendigbegraben. Leipzig, 1847. - -DU FAY (Hortense G.). Des vols d’enfant, et des inhumations d’individus -vivants, suivi d’un aperçu pour l’etablissement des salles mortuaires. -Paris, 1847. - - -[In 1839 the Paris Academie des Sciences threw open to competition the -Prix Manni (1,500 francs, founded in 1837 by Professor Manni, of Rome,) -for the best work on the signs of death and the means of preventing -premature burials. The prize was not assigned on that occasion, nor in -1842; but in the competition of 1846 it was assigned to Bouchut, on the -report to the Academy by Rayer, May 29, 1848.] - - -BOUCHUT (E.). Traité des signes de la mort et des moyens de ne pas être -enterré vivant. Paris, 1849. Second ed., 1847; third ed., 1883. - ----- Mémoire sur plusieurs nouveaux signes de la mort, fournis par -l’opthalmoscopie, et pouvant empêcher les enterrements précipitées. -Paris, 1867. - - -BRAID (James). Observations on trance, or human hybernation. London, -1850. - -KAUFMANN (M.). De la mort apparente et des enterrements précipités. -Paris, 1851. - -KERTHOMAS (Hyac. L. De). Inhumations précipitées. Lille, 1852. - -HARRISON (James Bower). The medical aspects of death. Lond., 1852. - -CRIMOTEL (J. B. Valentin). Des inhumations précipitées; épreuve -infaillible pour constater la mort; moyens de rappeler à la vie dans -les cas de mort apparente causée par l’ether, le chloroforme, etc. -Paris, 1852. - ----- De l’épreuve galvanique ou bioscopie électrique, moyens de -reconnaître la vie ou la mort et d’eviter les inhumations précipitées. -1866. - -JOSAT (----). De la mort et ses caractères. Necessité d’ une révision -de la législation des décès pour prévenir les inhumations et les -délaissements anticipés. Ouvrage entrepris et exécuté sous les auspices -du gouvernement et couronné par l’Institut. Paris, 1854. - -LONDE (C.). Lettre sur la mort apparente, les conséquences réelles -des inhumations précipitées, le temps pendant lequel peut persister -l’aptitude à être rappelé à la vie. Paris, 1854. Plates. - -KEMPNER (F.). Denkschrift über die Nothwendigkeit einer gesetzlichen -Einführung von Leichenhäusern. New ed. Breslau, 1856. - -PEYRIER (J. P. P.). Récherches sur l’incertitude des signes de la mort: -enumeration des maladies qui peuvent produire la mort apparente; abus -des enterrements précipités. Paris, 1855. - -COLLONGUES (L.). Application de la dynamoscopie à la constatation des -décès. Paris, 1858, 1862. - -HALMA GRAND (----). Des inhumations précipitées. Paris, 1860. - -WELBY (Horace). Mysteries of life, death, and futurity (with chapter on -premature interment). London, 1861. - -REYHER (O. C. A.). Ueber die Verwerthung der bekannten -Leichenerscheinungen zur Constatirung des wahren Todes. Leipzig, 1862. - -CHEVANDIERE (Antoine Daniel). De la vérification des décès et de -l’organisation de la medecine cantonale. Paris, 1862. - - -DESMAIRE (Paul). Les morts vivants. Paris, 1862. - -BARRANGEARD (Antoine). Extrait de divers mémoires publies depuis tres -longtemps par le Docteur Barrangeard, sur le danger des inhumations -précipitées et sur l’indispensable nécessité de constater avec soin -tous les décès sans exception. Lyon, 1863. - -BONNEJOY (E.). Des moyens pratiques de constater la mort par -l’électricité à la aide de la faradisation. Paris, 1866. - -LEVASSEUR (P.). De la catalepsie au point de vue du diagnostic de la -mort apparente. 8vo. Rouen, 1866. - ----- De la mort apparente et des moyens de la reconnaître. Rouen, 1867. -Re-issued, with a second essay, in 1870. - -JACQUAND (Frédéric). Appareil respiratoire avertisseur pour les tombes. -Assurance contre la mort apparente. Paris, 1867. - -BIANCO (Giuseppe). Le pericolose consequenze della morte apparente -prevenute da un confaciente riforma del servizio mortuario. Torino, -1868. - -GANNAL (Félix). Mort apparente et mort réelle. Moyens de les -distinguer. First ed. Paris, 1868. Third ed. (mention honorable a -l’Institut de France), 1890. - - -[In 1868 the Académie de Médecine of Paris threw open to competition -the Prix d’Ourches of 20,000 francs for the discovery of a simple and -popular means of detecting the signs of real death certainly and beyond -doubt. The prize was not awarded, but premiums were given to several -competitors.] - - -HOARAU (H.). La mort, sa constatation, ou procédé à l’aide du quel on -peut la reconnaître et éviter des enterrements de vifs. Paris, 1874. - -VEYNE (----). Mort apparente et mort réelle, artériotomie donnant le -moyen de les reconnaître. Paris, 1874. - -MONTEVERDI (A.). Note sur un moyen simple, facìle, prompt et certain de -distinguer la mort vrai de la mort apparente de l’homme. Cremone, 1874. - -MARTEL (----). La mort apparente chez les nouveaux-nés. Paris, 1874. - -BOILLET (Ch.). Mort apparente et victimes ignorées. Paris, 1875. - -DE COMEAU (----). Les signes certains de la mort mis à la portée de -tout le monde. Limoges, 1876. - - -BELVAL (Th.). Les maisons mortuaires. Paris, 1877. - -FRITZ-ANDRE (----). Du danger des inhumations précipitées. Bruxelles, -1879. - - -[The Prix Dusgate was founded by a decree of November 27, 1874, -authorising the Académie des Sciences of Paris to accept the legacy of -M. Dusgate of a quinquennial prize of 2,500 francs for the best work on -the diagnostic signs of death and on the means of preventing premature -burial. The essays of the first competition were received on June 1, -1880, and on March 14, 1881, the prize was divided among the three -following competitors. In 1885 the prize was not awarded.] - - -ONIMUS (E. N. J.). Modification de l’excitabilité des nerfs et des -muscles apres la mort. (Published.) - -PEYRAND (H.). De la détermination de la mort réelle par le caustique de -Vienne. - -LE BON (G.). Recherches experimentales sur les signes diagnostiques de -la mort et sur les moyens de prevenir les inhumations précipitées. (A -temperature of 25° C. on a thermometer kept in the mouth for a quarter -of an hour.) Also, Article on Premature Interment in Monit. scient., -viii. Paris. - -ALLEN (F. D.). Remarks on the dangers and duties of sepulture, or -security for the living with respect and repose of the dead. Boston, -1873. - -BURDETT (H. C.). The necessity and importance of mortuaries for towns -and villages, with suggestions for their establishment and management. -London, 1880. - -FLETCHER (Moore Russell). One thousand persons buried alive by their -best friends. A treatise on suspended animation, with directions for -restoration. Boston, 1890. - -“A Hygienic Physician.” Earth to earth burial and cremation by fire -[includes cases of premature burial]. London, 1890. - -HERNANDEZ (Maxime F.E.M.). Contribution à l’étude de la mort apparente. -Bordeaux, 1893. - -LIGNIERES(Dr. D. De). Ne pas être enterré vivant. Paris, 1893. - -Traitement physiologique de la mort apparente. Series of twenty-five -papers in “La Tribune Médicale,” Paris, 1894, vol. xxvi., 2 ser. - -GILES (Alfred E). Funerals, suspended animation, premature burials, -Boston, 1895. - - -GAUBERT (B.), Avocat. Les chambres mortuaires d’attente, devant -l’histoire, la legislation, la science, l’hygiène et le culte des -morts. (Le péril des inhumations précipitées en France.) With sixty -figures, maps or plans. Paris, 1895. - -HARTMANN (Franz). Buried alive: An examination into the occult causes -of apparent death, trance, and catalepsy. Boston, U.S., 1895. Lond., -1896. Also, Lebendig begraben. Leipzig, 1896. - -WILDER (Alexander). The perils of premature burial. London, 1895. - - - * * * * * - - -French theses (at Paris, unless otherwise stated,) on apparent death, -the signs of death, danger of premature burial, etc.:-- - - - JOUY (Montpellier), 1803. D’ALENCASTRE, 1832. - THOMASSIN (Strassbourg), 1805. CHAMPNEUF, 1832. - LAURENT, 1805. BONIFACE, 1833. - PIERRET, 1807. LINARES, 1834. - VERNEY, 1811. MENESTREL, 1838. - FOUCHER, 1817. DE SILVEIRA PINTO, 1837. - GRESLON, 1819. CARRE, 1845. - FERRY, 1819. DOSAIS, 1858. - LEPAULMIER, 1819. GRESLON, 1858. - LEVY (Strassbourg), 1820. PARROT, 1860. - AMAND D’AMBRAINE, 1821. LEGLUDIC, 1863. - POUIER, 1823. SCHNEIDER (Strassbourg), 1863. - WEST, 1827. ACOSTA, 1864. - PIERRET, 1827. EDMOND, 1871. - GLEIZAL, 1829. - - -Graduation theses other than French, on the same theme:-- - - VAN GEEST (Lugd. Bat.), 1811. BETTMAN (Munich), 1839. - DAVIES (Edin.), 1813. SCHMIDT (Nürnberg), 1841. - GOURY (Leodii), 1828. KLUGE (Leipzig), 1842. - TSCHERNER (Breslau), 1829. WENDLER (Leipzig), 1845. - SOMMER (Havniae), 1833. KRIBBEN (Bonn), 1873. - NYMAN (Dorpat), 1835. SORGENFREY (Dorpat), 1876. - - -_FRENCH ARTICLES IN JOURNALS._ - - -ABADIE (C.). Note sur l’examen ophthalmoscopique du fond de l’oeil -comme signe de la mort réelle. Gaz. d’Hôp., vol. xlvii, p. 290. Par., -1874. - -BOUCHUT (E.). Mort apparente durant six heures, avec absence des -battements du coeur à l’auscultation. Gaz. d’Hôp., vol. xxvii., p. 223. -Par., 1854. - -BOURGEOIS (R.). Du danger d’être enterré vivant et des moyens de -constater la mort. Bull. Acad. de Méd., vol. ii., pp. 619-626. Paris, -1837-38, and Rev. Méd. Franç. et étrang., vol. ii., pp. 360-378. Paris, -1838. - -BROWN-SÉQUARD (----). “Extraordinary prolongation of the principal acts -of life after the cessation of respiration.” Arch. de Physiol. Norm. et -Path., vol. vi., 2 S., pp. 83-88. Par., 1879. - -----“Researches on the possibility of recalling temporarily to life -persons dying of sickness.” J. de la Physiol. de l’Homme, vol. i., pp. -666-672. Par., 1858. - -CAZIN (----). De la nécessité de faire constater tous les genres de -mort. Précis d’Trav. Soc. Méd. de Boulogne-sur-mer, vol. i., pp. 27-33. -1839. - -CHAUSSIER (----). Rapport sur les enterremens précipités. Bull. Fac. de -Méd. de Par., vol. v., pp. 467-476. 1816-17. - -DESCHAMPS (M.-H.). Mémoire sur,la vérification des décès et sur le -danger des déclarations précipitées. Union Med., vol. xxi., N.S., pp. -56, 106. Par., 1864. - -DEVERGIE (----). Inhumations précipitées. Ann. d’Hyg., 2 S., vol. -xxvii., pp. 293-327. Paris, 1867. De la création de maisons mortuaires -et de la valeur des signes de la mort. Ann. d’Hyg., vol. xxxiv., 2 S., -pp. 310-327. Par., 1870. - ----- Des signes de la mort; étude de leur cause, appréciation de leur -valeur. Ann. d’Hyg., vol. xli., 2 S., pp. 380-405. Par., 1874. - -FODERE (----). Signes de la mort. Dict. de Sc. Med., vol. li., pp. -294-306. Paris, 1821. - -FOUANES (----). Sur la rigidité cadavérique comme signe certain de la -mort. Gaz. Med. de Par., vol i., 3 S., p. 91. 1846. - - -FOUQUET (----). Mémoire sur la roideur cadavérique considerée comme -signe certain de la mort. Gaz. Med. de Par., vol. ii., 3 S., pp. -250-255. 1847. - -FOURNIE (----). Les signes de la mort et le prix d’Ourches. (Also -translated into Italian.) Gaz. d’Hôp., vol. xlvii., pp. 273-275. Par., -1874. - -GIRBAL (----). Mort apparente: mesures prématurés d’inhumation: -topiques stimulants, prompte cessation des phénomenes léthiformes, -guérison. Revue de Thérap. du midi, vol. ii., pp. 161-167. Montpellier, -1851. Also, Gaz. d’Hôp., vol. iii., 3 S., p. 142. Par., 1851. - -GRETSCHER DE WANDELBURG. (For Marquis d’Ourches’s prize.) Des moyens de -distinguer la mort réelle de la mort apparente. In his Mém. de Méd. et -Chir., pp. 49-54. 8vo. 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Entierros prematuros. Gac. Méd. de Lima, vol. xii., p. -219. 1867-8. - - -_ITALIAN ARTICLES._ - - -BIANCO (G.). Report and discussion upon his work, “Dangers of Apparent -Death” (Torino, 1868). Gior. d. r. Acad, di Med. di Torino., vol. vii., -3 S., pp. 243, 304, 366, 370. 1869. - -CHIAPPELLI (G.). Sperimentale, vol. xliii., pp. 74-77. Firenze, 1879. -Also in Gaz. Med. Ital. Prov. Venete, vol. xxii., p. 94. Padova, 1879. - -IMPARATI (M.). Guglielmo da Saliceto, vol. ii., pp. 293, 325, 357. -Piacenza, 1880-81. - -PACINI (F.). Imparziale, vol. xvii., pp. 41, 75. Firenze, 1877. - -PARI (A. D.). Arch. di Med. Chir. ed ig. Roma, vol. ix., p. 5-35. 1873. - -SONSINO (P.). Imparziale, vol. vii., pp. 225-231. Firenze, 1867. - -TAMASSIA (A.) and SCHLEMMER (A.). Riv. sper. di Freniat., vol. ii., pp. -628-639. Reggio-Emilia, 1876. - -VERGA (A.) and BIFFI (S.). Gaz. Med. Ital. Lomb., vol. iii., 8 S., pp. -92-94. Milano, 1881. - -ZILIOTTO (P.). Gior. Venete di Sc. Med., vol. i., 3 S., pp. 323-336. -Venezia, 1864. - -ZURADELLI (G.). Ann. univ. di Med., vol. vii., pp. 3-241. Milano, -1869. - - -INDEX. - - - ALDIS, Dr. C. J. B., letter on tying up the chin after death, 343. - - _All the Year Round_, paper cited from, on apparent death and means - of recovery, 268-273. - - Andersen, Hans Christian, his dread of being buried alive, 154. - - Angell, Mr. George T., 259. - - Animation, suspended, in a case of small-pox, 99. - (See “Trance.”) - - Apathy, public, concerning live burial, 39. - - Apoplexy, certified, in cases of apparent death, 83; - Lénormand on, as cause of apparent death, 175. - - Asclepiades recovers a corpse from the bier, 325. - - Auscultation, fallacies of, in diagnosis of death, 261. - - Austria, laws of, for inspection of dead, 355. - - Awaking in coffin, inference as to, at Les Innocens, Paris, 51; - at Fort Randall, U.S.A., 351; - case of at Tonneins, 52; - at Greenwood Cemetery, Brooklyn, 53; - at Rudenberg, 53; - at Montflorin, 54; - at Bohaste, 54; - at Salon (Bouches du Rhône), 55; - at Naples, 55; - at Grenoble, 56; - at New York (two cases), 56, 57; - at Derbisch, Bohemia, 58; - at Majola, Mantua, 58; - at Cesa, Naples, 58; - at Erie, Pa., 59; - at Tioobayn, St. Petersburg, 59; - at Le Pin, Grenoble, 60; - in Madras, 60; - at Calcutta, 61, 62; - Köppen’s cases of, 212-214; - case of, in Franciscan monk, 211; - at Bordeaux, 224; - old cases at Cologne, 326, 327; - at Dijon, 327; - at Vesoul, 328; - of a cardinal at Rome, 329; - of case related by Elliotson, 334; - of Robert Scott, 336; - of Rev. John Gardner, 337; - of case related by Dr. Herz, 337; - of Mrs. Goodman, 339; - of cases related by Köppen, 340; - cases related by _British Medical Journal_, 342, 343. - - - BARNETT, Dr. J. M., publishes letter on the blister test, 260. - - Bavaria, official regulations of, for preventing premature burial, - 204; - police instructions of, for corpse inspection, 206. - - Berkeley, Bishop, his dread of being buried alive, 154. - - Beugless, Mr. J. D., on the dread of premature interment, 156. - - Bibliography, seventeenth century, 363; - eighteenth century, 364-367; - relating to humane societies, 367; - nineteenth century, 369; - theses, 378; - French articles, 379; - German articles, 381; - English and American articles, 384; - Spanish articles, 387; - Italian articles, 387. - - Billimoria, Mr. N. F., writes to the author on premature burning in - India, 134; - relates cases of Parsees recovered from apparent death, 139; - on advantages of the Parsee customs in assuring revival, 141. - - Bishop, Mrs. Eleanor F., her escape from premature embalming, 231. - - Blau, M., certifies an escape from live burial at Toulouse, 145. - - Blavatsky, Madam, the late, had an escape from live burial, 104. - - Blunden, Madam, her burial alive at Basingstoke, 51. - - Bombay, customs in disposal of dead, 357. - - Bonawitz, Mr. J. H., relates two experiences of escape, 279. - - Bordeaux, corpses shown in cathedral of, which had moved in the - coffin, 224. - - Bouchut, Dr. E., his book gives sensational cases, 20; - relates case rescued alive from coffin, 122. - - Braid, Mr. James, narrates case of catalepsy, 37; - on animal hibernation, 41; - on trance in fakirs, 46; - on Sir Claude Wade’s testimony, 47; - cases of trance with sense of hearing good, 334. - - Brandon, Mr. R., his paper on mortuaries for recovery cited, 289. - - _British Medical Journal_, on signs of death, 198; - case of difficulty in diagnosing real death, 199; - hardly any one sign but putrefaction infallible, 200; - records two cases of revivals in the coffin, 342, 343. - - Brewer, Dr., relates cases of narrow escape, 75. - - Broadwey, Dorset, catalepsy in a bride at, 38. - - Brouardel, Dr. P., experiment on live dog in coffin, 211. - - Brown-Séquard, Dr., on fallacy of clenched jaws as sign of death, 187. - - Bruhier, Dr., relates case of premature dissection, 233. - - Brussels, regulations for verification of death, 248; - burial regulations and mortuaries of, 358. - - Buffon, Comte de, on the treatment of the dead, 215. - - Bukovina, case of resuscitation in, 176. - - Burial, ancient practices of, 331-333. - - Burial, hasty, case of, at Roscrea, 350. - - Burial, live, experiment on, at Westminster Aquarium, 48. - - Burial, premature, a class of probable cases of, 113-119; - G. A. Walker on risks of, 215; - Fletcher on risks of, 217; - number of cases of, 220-228; - frequency of estimated, 220-228; - Hufeland on risks of, 221. - - Buried alive, cases of. (See under “Awaking.”) - - Burning Ghat, the, of Calcutta, visited by the author, 129. - - Burton, Lady, provisions of her will against risk of live burial, 154. - - - CADAVERIC, the, countenance as sign of death, 187. - - Calcutta, the Burning Ghat, visited by the author, 129; - burial customs at, 357. - - Cameron, Sir C., M.D., of Dublin, mortuary needed, 303. - - Cameron, Sir C., M.P., on worthless or wanting death-certificates, - 243. - - Cape Town, want of mortuary regulations at, 357. - - Carnot, M., petitions French Senate on premature burial, 74; - his statistics of live burial, 223. - - Carpmael, Mr. E. E., hypodermic strychnine as a reviver, 265. - - _Casket, The_, on testimony of opened graves, 351; - on hasty embalming, 351. - - _Cassell’s Family Physician_, account of catalepsy from, 33. - - Catalepsy, definition and symptoms of, 32-34; - cases of, by Good, 34; - Jebb, 35; - Dr. King Chambers, 35; - Paris correspondent of _Lancet_, 37; - Braid, 37; - at Broadwey in 1895, 38; - Gowers on predisposition to, 120; - case of revival on eve of burial, 122; - Dr. Milner on, 186. - - Cavendish, Miss Ada, provision in her will against risk of live - burial, 154. - - Certificates of death, laxity of, 11, 241; - prematurely given, 242; - worthless or wanting, 243; - directions for filling up, 242; - in France, 246-248; - in Brussels, 248; - in Würtemburg, 249; - in Dover, New Hampshire, 252; - Mr. A. Braxton Hicks on, 253; - Mr. Brindley James on, 254; - _Daily Chronicle_ on, 255; - a German resident on the Würtemburg practice in, 255. - - Ceylon, risks of premature disposal of dead in, 132, 133. - - Chambers, Dr. T. King, relates and cites cases of catalepsy, 35. - - Chantourelle, Dr., raises debate on premature burial at Paris Academy - of Medicine, 51. - - Chew, Dr. Roger S., relates cases of live burial, 60-63; - his own case of escape from same, 89; - other cases of escape from same, 90-94; - case of chloroformed girl buried as dead, 125; - on cholera collapse mistaken for death, 126; - on safety of soldiers in India from live burial, 136; - on putrefactive test, 183; - on _rigor mortis_, 185; - on frequency of live burial, 227; - on auscultation sounds after death, 261. - - Chippendale, Mr. J., on _post-mortem_ sweating, 29. - - Chloral, supposed death from, 192. - - Chloroform, effects of simulating death, 125. - - Cholera, special risk of live burial in cases of, 92, 95, 101, 126, - 149. - - Chri, Mr. Vira Raghava, describes disposal of dead at Madras, 131. - - Chunder Sen, Mr., relates case of trance in a fakir, 44. - - Coffin, sounds from the, 106, 107. - - Colerus, on apparent death, 330. - - Collins, Dr. W. J., advises the providing of mortuaries, 309. - - Cologne, old instances of revival at, 326, 327. - - Colombo, a Catholic priest of, subject to death-trances, 130. - - Conclamation, practice of, by the Caribs, 331; - in antiquity, 331, 332; - in Russia, 332; - in the case of the Widow of Nain’s son, 332. - - Conclusions, summary of, 321. - - Constantinople, risks of live burial at, 147. - - Cooper, Mr. M., surgeon, on apparent deaths, 17; - relates case of Madam Blunden, 51; - case at Toulouse of escape from live burial, 145; - condemns hasty burial, 171. - - Cork, case of revival from apparent death in a child at, 318. - - Creighton, Dr. C., his History of Epidemics cited, 282. - - Cremation, at Calcutta, 129; - among Brahmins at Madras, 131; - at Benares, 131; - as a preventive of premature burial, 274-278; - approved on general grounds, 282. - - Crowe, Mrs., cases related by, 336. - - Curran, Dr. W., brigade-surgeon, his papers in _Health_ on Burial - Alive, 103; - relates case of premature dissection, 236. - - Curry, Dr. James, women predisposed to death-counterfeits, 121; - on slow ebbing of life, 174; - on exciting the skin as a test, 258; - cases cited from, 334. - - Cyclopædia of Practical Medicine, on premature dissections, 233; - relates remarkable case of revival after apparent death, 340. - - - _Daily Chronicle_, on lax death-certification, 255. - - Dalmatia, ordinances of, for inspection of dead, 356. - - Davies, Major-General T., his account of hibernating jerboa, 40. - - Dead, the, treatment of, 215; - Buffon on same, 215; - G. A. Walker on, 215; - Fletcher on, in United States, 217; - Whiter on, 218; - as a department of medical practice, 218. - - Death-certification, Select Committee on, purport of its evidence, 11; - advises authorisations to embalm, 232; - evidence before, 238; - recommendations of, 239; - support of same at medical meeting, 239; - questions by as to premature burial, 244. - (See under “Certificates.”) - - Death, counterfeits of, 27; - their duration, 208-214; - Josat’s table of same, 209; - Köppen’s illustrations of same, 212. - - Death, signs of, popular, 180; - scientific, 181-207. - (See also under “Tests of Death.”) - - Death, sudden, the only real cases of, 159; - Farr on definition of, 160; - Granville on same, 160; - Tidy on causes of, 161; - Wilder on same, 163; - recent instances of, from newspapers, 164-170; - from heart-disease, 176; - _Manchester Criterion_ on revivals from, 178; - Dr. Wilder on risks of premature burial in, 178; - laws against early burial after, 179. - - Death, uncertainty of, 43; - G. A. Walker on, 216; - _London Review_ on, 316. - - Death, verification of, 246-256. - - Denmark, burial and mortuary regulations of, 358. - - Diaphanous test, the, failure of, 187; - Haward on, 188; - Gannal on, 191; - Orfila on, 191; - Richardson on, 192. - - Dijon, case of awaking in the tomb at, 327. - - Disraeli, Benjamin, endures a week’s trance, 23. - - Dissection, premature, probable case of, related by Ogston, 232; - Bruhier’s case of, 233; - Louis’ case of, 234; - Cyclopædia of Pract. Med. on stories of, 234; - Le Guern’s case of, 235; - Hartmann’s case of, 235; - Curran’s case of, 236; - case at Lille, 311; - by Vesalius, 329; - of a Spanish lady, 330. - - Dog, the, his instinct for the presence of life in Parsee ceremonies, - 137, 138; - in an Austrian case, 142; - in a Moravian case, 143. - - Donnet, Cardinal Archbishop, relates to French Senate cases of narrow - escape from live burial, 71-74; - including his own case, 73. - - Douce, Francis, the antiquary, his fear of being buried alive, 153. - - Dover, New Hampshire, ordinances of, for verification of death, 252. - - Drowned, recovery of the, 347; - cases of, by Struve, 347; - Londe’s case of, 347; - Green’s case of, 348; - recent cases of (Royal Humane Society), 349. - - Dryden, Lady, her testamentary provisions, 334. - - Duncan, Dr. Ebenezer, statistics of Glasgow burials, 284. - - Duration of death-counterfeits, 208; - statistics of, 209; - experiments on, 210, 211; - in case of Franciscan monk, 211; - Köppen’s illustrations of, 212-214. - - - ELECTRICITY as a restorative agent, 262-265. - - Elliotson, Dr., case related by, 334. - - Embalming, makes death certain, 229; - cases of premature, 230, 231; - case of escape from same, 231; - authority of Home Secretary advised for, 232; - hasty, in the United States, 351. - - Empedocles, his recovery of woman supposed dead, 330. - - Escape from dissection at Lille, 311. - - Escape from live burial, 64; - case of Sir W. Lindsay, 64; - case related by Vigné, 66; - case of professor’s wife at Tübingen, 66; - case at Coventry in 1858, 67-70; - case at St. Agnan de Cenuières, 71; - cases related by Cardinal Donnet, 71-74; - Dr. Brewer on, 75; - case at Cleveland, Ohio, 76; - two cases of, related by Dr. M. S. Tanner, 76; - case by Dr. W. O’Neill, of Lincoln, 77; - case at Clinton, Ky., 78; - at Memphis, Tenn., 79; - at Burham, Rochester, 80; - at St. Leonards, 80; - case related by Dr. F. A. Floyer, 81; - at Penn Station, U.S., 83; - at Vagueray, Lyons, 83; - at Limoges, 84; - at St. Louis, 84; - at Lagos, 84; - at Militsch, Silesia, 85; - at Sprakers, Rondout, N.Y., 85; - at Heap Bridge, Heywood, 86; - in the daughter of a physician, 87; - in a case related to the author, 88; - Dr. R. S. Chew’s personal experience of, 89; - in cases communicated by him, 90-96; - in the cases of two Irish persons of rank, 96; - in case related by Dr. Colin Valentine, 97; - in case related by Dr. A. Stephenson, 97; - in the case of the Metropolitan of Lesbos, 98; - in cases of small-pox, 99; - in cases related by Rev. Harry Jones, 100; - in case at St. Paul’s, Belchamp, near Clare, 101; - in case at Neufchâtel, 102; - in case at Alleghany, 103; - in the case of the late Madam Blavatsky, 104; - in a case at Toulouse, 145; - in a case in Würtemburg, 251; - in case related by Graves, 254; - in two cases certified dead by several physicians, 277; - in case at Lille, 311; - in the Munich mortuary, 311; - in a mortuary at Berlin, 313; - in the Frankfort mortuary, 313; - in a Brussels mortuary, 314; - in a Cassel mortuary, 314; - in a Lille mortuary, 314; - in a Buffalo mortuary, 315; - in the Marylebone mortuary, 315. - - Escapes from being cremated alive in India, 132-135. - - Exhumation, law of, in England, 106; - cases of, too late for rescue, 106-110; - case of, in time to save life, 111. - - - FABRI, William, condemns hasty burial, 171. - - Fagge, Dr. Hilton, on risk of live burial in cases of sudden death, - 175; - on putrefaction as the only certain sign of death, 183. - - Fakirs, cases of trance in, 44-48; - experiment with, related by Hartmann, 49. - - Farquharson, Dr. R., M.P., on lax death-certification, 240; - examines a witness as to live burial, 245. - - Farr, Dr. William, on definition of sudden death, 160. - - Fear of premature burial, _Spectator_ on, 18, 153-158; - eminent subjects of, 153, 154; - Rev. John Kingston on prevalence of, 156. - - Ferrier, Dr., on signs of death, 184. - - _Figaro, Le_, correspondence in, on live burial, 228. - - Fletcher, Dr. Moore Russell, on animal hibernation, 42; - relates cases of narrow escape, 76-88; - on negligent treatment of the dead, 217; - on restoratives, 265. - - Floyer, Dr. F. A., relates case of narrow escape, 81. - - Forestus on possibility of recovering supposed dead, 331. - - Formalities, fatal consequences of, 105. - - Foster, Sir Walter, M.D., examines a witness as to live burial, 245. - - Fothergill, Dr. A., on cadaveric countenance, 187; - on the art of restoring animation, 320. - - France, laws of, relating to burials, 354. - - Frankfort, regulations for inspection of the dead, 353. - - Froriep, M., cited as to ratio of revivals in grave, 222. - - - GAIRDNER, Dr. W. T., case of trance for twenty-three weeks, 23-27. - - Gannal, Dr. Félix, his valuable Bibliography, 3; - on putrefaction the only real test, 185; - on diaphanous test, 191; - on fallacious signs of death, 203. - - Gaubert, M., his estimate of ratio of live burials, 226; - his essay proves that waiting mortuaries are useful, 309. - - _Gazette Medicale_ on putrefactive test, 183. - - _Gazette Medicale d’ Orient_ asserts live burials at Constantinople, - 147. - - Germany, waiting mortuaries of, 11; - movement in, to prevent premature interment, 146. - - Gibbons, Dr. P. J., on premature embalming, 231. - - Glycas, Nicephorus, Metropolitan of Lesbos, escapes live burial, 98. - - Goa, resident of, prematurely coffined, 133. - - Godfrey, Mrs., case of, 339. - - Gooch, Dr., his case of catalepsy, 34. - - Goodman, Mrs., celebrated case of, 339. - - Gowers, Dr. W. R., on trance, 22; - on catalepsy, 32; - on predisposition to same, 120. - - Granville, Dr. A. B., on sudden death, 160. - - Graves, Dr. F., relates case of escape from live burial, 254. - - Green, Anne, case of, at Oxford, 328. - - Green, Dr. J. W., case of tardy recovery after immersion, 348. - - Guern, M. le, his experience of frequency of live burial, 223; - relates case of premature dissection, 235. - - Guy, Dr. W. A., on neglect of the subject in England, 10. - - - HANGED person, the heart beating at the dissection of a, 172; - recovery of a, 328. - - Hanham, Mr. T. C. Swinburne, on safeguards used by Cremation Society, - 281. - - Hartmann, Dr. Franz, his essay published at Boston, U.S., 9; - distinguishes trance from catalepsy, 32; - relates two cases of rescue from live burial fatally delayed, 108; - case of catalepsy revived, 122; - case of Orrendo’s body found beside the empty coffin, 122; - on predisposing causes of trance, 127; - relates case of resuscitation from spasms of the heart, 176; - on putrefaction the sole test of death, 194; - on frequency of live burial, 227; - case of premature dissection, 235; - two cases of escape from death after formal certification, 277; - on resuscitation, 320. - - Haward, Dr. Edwin, case of failure of diaphanous test, 188. - - Haweis, Rev. H. R., advocates cremation to prevent live burial, 278. - - Hearing, sense of, in suspended animation, 335, 336, 337. - - Heart, disease of, sudden apparent death in, 176. - - Heart, stoppage of, as test of death, 181. - - Hedley, Dr. W. S., on use of electricity as a restorative, 263. - - Herachborg, Dr., relates case of a Jewess rescued from the - undertakers, 146, 362 (Hirschberg). - - Heraclides of Pontus, on a disease marked by absence of breathing, 21. - - Herz, Dr. Marcus, opposes hasty burial among the Jews, 146, 361. - - Hibernation, instance of, in the jerboa, 40; - Braid on, in lower animals, 41; - Russell Fletcher on, in reptiles and fishes, 42. - - Hibernation, so-called human, 43. - - Hicks, Mr. A. Braxton, on lax certification of death, 253. - - Hincks, Amelia, a case of narrow escape, 68-70. - - Hindus, their motive for speedy disposal of dead, 132. - - Historical cases, appendix of, 325. - - Holmes, Mrs. Basil, on the extension of burial-grounds, 283. - - Honigberger, Dr. J. M., his researches on trance in India, 50. - - Hopps, Rev. J. Page, advocates cremation to prevent live burial, 281. - - Hotels, hasty burials from, on the Continent, 152. - - Howard, Col., of Co. Wicklow, his escape from live burial, 97. - - Hufeland, Dr. C. W., on trance, 43; - narrates narrow escape from live burial, 66; - on risks and horrors of live burial, 221; - devised the Weimar mortuary, 286. - - Humane Society, the Royal, cases from its reports, 337, 344, 345, 349; - literature relating to, 347, 367. - - Hypodermic medicines, as restoratives or tests, 265. - - - INDIA, premature burial and cremation in, 129; - Mr. Billimoria on the risks of the same, 134; - soldiers in, not liable to risk of same, 136. - - Infants, recovery of supposed dead, 342-345. - - Influenza followed by trance, 30, 124. - - Ireland, death-certification in, 241; - practice of burial in, 301, 359; - no mortuaries in, 302. - - Irvine, Mr. Clarke, on popular trust in the signs of death, 203. - - - JACKSON, Dr., of Somerby, relates case of supposed death by - lightning-stroke, 192. - - James, Mr. J. Brindley, on risks of live burial, 254. - - Jaws, clenching of, as signs of death, 187. - - Jebb, Dr. John, his graphic case of catalepsy, 35. - - Jerboa, the, its hibernation, 40. - - Jews, hasty burials among, opposed, 146; - cases of, restored to life by delay, 146, 147, 148; - their law of burial criticised, 150; - funeral practices of, 332; - history of their practice of early burial, 360; - discussions on same, 361. - - _Jewish World_, on the special risk of live burial amongst Jews, 150. - - Jeypore, fakir in a trance at, 44. - - Johnson, Walter, exhibits himself in a trance, 48. - - Jones, Rev. Harry, relates cases of escape from live burial, 100. - - Josat, Dr., on absence of cardiac action at birth, 182; - statistics of duration of apparent death, 209; - on interval between apparent and real death, 310. - - Joseph, Mr., on risks of premature burial or burning in Ceylon, 132. - - - KENNY, Dr. J. E., M.P., disposal of the dead in Ireland, 301. - - Kerthomas, M. H. L., relates revival of corpse at Lille, 311. - - Kesteven, Mr. W. B., on fallacy of cardiac test of death, 182. - - Kite, Dr. Charles, on uncertain signs of death, 14. - - Köppen, H. F., case of rescue from grave fatally delayed, 106; - cases of long vitality in coffin or grave, 212-214; - cites estimate of ratio of live burials, 220. - - Kuhn, Dr., reports on trance, 50. - - - LABORDETTE, Dr. A. de, on fallacy of clenched jaws as sign of death, - 187. - - Lagenberg, Van, Dr., information from, as to premature burials at - Colombo, 130. - - _Lancet, The_, on the horror of live burial, 16; - on a case of revival from death-trance at Nuneaton, 67; - on cholera patients buried alive, 149; - on reality of premature interment, 155; - on diagnosis of apparent death, 196; - on lax death-certification, 243; - on mortuaries, 293; - its testimony, 318; - on recovery of the still-born, 346. - - Lancisi, Dr., his belief in reanimation, 13; - opposes delay in burial, 144. - - Laurens, Miss, her recovery from apparent death, 340. - - Lénormand, Dr. Léonce, enumerates death-like conditions, 127; - on apparent death in cases of apoplexy, 175; - on delay of asphyxia in coffin, 210; - estimates ratio of live burials, 223; - on laxity of the _médécins verificateurs_, 246. - - Lesbos, Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of, his escape from live burial, - 98. - - Levitical law of corpses and burials, 360. - - Lethargy, synonym of trance, 23, 28. - - Lightning-stroke, cases of apparent death from, 192, 371. - - Lignières, Dr. de, on premature burials from hotels, 152; - on large ratio of uncertain deaths, 201. - - Lindsay, Sir W., his escape from live burial, 64. - - Londe, Dr. Charles, on duration of breathing in a coffin, 210; - relates case of tardy recovery after immersion, 348. - - London, burial-grounds of, 283; - mortuaries of, 295-298. - - Looking-glass test of death, 180. - - Louis, Dr. Antoine, relates case of premature dissection, 234. - - Lytton, Edward Bulwer, Baron, his dread of being buried alive, 154. - - - MACNISH, Dr., on trance, 22. - - Madden, Dr. T. More, cases of death-counterfeits, 27. - - _Manchester Criterion_ on revivals after sudden death, 178. - - Manning, Rev. Owen, case of, 338. - - Martineau, Harriet, provision of her will against risk of live burial, - 154. - - Marylebone, case of recovery in the mortuary of, 9, 298, 315. - - Mason, Mr. R. B., of Nuneaton, authenticates case of narrow escape, - 69. - - Mayo, Dr. Herbert, on trance, 22; - on states predisposing to same, 127. - - _Médécins verificateurs_, their duties perfunctorily discharged, 246. - - _Medical Examiner_ on putrefactive test, 183. - - _Medical Times_ on hospital mortuaries, 299. - - _Medical Times and Gazette_ on Cardinal Donnet’s cases of live burial, - 71; - on vivisection of a criminal, 172. - - Medicine, profession of, sceptical as to death-trance and live burial, - 113; - a new sphere of work for, 218; - its overcrowded state, 219 (_footnote_). - - Mendelssohn, Moses, writes against early burial, 361. - - Meyerbeer, his dread of being buried alive, 54. - - Milner, Dr. Ebenezer, on appearances of death in trance, 186; - on _rigor mortis_, 186. - - Misson, M. Max, his opinion on frequency of live burial, 222; - instances cited by, 326. - - Mody, Ervad Jivanji, his explanation of the “Sagdeed” at Parsee - funerals, 138; - on the use of the chain at the Towers of Silence, 138. - - Molloy, J. F., alleges trance in B. Disraeli, 23. - - Monteverdi, M., his test of death, 193. - - Moore, Dr. G., on so-called human hibernation, 43. - - Mortuaries, an illustration of their use, 95; - waiting, should be established in all sanitary districts, 285; - movement in favour of, began in France, 286; - first executed in Germany, 286; - new and sumptuous example of, at Munich, 289; - called for in London in 1847 by R. Brandon, 289-293; - as now existing in London, 295-298; - only one case of resuscitation reported from same, 298; - suggestions for their improvement and extension, 298, 303; - _Medical Times_ on those of hospitals, 299; - as now existing in provincial towns, 300; - want of, in Ireland, 301-303; - those of Brussels, 305; - of Paris, 305; - of Berlin, 306; - of Vienna, 306; - of Stockholm, 307; - that of Weimar, 307; - suggested joint-stock company for, in Paris, 308; - utility of, 309. - - Moscow, burial customs at, 358. - - Munich, new sumptuous mortuary at, 289; - utility of the mortuary at, 309; - ordinances of, for ascertaining death, 356. - - - NECKER, Madam, her practical suggestions to prevent live burial, 286. - - Needle test of death, 194. - - Netherlands, the, burial laws of, 353. - - Newsholme, Dr. A., on unregistered still-births, 346. - - Newspaper cases, of trance, 30, 31; - of sudden death, 164-170; - some head-lines from, 318. - - _Nonna, La_, form of trance following influenza, 30, 124. - - Nowroji, Mr. Ardeshar, on premature exposure of the dead among - Parsees, 138. - - Number, probable, of live burials, 220. - - Nuneaton, authentic case at, of narrow escape, 67. - - Nusserwanje, Mr. Dadabhoy, on cases of restored animation in Parsees, - 139. - - - O’CONNELL, Daniel, his dread of being buried alive, 154. - - O’Rourke, Mr. John, on hurried embalming, 352. - - O’Neill, Dr. W., relates case of narrow escape, 78. - - Ogston, Prof. Francis, records probable case of premature dissection, - 232. - - Ordinances. (See under “Regulations.”) - - Orfila, M., diaphanous test useless, 192. - - Orrendo, case of, at Kronstadt, 122. - - Oswald, Dr. John, on means of restoration to life, 266, 267. - - Ouseley, Rev. J. G., estimates ratio of live burials, 222. - - - PARSEES, their mode of disposing of the dead, 136-142; - their prejudice against persons restored to life, 139, 142. - - Patzki, Dr. J. H., his case of recovery by artificial respiration, - 266. - - Pembroke, William, Earl of, embalmed, 230. - - Perspiration a sign of revival, 28, 363. - - Petitions for prevention of premature burial, 225. - - Phelps, Lieut.-Gen. A., advocates cremation to prevent live burial, - 278. - - Plato, his reason for advising tardy disposal of dead, 144, 331; - relates a case of revival, 325. - - Pliny gives instances of the dead restored, 326. - - Plutarch, case of revival cited from, 325. - - Prasad, Mr. Durga, relates escape from burning alive, 132. - - Pratt, Dr. Samuel B., on _rigor mortis_, 185. - - Predisposition to trance, from nervous exhaustion, 120; - in women, 121; - habitual, 122; - from cold, 123; - after influenza, 30, 124; - from narcotics, 125; - in cholera, 126; - in various morbid states, 127. - - Pregnancy, apparent death during, 66. - - Probability of life, recent rise in, 319; - how same might be further raised, 319. - - Prevention, means of, various, 258; - by exciting the skin, 258-261; - by auscultation, 261; - by electricity, 262-265; - by hypodermic injection, 265; - by artificial respiration, 266; - summary of, in _All the Year Round_, 268-273; - prizes for discovery of, 273. - (See also under “Tests of death.”) - - _Prix Dusgate_, 274, 377. - - _Prix Manni_, 274, 374. - - _Prix d’Ourches_, 274, 376. - - Prize by the Brussels Royal Academy, 366. - - Publisher, a well-known, relates to the author a case of narrow - escape, 88. - - Putrefaction, the one safe test of death, Dr. Chew on, 183; - Dr. Fagge on, 183; - _Medical Examiner_ on, 183; - Dr. Gannal on, 185. - - Pye-Smith, Dr. P. H., on caution to be used in cases of trance, 175 - (_footnote_). - - - QUENSTEDT on dormancy of vital principle, 325. - - Quintilian gives reason for tardy burial by the Romans, 144. - - - RACHEL, Mlle. (actress), said to have been prematurely embalmed, 230. - - Recommendations of the authors, 323. - - Regulations, against early burial after sudden death, 179; - in Würtemburg for ascertaining real death, 195; - in Bavaria for same, 204-207; - in the Netherlands, 353; - Frankfort, 353; - France, 354; - Austria, 355; - Vienna, 355; - Dalmatia, 356; - Saxony, 356; - Munich, 356; - Calcutta, 357; - Bombay, 357; - Cape Town, 357; - Moscow, 358; - Brussels, 358; - Denmark, 358; - Spain, 359; - Ireland, 359; - United States, 359. - - Respiration, artificial, in case of apparent death, 266. - - Respiration, failure of, as test of death, 181. - - Resuscitation, cases of. (See under “Awaking,” “Escapes,” and - “Rescue.”) - - Richardson, Sir B. W., his paper on the Absolute Signs of Death, 10; - cites case of narrow escape, 75; - on effects of narcotics simulating death, 125; - his enumeration of signs of death, 181, 192-194; - applies the tests of death in a case, 189. - - _Rigor mortis_ a sign of death, 185. - - Rescue from live burial, fatally delayed by formalities, 105; - cases of, 106-110; - cases of, promptly successful, 111-112. - - Romans, ancient, their burial practices, 333. - - Roper, Dr., relates cases of still-born recovered, 355. - - Roy, Dr. Mohan Chunder, on risks of live burial or burning at Benares, - 131. - - - “SAGDEED,” the, ceremony at the Towers of Silence, 138. - - Salzburg, case of delayed rescue from live burial at, 108. - - Saxony, burial law of, 356. - - Schmid, Dr. J., case of sudden death revived, 176. - - Scott, Robert, of Scott’s Hall, case of, 335; - his wife’s case, 336. - - Servius, cremation delayed among the Latins, 144. - - Sethna, Mr. Phiroze C., accompanies the author to the Towers of - Silence, 136. - - Shaw, Mr. Oscar F., narrates case of live burial, 53. - - Sheffield, a premature death-certificate at, 242. - - Silence, Towers of, visit of author to, at Bombay, 136. - - Small-pox, cases of suspended animation in, 99. - - Snart, Mr. John, on number of live burials, 221. - - Somaglia, Cardinal, prematurely embalmed, 230. - - Spain, burial practices in, 359. - - Spasms of the heart, recovery after supposed death from, 176. - - _Spectator, The_, on indifference to the danger, 18. - - Spinosa, Cardinal, prematurely embalmed, 230. - - Sri Sumangala on risks of live burial or burning in Ceylon, 133. - - Stevenson, Dr. A., refuses demand for death-certificate in case of - trance, 97. - - Still-born, the, resuscitation of, 341-346. - - Struve, Dr. C. A., case of rescue fatally delayed, 106; - on duration of apparent death, 208; - case of recovery by electricity, 262; - cases of recovery of still-born, 342; - of recovery of drowned, 347. - - Syncope, statistics of death by, 173; - definition of, 173. - - - TALMUD, the, its teaching as to burials, 361. - - Tanner, Dr. M. S., relates two cases of narrow escape, 76. - - Tatham, Dr. John, examined as to live burials, 245. - - Terilli, Dr., tardy burial a safeguard, 145. - - Tests of death: respiratory, 181; - cardiac and arterial, 181, 182; - putrefactive, 183; - _rigor mortis_, 185; - cadaveric countenance, 187; - clenched jaws, 187; - diaphanous web of fingers, 187; - Richardson’s enumeration of, 193; - Hartmann on fallaciousness of, 194; - official statements of, 195; - _Lancet_ on fallaciousness of, 196; - _British Medical Journal_ on same, 198-201; - Wilder on same, 201; - Gaubert on same, 201; - expert _verificateurs_ of, 202; - popular trust in, 203; - Bavarian official directions for, 204-207. - - Thouret, Dr., his inference from opening of graves, 51, 228. - - Thieurey, Dr., his estimated number of live burials cited, 222. - - Thompson, Sir Henry, on defective death-certification, 240; - advocates cremation to prevent live burial, 276. - - Thompson, Mr. W. Arnold, case of still-born child recovered, 345. - - Tidy, Dr. C. M., on progressive nature of death, 160; - on causes of sudden death, 161; - on still-born infants, 341. - - Tobacco a cause of sudden death, 163. - - Trance, definition and symptoms of, 21-23; - Gairdner’s case of, 23-27; - Madden’s cases of, 27-29; - other cases of, 29, 30; - prolonged cases of, 31; - Hufeland on, 43; - in a fakir at Jeypore, 44; - at Lahore, 47; - self-induced at Westminster Aquarium, 48; - cases of, require caution (Pye-Smith), 175 (_footnote_); - Milner on diagnosis of, from death, 186. - - _Truth_, relation in, of a case of unverified death, 115. - - Turnbull, Mr. Peveril, communicates to _Spectator_ case of exhumation - alive, 111. - - - UNDERTAKERS, testimony of, 57; - their experience of dubious death, 118; - their fear of premature interment, 156. - - _Undertakers’ and Funeral Directors’ Journal_, on risks of hasty - burial, 171; - on frequency of live burial, 226; - on necessity for mortuaries, 295. - - _Union Medicale, La_, on premature burial, 247. - - United States of America, regulations in, for disposal of dead, 359. - - - VALENTINE, Dr. Colin S., relates case of escape from burial, 97. - - Verification of deaths, in France, 246; - in Brussels, 248; - in Würtemburg, 249; - in the United States, 252. - - Vesalius, Andreas, his case of live dissection, 329. - - Vienna, ordinances of, for inspection of dead, 355. - - Vigné, Dr. J. B., narrates a narrow escape, 66; - testamentary directions to prevent his own live burial, 257. - - Vivisection of a criminal, 172. - - - WADE, Sir Claude, eye-witness of trances in fakirs, 47. - - Wadia, Mr. Soabjee Dhunjeebhoy, 138. - - Waiting Mortuaries, Gaubert on, 309. - - Walker, Dr., of Dublin, his case, 338. - - Walker, Mr. G. A., on risks of premature burial, 215. - - Walters, Rev. W., on death-certification in Ireland, 241. - - Waterman, Dr. S., recoveries from apparent death in heart-disease, - 176. - - _Wiener Medicinische Zeitung_ on a premature Jewish interment at - Lemberg, 148. - - Welby, Mr. Horace, dread of live burial a prevalent one, 153. - - Whiter, Rev. Walter, advice as to treatment of the dead, 218. - - Whitney, Constance, her tomb in Cripplegate Church, 338. - - Widgen, Mrs., recovers many still-born at lying-in hospital, 344. - - Wilder, Dr. Alex., brings subject before State Legislature, N.Y., 19; - on predisposition to trance, 120; - on the causes of sudden death, 163; - on risks of premature burial in sudden deaths, 178; - on fallacious signs of death, 201; - advocates cremation to prevent live burial, 280. - - Winslow, Dr. Jacques B., a pioneer in the prevention of live burial, - 257; - on signs of death, 333, 334. - - Wunderbar, R. J., on the origin of, and authority for, early burial - among the Jews, 360. - - Würtemburg, official directions of, for ascertaining real death, 195, - 249-251; - case of escape from premature interment in, 251; - regulations of, recommended for imitation, 255, 256. - - - YATES, Edmund, bequeaths fee to surgeon to ensure that he was not - buried alive, 154. - - - _Hay Nisbet & Co., Printers, 16 St. Enoch Square, Glasgow, and - 25 Bouverie Street, London, E. C._ - - - - - FOOTNOTES: - -[1] “The Recovery of the Apparently Dead,” by Charles Kite, Member of -the Corporation of Surgeons in London, and Surgeon at Gravesend in -Kent. London, 1788. - -[2] “Histoire de la Médecine,” La Haye, 1729, p. 333. - -[3] “Linnæan Transactions,” 1797, vol. iv., p. 155. “An Account of the -Jumping Mouse of Canada--_Dipus Canadensis_.” - -[4] Archives gén de Med., 1827, xiv., p. 105. - -[5] The case referred to, being attended with considerable doubt, is -omitted. - -[6] _Evening News_, Nottingham, January 10, 1896. - -[7] _Health_, May 21, 1886, edited by Dr. Andrew Wilson, pp. 120-1. -After relating other cases, Surgeon Curran continues:--“I have myself -personally seen or heard on the spot of three such cases--cases that in -other hands or in other localities might have passed as dead, were they -not buried as such accordingly.” - -[8] For the antiquity of the Jewish practice of early burial, see note -in Appendix. - -[9] Dr. A. B. Granville, “Sudden Death,” p. 278. - -[10] Ibid., p. 278. - -[11] Ibid., p. 279. - -[12] Tidy, “Legal Medicine,” part i., pp. 279-280. - -[13] In the 3rd ed., by Dr. Pye Smith, the following occurs at p. 817 -of vol. i., under “Trance”:--“These are the cases which have led to the -popular belief that death is sometimes only apparent, and that there -may be a danger of persons being buried alive; and it cannot be denied -that a patient in such a condition might easily be allowed to die by -careless or ignorant attendants, or might be buried before death.” - -[14] _Bulletin Therap. Méd._, tome xxvii., p. 371. - -[15] “Premature Burial: An Examination into the Occult Causes of -Apparent Death, Trance, and Catalepsy.” By Franz Hartmann, M.D. Second -Edition. London: Swan Sonnenschein & Co. (One Shilling). - -[16] “Pour se convaincre de l’erreur où l’on tomberait en adoptant -cette opinion populaire, il suffit de refléchir d’abord qu’un cercueil -n’est pas exactement moulé sur les proportions du corps qu’il -contient; que, par consequent, tous les intervalles sont remplis d’air -respirable, en quantité très-grande, égale à-peu-près à un cube dont le -côté aurait 50 centimètres de hauteur. Or, chaque inspiration absorbe -environ 1,200 centimètres cubes d’air dont l’oxygène n’est employé dans -l’hématose que pour sa cinquième partie, le reste étant rendu pendant -l’expiration; il en resulte donc que chaque inspiration ne consomme en -réalité que 240 centimètres cubes. L’homme, à l’état normal, respire -à-peu-près 800 fois par heure; et, comme un cube de 50 centimètres de -côté contient 125,000 centimètres cubes, on doit conclure que cette -quantité d’air peut suffire à 520 inspirations normales, c’est à dire à -soutenir la vie pendant près de trois quarts d’heure. Mais, d’un autre -côté, il est démontré, en botanique, que l’air filtre dans la terre; -celui contenu dans le cercueil peut donc en partie se renouveler. On -doit nécessairement tenir compte de la nature du terrain où le cercueil -à été déposé; s’il est sec, léger ou sablonneux, il laissera pénétrer, -circuler pour, ainsi dire, l’air atmosphérique plus facilement, que -des terres humides, grasses ou argileuses. Ajoutons enfin, que les -quantités determinées plus haut pourraient être réduites de plus de -moitié, sans causer directement la mort. On voit donc qu’un homme -peut vivre sous terre pendant plusieurs heures, et que ce temps sera -d’autant plus court que le sujet sera plus pléthorique, c’est-à-dire -predisposé aux congestions cérébrales, puisque, dans ce cas, ses -inspirations seront plus larges et plus frequentes.” - -[17] Report on “Suspended Animation.” By a Committee of the Royal Med. -Chirur. Society, July 12, 1862. - -[18] The _British Medical Journal_, August 15, 1894, p. 381, reports -a “Discussion on the Overcrowding of the Profession,” in which Dr. -Frederick H. Alderson says:--“The very crowded condition of the medical -profession concerns a very large body of the profession; neither is the -evil limited to any particular section of it. Our physicians are too -numerous, our surgeons alike too many, and our general practitioners -are legion.” - -[19] Quoted by Dr. Franz Hartmann in “Premature Burial.” - -[20] Alas for the futility of human expectations of reform when left to -the initiation of Governments--this was written twenty-seven years ago, -and nothing has been done to remedy the evil! - -[21] During the five years ending 1895 the population of France, -where of all European countries premature burial is most in vogue, -has increased by only 133,819, or, leaving out the immigration of -alien population, the increase is under 30,000. The population for all -practical purposes may be regarded as stationary. - -[22] With reference to the burial customs in Ireland, the _Kings County -Chronicle_, Parsonstown, September 17, 1896, says:--“Young children are -buried the day after death, but adults are waked for two, and sometimes -three nights.” - - - - - TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE: - ---Obvious print and punctuation errors were corrected. - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Premature Burial and How it may be -Prevented, by William Tebb and Col. 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- font-family:sans-serif, serif; } - </style> - </head> -<body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Premature Burial and How it may be Prevented, by -William Tebb and Col. Edward Perry Vollum - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - -Title: Premature Burial and How it may be Prevented - -Author: William Tebb - Col. Edward Perry Vollum - -Release Date: November 15, 2015 [EBook #50460] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PREMATURE BURIAL *** - - - - -Produced by Giovanni Fini, deaurider and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - -</pre> - -<div class="limit"> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/cover.jpg" width="350" height="497" alt="cover" /> -</div> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_i" id="Page_i">[i]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p class="pc4 elarge">PREMATURE BURIAL,</p> -<p class="pc">AND</p> -<p class="pc large">HOW IT MAY BE PREVENTED.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_ii" id="Page_ii">[ii]</a></span></p> -<p> </p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_iii" id="Page_iii">[iii]</a></span></p> - -<h1 class="p4 gesperrt">PREMATURE BURIAL</h1> -<p class="pc2">AND</p> -<p class="pc1 large">HOW IT MAY BE PREVENTED</p> - -<p class="pc4"><i>WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO TRANCE, CATALEPSY, AND<br /> -OTHER FORMS OF SUSPENDED ANIMATION</i></p> - -<p class="pc4">BY</p> - -<p class="pc2 large">WILLIAM TEBB, F.R.G.S.</p> - -<p class="pc reduct"><i>Corresponding Member of the Royal Academy of Medical Sciences, Palermo;<br /> -Author of “The Recrudescence of Leprosy and its Causation”</i></p> - -<p class="pc4 lmid">AND</p> - -<p class="pc large"><span class="smcap">Col.</span> EDWARD PERRY VOLLUM, M.D.</p> - -<p class="pc reduct"><i>Late Medical Inspector, U.S. Army; Corresponding Member of the<br /> -New York Academy of Sciences</i></p> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/logo.jpg" width="200" height="287" - alt="LOGO" - title="" /> -</div> - -<p class="pc lmid"><span class="gesperrt">LONDON</span><br /> -<span class="gesperrt2">SWAN SONNENSCHEIN & CO., LIM.</span><br /> -1896</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_iv" id="Page_iv">[iv]</a></span></p> - -<div class="pbq"> -<p class="p4">“What if in the tomb I awake!”—<i>Romeo and Juliet.</i></p> - -<p>“How comes it about that patients, given over as dead by their physicians, sometimes -recover, and that some have even returned to life in the very time of their -funerals?”—<span class="smcap">Celsus.</span></p> - -<p>“Such is the condition of humanity, and so uncertain is men’s judgment, that they -cannot determine even death itself.”—<span class="smcap">Pliny.</span></p> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">[1]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4 gesperrt">PREFACE.</h2> - -<hr class="d1" /> - -<p><span class="smcap">A distressing</span> experience in the writer’s family many -years ago brought home to his mind the danger of -premature burial, and led ultimately to the careful study -of a gruesome subject to which he has a strong natural -repugnance. His collaborator in the volume has himself -passed through a state of profound suspended animation -from drowning, having been laid out for dead—an experience -which has induced him in like manner to investigate -the various death-counterfeits. The results of the -independent inquiries carried on by both of us in various -parts of Europe and America, and by one of us during -a sojourn in India in the early part of this year, are now -laid before the reader, with such practical suggestions -as it is hoped may prepare the way for bringing about -certain needed reforms in our burial customs.</p> - -<p>The danger, as I have attempted to show, is very -real—to ourselves, to those most dear to us, and to the -community in general; and it should be a subject -of very anxious concern how this danger may be -minimised or altogether prevented. The duty of -taking the most effective precautions to this end is<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2">[2]</a></span> -one that naturally falls to the Legislature, especially -under a Government professing to regard social questions -as of paramount importance. Fortunately, this is a non-party -and a non-contentious question, it imperils no -interest, so that no formal obstruction or unnecessary -delay need be apprehended; and it should be urged -upon the Government to introduce and carry an effective -measure at the earliest opportunity, not only as a security -against the possibility of so terrible an evil, but to quiet -the widespread and not altogether unreasonable apprehension -on this subject which is now so prevalent.</p> - -<p>It has been found convenient to retain throughout the -body of the work the use of the singular pronoun, but -every part of the book receives the cordial approval of -both authors, and with this explanation we accept its -responsibility jointly.</p> - -<p>We have to acknowledge our great indebtedness in -preparing this volume to many previous writers, including -such as have investigated the phenomena of suspended -animation and the signs of death, and such as, -with a more practical intention, have dwelt upon the -danger of death-counterfeits being mistaken for the -absolute extinction of life, illustrating their counsels or -warnings by numerous instances. Grouping both classes -of writers together, we may mention specially the names -of Winslow and Bruhier, Hufeland, Struve, Marcus Herz -and Köppen, Kite, Curry, and Anthony Fothergill; and, -of more recent date, the names of Bouchut, Londe,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[3]</a></span> -Lénormand, and Gaubert (on mortuaries), Russell -Fletcher, Franz Hartmann, and Sir Benjamin Ward -Richardson.</p> - -<p>A work to which we are particularly indebted for the -literature of the subject is that of the late Dr. Félix -Gannal, “Mort Apparente et Mort Réelle: moyens de -les distinguer.” Paris, 1890. Dr. Gannal, having qualified -in medicine and pharmacy, occupied himself with -the business of embalming, which he inherited from his -father. He employed the considerable leisure which the -practice of that art left to him in compiling the above -laborious work. He examined many books, pamphlets, -theses, and articles, from which he cited expressions of -opinion on the several points—in a lengthy form in his -original edition (1868), in a condensed form in the second -edition. His Bibliography is by far the most comprehensive -that has been hitherto compiled. Our own -Bibliography had been put together from various sources -before we made use of Dr. Gannal’s. It includes several -titles which he does not give; while, on the other -hand, it has been considerably extended beyond its -original limits by transcribing titles which we have found -nowhere but in his list. The Bibliography, it need -hardly be said, is much more extensive than our own -reading; but it seemed useful to make it as complete as -possible, whether the books had been seen by us or not, -so as to show in chronological order how much interest -had been aroused in the subject from time to time—in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[4]</a></span> -one country more than another, or in various countries -together. The titles of articles in journals, which belong -for the most part to the more recent period, have been -taken from the Index Catalogue of the Surgeon-General’s -Library, Washington, a few references being -added to articles which have otherwise come under our -notice.</p> - -<p class="pr2">W. T.</p> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[5]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4 gesperrt"><i>CONTENTS.</i></h2> - -<hr class="d1" /> - -<table id="toc" summary="cont"> - - <tr> - <td> </td> - <td class="tdrl"><span class="small">PAGE</span></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdt"><i>Preface</i></td> - <td class="tdrl"><a href="#Page_1"><i>1</i></a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdt"><i>Introduction</i></td> - <td class="tdrl"><a href="#Page_9"><i>9</i></a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdch"><i>CHAPTER I.</i></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdt"><i>Trance</i></td> - <td class="tdrl"><a href="#Page_21"><i>21</i></a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdch"><i>CHAPTER II.</i></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdt"><i>Catalepsy</i></td> - <td class="tdrl"><a href="#Page_32"><i>32</i></a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdch"><i>CHAPTER III.</i></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdt"><i>Animal and So-called Human Hibernation</i></td> - <td class="tdrl"><a href="#Page_40"><i>40</i></a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdch"><i>CHAPTER IV.</i></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdt"><i>Premature Burial</i></td> - <td class="tdrl"><a href="#Page_51"><i>51</i></a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdch"><i>CHAPTER V.</i></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdt"><i>Narrow Escapes from Premature Burial</i></td> - <td class="tdrl"><a href="#Page_64"><i>64</i></a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdch"><i>CHAPTER VI.</i></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdt"><i>Formalities and their Fatal Consequences</i></td> - <td class="tdrl"><a href="#Page_105"><i>105</i></a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdch"><i>CHAPTER VII.</i></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdt"><i>Probable Cases of Premature Burial</i></td> - <td class="tdrl"><a href="#Page_113"><i>113</i></a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdch"><i>CHAPTER VIII.</i></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdt"><i>Predisposing Causes and Conditions of Death-Counterfeits</i></td> - <td class="tdrl"><a href="#Page_120"><i>120</i></a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdch"><i>CHAPTER IX.</i><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[<span class="reduct">6</span>]</a></span></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdt"><i>Premature Burial and Cremation in India. The Towers of Silence</i></td> - <td class="tdrl"><a href="#Page_129"><i>129</i></a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdch"><i>CHAPTER X.</i></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdt"><i>The Danger of Hasty Burials</i></td> - <td class="tdrl"><a href="#Page_144"><i>144</i></a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdch"><i>CHAPTER XI.</i></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdt"><i>The Fear of Premature Burial</i></td> - <td class="tdrl"><a href="#Page_153"><i>153</i></a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdch"><i>CHAPTER XII.</i></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdt"><i>Sudden Death</i></td> - <td class="tdrl"><a href="#Page_159"><i>159</i></a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdch"><i>CHAPTER XIII.</i></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdt"><i>The Signs of Death</i></td> - <td class="tdrl"><a href="#Page_180"><i>180</i></a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdch"><i>CHAPTER XIV.</i></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdt"><i>The Duration of Death-Counterfeits</i></td> - <td class="tdrl"><a href="#Page_208"><i>208</i></a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdch"><i>CHAPTER XV.</i></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdt"><i>The Treatment of the Dead</i></td> - <td class="tdrl"><a href="#Page_215"><i>215</i></a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdch"><i>CHAPTER XVI.</i></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdt"><i>Number of Cases of Premature Burial</i></td> - <td class="tdrl"><a href="#Page_220"><i>220</i></a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdch"><i>CHAPTER XVII.</i></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdt"><i>Embalming and Dissections</i></td> - <td class="tdrl"><a href="#Page_229"><i>229</i></a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdch"><i>CHAPTER XVIII.</i></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdt"><i>Death-Certification</i></td> - <td class="tdrl"><a href="#Page_238"><i>238</i></a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdch"><i>CHAPTER XIX.</i></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdt"><i>Suggestions for Prevention</i></td> - <td class="tdrl"><a href="#Page_257"><i>257</i></a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdch"><i>CHAPTER XX.</i><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[<span class="reduct">7</span>]</a></span></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdt"><i>Cremation as a Preventive of Premature Burial</i></td> - <td class="tdrl"><a href="#Page_275"><i>275</i></a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdch"><i>CHAPTER XXI.</i></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdt"><i>Waiting Mortuaries</i></td> - <td class="tdrl"><a href="#Page_285"><i>285</i></a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdch"><i>CHAPTER XXII.</i></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdt"><i>Conclusion</i></td> - <td class="tdrl"><a href="#Page_316"><i>316</i></a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdch"><i>APPENDIX A.</i></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdt"><i>Historical Cases of Restoration from Apparent Death</i></td> - <td class="tdrl"><a href="#appa"><i>325</i></a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdch"><i>APPENDIX B.</i></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdt"><i>Resuscitation of Still-Born and other Infants</i></td> - <td class="tdrl"><a href="#appb"><i>341</i></a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdch"><i>APPENDIX C.</i></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdt"><i>Recovery of the Drowned</i></td> - <td class="tdrl"><a href="#appc"><i>347</i></a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdch"><i>APPENDIX D.</i></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdt"><i>Miscellaneous Addenda</i></td> - <td class="tdrl"><a href="#appd"><i>350</i></a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdch"><i>APPENDIX E.</i></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdt"><i>The Jewish Practice of Early Burial</i></td> - <td class="tdrl"><a href="#appe"><i>353</i></a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdch"><i>APPENDIX F.</i></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdt"><i>Summary of Ordinances, etc., Relating to the Inspection of -Corpses and of Interments</i></td> - <td class="tdrl"><a href="#appf"><i>360</i></a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdch">———</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdt"><i>Bibliography</i></td> - <td class="tdrl"><a href="#Page_363"><i>363</i></a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdt"><i>Index</i></td> - <td class="tdrl"><a href="#Page_389"><i>389</i></a></td> - </tr> - -</table> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[8]</a><br /><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[9]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4">INTRODUCTION.</h2> - -<hr class="d1" /> - -<p><span class="smcap">A concurrence</span> of peculiar circumstances, beginning -in May, 1895, has directed public attention in England -to the subject of premature burial, probably to a greater -degree, so far as the author’s recollection serves, than at -any time during the past half-century. Amongst these -may be mentioned the publication of several recent -cases of premature burial in the English and American -papers; the narrow escape of a child found in Regent’s -Park, London, laid out for dead at the Marylebone -Mortuary, and afterwards restored to life; the issue -in Boston, U.S., of Dr. Franz Hartmann’s instructive -essay, entitled, “Buried Alive: an Examination into the -Occult Causes of Apparent Death, Trance, and Catalepsy” -(a considerable number of copies having been -sold in England), and the able leading articles and -correspondence on the subject in the <i>Spectator</i>, <i>Daily -Chronicle</i>, <i>Morning Post</i>, <i>Leeds Mercury</i>, <i>The Jewish -World</i>, <i>Plymouth Mercury</i>, <i>Manchester Courier</i>, <i>To-Day</i>, -and many other daily and weekly journals.</p> - -<p>It is curious, that while many books and pamphlets -relating to this important subject have been issued in -France and Germany, no adequate and comprehensive<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[10]</a></span> -treatise has appeared from the English press for more -than sixty years past, nor writings in any form, with -the exception of a paper by Sir Benjamin Ward -Richardson in No. 21 of the <i>Asclepiad</i>, published in -1889, on the “Absolute Signs of Death,” sundry -articles in the medical journals from time to time, -and a London edition of Dr. Hartmann’s volume in -January, 1896. The section upon “Real and Apparent -Death” in the 1868 edition of the late Professor Guy’s -<i>Forensic Medicine</i> begins with the words, “This subject -has never attracted much attention in England, -and no medical author of repute has treated it at any -length”—a remark not less true after the lapse of a -generation. The following chapters have been prepared -with the view, not so much of supplying this -omission, as of guiding the public to the dangers of our -present mode of treating the apparent dead, in the hope -that reforms and preventive measures may be instituted -without delay in order to put an end to such unnecessary -domestic tragedies.</p> - -<p>In introducing the subject the author is aware that -the great majority of the medical profession in this -country are either sceptical or apathetic as to the -alleged danger of living burial. Many do not believe -in the existence of death-trance or death-counterfeits, -and the majority of those who do believe in them -declare that cases are very rare, and that if consciousness -is ever restored in the grave it can only<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[11]</a></span> -last a second or two, and that those who live in fear -of such an occurrence should provide for a <i>post-mortem</i> -or for the severance of the jugular vein. -Many persons, on the other hand, after much careful -inquiry, are of opinion that cases of premature burial -are of frequent occurrence; and that the great majority -of the human race (outside of a few places in -Germany, where waiting mortuaries are established, or -where the police regulations, such as those described -in this volume as existing in Würtemburg, are -efficiently and systematically carried out) are liable to -this catastrophe. Important as the subject is allowed -to be, and numerous as are the reported cases, no -effective steps, either public or private, appear to have -been taken, outside of Germany and Austria, to remedy -the evil. At present a majority of the people appear -content to trust to the judgment of their relations -and to the ordinary certificates of death to safeguard -them from so terrible a disaster. That death-certificates -and death-verifications are often of a -most perfunctory description, both as to the fact of -death and the cause of death, has been proved by -overwhelming evidence before the recent House of -Commons Committee on Death-Certification. Such -certificates, when obtained, may be misleading and -untrustworthy; while in many cases burials take place -without the doctor having either attended the patient or -examined the body. Nor, in spite of the appointment<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[12]</a></span> -of death-verificators by our neighbours across the -Channel, is this important precaution effectively carried -out by them. M. Devergie reports that in twenty-five -thousand communes in France no verification of -death takes place, although the law requires it; and -he demands that no diploma shall be given without -the candidate having proved himself conversant with -the signs of death. (<i>Medical Times</i>, London, 1874, -vol. i., p. 25.) On personal inquiry from medical -authorities in France, during the present year (1896), -we learn that this laxity still prevails.</p> - -<p>It appears strange that, except when a man dies, all -his concerns are protected by custom and formalities, or -guarded by laws, so as to insure his interests being -fairly carried out to completion. Thus we see that -heirship, marriage, business affairs of all kinds, whether -of a public or private nature, are amply guarded by -such precautionary and authoritative measures as will -secure them. But one of the most important of all -human interests—that which relates to the termination -of life—is managed in such a careless and perfunctory -way as to permit of irreparable mistakes. To be sure -there are laws in most of the Continental States of -Europe that are intended to regulate the care and burial -of the dead, but few of them make it certain that the -apparently dead shall not be mistaken for the really dead, -and treated as such. None of them allow more than -seventy-two hours before burial (some allow only thirty-six,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[13]</a></span> -others twenty-four, and others again much less, -according to the nature of the disease), unless the attending -physician petitions the authorities for reasonable -delay—a rare occurrence. And even if postponement -is granted, it is doubtful if the inevitable administrative -formalities would leave opportunities for dubious cases -to receive timely and necessary attention, or for cases of -trance, catalepsy, coma, or the like, to be rescued from a -living burial.</p> - -<p>In the introduction to a Treatise entitled “The -Uncertainty of the Signs of Death, and the Danger -of Precipitate Interments,” published in 1746, the -author, Mr. M. Cooper, surgeon, says:—“Though death -at some time or other is the necessary and unavoidable -portion of human nature, yet it is not -always certain that persons taken for dead are really -and irretrievably deprived of life, since it is evident -from experience that many apparently dead have -afterwards proved themselves alive by rising from -their shrouds, their coffins, and even from their graves. -It is equally certain that some persons, too soon -interred after their supposed decease, have in their -graves fallen victims to a death which might otherwise -have been prevented, but which they then find -more cruel than that procured by the rope or the -rack.” The author quotes Lancisi, first physician to -Pope Clement XI., who, in his Treatise <i>De subitaneis -mortibus</i>, observes:—“Histories and relations are not -the only proofs which convince me that many persons<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[14]</a></span> -supposed to be dead have shown themselves alive, -even when they were ready to be buried, since I am -induced to such a belief from what I myself have -seen; for I saw a person of distinction, now alive, -recover sensation and motion when the priest was -performing the funeral service over him in church.”</p> - -<p>After reporting and describing a large number of -cases of premature burial, or of narrow escapes -from such terrible occurrences, in which the victims -of hasty diagnosis were prepared for burial, or revived -during the progress of the burial service, Mr. Cooper -continues:—“Now, if a multiplicity of instances evince -that many have the good fortune to escape being -interred alive, it is justly to be suspected that a far -greater number have fallen victims to a fatal confinement -in their graves. But because human nature -is such a slave to prejudice, and so tied down by -the fetters of custom, it is highly difficult, if not -absolutely impossible, to put people on their guard -against such terrible accidents, or to persuade those -vested with authority to take proper measures for -preventing them.”</p> - -<p>Nothing seems to have been done to remedy this -serious evil; and forty-two years later Mr. Chas. Kite, -a well-known practitioner, called attention to the subject -in a volume, entitled “The Recovery of the -Apparently Dead,” London, 1788. This author, on p. -92, says:—“Many, various, and even opposite appearances -have been supposed to indicate the total extinction<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[15]</a></span> -of life. Formerly, a stoppage of the pulse -and respiration were thought to be unequivocal signs -of death; particular attention in examining the state -of the heart and larger arteries, the flame of a taper, -a lock of wool, or a mirror applied to the mouth or -nostrils, were conceived sufficient to ascertain these -points; <i>and great has been the number of those who -have fallen untimely victims to this erroneous opinion</i>. -Some have formed their prognostic from the livid, -black, and cadaverous countenance; others from the -heavy, dull, fixed, or flaccid state of the eyes; from -the dilated pupil; the foaming at the mouth and -nostrils, the rigid and inflexible state of the body, -jaws, or extremities; the intense and universal cold, -etc. Some, conceiving any one of these symptoms as -incompetent and inadequate to the purpose, have -required the presence of such of them as were, in -their opinion, the least liable to error; but whoever -will take the trouble of reading the Reports of the -(Humane) Society with attention, will meet with very -many instances where all the appearances separately, -and even where several associated in the same case, -occurred, and yet the patient recovered; and it is -therefore evident that these signs will not afford -certain and unexceptionable criteria by which we may -distinguish between life and death.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Kite furnishes references to numerous cases of -recovery where the apparently dead exhibited black, -livid, or cadaverous countenances; eyes fixed or<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[16]</a></span> -obscure; eyeballs diminished in size, immovable and -fixed in their sockets, the cornea without lustre; eyes -shrivelled; froth at the mouth; rigidity of the body, -jaws, and extremities; partial or universal cold.<a name="FNanchor_1_1" id="FNanchor_1_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_1_1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a></p> - -<p>The crux of the whole question is the uncertainty -of the signs which announce the cessation of physical -existence. Prizes have been offered, and prizes have -been awarded, but further experience has shown that -the signs and tests, sometimes singly and sometimes -in combination, have been untrustworthy, and that -the only certain and unfailing sign of death is decomposition.</p> - -<p>Commenting upon actual cases of premature burial, -the <i>Lancet</i>, March 17, 1866, p. 295, says:—“Truly there -is something about the very notion of such a fate -calculated to make one shudder, and to send a cold -stream down one’s spine. By such a catastrophe is not -meant the sudden avalanche of earth, bricks, or stones -upon the luckless miner or excavator, or the crushing, -suffocative death from tumbling ruins. No; it is the -cool, determined treatment of a living being as if he -were dead—the rolling him in his winding sheet, the -screwing him down in his coffin, the weeping at his -funeral, and the final lowering of him into the narrow -grave, and piling upon his dark and box-like dungeon -loads of his mother earth. The last footfall departs<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[17]</a></span> -from the solitary church-yard, leaving the entranced -sleeper behind in his hideous shell soon to awaken to -consciousness and to a benumbed half-suffocated existence -for a few minutes; or else, more horrible still, there -he lies beneath the ground conscious of what has been -and still is, until, by some fearful agonised struggle of -the inner man at the weird phantasmagoria which has -passed across his mental vision, he awakes to a bodily -vivification as desperate in its torment for a brief period -as has been that of his physical activity. But it is -soon past. There is scarcely room to turn over in the -wooden chamber; and what can avail a few shrieks and -struggles of a half-stifled, cramped-up man!”</p> - -<p>To prevent such unspeakable horrors as are here -pictured, the Egyptians kept the bodies of the dead under -careful supervision by the priests until satisfied that -life was extinct, previous to embalming them by means -of antiseptics, balsams, and odoriferous gums. The -Greeks were aware of the dangers of premature burial, -and cut off fingers before cremation to see whether -life was extinct. In ancient Rome the recurrence of -cases of premature burial had impressed the nation -with the necessity for exercising the greatest caution -in the treatment of the supposed dead; hasty conclusions -were looked upon as criminal, the absence of -breath or heat or a cadaverous appearance were -regarded as uncertain tests, and the supposed dead -were put into warm baths or washed with hot water, -and other means of restoration adopted. Neither in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[18]</a></span> -the greater part of Europe nor in the United States -are any such means resorted to now, except in the -case of apparent death by drowning, by asphyxia, or -by hanging. Premature burials and narrow escapes are -of almost every-day occurrence, as the narratives in the -newspapers testify; and the complaint made by a surgeon, -Mr. Cooper, a hundred and fifty years ago, that the -evil is perpetuated because we are slaves to prejudice, -and because those vested with authority refuse to take -measures for prevention, remains a serious blot upon -our advanced civilisation. The <i>Spectator</i>, September -14, 1895, commenting upon this unsatisfactory state -of affairs, observes:—“Burning, drowning, even the -most hideous mutilation under a railway train, is as -nothing compared with burial alive. Strangely enough -this universal horror seems to have produced no desire -to guard against burial alive. We all fear it, and yet -practically no one takes any trouble to avoid the risk -of it happening in his own case, or in that of the rest -of mankind. It would be the simplest thing in the -world to take away all chance of burying alive; and -yet the world remains indifferent, and enjoys its horror -undisturbed by the hope of remedy.”</p> - -<p>The authors’ own reasonings, opinions, and conclusions -are here briefly presented; but as the majority of the -public are more or less influenced by authority, it has -been thought advisable to furnish a series of authenticated -facts under the several headings to which they -belong, and to cite the judgments of eminent members<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[19]</a></span> -of the medical profession who have given special attention -to the subject. The source of difficulty has -been an <i>embarras de richesse</i>, or how from a -mass of material, the extent of which will be seen by -reference to the Bibliography, to select typical cases -without needless repetition. The premature burials -and narrow escapes from such disasters, which are -reported by distinguished physicians and reputable -writers, may be numbered literally by hundreds, and -for every one reported it is obvious from the nature -of the case that many are never heard of. Amongst -the names of notable persons who have thought the -subject sufficiently practical for their attention may be -mentioned those of Empedocles, Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, -Pliny, Celsus, Plutarch, and St. Augustine in antiquity; -of Fabricius, Lancisi, Winslow, Haller, Buffon, Lavater, -Moses Mendelssohn, Hufeland, and Alexander von -Humboldt in modern times.</p> - -<p>The subject has several times engaged the attention -of the French Senate and Legislative Chamber, as -well as the Legislative Assemblies in the various -States of Germany. In 1871, Dr. Alex. Wilder, Prof. -of Physiology and Psychological Science, read a -paper before the members of both houses of the -New York State Legislature at the Capitol, Albany; -but we are not aware that the subject has ever been -introduced in any of the other State Legislatures, or in -the British Parliament, or in any of the Colonial -Assemblies.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[20]</a></span></p> - -<p>In an editorial note, as far back as November 27, 1858, -the <i>Lancet</i>, referring to a case of death-trance, remarked -that such “examples are sufficiently mysterious -in their character to call for a more careful investigation -than it has hitherto been possible to accord to -them.” The facts disclosed in this treatise, the authors -hope, may encourage qualified scientific observers to -study the subject of death-trance, which, it must be -admitted, has been strangely overlooked in England, -though it would not be easy to mention one which -more deeply concerns every individual born into the -world.</p> - -<p>In order to prevent unnecessary pain to the reader -on a subject so distressing in its nature, the more sensational -and horrifying cases of premature burial have -been omitted. They can, however, be found in abundance -in the writings of Bruhier, Köppen, Kempner, -Lénormand, Bouchut, Russell Fletcher, and the Boston -(U.S.) edition of Hartmann. In England and in America -it is the fashion amongst medical men to maintain that -the tests known to medical art are fully equal to the -prevention of live burial, that the cases quoted by the -newspapers are introduced for sensational purposes, and -that most of them are apocryphal. The perusal of the -cases recorded in this volume, and a careful consideration -of the weight of cumulative evidence represented -by the very full bibliography, must satisfy the majority -of reflective readers that the facts are both authentic -and numerous.</p> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[21]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p class="pc4 elarge gesperrt">PREMATURE BURIAL,</p> -<p class="pc">AND</p> -<p class="pc large gesperrt2">HOW IT MAY BE PREVENTED.</p> - -<hr class="d2" /> - -<p class="pc mid"><i>SOME FORMS OF SUSPENDED ANIMATION.</i></p> - -<hr class="d3" /> - -<h2 class="p2">CHAPTER I.</h2> - -<p class="pch">TRANCE.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Of</span> all the various forms of suspended animation and -apparent death, trance and catalepsy are the least -understood, and most likely to lead the subject of them -to a premature burial; the laws which control them -have perplexed pathologists in all ages, and appear to -be as insoluble as those which govern life itself. Dr. -Le Clerc, in his “History of Medicine,” records that -“Heraclides, of Pontus, wrote a book <i>concerning the -causes of diseases</i>, and another <i>concerning the disease in -which the patient is without respiration</i>, in which he -affirmed that in this disorder the patient sometimes -continued thirty days without respiration, in such wise -that he appeared dead, notwithstanding that there was -no corruption of the body.”<a name="FNanchor_2_2" id="FNanchor_2_2"></a><a href="#Footnote_2_2" class="fnanchor">[2]</a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[22]</a></span></p> - -<p>Dr. Herbert Mayo, in “Letters on Truths Contained -in Popular Superstitions,” p. 34, says that “death-trance -is the suspension of the action of the heart, and of -breathing, and of voluntary motion—generally little -sense of feeling and intelligence. With these phenomena -is joined loss of external warmth, so that the -usual evidence of life is gone. But there has occurred -every shade of this condition that can be imagined, -between occasional slight manifestations of suspension -of one or other of the vital actions and their entire -disparition.”</p> - -<p>Macnish, who also asserts that the function of the -heart must go on, and even of the respiration, however -slightly, says—“No affection to which the animal frame -is subject is more remarkable than this (catalepsy, or -trance).... There is such an apparent extinction of -every faculty essential to life, that it is inconceivable -how existence should go on during the continuance of -the fit.”—<i>Philos. of Sleep, Glasgow, 1834, pp. 225-6.</i></p> - -<p>In Quain’s “Dictionary of Medicine,” ii., p. 1063, -Dr. Gowers says:—“The state now designated hypnotism -is really induced trance, and trance has been -accurately termed ‘spontaneous hypnotism’....</p> - -<p>“The mental functions seem, in most cases, to be in -complete abeyance. No manifestations of consciousness -can be observed, or elicited by the most powerful -cutaneous stimulation, and on recovery no recollection -of the state is preserved. But in some cases volition -only is lost, and the patient is aware of all that passes, -although unable to give the slightest evidence of consciousness....</p> - -<p>“In the cases in which the depression of the vital<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[23]</a></span> -functions reaches an extreme degree, the patient appears -dead to casual and sometimes to careful observation. -This condition has been termed ‘death-trance,’ and -has furnished the theme for many sensational stories, -but the most ghastly incidents of fiction have been -paralleled by well-authenticated facts. [The last clause -appears in the new edition as follows:—“Persons have -certainly been buried in this state, and during the -recent epidemic of influenza an Italian narrowly escaped -interment during the consequent trance.”]</p> - -<p>“The duration of trance has varied from a few hours -or days to several weeks, months, or even a year.</p> - -<p>“Occasionally it is attended by some vaso-motor -disturbance. In a well-authenticated case of death-trance -the intense mental excitement produced by the -preparations for fastening the coffin lid occasioned a -sweat to break out over the body.”</p> - -<div class="sidenote">CASE OF BENJAMIN DISRAELI.</div> - -<p>Many notable men have at one time or another been -subject to this disorder. Speaking of Benjamin Disraeli, -Mr. J. Fitzgerald Molloy, in his “Life of the Gorgeous -Lady Blessington,” vol. ii., pp. 37, 38, says that in his “youth -he was seized with fits of giddiness, during which the world -swung round him, he became abstracted, and once fell -into a trance from which he did not recover for a week.”</p> - -<p class="psh">LETHARGIC STUPOR, OR TRANCE.</p> - -<p>The <i>Lancet</i> of December 22, 1883, pp. 1078-80, -contains particulars from the pen of W. T. Gairdner, -M.D., LL.D., etc., Professor of Medicine in the University -of Glasgow, of a remarkable case of trance, extending -continuously over more than twenty-three weeks, which -attracted a considerable amount of notoriety at the time<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[24]</a></span> -and led to an extensive discussion. In his comments -upon the case, the author continues, in the issue of -January 5, 1884, pp. 5, 6:—</p> - -<p>“The case recorded in the <i>Lancet</i> of December 22, -1883, p. 1078, has been left up to this point without -remarks, other than those obviously suggested by the -direct observation of the facts in comparison or contrast -with those of other cases coming more or less under the -designation above mentioned. But in perusing, even in -the most cursory manner, the multitudinous literature -pertaining to the subjects of ‘trance,’ ‘ecstasy,’ ‘catalepsy,’ -etc., not to speak of the popular narratives which -from a very remote antiquity have handed down the -tradition of preternatural sleep as an element in the fairy -tales of almost all languages, one is struck by the -almost uncontrollable disposition to regard such cases -as altogether outside the limits of true physiological -science: as being, according to the expressive Scotch -phrase, ‘no canny’—or, in other words, miraculous—and -as involving questions connected with the unseen -world, ‘the undiscovered country from whose bourn no -traveller returns.’ So much is this the case, that, if in -this nineteenth century the questions which presented -themselves to Hippocrates in the treatise, <i>περὶ ἱερῆς νούσου</i> -(‘Concerning the Sacred Disease’), had to be rediscussed, -it would certainly be in regard to some of the -disorders mentioned above, and not as to epilepsy -in its well-recognised clinical types, that the theory of a -supernatural origin of the phenomena, whether favourably -entertained or not, would fall to be argued. The -irreconcilable differences of opinion in the Belgium -Academy, as regards the quite modern instance of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[25]</a></span> -Louise Lateau, are sufficient to show that all the culture -and the scientific instincts of the present age have -not quite inaugurated the ‘reign of law,’ nor established -finally the position that ‘miracles do not happen.’ On -the other hand, the researches of M. Charcot and others -seem to be ever extending the domain of science -further into the region of the marvellous and the -obscure, so that even the most pronounced cases of -‘demoniac possession’ of the olden time have become -the commonplaces of hystero-epilepsy in the clinique -of the Salpétrière. The peculiar interest of the present -case is that it is altogether devoid of any of these -adventitious, and more or less romantic, incidents. The -patient is the mother of a family, and has lived a strictly -domestic and (up to a short time before her seizure) -healthy and regular life. There are no peculiar moral -and religious problems to perplex the situation. There -is no history of inveterate hysteria, or of long continued -rapt contemplation; nor has there been the slightest -evidence of any craving after notoriety, either before -the attack or since its termination. The moral atmosphere, -in short, surrounding the phenomena is altogether -unfavourable to exaggeration and imposture, for which, -indeed, no reasonable motive can be assigned. Nevertheless, -under these very commonplace conditions, concurring -with some degree of melancholy or mental -despondency after delivery, but during a convalescence -otherwise normal, Mrs. M’I—— presents to our notice -a condition of suspended consciousness and disordered -innervation in no degree less extreme than the ‘trances’ -or cataleptic attacks which have been recorded as the -result of the most aggravated hysteria, or as the miracles<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[26]</a></span> -of religious ecstasy and profound mental emotion. She -becomes for the long period of over a hundred and sixty -days continuously an almost mindless automaton, connected -with the external world only through a few -insignificant reflexes and through the organic functions. -She is absolutely passive as regards everything that -demands spontaneous movement, and betrays almost -no sign of sensation, general or special, when subjected -to the severest tests that can be applied short of physical -injury.”</p> - -<p>In further notes upon the case, in the <i>Lancet</i> of -January 12, 1884, p. 58, Professor Gairdner says:—</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="p1">“The only other case to which I desire to make allusion at -present is one in which I am, fortunately, in a position to furnish -a sequel to an incomplete narrative, not without resemblance to -the one lately published in this journal.<span class="sidenote1"><span class="lmid">CASE REPORTED BY PROF. W. T. GAIRDNER.</span></span> ‘A Case of Trance’ was the -subject of a paragraph in the <i>British Medical Journal</i> of May 31, -1879, p. 827, from which it appeared that in the London Hospital -a woman, twenty-seven years of age, was at the time under the -care of Dr. Langdon Down, being of rather small stature and -weak mental capacity, and affected for at least two years with -organic disease of the heart. About three weeks before the date -of the report she had become suddenly somnolent, with most of -the peculiarities in her sleep which have been already alluded to. -She was fed partly by nutrient enemata, and for some days by a -tube passed through the nostrils into the stomach. The resemblance -is noted between this case and that of ‘the famous Welsh -fasting girl,’ then attracting much attention in newspapers and -otherwise. There being no further reference to this case in the -journal, I wrote to Dr. Langdon Down, who kindly furnished me -with the following additional particulars, which will, no doubt, be -read even now with interest:—‘My patient, who was in a state of -trance, recovered somewhat suddenly after about four weeks, and -left the hospital. The first indication of returning consciousness -was observed when I was reading to my class at her bedside one -of the numerous letters that I had received entreating me not to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[27]</a></span> -have her buried until something which the writers recommended -had been done. The paragraph of the medical journal got into -some Welsh paper, and then went the round of the provincial press, -hence the number of letters I received. This special one was -from an old gentleman of eighty-four years, who, when he was -twenty-four, was thought to be dead, and whose friends had -assembled to follow him to the grave, when he heard the undertaker -say, “Would anyone like to see the corpse before I screw him -down?” The undertaker at the same time moved the head a little -and struck it against the coffin, on which he aroused and sat up. -On reading this aloud a visible smile passed over the face of my -patient, and she returned to obvious consciousness soon after. -She has not come under observation since she left the hospital.’</p></div> - -<p class="p1">“Although this case is probably only one among many, -I mention it here because the receipt of the letter just -given led me to investigate more particularly the state -of the hearing in Mrs. M’I.’s case, and also to try the -experiment of reading aloud Dr. Down’s letter in her -presence and that of the class. I had often remarked -to bystanders that, although the subjects of these apparently -unconscious states appeared inaccessible to the -ordinary tests of sensibility, it was on record as regards -some, even of those regarded as cases of ‘apparent -death,’ that after recovery they affirm to have heard -everything that passed, although unable to lift hand or -foot to save themselves from premature burial. Neither -the reading of the letter nor a violent shout into her ear -produced any visible effects.”</p> - -<p>Thomas More Madden, M.D., F.R.C.S. (Edin.), in an -article on “Death’s Counterfeit,” in the <i>Medical Press -and Circular</i>, vol. i., April 27, 1887, pp. 386-8, relates the -following case “of so-called hysteric trance”:—</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="p1">“A young lady, Miss R——, apparently in perfect health, went -to her room after luncheon to make some change in her dress.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[28]</a></span> -A few minutes afterwards she was found lying on her bed in a -profound sleep, from which she could not be awakened. When I -first saw her, twenty-four hours later, she was sleeping tranquilly; -the decubitus being dorsal, respiration scarcely perceptible, pulse -seventy, and extremely small; her face was pallid, lips motionless, -and the extremities very cold.<span class="sidenote1"><span class="lmid">DEATH’S COUNTERFEIT.</span></span> At this moment, so death-like was -her aspect, that a casual observer might have doubted the possibility -of the vital spark still lingering in that apparently inanimate -frame, on which no external stimulus seemed to produce any -sensorial impression, with the exception that the pupils were -normal and responded to light. Sinapisms were applied over the -heart and to the legs, where they were left on until vesication was -occasioned without causing any evidence of pain. Faradisation -was also resorted to without effect. In this state she remained -from the evening of December 31 until the afternoon of January 3, -when the pulse became completely imperceptible; the surface of -the body was icy cold, the respiratory movements apparently -ceased, and her condition was to all outward appearance undistinguishable -from death. Under the influence of repeated -hypodermic injections of sulphuric ether and other remedies, -however, she rallied somewhat, and her pulse and temperature -improved. But she still slept on until the morning of the 9th, -when she suddenly woke up, and, to the great astonishment of -those about her, called for her clothes, which had been removed -from their ordinary place, and wanted to come down to breakfast, -without the least consciousness of what had occurred. Her -recovery, I may add, was rapid and complete.</p> - -<p>“The next case of lethargy that came under my notice was that -of a boy, who, after an attack of fever, fell into a state of complete -lethargic coma, in which he lay insensible between life and death -for forty-seven days, and ultimately recovered perfectly.</p> - -<p>“In a third instance of the same kind, in a lady under my care, -the patient, after a lethargic sleep of twenty-seven days, recovered -consciousness for a few hours, and then relapsed into her former -comatose condition, in which she died.</p> - -<p>“The fourth case of lethargy which I have seen was, like the -first, a case of trance, which lasted for seventy hours, during -which the flickering vital spark was only preserved from extinction<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[29]</a></span> -by the involuntary action of the spinal and nervous centres. In -this instance the patient finally recovered.</p> - -<p>“The fifth and last instance of profound lethargy that has come -within my own observation occurred last autumn in the Mater Misericordiæ -Hospital in a young woman.... In that instance, despite -all that medical skill could suggest or unremitting attention could do, -it was found impossible to arouse the patient from the apparently -hysterical lethargic sleep in which she ultimately sank and died.”</p></div> - -<p class="p1">I have referred to the foregoing cases, occurring in -one physician’s experience, as disproving the general -opinion that lethargy or trance is so rarely met with as -to be of little medical importance. For my own part, -I have no doubt that these conditions are of far more -frequent occurrence than is generally supposed. Moreover, -I have had reason to know that death is occasionally -so exactly thus counterfeited that there is good -cause for fearing the probability of living interment in -some cases of hasty burial.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">DR. MORE MADDEN’S OPINION.</div> - -<p>Referring to death-trance, Dr. Madden observes, <i>ib.</i>, -p. 388—“Death-trance, or that profound degree of lethargy -which closely counterfeits death, deserves greater -attention than is generally paid to it as a pathological -condition, as well as a possible cause of premature -interment. For, unless we reject every statement, -however well authenticated, of those who have witnessed -such cases, merely because their experience does -not tally with our preconceived opinions and wishes, -neither the frequent occurrence of death-trance nor the -fearful results of its non-recognition can be questioned.”</p> - -<p>Mr. John Chippendale, F.R.C.S., writing to the <i>Lancet</i>, -1889, vol. i., p. 1173, on “Catalepsy.—Post-mortem -Sweating,” says:—</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“I may mention that there is a record of a man who during an -illness was seized with trance, though, as he lay in what Claudio<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[30]</a></span> -calls ‘cold abstraction,’ he was aware of all that was passing. At -last, as he was about to be covered in his coffin, his mental condition -was such that he broke into a profuse sweat, which was -fortunately perceived, and he recovered and was able to recount -his experiences.”</p> - -<p class="p1">It would appear from the following telegram through -Reuter’s Agency that trance is occasionally epidemic:—</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="pc1">[From <i>Daily Telegraph</i>, March 17, 1890.]</p> - -<p class="pc">“A NEW DISEASE.</p> - -<p class="pr2">“Vienna, March 15, 1890.</p> - -<p>“Several cases of a new disease, which originally appeared in -Mantua immediately after the subsidence of the recent influenza -epidemic, and to which the people of that city gave the name of -‘La nonna’—<i>Anglice</i>, ‘Falling asleep’—have occurred in the -Comitat of Pressburg.</p> - -<p>“Persons suffering from this complaint fall into a death-like -trance, lasting about four days, out of which the patient wakes in a -state of intense exhaustion. Recovery is very slow, but, so far, no -fatal case has been reported.”</p></div> - -<p class="p1">A correspondent writing to the <i>English Mechanic</i> -September 13, 1895, says:—“I know one lady who has -been three times prepared for burial, and very narrowly -escaped it on the first occasion.” The author wrote to -the writer for further details, and received a reply, dated -September 19, 1895, from which it appears that the lady -had married into a political family of considerable note, -who would not care to have her identity disclosed. My -correspondent says:—“ I know that she lay several days -in a state not to be distinguished from death; that she -was in her coffin, and, I believe, showed signs of life just -as the coffin was about to be closed. On two subsequent -occasions she passed into similar trances; but though -believed to be dead, and treated as such, the previous<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[31]</a></span> -experience prevented any idea of burial being entertained” -until clear evidence of dissolution should -appear.</p> - -<p>The <i>New York Weekly Witness</i> of January 15, 1896, -reports</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="pc1">“A LONG CATALEPTIC SLEEP</p> - -<p>“Information was received at Milford, Pa., last Friday, that -William Depue, a prominent citizen of Bushkill, Pike County, -whose mind for seven years has been a blank, had suddenly returned -to consciousness.</p> - -<div class="sidenote1">A SEVEN YEARS’ TRANCE.</div> - -<p>“Seven years ago, while at work, Mr. Depue became ill. -Doctors were summoned, but they could find no possible ailment. -The sick man sank into a cataleptic sleep, from which medical -science could not arouse him.</p> - -<p>“At no time during the long period did he recognise any one, -and food was given him through a tube inserted in his mouth. -He lost no flesh, and was apparently as healthy as any man. -Although the best medical men in the country were called to his -bedside, his case baffled them all.</p> - -<p>“Upon recovering his senses he set about his usual labours as if -he had been asleep but the ordinary time. He remembers nothing -that has taken place during his seven years’ trance.”</p></div> - -<p class="p1">The following case appeared in the <i>Middlesbrough -Daily Gazette</i>, February 9, 1896, and in a number of -English papers:—</p> - - -<p class="pbq p1">“The young Dutch maiden, Maria Cvetskens, who now lies -asleep at Stevensworth, has beaten the record in the annals of -somnolence. At the beginning of last month she had been asleep -for nearly three hundred days. The doctors, who visit her in great -numbers, are agreed that there is no deception in the case. Her -parents are of excellent repute, and it has never occurred to them -to make any financial profit out of the abnormal state of their -daughter. As to the cause of the prolonged sleep, the doctors -differ.”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[32]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4">CHAPTER II.</h2> - -<p class="pch">CATALEPSY.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Catalepsy</span> differs in some of its characteristics from -trance, but the one is often mistaken for the other. It -is not so much a disease as a symptom of certain -nervous disorders, and to which women and children -are more particularly liable. Catalepsy can be produced -artificially by hypnotisation. Like trance, it has often -been mistaken for death, and its subjects buried alive.</p> - -<p>Dr. Franz Hartmann differentiates the two disorders -as follows:—“There seems hardly any limit to the time -during which a person may remain in a trance; but -catalepsy is due to some obstruction in the organic -mechanism of the body, on account of its exhausted -nervous power. In the last case the activity of life -begins again as soon as the impediment is removed, or -the nervous energy has recuperated its strength.”</p> - -<p>Dr. Gowers, in Quain’s “Dictionary of Medicine,” ed. -1894, vol. i., pp. 284-5, describes catalepsy as belonging -to both sexes, at all ages from six to sixty. It is -a nervous affection, commonly associated with distinct -evidence of hysteria, but said sometimes to occur as an -early symptom of epilepsy. It is attended commonly -with loss of consciousness. The limbs remain in the -position they occupied at the onset, as if petrified. -The whole or part of the muscles pass into a state of -rigidity. In profound conditions sensibility is lost to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[33]</a></span> -touch, pain, and electricity; and no reflex movements -can be induced even by touching the conjunctiva, a state -of mental trance being associated.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">NATURE OF CATALEPSY.</div> - -<p><i>Cassell’s Family Physician</i> (by Physicians and Surgeons -of the principal London Hospitals) describes this -singular affection, as follows:—“Catalepsy is one of the -strangest diseases possible. It is of rare occurrence, and -some very sceptical people have even gone so far as to -deny its existence. That is all nonsense, for catalepsy -is just as much a reality as gout or bronchitis. A fit -of catalepsy—for it is a paroxysmal disease—consists -essentially in the sudden suspension of thought, feeling, -and the power of moving. The patient remains in -any position in which she—we say she, for it occurs -mostly in women—happens to be at the moment of the -seizure, and will, moreover, retain any posture in which -she may be placed during the continuance of the fit. -For example, you may stretch out the arms to their -full length, and there they remain stretched out without -showing the slightest tendency to drop. It does not -matter how absurd or inconvenient or apparently -fatiguing the position may be, it is maintained until -altered by some one or until the fit is over. In these -attacks there are no convulsions, but, on the contrary, -the patient remains perfectly immobile. She is just like -a waxen figure, or an inanimate statue, or a frozen -corpse.</p> - -<p>“Cataleptic fits vary very much, not only in their frequency, -but in their duration. Sometimes they are -very short indeed, lasting only a few minutes. In one -case, that of a lady, they would sometimes come on -when she was reading aloud. She would stop suddenly<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[34]</a></span> -in the middle of a sentence, and a peculiar stiffness of -the whole body would seize her, fixing the limbs immovably -for several minutes. Then it would pass off, -and the reading would be continued at the very word -at which it had been interrupted, the patient being -quite unconscious that anything had happened. But -sometimes fits such as these may last for days and -days together, and it seems not improbable that people -may have been buried in this state in mistake for -death.”</p> - -<p>The following case, contributed by Dr. Gooch, will -further illustrate this malady:—</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="p1">“A lady, who laboured habitually under melancholy, a few days -after parturition was seized with catalepsy, and presented the -following appearances:—She was lying in bed motionless and -apparently senseless. It was thought the pupils of her eyes were -dilated, and some apprehensions were entertained of effusion on -the brain; but on examining them closely it was found they -readily contracted when the light fell upon them. The only signs -of life were warmth, and a pulse which was one hundred and -twenty, and weak. In attempting to rouse her from this senseless -state, the trunk of the body was lifted up and placed so far back -as to form an obtuse angle with the lower extremities, and in this -posture, with nothing to support her, she continued sitting for -many minutes. One arm was now raised, and then the other, and -in the posture they were placed they remained. It was a curious -sight to see her sitting up staring lifelessly, her arms outstretched, -yet without any visible signs of animation. She was very thin -and pallid, and looked like a corpse that had been propped up -and stiffened in that attitude. She was now taken out of bed and -placed upright, and attempts were made to rouse her by calling -loudly in her ears, but in vain; she stood up, indeed, but as -inanimate as a statue. The slightest push put her off her balance, -and she made no exertion to retain it, and would have fallen had -she not been caught. She went into this state three times; the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[35]</a></span> -first lasted fourteen hours, the second twelve hours, and the third -nine hours, with waking intervals of three days after the first fit, -and of one day after the second; after this time the disease -assumed the ordinary form of melancholia.—<i>The Science and -Practice of Medicine, by Sir W. Aitken, p. 357.</i></p></div> - -<div class="sidenote">CASES BY DRS. JEBB AND KING CHAMBERS.</div> - -<p class="p1">Dr. John Jebb, F.R.S., cited in Reynolds’ “System of -Medicine,” vol. ii., pp. 99-102, has recorded the following -graphic case:—</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“In the latter end of last year (<i>viz.</i>, 1781), I was desired to visit -a young lady who, for nine months, had been afflicted with that -singular disorder termed a catalepsy. Although she was prepared -for my visit, she was seized with the disorder as soon as my arrival -was announced. She was employed in netting, and was passing -the needle through the mesh, in which position she immediately -became rigid, exhibiting, in a very pleasing form, a figure of death-like -sleep, beyond the power of art to imitate or the imagination -to conceive. Her forehead was serene, her features perfectly -composed. The paleness of her colour, her breathing at a distance -being also scarcely perceptible, operated in rendering the -similitude to marble more exact and striking. The positions of -her fingers, hands, and arms were altered with difficulty, but they -preserved every form of flexure they acquired: nor were the -muscles of the neck exempted from this law, her head maintaining -every situation in which the hand could place it as firmly as -her limbs,” etc.</p> - -<p class="p1">Dr. King Chambers, after citing the above case in -full, continues:—</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="p1">“The most common exciting cause of catalepsy seems to be -strong mental emotion. When Covent Garden Theatre was last -burnt down, the blaze flashed in at the uncurtained windows of -St. Mary’s Hospital. One of my patients, a girl of twenty, -recovering from low fever, was woke up by it, and exclaimed that -the day of judgment was come. She remained in an excited -state all night, and the next morning grew gradually stiff, like a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[36]</a></span> -corpse, whispering (before she became quite insensible) that she -was dead. If her arm was raised, it remained extended in the -position in which it was placed for several minutes, and then -slowly subsided. The inelastic kind of way in which it retained -its position for a time, and then gradually yielded to the force of -gravity, reminded one more of a wax figure than of the marble -to which Dr. Jebb compares it. A strange effect was produced -by opening the eyelid of one eye; the other eye remained closed, -and the raised lid after a time fell very slowly like the arm. A -better superficial representation of death it is difficult to conceive.... -In both these cases I convinced myself carefully that -there was no deception.</p> - -<p>“Other cases are of much longer duration.... The death-like -state may last for days. It may be mistaken for real death, -and treated as such....</p> - -<p>“Any cases of apparent death that did occur (in former days) -were burnt, or buried, or otherwise put out of the way, and -were never more heard of. But after the establishment of -Christianity, tenderness, sometimes excessive, for the remains of -departed friends took the place of the hard, heathen selfishness. -The dead were kept closer to the congregations of the living, -as if to represent in material form the dogma of the Communion -of Saints. This led to the discovery that some persons, indeed -some persons of note (amongst others, Duns Scotus the theologian, -at Cologne), had got out of their coffins, and died in a vain -attempt to open the doors of their vaults.”</p></div> - -<p class="p2">The author relates several other remarkable cases. -Here is one:—</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“I lighted accidently on another case, communicated to the -same scientific body (Acad. Royale des Sciences), by M. Imbert -in 1713. It is that of the driver of the Rouen diligence, aged -forty-five, who fell into a kind of soporific catalepsy on hearing -of the sudden death of a man he had quarrelled with. It appears -that ‘M. Burette, under whose care he was at La Charité, made -use of the most powerful assistances of art—bleeding in the arms, -the foot, the neck, emetics, purgatives, blisters, leeches,’ etc. At<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[37]</a></span> -last somebody ‘threw him naked into cold water to surprise him.’ -The effect surprised the doctors as much as the patient. It is -related with evident wonder how that ‘he opened his eyes, looked -steadfastly, but did not speak.’ His wife seems to have been a -prudent woman, for a week afterwards she ‘carried him home, -where he is at present: they gave him no medicine; he speaks -sensibly enough, and mends every day.’”</p> - -<div class="sidenote">CASES FROM THE MEDICAL JOURNALS.</div> - -<p class="p1">The <i>Lancet</i>, 1870, vol. i., p. 1044, in its Paris correspondence -says:—</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“The following curious case is related as having occurred at -Dunkirk, on April 14, and as ‘showing the utility of catalepsy.’ -A young girl of seventeen years was seized with a violent attack of -epilepsy, and fell, on the above date, into a canal. A boatman -immediately jumped into the water to save her, and brought her to -the shore after twenty minutes. The most singular circumstance -connected with the accident is that, when the young girl was taken -out of the water, she presented all the symptoms of catalepsy. -Notwithstanding this long immersion, she was resuscitated, and -nothing afterwards transpired to cause any anxiety.”</p> - -<p class="p1">Mr. James Braid, M.R.C.S., in the <i>Medical Times</i>, -1850, vol. xxi., p. 402, narrates a case of a cataleptic -woman in the Manchester Royal Infirmary under the -care of Dr. John Mitchell, and writes:—</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“Every variety of contrivance and torture was resorted to by -various parties who saw her, for the purpose of testing the degree -of her insensibility, and for determining whether she might not -be an impostor, but without eliciting the slightest indication of -activity of any of the senses; ... nevertheless she <i>heard and -understood all that was said and proposed to be done, and suffered -the most exquisite torture from various tests applied to her</i>!! -A fact so important as this ought to be published in every journal -throughout the civilised world; so that in future professional men -might be thereby led to exercise greater discretion and mercy in -their modes of applying tests to such patients.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[38]</a></span></p> - -<p class="p1">The <i>Somerset County Herald</i> (Taunton) of October 12 -1895, has the following:—</p> - - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="pc1">“EXTRAORDINARY CASE OF TRANCE NEAR WEYMOUTH.</p> - -<p>“The wedding nuptials of a sailor from H.M.S. <i>Alexandra</i> and -a young woman residing at Broadwey, who were recently married, -have been interrupted in a most unusual manner by the newly-made -bride falling into a trance. On the day following the -wedding Mr. and Mrs. Mortimer, for such is the name of the -newly-espoused pair, went for a drive, and on returning in the -evening the bride, remarking that she did not feel very well, went -upstairs, and before long was in a sound sleep, which continued -throughout the night and far into the following day. The relatives -of the bride, remembering symptoms which she had previously -developed, then sent for Dr. Pridham, who at once pronounced -that the unfortunate young woman had fallen into a trance. Dr. -Colmer, of Weymouth, was likewise called; but nothing that these -two medical gentlemen could do had the slightest effect in arousing -their patient from the state of lethargy into which she had so -suddenly and unexpectedly relapsed. In this condition she remained -for a space of five days, when she gradually showed signs -of returning animation, and in the course of a few hours regained -consciousness, though she was then in a very exhausted condition. -After her awakening the young woman developed inflammation of -the legs, which was regarded as a very serious condition for her to -be in. In an interview on Saturday, Dr. Pridham described the -trance as being exceedingly death-like in character, and added -that, in such trances as the one in question, in the past people -have no doubt been actually buried.”</p></div> - -<p class="p1">A report of this case appears in the <i>St. James’s -Gazette</i>.</p> - -<p>A less experienced practitioner would probably have -made out a death certificate, as in numerous similar -cases.</p> - -<p>After burial we hear no more of them; they may -have been buried in a death-like trance, but the medical<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[39]</a></span> -certificate, no matter how inconsiderately given, consigns -them to perpetual silence beyond appeal or escape. -Family remonstrance is then unavailing, for, except -in cases of strong suspicion of poisoning, no Home -Secretary or Coroner would grant an order for exhumation.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">APATHY OF THE PUBLIC.</div> - -<p>The existence of trance, catalepsy, and other death -counterfeits, followed by hasty burial, has been alluded -to by reputable writers from time immemorial; and -while the veracity of these writers has remained unchallenged, -and their narratives are confirmed by hundreds -of cases of modern experience, the effect on the -public mind has been only of a transitory character, -and nothing has been done either in England or -America to safeguard the people from such dreadful -mistakes.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[40]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4">CHAPTER III.</h2> - -<p class="pch">ANIMAL AND SO-CALLED HUMAN HIBERNATION.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">The</span> following case of the jerboa, or jumping mouse, -recorded last century by Major-General Thomas Davies, -F.R.S., in the “Transactions of the Linnæan Society,”<a name="FNanchor_3_3" id="FNanchor_3_3"></a><a href="#Footnote_3_3" class="fnanchor">[3]</a> -will show how far a torpid mammal may be removed -from the opportunity of breathing, and how imperceptibly, -to the eyes of an observer, its torpid life passed -into actual death:—</p> - -<p>“With respect to the figure given of it in its dormant -state (plate viii., fig. 6), I have to observe that the -specimen was found by some workmen in digging the -foundation for a summer house in a gentleman’s garden, -about two miles from Quebec, in the latter end of May, -1787. It was discovered enclosed in a ball of clay, -about the size of a cricket ball, nearly an inch in thickness, -perfectly smooth within, and about twenty inches -under ground. The man who first discovered it, not -knowing what it was, struck the ball with his spade, by -which means it was broken to pieces, or the ball also -would have been presented to me. The drawing will -perfectly show how the animal is laid during its dormant -state [a tawny mouse, with long hind legs and -long tail, coiled up into a perfect ovoid, of which the two -poles are the crown of the head and the rump.] How<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[41]</a></span> -long it had been under ground it is impossible to say; -but as I never could observe these animals in any parts -of the country after the beginning of September, I conceive -that they lay themselves up some time in that -month, or beginning of October, when the frost becomes -sharp; nor did I ever see them again before the last -week of May, or beginning of June. From their being -enveloped in balls of clay, without any appearance of -food, I conceive they sleep during the winter, and remain -for that time without sustenance. As soon as I -conveyed this specimen to my house, I deposited it, as -it was, in a small chip box, in some cotton, waiting with -great anxiety for its waking; but that not taking place -at the season they generally appear, I kept it until I -found it began to smell: I then stuffed it, and preserved -it in its torpid position. I am led to believe its not recovering -from that state arose from the heat of my -room during the time it was in the box, a fire having -been constantly burning in the stove, and which in all -probability was too great for respiration....”</p> - -<div class="sidenote">INSTANCES OF ANIMAL HIBERNATION.</div> - -<p>Mr. Braid, after citing facts as to higher animals, proceeds:—“There -are other creatures which have not the -power of migrating from climes too intensely hot for the -normal exercise of their physical functions, and the lives -of these animals are preserved through a state of torpor -superinduced by the want of sufficient moisture, their -bodies being dried up from excessive heat. This is the -case with snails, which are said to have been revived by -a little cold water being thrown on them, after having -remained in a dry and torpid state for fifteen years. -The <i>vibrio tritici</i> has also been restored, after perfect -torpidity and apparent death for five years and eight<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[42]</a></span> -months, by merely soaking it in water. Some small, -microscopic animals have been apparently killed and -revived again a dozen times by drying and then applying -moisture to them. This is remarkably verified in -the case of the wheel-animalcule. And Spallanzani -states that some animalcules have been recovered by -moisture after a torpor of twenty-seven years. According -to Humboldt, again, some large animals are thrown -into a similar state from want of moisture. Such he -states to be the case with the alligator and boa-constrictor -during the dry season in the plains of Venezuela, -and with other animals elsewhere.”—<i>On Trance and -Human Hibernation, p. 47.</i></p> - -<p>Dr. Moore Russell Fletcher, in his treatise on “Suspended -Animation,” pp. 7, 8, observes:—“Snakes and -toads live for a long time without air or food. The -following experiment was made by a Mr. Tower, of -Gardiner (Maine). An adder, upwards of two feet in -length, was got into a glass jar, which was tightly -sealed. He was kept there for sixteen months without -any apparent change, and when let out, looked as well -as when put in, and crawled away.</p> - -<p>“The common pond trout, when thrown into snow, -will soon freeze, remain so for days, and when put into -cold water to remove the frost become lively as ever.</p> - -<p>“When residing in New Brunswick, in 1842, we went -to a lake to secure some trout, which were frozen in the -snow and kept for use. While there we saw men with -long wooden tongs catching frost fish from the salt -water at the entrance of a brook. The fish were thrown -upon the ice in great quantities. We had a barrel of -them put up with snow and kept frozen, and in a cool<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[43]</a></span> -place. For six or seven weeks they were taken out and -used as wanted, and might be kept frozen for an indefinite -time, and be alive when thawed in cold water. -The two pieces of a fish, cut in two when frozen, would -move and try to swim when thawed in cold water.”</p> - -<p class="psh">SO-CALLED HUMAN HIBERNATION.</p> - -<p>Dr. George Moore observes that “A state of the body -is certainly sometimes produced (in man) which is -nearly analogous to the torpor of the lower animals—<i>a -condition utterly inexplicable to any principle taught -in the schools</i>. Who, for instance, can inform us how -it happens that certain fishes may be suddenly frozen -in the Polar Sea, and so remain during the long winter -and yet be requickened into full activity by returning -summer?”—<i>Use of the Body in Relation to the Mind, -p. 31.</i></p> - -<div class="sidenote">UNCERTAINTY OF DEATH.</div> - -<p>Hufeland, in his “Uncertainty of Death,” 1824, p. 12, -observes that it is easier for mankind to fall into a -state of trance than the lower creatures, on account of -their complicated anatomy. It is a transitory state -between life and death, into which anyone may pass -and return from. Trance was common among the -Greeks and Romans, who, just before cremation, had the -custom of cutting off a finger-joint, most probably to -discover if there was any trace of life. Death does not -come suddenly; it is a gradual process from actual life -into apparent death, and from that to actual death. It -is a mistake to take outward appearances for inner death.</p> - -<p>“It often happens a person is buried in a trance -knowing all the preparations for the interment, and this -affects him so much that it prolongs the trance by its<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[44]</a></span> -depressing influence. How long can a man exist in a -state of trance? Is there no sign by which the remaining -spark of life may be recognised? Do no means -exist to prevent awakening in the grave? Nothing can -be said as to its duration; but we do know that differences -in the cause and circumstances will cause a difference -in duration. The amount of strength of the person -would have great effect in this. Weak persons, broken -down by excesses, would die sooner than the strong. -The nature of the disease would make a difference. -Old age is less liable to trance than the young. Long -sickness destroys the sources of life, and shortens the -process of death. Sorrow and trouble, and numerous -diseases, seem to bring on death; yet ofttimes the source -of life in them exists to its full extent, and what seems -in them to be death may be only a fainting fit, or cramp, -which temporarily interrupts the action of life. Women -are more liable to trance than men: most cases have -happened in them. Trance may exist in the new-born; -give them time, and many of them revive. The smell -of the earth is at times sufficient to wake up a case of -trance. Six or seven days, or longer, are often required -to restore such cases.” (Extracted from pp. 10-24.)</p> - -<p>Mr. Chunder Sen, municipal secretary to the Maharajah -of Jeypore, introduced the author, during his visit -to India, March 8, 1896, to a venerable and learned -fakir, who was seated on a couch Buddhist fashion, the -feet turned towards the stomach, in the attitude of -meditation, in a small but comfortable house near the -entrance to the beautiful public gardens of that city. -The fakir possesses the power of self-induced trance, -which really amounts to a suspension of life, being<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[45]</a></span> -indistinguishable from death. In the month of December, -1895, he passed into and remained in this condition -for twenty days. On several occasions the experiment -has been conducted under test conditions. In 1889, -Dr. Hem Chunder Sen, of Delhi, and his brother,<span class="sidenote">SELF-INDUCED HIBERNATION.</span> Mr. -Chunder Sen, had the opportunity of examining the -fakir while passing into a state of hibernation, and -found that the pulse beat slower and slower until it -ceased to beat at all. The stethoscope was applied to -the heart by the doctor, who failed to detect the slightest -motion. The fakir, covered with a white shroud, was -placed in a small subterraneous cell built of masonry, -measuring about six feet by six feet, of rotund structure. -The door was closed and locked, and the lock sealed with -Dr. Sen’s private seal and with that of Mr. Dhanna Tal, -the magistrate of the city; the flap door leading to the -vault was also carefully fastened. At the expiration -of thirty-three days the cell was opened, and the fakir -was found just where he was placed, but with a death-like -appearance, the limbs having become stiff as in -<i>rigor mortis</i>. He was brought from the vault, and the -mouth was rubbed with honey and milk, and the body -and joints massaged with oil. In the evening, manifestations -of life were exhibited, and the fakir was fed -with a spoonful of milk. The next day he was given -a little juice of pulses known as <i>dal</i>, and in three days -he was able to eat bread and milk, his normal diet. -These cases are well known both at Delhi and at Jeypore, -and the facts have never been disputed. The fakir is a -Sanscrit scholar, and is said to be endowed with much -wisdom, and is consulted by those who are interested in -Hindu learning and religion. He has never received<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[46]</a></span> -money from visitors, and the mention of it distresses -him.</p> - -<p>The <i>Medical Times</i> of May 11, 1850, contains a communication -from Mr. Braid, who says he has “lost no -opportunity of accumulating evidence on this subject, -and that while many alleged feats of this kind are -probably of a deceptive character, still there are others -which admit of no such explanation; and that it becomes -the duty of scientific men fairly to admit the -difficulty.” He then refers to two documents by eye-witnesses -of these feats, and which, he says, “with the -previous evidence on the subject, must set the point at -rest for ever, as to the fact of the feats referred to being -genuine phenomena, deception being impossible.” In -one of these instances, the fakir was buried in the -ground for six weeks, and was, consequently, deprived -not only of food and drink, but also of light and air; -when he was disinterred, his legs and arms were shrivelled -and stiff, but his face was full; no pulse could -be discovered in the heart, temples, or arms. “About -three years since I spent some time with a General -C——, a highly respectable and intelligent man, who -had been a long time in the Indian service, and who -was himself an eye-witness of one of these feats. A -fakir was buried several feet in the earth, under vigilant -inspection, and a watch was set, so that no one could -communicate with him; and to make the matter doubly -sure, corn was sown upon the grave, and during the -time the man was buried, it vegetated and grew to the -height of several inches. He lay there forty-two days. -The gentleman referred to passed the place many times -during his burial, saw the growing corn, was also present<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[47]</a></span> -at his disinterment, and when he questioned the man, -and intimated to him that he thought deception had -been practised, the fakir offered, for a sum of money, to -be buried again, for the same length of time, by the -General himself, and in his own garden. This challenge, -of course, closed the argument.”</p> - -<div class="sidenote">CASES REPORTED BY MR. BRAID.</div> - -<p>Cases of this kind might be multiplied on evidence -which cannot be doubted, and, in Mr. Braid’s book, -entitled “Human Hibernation,” there are cases fully -stated. Sir Claude Wade, who was an eye-witness of -these feats when acting as political agent at the Court -of Runjeet Singh, at Lahore, and from whom Mr. Braid -derived his information, makes the following observations:—“I -share entirely in the apparent incredibility -of the fact of a man being buried alive and surviving -the trial for various periods of duration; but however -incompatible with our knowledge of physiology, in the -absence of any visible proof to the contrary, I am bound -to declare my belief in the facts which I have represented, -however impossible their existence may appear -to others.” Upon this Mr. Braid observes:—“Such then -is the narrative of Sir C. M. Wade, and when we consider -the high character of the author as a gentleman -of honour, talents, and attainments of the highest order, -and the searching, painstaking efforts displayed by him -throughout the whole investigation, and his close proximity -to the body of the fakir, and opportunity of -observing minutely every point for himself, as well as -the facilities, by his personal intercourse with Runjeet -Singh and the whole of his Court, of gaining the most -accurate information on every point, I conceive it is -impossible to have had a more valuable or conclusive<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[48]</a></span> -document for determining the fact that no collusion or -deception existed.”</p> - -<p>A case of this kind was exhibited at the Westminster -Aquarium in the autumn of 1895, which was carefully -watched and tested by medical experts, without detection -of any appearance of fraud or simulation. The -hypnotised man, Walter Johnson, an ex-soldier, twenty-nine -years of age, was in a trance which lasted thirty -days, during which time he was absolutely unconscious, -as shown by the various experiments to which he was -subjected.</p> - -<p>A case of induced trance and experimental burial, not -unlike that of the Indian fakirs referred to, was reported -in the London <i>Daily Chronicle</i>, March 14, 1896. The -experiment was carried out under test conditions.</p> - - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="pc1">“‘BURIED ALIVE’ AT THE ROYAL AQUARIUM.</p> - -<p>“After being entombed for six days in a hypnotic trance, Alfred -Wootton was dug up and awakened at the Royal Aquarium -(Westminster), on Saturday night in the presence of a crowd of -interested spectators. Wootton was hypnotised on Monday by -Professor Fricker, and consigned to his voluntary grave, nine feet -deep, in view of the audience, who sealed the stout casket or coffin -in which the subject was immured. Seven or eight feet of earth -were then shovelled upon the body, a shaft being left open for the -necessary respiration, and in order that the public might be -able to see the man’s face during the week. The experiment -was a novel one in this country, and was intended to illustrate -the extraordinary effect produced by the Indian fakirs, and to -demonstrate the connection between hypnotism and psychology, -while also showing the value of the former art as a curative agent. -Wootton is a man thirty-eight years of age; he is a lead-worker, -and on Monday weighed 10st. 2-1/2 lbs. He had previously been in a -trance for a week in Glasgow, under Professor Fricker’s experienced -hands, so was not altogether new to the business; but he is<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[49]</a></span> -the first to be ‘buried alive’ by way of amusement. To the uninitiated -the whole thing was gruesome in the extreme, and this -particular form of entertainment certainly cannot be commended. -Before being covered in, Wootton’s nose and ears were stopped -with wax, which was removed before he was revived on Saturday. -The theory of the burial is to secure an equable temperature day -and night—which is impossible when the subject is above ground -in the ordinary way—and therefore to induce a deeper trance. Of -course, too, the patient was out of reach of the operator, and no -suspicion of continuous hypnotising could rest upon the professor. -No nourishment could be supplied for the same reason, though -the man’s lips were occasionally moistened by means of a damp -sponge on the end of a rod, and no record of temperature or -respiration could be kept. A good many people witnessed the -digging up process, and the awakening took place in the concert -room, whither the casket and its burden were conveyed. The -professor was not long in arousing his subject, after electric and -other tests had been applied to convince the audience that the -man was perfectly insensible to pain and everything else. Indeed, -a large needle was run through the flesh on the back of the hand -without any effect whatever. The first thing on regaining consciousness -that Wootton said was that he could not see, and then -he asked for drink—milk, and subsequently a little brandy, being -supplied. As soon as possible the patient was lifted out of his box, -and with help was quickly able to walk about the platform. He -complained of considerable stiffness of the limbs, and was undoubtedly -weak, but otherwise seemed none the worse for his -remarkable retirement from active life, and abstention from food -for nearly a week. He was swathed in flannel, and soon found the -heat of the room very oppressive, though at first he appeared to -be particularly anxious to have his overcoat and his boots. It -is anticipated that in a day or two at most Wootton will have -regained his usual vigorous health.”</p></div> - -<div class="sidenote">EXPERIMENTAL BURIAL.</div> - -<p class="p1">Dr. Hartmann in “Premature Burial,” page 23, relates -an account of a similar experiment with a fakir, -differing from the above, however, in so far as it was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[50]</a></span> -made by some English residents, who did not put the -coffin into the earth, but hung it up in the air, so as to -protect it from the danger of being eaten up by white -ants. There seems to be hardly any limitation in regard -to the time during which such a body may be preserved -and become reanimated again, provided that it is well -protected, although modern ignorance may smile at this -statement.</p> - -<p>Those of our readers who wish to pursue this subject -will find ample material in “Observations on Trance or -Human Hibernation,” 1850, by James Braid, M.R.C.S.; -Dr. Kuhn’s report of his investigations of the Indian -fakirs to the Anthropological Society of Munich, in -1895; the researches of Dr. J. M. Honigberger, a -German physician long resident in India; and in the -<i>India Journal of Medical and Physical Science</i>, 1836, -vol. i., p. 389, etc.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[51]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4">CHAPTER IV.</h2> - -<p class="pch">PREMATURE BURIAL.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">At</span> the sitting of the Paris Academy of Medicine, -on April 10, 1827, a paper was read by M. Chantourelle, -on the danger of hasty burial. This led to a discussion, -in which M. Desgenettes stated that he had been told -by Dr. Thouret, who presided at the destruction of -the vaults of Les Innocens, that many skeletons had -been found in positions seeming to show that they had -turned in their coffins. Dr. Thouret was so much impressed -by the circumstance that he had a special clause -inserted in his will relating to his own burial.<a name="FNanchor_4_4" id="FNanchor_4_4"></a><a href="#Footnote_4_4" class="fnanchor">[4]</a></p> - -<p>Similar revelations, according to Kempner, have followed -the examinations of grave-yards in Holland, and -in New York and other parts of the United States.</p> - -<p>On July 2, 1896, the author visited the grave of -Madam Blunden, in the Cemetery, Basingstoke, Hants, -who, according to the inscription (now obliterated), was -buried alive. The following narrative appears in “The -Uncertainty of the Signs of Death,” by Surgeon M. -Cooper, London, 1746, pp. 78, 79:—</p> - -<p>“At Basingstoke, in Hampshire, not many years ago, -a gentlewoman of character and fortune was taken ill, -and, to all appearance, died, while her husband was on -a journey to London. A messenger was forthwith despatched -to the gentleman, who returned immediately,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[52]</a></span> -and ordered everything for her decent interment. -Accordingly, on the third day after her supposed -decease, she was buried in Holy Ghost Chapel, at the -outside of the town, in a vault belonging to the family, -over which there is a school for poor children endowed -by a charitable gentleman in the reign of Edward VI. -It happened the next day that the boys, while they -were at play, heard a noise in the vault, and one of -them ran and told his master, who, not crediting what -he said, gave him a box on the ear and sent him about -his business; but, upon the other boys coming with the -same story, his curiosity was awakened, so that he sent -immediately for the sexton, and opened the vault and -the lady’s coffin, where they found her just expiring. -All possible means were used to recover her to life, but -to no purpose, for she, in her agony, had bit the nails -off her fingers, and tore her face and head to that -degree, that, notwithstanding all the care that was -taken of her, she died in a few hours in inexpressible -torment.”</p> - -<p>The <i>Sunday Times</i>, London, December 30, 1838, -contains the following:—</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“A frightful case of premature interment occurred not long -since, at Tonneins, in the Lower Garonne. The victim, a man -in the prime of life, had only a few shovelfuls of earth thrown into -his grave, when an indistinct noise was heard to proceed from his -coffin. The grave-digger, terrified beyond description, instantly -fled to seek assistance, and some time elapsed before his return, -when the crowd, which had by this time collected in considerable -numbers round the grave, insisted on the coffin being opened. As -soon as the first boards had been removed, it was ascertained, -beyond a doubt, that the occupant had been interred alive. His -countenance was frightfully contracted with the agony he had -undergone; and, in his struggles, the unhappy man had forced his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[53]</a></span> -arms completely out of the winding sheet, in which they had been -securely enveloped. A physician, who was on the spot, opened a -vein, but no blood followed. The sufferer was beyond the reach -of art.”</p> - -<div class="sidenote">RESUSCITATION IN GREENWOOD CEMETERY.</div> - -<p class="p1">Mr. Oscar F. Shaw, Attorney-at-Law, 145 Broadway, -New York, furnished the author with particulars of the -following case, of which he had personal knowledge:—“In -or about the year 1851, Virginia M’Donald, who, -up to that time had lived with her father on Catharine -Street, in the City of New York, apparently died, and -was buried in Greenwood Cemetery, Brooklyn, N.Y.</p> - -<p>“After the burial her mother declared her belief that -the daughter was not dead when buried, and persistently -asserted her belief. The family tried in various -ways to assure the mother of the death of her daughter, -and even resorted to ridicule for that purpose; but the -mother insisted so long and so strenuously that her -daughter was buried alive, that finally the family consented -to having the body taken up, when to their -horror, they discovered the body lying on the side, the -hands badly bitten, and every indication of a premature -burial.”</p> - -<p>The <i>Lancet</i>, May 22, 1858, p. 519, has the following:—</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="pc1">“INTERMENT BEFORE DEATH.</p> - -<p>“A case of restoration to consciousness after burial is recorded -by the Austrian journals in the person of a rich manufacturer, -named Oppelt, at Rudenberg. He was buried fifteen years ago, -and lately, on opening the vault, the lid of the coffin was found -forced open, and his skeleton in a sitting posture in a corner -of the vault. A Government Commission has reported on the -matter.”</p></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[54]</a></span></p> - -<p class="p1">From the <i>Lancet</i>, August 20, 1864, p. 219.</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="pc1">“PREMATURE INTERMENT.</p> - -<p>“Amongst the papers left by the great Meyerbeer, were some -which showed that he had a profound dread of premature interment. -He directed, it is stated, that his body should be left for -ten days undisturbed, with the face uncovered, and watched night -and day. Bells were to be fastened to his feet. And at the end -of the second day veins were to be opened in the arm and leg. -This is the gossip of the capital in which he died. The first -impression is that such a fear is morbid. No doubt fewer precautions -would suffice, but now and again cases occur which seem -to warrant such a feeling, and to show that want of caution may -lead to premature interment in cases unknown. An instance is -mentioned by the <i>Ost. Deutscher Post</i> of Vienna. A few days -since, runs the story, in the establishment of the Brothers of -Charity in that capital, the bell of the dead-room was heard to -ring violently, and on one of the attendants proceeding to the -place to ascertain the cause, he was surprised at seeing one of the -supposed dead men pulling the bell-rope. He was removed immediately -to another room, and hopes are entertained of his recovery.”</p></div> - -<p class="p1">From the <i>Times</i>, July 7, 1867, p. 12, col. 3.</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“The <i>Journal de Pontarlier</i> relates a case of premature interment. -During the funeral, three days back, of a young woman at -Montflorin, who had apparently died in an epileptic fit, the grave-digger, -after having thrown a spadeful of earth on the coffin, -thought he heard a moaning from the tomb. The body was -consequently exhumed, and a vein having been opened, yielded -blood almost warm and liquid. Hopes were for a moment entertained -that the young woman would recover from her lethargy, -but she never did so entirely, and the next day life was found to -be extinct.”</p> - -<p class="p1">From the <i>Lancet</i>, October 19, 1867, p. 504.</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="pc1">“BURIED ALIVE.</p> - -<div class="sidenote1">INTERRED WITH USUAL FORMALITIES.</div> - -<p>“The <i>Journal de Morlaix</i> mentions that a young woman at -Bohaste, France, who was supposed to have died from cholera a -few days back, was buried on the following afternoon. The<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[55]</a></span> -sexton, when about to fill in the grave, fancied that he heard a -noise in the coffin, and sent for the medical officer, who, on removing -the lid and examining the body, gave it as his opinion -that the woman had been alive when buried.”</p></div> - -<p class="p1">The official journal of the French Senate, January 30, -1869, records that the attention of the Senate was called -to this case by means of a petition signed by seven -residents in Paris, and the facts are confirmed by L. -Roger, <i>Officier de Santé</i>.</p> - -<p>From the <i>Times</i>, May 6, 1874, p. 11, foot of col. 4.</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="pc1">“PREMATURE INTERMENT.</p> - -<p>“The <i>Messager du Midi</i> relates the following dreadful story:—A -young married woman residing at Salon (Bouches du Rhône) -died shortly after her confinement in August last. The medical -man, who was hastily summoned when her illness assumed a -dangerous form, certified her death, and recommended immediate -burial in consequence of the intense heat then prevailing, and -six hours afterwards the body was interred. A few days since, -the husband having resolved to re-marry, the mother of his late -wife desired to have her daughter’s remains removed to her native -town, Marseilles. When the vault was opened a horrible sight -presented itself. The corpse lay in the middle of the vault, with -dishevelled hair and the linen torn to pieces. It evidently had -been gnawed in her agony by the unfortunate victim. The shock -which the dreadful spectacle caused to the mother has been so -great that fears are entertained for her reason, if not for her life.”</p></div> - -<p class="p1">The <i>British Medical Journal</i>, December 8, 1877, -p. 819, inserts the following:—</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="pc1">“BURIED ALIVE.</p> - -<p>“A correspondent at Naples states that the Appeal Court has -had before it a case not likely to inspire confidence in the minds -of those who look forward with horror to the possibility of being -buried alive. It appeared from the evidence that some time ago -a woman was interred with all the usual formalities, it being<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[56]</a></span> -believed that she was dead, while she was only in a trance. -Some days afterwards, the grave in which she had been placed -being opened for the reception of another body, it was found that -the clothes which covered the unfortunate woman were torn to -pieces, and that she had even broken her limbs in attempting to -extricate herself from the living tomb. The Court, after hearing -the case, sentenced the doctor who had signed the certificate of -decease, and the mayor who had authorised the interment, each -to three months’ imprisonment for involuntary manslaughter.”</p></div> - -<p class="p1">From the <i>Daily Telegraph</i>, January 18, 1889.</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“A gendarme was buried alive the other day in a village near -Grenoble. The man had become intoxicated on potato brandy, -and fell into a profound sleep. After twenty hours passed in -slumber, his friends considered him to be dead, particularly as -his body assumed the usual rigidity of a corpse. When the -sexton, however, was lowering the remains of the ill-fated gendarme -into the grave, he heard moans and knocks proceeding -from the interior of the ‘four-boards.’ He immediately bored -holes in the sides of the coffin, to let in air, and then knocked off -the lid. The gendarme had, however, ceased to live, having -horribly mutilated his head in his frantic but futile efforts to burst -his coffin open.”</p> - -<p class="p1">The <i>Undertakers’ and Funeral Directors’ Journal</i>, July -22, 1889, relates the following cases:—</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="p1">“A New York undertaker recently told the following story, the -circumstances of which are still remembered by old residents of -the city:—‘About forty years ago a lady living on Division Street, -New York City, fell dead, apparently, while in the act of dancing -at a ball.<span class="sidenote1">EVIDENCE OF UNDERTAKERS.</span> It was a fashionable affair, and being able to afford it, -she wore costly jewellery. Her husband, a flour merchant, who -loved her devotedly, resolved that she should be interred in her -ball dress, diamonds, pearls, and all; also that there should be no -autopsy. As the weather was very inclement when the funeral -reached the cemetery, the body was placed in the receiving vault<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[57]</a></span> -for burial next day. The undertaker was not a poor man, but he -was avaricious, and he made up his mind to possess the jewellery. -He went in the night, and took the lady’s watch from the folds of -her dress. He next began to draw a diamond ring from her finger, -and in doing so had to use violence enough to tear the skin. Then -the lady moved and groaned, and the thief, terrified and conscience-stricken, -fled from the cemetery, and has never been since heard -from, that I know of. The lady, after the first emotions of horror -at her unheard-of position had passed over, gathered her nerves -together and stepped out of the vault, which the thief had left -open. How she came home I cannot tell; but this I know—she -lived and had children, two at least of whom are alive to-day.’</p> - -<div class="sidenote1">HORRIFYING CASES.</div> - -<p>“Another New York undertaker told this story. The New -York papers thirty-five years ago were full of its ghastly details. -‘The daughter of a Court Street baker died. It was in winter, -and the father, knowing that a married sister of his dead child, -who lived in St. Louis, would like to see her face before laid in -the grave for ever, had the body placed in the vault, waiting her -arrival. The sister came, the vault was opened, the lid of the -coffin taken off, when, to the unutterable horror of the friends -assembled, they found the grave-clothes torn in shreds, and the -fingers of both hands eaten off. The girl had been buried alive.’</p> - -<p>“Until about forty years ago a noted family of Virginia preserved -a curious custom, which had been religiously observed for -more than a century. Over a hundred years ago a member of the -family died, and, upon being exhumed, was found to have been -buried alive. From that time until about 1850, every member of -the family, man, woman, or child, who died, was stabbed in the -heart with a knife in the hands of the head of the house. The -reason for the cessation of this custom was that in 1850 or thereabouts -a beautiful young girl was supposed to be dead, the knife -was plunged into her bosom, when she gave vent to a fearful -scream and died. She had merely been in a trance. The incident -broke her father’s heart, and in a fit of remorse he killed himself -not long afterwards.</p> - -<p>“There are many families in the United States who, when any -of their number dies, insist that an artery be opened to determine -whether life has fled or not.”</p></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[58]</a></span></p> - -<p class="p1">The following remarkable case of waking in the grave -is reported from Vienna:—</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“A lady residing at Derbisch, near Kolin, in Bohemia, where -she owned considerable property, was buried last week, after a -brief illness, in the family vault at the local cemetery. Four days -afterwards her granddaughter was interred in the same place, but -as the stone slab covering the aperture was removed, the bystanders -were horrified to see that the lid of the coffin below had -been raised, and that the arm of the corpse was protruding. It -was ascertained eventually that the unfortunate lady, who was -supposed to have died of heart disease, had been buried alive. -She had evidently recovered consciousness for a few minutes, and -had found strength enough to burst open her coffin. The authorities -are bent on taking measures of the utmost severity against -those responsible.”—<i>Undertakers’ Journal, August 22, 1889.</i></p> - -<p class="p1">The <i>Undertakers’ and Funeral Directors’ Journal</i>, -July 22, 1890.</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="p1">“A horrible story comes from Majola, Mantua. The body of -a woman, named Lavrinia Merli, a peasant, who was supposed to -have died from hysterics, was placed in a vault on Thursday, -July 3. On Saturday evening it was found that the woman had -regained consciousness, torn her grave-clothes in her struggles, -had turned completely over in the coffin, and had given birth to a -seven-months’-old child. Both mother and child were dead when -the coffin was opened for the last time previous to interment.”</p> - -<p>“A shocking occurrence is reported from Cesa, a little village -near Naples. A woman living at that place was recently seized -with sudden illness. A doctor who was called certified that the -woman was dead, and the body was consequently placed in a -coffin, which was deposited in the watch-house of the local -cemetery. Next day an old woman passing close to the cemetery -thought she heard smothered cries proceeding from the watch-house. -The family was informed, but when the lid of the coffin -was forced off a shocking spectacle presented itself to the gaze of -the horrified villagers. The wretched woman had turned on her<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[59]</a></span> -side, and the position of her arm showed that she had made -a desperate effort to raise the lid. The eldest son, who was -among the persons who broke open the coffin, received such -a shock that he died three days later.”—<i>Undertakers’ Journal, -September 22, 1893.</i></p></div> - -<p class="p1">The <i>Progressive Thinker</i>, of November 14, 1891, relates -that:—</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>“Farmer George Hefdecker, who lived at Erie, Pa., died very -suddenly two weeks ago, of what is supposed to have been heart -failure. The body was buried temporarily four days later in a -neighbour’s lot in the Erie cemetery pending the purchase of one -by his family. The transfer was made in a few days, and when -the casket was opened at the request of his family, a horrifying -spectacle was presented. The body had turned round, and the -face and interior of the casket bore the traces of a terrible struggle -with death in its most awful shape. The distorted and blood-covered -features bore evidence of the agony endured. The clothing -about the head and neck had been torn into shreds, as was -likewise the lining of the coffin. Bloody marks of finger nails -on the face, throat, and neck, told of the awful despair of the -doomed man, who tore his own flesh in his terrible anguish. -Several fingers had been entirely bitten off, and the hands torn -with the teeth until they scarcely resembled those of a human -being.”</p></blockquote> - -<p>From the London <i>Echo</i>, October 6, 1894.</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="pc1">“BURIED ALIVE.<br /></p> - -<p>“A story of a horrible nature comes from St. Petersburg in -connection with the interment at Tioobayn, near that city, of a -peasant girl named Antonova. She had presumably died, and in -due course the funeral took place. After the service at the -cemetery, the grave-diggers were startled by sounds of moaning -proceeding from the coffin. Instead, however, of instantly breaking -it open, they rushed off to find a doctor, and when he and some -officials arrived and broke open the shell, the unhappy inmate was -already the corpse she had been supposed to be a day earlier. It<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[60]</a></span> -was evident, however, that no efforts could have saved life at the -last moment. The body was half-turned in the coffin, the left -hand, having escaped its bandages, being under the cheek.”</p></div> - -<p class="p1">The following case, cabled by Dalziel, appears in the -London <i>Star</i>, August 19, 1895:—</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="pc1">“SOUNDS FROM ANOTHER COFFIN.</p> - -<p class="pr2">“Grenoble, August 17.</p> - -<p>“On Monday last a man was found in a dying condition by the -side of a brook near the village of Le Pin. Everything possible -was done for him, but he relapsed into unconsciousness, and -became to all appearances dead. The funeral was arranged, and, -there being no suspicion of foul play, the body was interred on -the following day. The coffin had been lowered to the bottom of -the grave, and the sexton had begun to cover it with earth, when -he heard muffled sounds proceeding from it. The earth was -hastily removed and the coffin opened, when it was discovered -that the unfortunate occupant was alive. He was taken to a -neighbouring house, but rapidly sank into a comatose condition, -and died without uttering a word. The second burial took place -yesterday.”</p></div> - -<p class="p1">While in India, in the early part of this year (1896), -Dr. Roger S. Chew, of Calcutta, who, having been laid -out for dead, and narrowly escaped living sepulture, has -had the best reasons for studying the subject, gave me -particulars of the following cases:—</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="p1">“Frank Lascelles, aged thirty-two years, was seated at breakfast -with a number of us young fellows, and was in the middle of a -burst of hearty laughter, when his head fell forward on his plate -and he was ‘dead.’ As there was a distinct history of cardiac disease -in his family, while he himself had frequently been treated for -valvular disease of the heart, he was alleged to have ‘died’ of cardiac -failure, and was duly interred in the Coonor Cemetery. Some -six months later, permission was obtained to remove his remains -to St. John’s Church-yard in Ootacamund. The coffin was exhumed,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[61]</a></span> -and, as a ‘matter of form,’ the lid removed to identify the -resident, when, to the horror of the lookers-on, it was noticed that, -though mummification had taken place, there had been a fearful -struggle underground, for the body, instead of being on its back as -it was when first coffined, was <i>lying on its face</i>, with its arms and -legs drawn up as close as the confined space would permit. His -trousers (a perfectly new pair) were burst at the left knee, while -his shirt-front was torn to ribands and bloodstained, and the -wood of that portion of the coffin immediately below his mouth -was stained a deep reddish-brown-black (<i>blood</i>). Old Dr. -Donaldson, whom we were all very fond of, tried to explain -matters by saying that the jolting of the coffin on its way to the -cemetery had overturned the body, and that the blood stains on -the shirt and wood were the natural result of blood flowing (<i>i.e.</i> -oozing) out of the mouth of the corpse as it lay face downwards. -A nice theory, but scarcely a probable one, as all the jolting in -creation could not possibly turn a corpse over in an Indian coffin, -which is so built that there is scarcely two inches spare space over -any portion of the contained body, and unless the supposed corpse -regained consciousness and exerted <i>considerable</i> force, it could not -possibly turn round in its <i>narrow</i> casket.</p> - -<p>“Mary Norah Best, aged seventeen years, an adopted daughter -of Mrs. C. A. Moore, <i>née</i> Chew,<span class="sidenote1">DR. ROGER S. CHEW’S CASES.</span> ‘died’ of cholera, and was entombed -in the Chew’s vault in the old French cemetery, at Calcutta. -The certifying surgeon was a man who would have benefited by -her death, and had twice (though ineffectually) attempted to put an -end to her adopted mother, who fled from India to England after -the second attempt on her life, but, unfortunately, left the girl -behind. When Mary ‘died’ she was put into a <i>pine</i> coffin, the -lid of which was <i>nailed</i>, not screwed, down. In 1881, ten years -or so later, the vault was unsealed to admit the body of Mrs. -Moore’s brother, J. A. A. Chew. On entering the vault, the undertaker’s -assistant and I found the lid of Mary’s coffin on the floor, -while the position of the skeleton (half in, half out of the coffin, -and an ugly gash across the right parietal bone) <i>plainly</i> showed -that after being entombed Mary awoke from her trance, struggled -violently till she wrenched the lid off her coffin, when she either -fainted away with the strain of the effort in bursting open her<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[62]</a></span> -casket, and while falling forward over the edge of her coffin struck -her head against the masonry shelf, and died almost immediately; -or, worse still,—as surmised by some of her clothing which was -found hanging over the edge of the coffin, and the position of her -right hand, the fingers of which were bent and close to where -her throat would have been had the flesh not rotted away,—she -recovered consciousness, fought for life, forced her coffin open, and, -sitting up in the pitchy darkness of the vault, went mad with -fright, tore her clothes off, tried to throttle herself, and banged her -head against the masonry shelf until she fell forward senseless -and dead.”</p></div> - -<p class="p1">Dr. Chew says:—“Though a layman, still it would be -hard to find a more indefatigable sanitarian than my -late commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel R. C. -Sterndale, of the Presidency Volunteer Rifle Battalion, -and for many years vice-chairman of the municipality of -the suburbs of Calcutta. In order to prove his theory -that a great deal of danger existed in the rainy season -from subsoil water rising up into the graves, saturating -the bodies, and then poisoning the neighbouring tanks -and wells, he caused a trench, ten feet long, six deep, -and four wide, to be dug across an old Mahomedan -grave-yard. Soundings and measurements having been -taken of the subsoil water, he had a tarpaulin stretched -over the trench, and daily measured the ‘fall’ of the -water-level. He had a drawing made of the section of -that grave-yard in which the action of the nitre-laden -water seemed to mummify some of the bodies. Amongst -the rest was a somewhat mummified male corpse which, -instead of being on his back, was lying on his abdomen; -the left arm supported the chin, but had a piece of it -missing; the right hand clutched the left elbow, and the -general position of the body was as if, consciousness<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[63]</a></span> -having returned, the alleged corpse sat up, found the -weight of the earth too heavy to work through, and then, -dying of suffocation, fell forward in the position in which -it was found and exposed.”</p> - -<p>Dr. Chew adds:—“I have heard and read of several -other instances, but, as they have not come within my -personal observation, I do not mention or refer to -them.”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[64]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4">CHAPTER V.</h2> - -<p class="pch">NARROW ESCAPES FROM PREMATURE BURIAL.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Almost</span> every intelligent and observant person you -converse with, if the subject is introduced, has either -known or heard of narrow escapes of premature burial -within his or her own circle of friends or acquaintances; -and it is no exaggeration to say that such cases are -numbered by thousands. It is to be hoped that the -number of timely discoveries vastly exceed those actually -interred in a state of suspended animation; but as no -investigation of grave-yards or cemeteries (which effectually -conceal their own tragedies) has ever taken place in -England until the remains are reduced to dust, and -rarely in other countries, one cannot be sure that this -optimistic view is correct. The following cases of narrow -escape appear to rest upon trustworthy evidence.</p> - -<p>An apparent suspension of life, following a serious -illness, is usually considered a satisfactory proof of the -reality of the expected death; but these conditions -cannot always be relied upon. Cases are on record -where the objects of such simulacra of death appear, if -let alone, to gather the essence of renewed vitality, and -return to consciousness. The <i>Undertakers’ and Funeral -Directors’ Journal</i> of May, 1888, has a case in point.</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“Mrs. Lockhart, of Birkhill, who died in 1825, used to relate to -her grandchildren the following anecdote of her ancestor, Sir -William Lindsay, of Covington, towards the close of the seventeenth<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[65]</a></span> -century:—‘Sir William was a humorist,<span class="sidenote1">A RESUSCITATED HUMORIST.</span> and noted, moreover, -for preserving the picturesque appendage of a beard at -a period when the fashion had long passed away. He had been -extremely ill, and life was at last supposed to be extinct, though, -as it afterwards turned out, he was merely in a “dead faint” or -trance. The female relatives were assembled for the “chesting”—the -act of putting a corpse into a coffin, with the entertainment -given on such melancholy occasions—in a lighted chamber in the -old tower of Covington, where the “bearded knight” lay stretched -upon his bier. But when the servants were about to enter to -assist at the ceremonies, Isabella Somerville, Sir William’s great-granddaughter, -and Mrs. Lockhart’s grandmother, then a child, -creeping close to her mother, whispered into her ear, “The beard -is wagging! the beard is wagging!” Mrs. Somerville, upon this, -looked to the bier, and observing indications of life in the ancient -knight, made the company retire, and Sir William soon came out -of his faint. Hot bottles were applied and cordials administered, -and in the course of the evening he was able to converse with his -family. They explained that they had believed him to be actually -dead, and that arrangements had even been made for his funeral. -In answer to the question, “Have the folks been warned?” (<i>i.e.</i>, -invited to the funeral) he was told that they had—that the funeral -day had been fixed, an ox slain, and other preparations made for -entertaining the company. Sir William then said, “All is as it -should be; keep it a dead secret that I am in life, and let the -folks come.” His wishes were complied with, and the company -assembled for the burial at the appointed time. After some delay, -occasioned by the non-arrival of the clergyman, as was supposed, -and which afforded an opportunity of discussing the merits of the -deceased, the door suddenly opened, when, to their surprise and -terror, in stepped the knight himself, pale in countenance and -dressed in black, leaning on the arm of the minister of the parish -of Covington. Having quieted their alarm and explained matters, -he called upon the clergyman to conduct an act of devotion, which -included thanksgiving for his recovery and escape from being -buried alive. This done, the dinner succeeded. A jolly evening, -after the manner of the time, was passed, Sir William himself -presiding over the carousals.’”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[66]</a></span></p> - -<p class="p1">Dr. J. B. Vigné, in his “Memoire sur les Inhumations -Précipitées,” Paris, 1839, narrates the following:— -“Mr. B., an inhabitant of Poitiers, fell suddenly into a -state resembling death; every means for bringing him -back to life were used without interruption; from continued -dragging, his two little fingers were dislocated, -and the soles of his feet were burnt; but, all these having -produced no sensation in him, he was thought decidedly -dead. As they were on the point of placing him in his -coffin, some one recommended that he should be bled -in both arms and feet at the same time, which was -immediately done, and with such success that, to the -astonishment of all, he recovered from his apparent -state of death. When he had entirely recovered his -senses, he declared that he had heard every word that -had been said, and that his only fear was that he would -be buried alive.”</p> - -<p class="psh">APPARENT DEATH IN PREGNANCY.</p> - -<p>Hufeland (one of the greatest authorities on the subject -in Germany), in his essay upon the uncertainty of the -signs of death, tells of a case of the wife of Professor -Camerer, of Tübingen, who was hysterical, and had a -fright in the sixth month of her pregnancy, which brought -on convulsions (eclampsia), which continued for four -hours, when she seemed to die completely. Two celebrated -physicians, besides three others of less note, regarded -the case as ended in death, as all the recognised -signs of death were present. However, attempts to -revive her were at once resorted to, and were continued -for five hours, when all the medical attendants, except -one, gave the case up, and left. The physician who<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[67]</a></span> -remained pulled off a blister-plaster that had been put -on one of the feet, when the lady gave feeble signs of life -by twitchings about the mouth. The doctor then renewed -his efforts to revive her, by various stimulating -means, and by burning, and by pricking the spine; but -all in vain, for after her slight evidences of revival, she -seemed to die unmistakably. She lay in a state of -apparent death for six days, but there was a small space -over the heart where a little warmth could be detected -by the hand, and on this account the burial was put off. -On the seventh day she opened her eyes, and slowly -revived, but was completely unconscious of all that had -happened. She then gave birth to a dead child, and -soon thereafter recovered her health completely.</p> - - - -<p class="p2">From the <i>Lancet</i>, November 27, 1858, p. 561.</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="pc1">“THE DEAD ALIVE.</p> - -<p>“It seems to be always desirable to obtain a contemporary -record of all unusual phenomena. It is so more -especially where they are of a somewhat indefinite character, -and scarcely susceptible of exaggeration. We -know of none which are more so than the cases of -‘trance.’<span class="sidenote1">MORE CAREFUL EXAMINATION REQUIRED.</span> These examples are both sufficiently unusual -to deserve a passing record, and sufficiently mysterious -in their character to call for a more careful investigation -than it has hitherto been possible to accord to them. -We transcribe the facts of a recent instance, as they are -circumstantially detailed, and, no doubt, some of the -surgeons of Coventry will be able to afford their -testimony as to the degree of correspondence of this -narrative with their observations.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[68]</a></span> -“The girl, whose name is Amelia Hinks, is twelve or -thirteen years of age, and resides with her parents in -Bridge Street, Nuneaton. She had lately appeared to -be sinking under the influence of some ill-explained -disorder, and about three weeks since, as her friends -imagined, she died. The body was removed to another -room. It was rigid and icy cold. It was washed and -laid out with all due funeral train. The limbs were -decently placed, the eyelids closed and penny-pieces -laid over them. The coffin was ordered. For more -than forty-eight hours the supposed corpse lay beneath -the winding-sheet, when it happened that her grandfather, -coming from Leamington to assist in the last -mournful ceremonies, went to see the corpse. The old -man removed a penny-piece, and he thought that the -corpse winked! There was a convulsive movement of -the lid. This greatly disturbed his composure; for, -though he had heard that she died with her eyes open, -he was unprepared for this palpebral signal of her good -understanding with death. A surgeon is said to have -been summoned, who at first treated the matter as a -delusion, but subsequently ascertained stethoscopically -that there was still slight cardiac pulsation. The body -was then removed to a warm room, and gradually the -returning signs of animation became unequivocal. When -speech was restored, the girl described many things -which had taken place since her supposed death. She -knew who had closed her eyes and placed the coppers -thereon. She also heard the order given for her coffin, -and could repeat the various remarks made over her as -she lay in her death-clothes. She refused food, though -in a state of extreme debility. She has since shown<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[69]</a></span> -symptoms of mania, and is now said to have relapsed into -a semi-cataleptic condition. The parents are ‘creditable -people,’ and there is no apparent ruse in this unusually -romantic history, which is causing considerable excitement -in Nuneaton and its neighbourhood.”</p></div> - -<p class="p2">From the <i>Lancet</i>, December 18, 1858, p. 642.</p> - -<div class="pbq"> -<p class="pc1">“‘THE DEAD ALIVE.’<br /> -“(To the Editor of the <i>Lancet</i>.)</p> - -<p>“Sir,—An article, ‘The Dead Alive,’ in your impression of the -27th ultimo, demands of me a veritable statement of the case -alluded to. The subject of the inquiry is still living, and for some -time past has afforded me scope for observation.</p> - -<div class="sidenote1">THE DEAD ALIVE.</div> - -<p>“I have only been waiting for a termination of the case, either -in convalescence or death, to enable me to give to the profession, -through your valuable columns, a full and truthful history of this -rare and curious case, replete with interest. The exaggerated -statement which has gone the round of the press has produced -such great curiosity in this immediate neighbourhood that I have -been applied to by many parties, professional and non-professional, -to be permitted to see the case, the parents of the patient -having refused admittance to all strangers.</p> - -<p>“The case having extended over a long period, and fearing -a detailed account might occupy too much of your valuable space, -I have condensed the matter as much as possible; but should the -profession consider the case worthy of a more enlarged history, -I will gladly, at some future period, meet their wishes, as far as -my rough notes, aided by my memory, will supply it.</p> - -<p>“In August, 1858, I was requested to visit Miss Amelia Hincks, -aged twelve years and nine months, daughter of a harness-maker, -and residing with her parents in Bridge Street, Nuneaton. She -was supposed to be suffering from pulmonary consumption.... -On October 18, about half-past three a.m., she apparently died. -She is said to have groaned heavily, waved her hands (which was -a promised sign for her mother to know that the hour of her -departure was come), turned her head a little to the light, dropped<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[70]</a></span> -her jaw, and <i>died</i>. In about half an hour after her supposed -departure she was washed, and attired in clean linen, the jaw was -tied by a white handkerchief, penny-pieces laid over her eyes, -her hands, semi-clenched, placed by her side, and her feet tied -together by a piece of tape. She was then carried into another -room, laid on a sofa, and covered over with a sheet. She appeared -stiff and cold, two large books were placed on her feet, and I -have no doubt she was considered to be a sweet corpse.</p> - -<p>“About nine a.m., the grandfather of the supposed dead went -into the death-chamber to give a last kiss to his grandchild, when -he fancied he saw a convulsive movement of the eyelid, he having -raised one of the coins. He communicated this fact to the parents -and mourning friends, but they ridiculed the old man’s statement, -and said the movement of the eyelids was owing to the nerves -working after death. Their theory, however, did not satisfy the -experienced man of eighty years, and he could not reconcile himself -to her death. As soon as I reached home, after having been -out in the country all night, I was requested to see the child, to -satisfy the old man that she was really dead. About half-past ten -a.m. I called; and immediately on my entrance into the chamber -I perceived a tremulous condition of the eyelids, such as we -frequently see in hysterical patients. The penny-pieces had been -removed by the grandfather. I placed a stethoscope over the -region of the heart, and found that organ performing its functions -perfectly and with tolerable force. I then felt for a radial pulse, -which was easily detected, beating feebly, about seventy-five per -minute. The legs and arms were stiff and cold, and the capillary -circulation was so congested as at first sight to resemble incipient -decomposition. I carefully watched the chest, which heaved -quietly but almost imperceptibly; and immediately unbandaged -the maiden, and informed her mourning parents that she was not -dead. Imagine their consternation! The passing-bell had rung, -the shutters were closed, the undertaker was on his way to measure -her for her coffin, and other necessary preparations were being -made for her interment. [The writer then proceeds to give interesting -details as to the treatment of the case, and the means -taken to promote recovery.]</p> - -<p class="pr2">“<span class="smcap">Richard Bird Mason</span>, M.R.C.S., L.S.A.</p> - -<p>“Bridge Street, Nuneaton, December 14, 1858.”</p></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[71]</a></span></p> - -<p class="p1">From the <i>Lancet</i>, March 5, 1859, p. 254.</p> - - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="pc1">“TRANCE.</p> - -<p>“Another case of trance is reported, in addition to those which -we have lately recorded. A widow named Aufray, about sixty -years of age, of St. Agnan de Cenuières (Eure), long seriously ill, -became suddenly worse, grew cold and motionless, and, as it was -thought, dead. She was laid out, the coffin ordered, and the -church bell tolled. She recovered consciousness just before the -funeral was to take place.”</p></div> - - -<p class="psh">THE QUESTION OF PREMATURE BURIAL BEFORE THE -FRENCH SENATE.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">FRENCH CASES.</div> - -<p>The <i>Medical Times</i>, London, 1866, vol. i., p. 258, under -the heading “Buried Alive” remarks as follows:—“The -abundance of other topics hinders us at present from -saying more than a few words on the conditions -under which there may be real danger of burial before -life is quite extinct. Now, we will only reproduce the -cases reported by Cardinal Archbishop Donnet, in the -French Senate, in a discussion on a petition that the -time between death and burial should be lengthened. -We will add one instance, which we have heard on the -best authority:—About thirty years ago, a young -woman of eighteen, daughter of Madame Laligand, -living in the Rue des Tonnelliers, at Beaune, in Burgundy, -was supposed to have died. The ordinary -measures were taken for interment. The body was put -in a coffin, and taken to the church; the funeral service -was said, and the <i>cortége</i> set out for the cemetery; but -on the road between the church and the cemetery the -supposed dead recovered power of motion and speech, -was removed from the coffin, put to bed, recovered, -married, and lived eighteen years afterwards. She said<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[72]</a></span> -she retained her consciousness during the whole of her -supposed death, and had counted the nails that were -driven into her coffin. Statements such as these, and -such as those made by the Archbishop, will surely be -subjected to the ordeal of a French scientific commission, -and we may suspend our judgment for the present. -To return to his Eminence. He said he had the very -best reasons for believing that the victims of hasty -interments were more numerous than people supposed. -He considered the rules and regulations prescribed by -the law very judicious; but, unfortunately, they were, -particularly in the country, not always executed as they -should be, nor was sufficient importance attached to -them. In the village he was stationed in as an assistant-curate -in the first period of his sacerdotal life, he saved -two persons from being buried alive. The first an -aged man, who lived twelve hours after the hour prescribed -for his interment by the municipal officer; the -second was a man who was quite restored to life. In -both cases a trance more prolonged than usual was taken -for actual death. The other instances, says the <i>Times’</i> -correspondent, I give in the words of the Archbishop:—</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“‘The next case that occurred to me was at Bordeaux. A -young lady, who bore one of the most distinguished names in -the Department, had passed through what was supposed the last -agony, and, as apparently all was over, the father and mother -were torn away from the heartrending spectacle. As God willed -it, I happened to pass the door of the house at the moment, -when it occurred to me to call and inquire how the young lady -was going on. When I entered the room, the nurse, finding the -body breathless, was in the act of covering the face, and, indeed, -there was every appearance that life had departed. Somehow or -other, it did not seem to me so certain as to the bystanders. I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[73]</a></span> -lady not to give up all hope—that I was come to cure her, and -that I was about to pray by her side. “You do not see me,” I -said, “but you hear what I am saying.” My presentiments were -not unfounded. The word of hope I uttered reached her ear and -effected a marvellous change, or, rather, called back the life that -was departing. The young girl survived; she is now a wife, and -mother of children, and this day is the happiness of two most -respectable families.’</p> - -<p class="p1">“The Archbishop mentioned another instance of a -similar revival in a town in Hungary during the cholera -of 1831, which he heard that day from one of his -colleagues of the Senate, as they were mounting the -staircase. But the last related is so interesting, and -made such a sensation, that it deserves to be repeated -in his own words:—</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<div class="sidenote1">CARDINAL DONNET’S EXPERIENCE.</div> - -<p class="p1">“‘In the summer of 1826, on a close summer day, in a church -which was exceedingly crowded, a young priest, who was in the act -of preaching, was suddenly seized with giddiness in the pulpit. -The words he was uttering became indistinct; he soon lost the -power of speech, and sank down on the floor. He was taken out -of the church and carried home. All was thought to be over. -Some hours after, the funeral bell was tolled, and the usual preparations -made for the interment. His eyesight was gone: but if he -could see nothing, like the young lady I have alluded to he could -hear, and I need not say that what reached his ears was not -calculated to reassure him. The doctor came, examined him, -and pronounced him dead; and after the usual inquiries as to -his age and the place of his birth, etc., gave permission for -his interment next morning. The venerable bishop, in whose -cathedral the young priest was preaching when he was seized -with the fit, came to his bedside to recite the “De Profundis.” -The body was measured for the coffin. Night came on, and you -will easily feel how inexpressible was the anguish of the living -being in such a situation. At last, amid the voices murmuring -around him, he distinguished that of one whom he had known<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[74]</a></span> -from infancy. That voice produced a marvellous effect and -superhuman effort. Of what followed I need say no more than -that the seemingly dead man stood next day in the same pulpit. -That young priest, gentlemen, is the same man who is now speaking -before you, and who, more than forty years after that event, -implores those in authority, not merely to watch vigilantly over the -careful execution of the legal prescriptions with regard to interments, -but to enact fresh ones in order to prevent the recurrence -of irreparable misfortunes.’”</p></div> - -<p class="p1">To this report of the <i>Medical Times</i> it may be added -that the petition of M. de Carnot furnished statistics -showing the frequency of these terrible disasters, and -suggested various preventive measures, including the -establishment of mortuaries, a longer interval between -death and burial, and the application of scientific -methods of restoration where decomposition is not -manifest. The reality of the terrible dangers, as pointed -out by Cardinal Donnet, was confirmed by Senators -Tourangin and Viscount de Baral, in the recital of other -cases of premature interment.</p> - -<p>When the subject was revived in the Senate on -January 29, 1869—on which occasion five petitions were -presented, urging important reforms, and detailing other -cases of premature interment,—Cardinal Donnet again -took part in the debate, and urged that no burial should -be permitted without the signature of a doctor or officer -of health, as well as the written authorisation of the -Mayor, so that the fact of death might always be verified. -The Cardinal then furnished particulars of another recent -case of premature interment in l’Est, and recalled the -fact that one of their honourable colleagues of the -Senate, M. le Comte de la Rue, had had a narrow -escape from live sepulture.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[75]</a></span></p> - -<p>The several petitions were forwarded to the Minister -of the Interior, but nothing was done to remedy the evil.</p> - -<p>From the <i>Lancet</i>, June 2, 1866, p. 611.</p> - -<p class="psh">“ON SUSPENDED ANIMATION.</p> - -<p>“In the course of the address delivered by Dr. Brewer -to the Guardians of St. George’s at St. James’s Hall, -he adverted to the ‘laying-out’ case at St. Pancras.... -Dr. Brewer ... dwelt upon the question -of suspended animation in a passage which really -deserves to be quoted....</p> - - -<div class="pbq"> - -<div class="sidenote1">CASE REPORTED BY DR. BREWER.</div> - -<p class="p1">“‘I have been more than once under a condition of apparently -suspended respiration, and with circumstances less comfortable -than those related of this babe; and yet, active as is my brain, -and sensitive as is my body, I remember as well as though it were -but yesterday that, on being restored to consciousness, no feeling -of discomfort of any kind attended my experience on either occasion. -It is under the truth to say I have known a score of cases of those -who have been supposed dead being reanimated. It is not many -months ago a friend of mine, a rector of a suburban parish, was -pronounced by his medical attendant to be dead. His bed was -arranged, and the room left in its silence. His daughter had -re-entered and sat at the foot, and the solemn toll of his own -church bell was vibrating through the chamber, when a hand drew -aside the closed curtain, and a voice came from the occupant of -the bed—“Elizabeth, my dear, what is that bell tolling for?” -The daughter’s response was, perhaps, an unfortunate one: “<i>For -you, papa.</i>” Schwartz, the first eminent Indian missionary, was -roused from his supposed death by hearing his favourite hymn -sung over him previous to the last rites being performed, and his -resuscitation made known by his joining in the verse.’”</p></div> - -<p class="p1">Dr. B. W. Richardson quotes a case in the <i>Lancet</i>, -1888, vol. ii., p. 1179, of a man who, in 1869, was -rendered cataleptic by a lightning-stroke, and who -narrowly escaped living burial.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[76]</a></span></p> - -<p class="p1">Dr. Moore Russell Fletcher in his work on “Suspended -Animation,” p. 26, says:—</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“In June, 1869, a girl in Cleveland, Ohio, was taken ill, and -after a short sickness died, and was laid out for burial; but as -her mother insisted that she was not dead, efforts were made for -some time to restore her to life, but in vain. Her mother, however, -refused to let her be buried; and on the fifth day after that -set for the funeral the slamming of a door aroused her, so that -she recovered. She stated that, during most of the eight days -which she lay there, she was conscious and heard what was said, -although wholly unable to make the least motion.”</p> - -<p class="p1">Dr. M. S. Tanner in a letter to the <i>New York Times</i>, -January 18, 1880, mentions two cases where persons -awakened from trance at the moment of sepulture -described in turn what their feelings had been. Said -one:—</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“Have you ever felt the paralysing influence of a horrible -nightmare? If you have had such experience, then you are -prepared to conceive of the mental agonies I endured when -I realised that my friends believed me dead, and were making -preparations for my burial. The hours and days of mental -struggle spent in the vain endeavour to break loose from the -vice-like grasp of this worse than horrible nightmare was a hell -of torment such as no tongue can describe or pen portray.”</p> - -<p class="p1">The other instance mentioned by Dr. Tanner is that of -Dr. Johnson of St. Charles, Illinois, who in the hearing of -Dr. Tanner, and in the presence of a large audience in -Harrison’s Hall, Minneapolis, stated that when a young -man he was prostrated with a fever. He swooned away, -apparently dead. His attending physician said he was -dead. His father was faithless and unbelieving, and -refused to bury him. He lay in this condition, apparently<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[77]</a></span> -dead, fourteen days.<span class="sidenote">VERDICT OF FOURTEEN PHYSICIANS.</span> The attending physician -brought other physicians to examine the apparently -lifeless form, and all stated unqualifiedly, “He is dead.” -Some fourteen physicians, among them many eminent -professors, examined the body, and there was no -ambiguity in the expression of their conclusion that -the boy was dead. But the father still turned a deaf -ear to all entreaties to prepare the body for the grave. -Public feeling was at last aroused. The health officer -and other city officers, acting in their official capacity, -and by the advice of physicians, peremptorily demanded -that the body be interred without delay. On the -fourteenth day the father yielded under protest; preparations -were made for the funeral, when the emotions -of the still living subject, who was conscious of all -transpiring around him, were so intense as to be the -means of his deliverance. He awoke from his trance.</p> - -<p>From the <i>Lancet</i>, June 7, 1884, p. 1058.</p> - - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="pc1">“IMPORTANT SUGGESTION FROM AN M.D.<br /> -“(To the Editor of the <i>Lancet</i>.)</p> - -<p>“Sir,—Without venturing to express an opinion on -the case mentioned by the Rev. D. Williams<a name="FNanchor_5_5" id="FNanchor_5_5"></a><a href="#Footnote_5_5" class="fnanchor">[5]</a> in the -<i>Lancet</i> of the 24th inst., I would beg to say that I have -no doubt in my own mind but that people are sometimes -‘buried alive.’ An instance has come to my -knowledge where this catastrophe was only avoided -by a mere accident. A lady, about forty-five years of -age, the wife of a clergyman in a northern county, was -taken ill, and after some time, as was supposed, died.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[78]</a></span> -The funeral was delayed, and so was the closing of -the coffin, in consequence of the absence of a son of the -lady from home. When the boy arrived, the kissing, -wailing, and commotion roused the supposed dead -woman, and brought her to consciousness in her coffin. -This lady would most probably have been buried alive -were it not that the obsequies were delayed on account -of the circumstance mentioned.</p> - -<p>“Now, may not cases more or less similar to this -sometimes occur, with the catastrophe of ‘buried -alive’ added to them? But no such case could -happen if it were made compulsory that the interment -of a body should not be allowed to take place until -after decomposition had set in, as attested by a medical -man.</p> - -<p class="pr8">“I am, Sir, yours truly,</p> -<p class="pr2">“<span class="smcap">Wm. O’Neill</span>, M.D.</p> - -<p>“Lincoln, May 26, 1884.”</p></div> - -<p class="p1">It is not always safe to conclude that persons -enfeebled by age, or exhausted by long and severe -illness, and pronounced dead by the attendant doctor, -are really so. <i>The Undertakers’ Journal</i>, August 23, -1886, has the following:—</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“It appears that George O. Daniels, of Clinton, Kentucky, had -been ill for several months, and at length, to all appearance, died. -The body was put in a coffin, where it remained for twenty hours, -awaiting the arrival of relatives to attend the funeral. At midnight -the watchers who surrounded the coffin were startled by a deep -groan emanating from it, and all but one, a German of the name -of Wabbeking, rushed from the room. Wabbeking remained, and -as the groans continued he raised the coffin-lid and saw that -Daniels was alive. Seizing the body he placed it upright. A few<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[79]</a></span> -spasmodic gasps, a shudder, and the corpse spoke. The relatives -returned to find the man sitting in a chair, and conversing with -reasonable strength. Mr. Daniels claims to have been perfectly -conscious of everything which passed around him, but says he was -unable to move a muscle. He heard the sobs of his relatives -when he was pronounced dead by the doctors, and noticed the -preparations for the funeral. He is about eighty years of age.”</p> - -<p class="p1">The same journal for July 23, 1888, reports the -following under the head of</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="pc1">“RETURNED TO LIFE TWICE.</p> - -<p>“The following details are given by the Cincinnati correspondent -of the <i>New York Herald</i> from Memphis, Tennessee:—Mrs. Dicie -Webb keeps a grocery store on Beale Street, and is well known to -hundreds. Two years ago John Webb, a son of Mrs. Webb, -married Sarah Kelly, a pretty girl, to whom the mother-in-law -became greatly attached. Before one year of their married life -had passed, Mrs. Webb, jun.,<span class="sidenote1">RETURNED TO LIFE TWICE.</span> was stricken with consumption, -and on several occasions came near dying. About a month ago -the young woman became very anxious to visit her parents in -Henderson County, and she was taken there. At first she appeared -much improved, and hopes were felt that her life might be preserved -through the summer, but two weeks ago last Tuesday a -telegram announced her death, and the husband hurried to her -parents’ home. Three days later he returned with the corpse. -The mother-in-law pleaded so hard for a sight of the dead woman, -that finally, despite the belief that the body was badly decomposed, -it was decided to open the coffin. While looking at the placid face -Mrs. Webb was terrified at beholding the eyelids of the dead -woman slowly opening. The eyes did not have the stony stare of -death, nor the intelligent gleam of life. Mrs. Webb was unable to -utter a sound. She could not move, but stood gazing at the gruesome -sight. Her horror was increased when the supposed corpse -slowly sat upright and, in an almost inaudible voice, said, ‘Oh, -where am I?’ At this the weeping woman screamed. Friends -who rushed into the room were almost paralysed at the sight, and -fled shrieking. But one bolder than the others returned and spoke<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[80]</a></span> -to the woman, who asked to be laid on the bed. Hastily she was -taken from the coffin and cared for. In the course of the day the -resurrected woman fully regained her mental powers. The day -following she related a wonderful story. She said she was -cognisant of all that occurred, and did not lose consciousness -until she was put aboard the train for Memphis. Soon after being -placed in her mother-in-law’s house she came to her senses and -knew all that was passing. While her mother-in-law was looking -at her she made a supreme effort to speak. Mrs. Webb lived a -number of days, when she again apparently died. The doctors -pronounced her dead, and she was once more placed in the coffin. -While the mother-in-law was taking her final farewell she heard a -voice whisper, ‘Mother, don’t cry.’ Looking into the girl’s face, -she saw the same look that she had noticed before. She called for -help, and several women responded. Some one cried, ‘Shake -her; she’s not dead.’ In the excitement of the moment, the -women, it is thought, shook the life out of the poor consumptive, -and last Saturday she was buried. The family and friends have -endeavoured to keep the matter quiet.”</p></div> - -<p class="p1">The <i>Daily Telegraph</i>, January 26, 1889, reports:—</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="pc1">“A NARROW ESCAPE.</p> - -<p>“A Rochester correspondent telegraphs that a woman named -Girvin, living at Burham, near Rochester, has just had a narrow -escape of being buried alive. She fell into a kind of trance, which -was mistaken for death. The coffin was ordered, and the usual -preparations made for a funeral. But while a number of the -relatives were gathered at the bedside bewailing their bereavement, -the supposed corpse startled them by suddenly rising up in -bed and asking what was the matter. The woman is making -good progress towards convalescence.”</p></div> - -<p class="p1">And on July 6, 1889, the same journal says:—</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<div class="sidenote1">A CASE AT ST. LEONARDS.</div> - -<p class="p1">“Our St. Leonards correspondent telegraphs:—About a week -ago the wife of a well-known tradesman in St. Leonards fell ill, -and on Monday night last the doctor gave his opinion that she -could not live through the next day. On Tuesday morning at ten -o’clock the doctor pronounced his patient dead, the nurse who was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[81]</a></span> -in attendance confirming the opinion. The intimation of death -naturally created great distress among the friends of the woman, -who was laid out in grave-clothes, washed, and prepared for burial, -and, being a Roman Catholic, a crucifix was placed in her hand as -she lay on her bier. When it was announced that the woman was -dying, a priest was sent for; but he could not attend, as he was out -of the town at the time.</p> - -<p>“About a quarter to ten on Tuesday night the nurse entered the -room without a light for the purpose of getting something which -she knew where to find. Whilst in the darkened chamber she was -startled to hear a slight cry proceeding from the bed where the -body lay, and she rushed from the room in a terrible fright. The -widower, hearing the scream of fright, rushed into the chamber -with a light, and was astounded to find that his wife had raised -herself up in the bed on her elbow. She faintly uttered the words, -‘Where am I?’ and again relapsed into a heavy sleep. The -opportunity was seized of changing the shroud for proper habiliments, -and in about an hour and a half she woke again perfectly -conscious. Next morning she was told of what had occurred, but -was quite ignorant of everything that had passed, thinking she had -only had a long sleep. She is now doing well, and it is hoped she -will soon be restored to health and strength. The doctor describes -the case as the most remarkable he has ever met with in his -experience.”</p></div> - -<p class="p1">Dr. Frederick A. Floyer, of Mortimer, Berks, published -the following-case in the <i>Tocsin</i>, November 1, 1889, -vol. i., p. 84, under the head of “Premature Burial”:—</p> - -<p>“A narrow escape of this was recently communicated -direct to the writer, and as it has some extremely important -bearings on the value of what are usually -considered to be evidences of death, we give it as -told by the survivor, who is still alive in the form of -a cheery and intelligent old lady in the fullest possession -of her faculties and memory.</p> - -<p>“Herself the wife of a medical officer attached to -the—th Regiment, she was stationed at—— Island,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[82]</a></span> -where at the age of twenty-eight she was safely confined. -Shortly after this she was walking out with an attendant -when she was taken suddenly ill with a painful spasm -of the heart—what appears to have been an attack -of angina pectoris—and was conveyed in-doors and -propped up with pillows, suffering great pain, and -although medical attendance was summoned, nothing -was of avail, and she died—at least in the opinion of -those around her, who paid the proper attention to -what they regarded as a corpse. It was the custom -there to bury at sundown any one who died during -the day. We understand that in warm countries it is -difficult to close the eyelids properly, and so this lady, -lying motionless and rigid, contemplated with perfectly -clear perception, but with an utter indifference, the -bringing in of the coffin and the necessary preparations -for her interment; she remembers her children coming -to take a last look at her, and then being taken down -stairs.</p> - -<p>“She would never have lived to tell the story but for an -accident, which happened in this way. Her nurse, who -was much attached to her, was stroking her face and the -muscles of her jaw, and presently declared she heard -a sound of breathing. Medical assistance was summoned, -and the mirror test applied, but the surface -was undimmed. Then, to make sure, they opened a -vein in each arm, but no blood flowed. No limb -responded to stimulus, and they declared that the -nurse was mistaken, and that the body was dead -beyond doubt.</p> - -<p>“But the nurse persisted in her belief and in her -attentions, and did succeed in establishing a sign of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[83]</a></span> -life. Then mustard applications to her feet and to the -back of her neck, and burnt feathers applied to her -nostrils, which she remembered burning her nose, -completed her return to consciousness.”</p> - -<p class="p2">From the <i>Pall Mall Gazette</i>, May 11, 1891.</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="pc1">“NARROW ESCAPE FROM BEING BURIED ALIVE.</p> - -<p>“A Penn Station telegram to Dalziel says:—A singular case -of simulation of death from fright occurred here on Saturday. -Mrs. Sarseville, the wife of a farmer in this county, was in the -cow-house attending to the dairy work when she saw a nest of -squirming snakes through a hole in the plank floor. She fell to -the ground apparently lifeless with fright. Help was summoned, -and she was carried into the house. Before the physician arrived -Mrs. Sarseville had begun to turn black, and he pronounced her -dead, giving a certificate,<span class="sidenote1">CERTIFICATE OF APOPLEXY.</span> in which he assigned apoplexy as the -cause. During the night Mrs. Sarseville’s daughter sat beside the -coffin of her mother, lamenting her death. Just before daybreak -she was startled to see the body move. She was more shocked -when her mother opened her eyes and sat bolt upright in her -coffin. The supposed corpse was no less startled than the girl to -find herself dressed in grave-clothes and lying in a coffin. Help -was summoned, and the lady helped out of her narrow bed and -into her ordinary clothes. She took breakfast with the family -yesterday morning, and seemed none the worse for her ghastly -experience.”</p></div> - -<p class="p1">From the <i>British Medical Journal</i>, March 12, 1892, -p. 577.</p> - - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="pc1">“A NARROW ESCAPE FROM PREMATURE BURIAL.</p> - -<p>“The <i>Temps</i> publishes a case of premature burial prevented by -the daughter of the supposed dead man, who, on kissing her father, -perceived that his body was not cold. The funeral <i>cortége</i> was -on the point of starting. Suitable measures restored the man to -consciousness, and he opened his eyes and uttered one or two -words. His condition is serious, but he is alive. This incident -occurred at Vagueray, near Lyons.”</p></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[84]</a></span></p> - -<p class="p1">From the <i>Echo</i>, London, May 13, 1893.</p> - - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="pc1">“ALMOST BURIED WHILE ALIVE.</p> - -<p class="pr2">“Limoges, May 13.</p> - -<p>“A woman has just had a narrow escape of being buried alive -here. She was subject to epileptic fits, and during one of these a -few days ago was pronounced to be dead. The arrangements for -interment were made in due course, and as the coffin was being -borne into the church some of the mourners said they heard a -knocking inside. The party listened, and distinct taps were heard. -No time was lost in wrenching off the lid of the coffin. It was -then found that the woman was alive and conscious, although -terribly frightened at the awful ordeal through which she had -passed. A doctor was quickly in attendance, and under his -direction the supposed corpse was removed from the coffin and -placed on a litter for conveyance home again.”</p></div> - -<p class="p1">The <i>Undertakers’ Journal</i>, July 22, 1893, says:—</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“Charles Walker was supposed to have died suddenly at St. -Louis a few days ago, and a burial certificate was obtained in due -course from the coroner’s office. The body was lying in the coffin, -and the relatives took a farewell look at the features, and withdrew -as the undertaker’s assistants advanced to screw down the lid. -One of the undertaker’s men noticed, however, that the position -of the body in the coffin seemed to have undergone some slight -change, and called attention to the fact. Suddenly, without any -warning, the ‘corpse’ sat up in the coffin and gazed round the -room. A physician was summoned, restoratives were applied, -and in half an hour the supposed corpse was in a warm bed, -sipping weak brandy and water, taking a lively interest in the -surroundings. Heart-failure had produced a species of syncope -resembling death that deceived even experts.”</p> - -<p class="p1">From the <i>Undertakers’ Journal</i>, August 22, 1893.</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="pc1">“SNATCHED FROM DEATH AT THE GRAVESIDE.</p> - -<p>“A marvellous case of suspended animation is described from -the British colony of Lagos, where an old woman named Oseni<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[85]</a></span> -came to life when she was at the cemetery about to be buried. -The mourners had assembled at the cemetery, and, in accordance -with the Mahomedan rule, the body was lifted from the coffin to -be buried, when several distinct coughs were given by the supposed -corpse. She was at once released from the clothes which bound -her, and the old woman, to the surprise and amazement of those -present, sat upright and opened her eyes. Some gruel was then -procured, of which she partook with evident relish.”</p></div> - -<p class="p1">From the <i>Daily Telegraph</i>, London, December 12, -1893.</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="pc1">“A LADY NEARLY BURIED ALIVE.</p> - -<p class="pr2">“Berlin, December 11.</p> - -<p>“From Militsch, in Silesia, an extraordinary case of trance is -reported. It seems that, owing to the grave not being in readiness, -some delay occurred in the burial of a lady, the wife of a major in -the army, who to all appearance had died.<span class="sidenote1">FOUR DAYS’ APPARENT DEATH.</span> On the fourth day -after the lady’s supposed death the maid was placing fresh flowers -round the coffin, when she was much startled at seeing the body -move, and finally assume an erect position. The lady had evidently -been in a state of coma during the past four days, and -narrowly escaped being buried alive.”</p></div> - -<p class="p1">The <i>Banner of Light</i>, Boston, July 28, 1894, quotes -the following case of apparent sudden death from the -<i>Boston Post</i>:—</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="pc1">“COFFINED ALIVE!</p> - -<p>“Sprakers, a village not far from Rondout, N.Y., was treated to -a sensation Tuesday, July 10, by the supposed resurrection from -the dead of Miss Eleanor Markham, a young woman of respectability, -who to all appearance had died on Sunday, July 8.</p> - -<p>“Miss Markham about a fortnight ago complained of heart -trouble, and was treated by Dr. Howard. She grew weaker -gradually, and on Sunday morning apparently breathed her last, -to the great grief of her relatives, by whom she was much beloved. -The doctor pronounced her dead, and furnished the usual burial -certificate.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[86]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Undertaker Jones took charge of the funeral arrangements. -On account of the warm weather it was decided that the interment -should take place Tuesday, and in the morning Miss Markham -was put in the coffin.</p> - -<p>“After her relatives had taken the last look on what they supposed -was their beloved dead, the lid of the coffin was fastened on, -and the undertaker and his assistant took it to the hearse waiting -outside. As they approached the hearse a noise was heard, and -the coffin was put down and opened in short order. Behold! there -was poor Eleanor Markham lying on her back, her face white and -contorted, and her eyes distended.</p> - -<p>“‘My God!’ she cried, in broken accents. ‘Where am I? You -are burying me alive.’ ‘Hush! child,’ said Dr. Howard, who -happened to be present. ‘You are all right. It is a mistake -easily rectified.’</p> - -<p>“The girl was then taken into the house and placed on the bed, -when she fainted. While the doctor was administering stimulating -restoratives the trappings of woe were removed, and the hearse -drove away with more cheerful rapidity than a hearse was ever -driven before.</p> - -<table id="t01" summary="t01"> - - <tr> - <td class="tdc">•</td> - <td class="tdc">•</td> - <td class="tdc">•</td> - <td class="tdc">•</td> - <td class="tdc">•</td> - <td class="tdc">•</td> - </tr> - -</table> - -<p>“‘I was conscious all the time you were making preparations to -bury me,’ she said, ‘and the horror of my situation is altogether -beyond description. I could hear everything that was going on, -even a whisper outside the door, and although I exerted all my -will-power, and made a supreme physical effort to cry out, I was -powerless.... At first I fancied the bearers would not hear -me, but when I felt one end of the coffin falling suddenly, I knew -that I had been heard.’</p> - -<p>“Miss Markham is on a fair way to recovery, and what is -strange is that the flutterings of the heart that brought on her -illness are gone.”</p></div> - -<p class="p1">From the <i>Echo</i>, January 18, 1895.</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="pc1">“MISTAKEN FOR DEAD—A WOMAN’S AWFUL EXPERIENCE.</p> - -<p>“An extraordinary affair is reported from Heap Bridge, Heywood. -Yesterday a woman was supposed to have died, and she -was washed, laid out, and measured for her coffin, a piece of linen<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[87]</a></span> -being placed over her mouth. Eight hours later, however, as two -women were engaged in the room, the supposed corpse blew the -linen away, and raised herself up in bed. The two women were -terribly frightened, and in their hasty retreat both tumbled downstairs, -and are now suffering from slight injuries, as well as shock. -Some time elapsed before any one else could be induced to enter -the house, but eventually several persons went in together, and -found the woman still sitting up in bed. She was exceedingly -weak. Later, however, she succumbed, and the doctor expressed -the opinion that her death was accelerated by shock. During the -night the woman conversed with her son, who had carried her -upstairs for dead, and told him of the awful sensation she felt whilst -unable to speak during the washing and laying out of her body.”</p></div> - -<p class="p1">The following letter appeared in the London <i>Daily -Chronicle</i> of September 24, 1895:—</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="pc1">“BURIED ALIVE.</p> - -<p>“Sir,—To your interesting correspondence on ‘Buried Alive,’ -I would add the following, which I had directly from the mouth of -one who but for the faithfulness of her husband would probably -have been added to the number. I knew her quite well. She was -the daughter of a physician in my native town, and her husband -was a professor of music, and I will tell the incident as nearly as -I can remember in her own words.<span class="sidenote1">A HUSBAND’S PROMISE.</span> She said:—‘I had in my -early married life a dread of there being any mistake made about -my death, and begged my husband that, should he survive me, -he would watch my body himself, which he promised he would do. -Some time after this, I was overtaken by a most terrible attack of -fever, succeeded by entire exhaustion, and I, as my attendants -believed, died, and was accordingly laid out for burial. My good -husband was true to his promise, and he, with my sister, watched -the corpse, and in the night they perceived some indication of -returning life, and of course means were used for restoration.’</p> - -<p>“I cannot be quite sure how many years she lived after, but she -had brought up at the time I speak of a family of four sons and one -daughter, and she lived to a good old age.—Yours truly,</p> - -<p class="pr2">“<span class="smcap">Cassandra M——</span>.</p> - -<p>“September 18.”</p></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[88]</a></span></p> - -<p class="p1">Speaking on the subject of premature burial the -other day, a well-known London publisher told the -author that he personally knew a lady, the daughter of -a British Consul, who had been taken for dead on two -separate occasions. On the first occasion the lady -had been placed in her coffin, and the lid screwed -down ready for interment. A friend who had known -the supposed deceased called to condole with the family, -and said:—“I should like to have a last look at dear -L—— if you will only permit me.” The lid was -accordingly removed, and the visitor detected, as it -seemed to her, signs of life in her friend; she was -taken out of her coffin, put in a warm bath, and -recovered. Some years later the same lady fell into -a cataleptic state after a fever, and was taken for dead. -Preparations had been made for the funeral in both -instances, but delayed beyond the usual time for interment. -She returned to consciousness, and is now -living.</p> - -<p>Dr. Moore Russell Fletcher in “Suspended Animation -and the Danger of Burying Alive,” p. 62, writes:—</p> - -<p>“‘Seven hours in a coffin added ten years to my life,’ -was the remark of Martin Strong, of Twelfth Street, -Philadelphia, some time after quitting the coffin in -which his family had placed him for burial, after Dr. -Cummings had given a certificate of his death. Frank -Stoop, of Clarinda, Iowa, was laid out for burial not -long since, a physician having certified to his death; -but fortunately he awoke from his state of coma in -time to save his life.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[89]</a></span></p> - -<p class="psh">AN ARMY SURGEON’S PERSONAL EXPERIENCE.</p> - -<div class="sidenote1">DR. CHEW’S EXPERIENCES.</div> - -<p>Dr. R. G. S. Chew, of Calcutta, writing to the -author, says:—“In 1873 I was a student in the -Bishop’s High School, Poonah (Bombay Presidency), -where I used to be generally at the head of my -class, and when competing for the Science Prizes I -was fully determined to take the first prize or none. -The Reverend—— Watson, Rector of St. Mary’s -Church and Chaplain to our school, knew my disposition, -and cautioned me against being too sanguine, -lest disappointment might tell very keenly. The disappointment -came, and with it much nervous excitability. -Shortly after this (Christmas, 1873) my favourite sister -was seized with convulsions that carried her off. From -the moment of her decease to nearly a month after her -interment I entirely lost the power of speech. On the -day of the funeral I was parched with thirst, but could -not drink, as the water seemed to choke me. My eyes -were burning and my head felt like bursting, but I -could neither sob nor cry. I felt quite dazed, and -followed the procession to the cemetery, where I stood -motionless by the open grave; but as soon as they -lowered the little coffin into its resting-place I threw -myself headlong into the grave and fainted away. -Some one pulled me out and carried me home, where -I lay in a sort of stupor for nine days, during which -Dr. Donaldson attended me most patiently, and I -regained consciousness, but was too weak to even sit -up in bed. On the 16th January, 1874, I felt a peculiar -sensation as of something filling up my throat—no swelling, -no pain nor anything that pointed to throat affection—and -this getting worse and worse, in spite of everything,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[90]</a></span> -I <i>died</i>, as was supposed, on the 18th of January, 1874, -and was laid out for burial, as the most careful examination -failed to show the slightest traces of life. I had -been in this state for twenty hours, and in another three -hours would have been closed up for ever, when my -eldest sister, who was leaning over the head of my coffin -crying over me, declared she saw my lips move. The -friends who had come to take their last look at me -tried to persuade her it was only fancy, but, as she persisted, -Dr. Donaldson was sent for to convince her that -I was really dead. For some unexplained reason he -had me taken out of the coffin and examined very -carefully from head to foot. Noticing a peculiar, soft -fluctuating swelling at the base of my neck, just where -the clavicles meet the sternum, he went to his brougham, -came back with his case of instruments, and, before any -one could stop him or ask what he was going to do, -laid open the tumour and plunged in a tracheotomy -tube, when a quantity of pus escaped, and, releasing the -pressure on the carotids and thyroid, was followed by a -rush of blood and some movement on my part that -startled the doctor. Restoratives were used, and I was -slowly nursed back to life; but the tracheotomy tube -(I <i>still</i> carry the scar) was not finally removed till -September, 1875.”</p> - - -<p class="pc1">“APPARENT DEATH FROM A FALL.<br /> -(<i>Communicated to the author by Dr. Chew.</i>)</p> - -<p>“A sowar—<i>i.e.</i>, native trooper—of the 7th regiment -of cavalry, in 1878, carrying despatches at Nowshera, -was thrown from his horse, and, falling with his head -against a sharp stone in the road, rolled on to his -back, in which position he was found some six or<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[91]</a></span> -seven hours after, and conveyed to the morgue of -the European Depôt Hospital pending removal to -the ‘lines’ of his own corps.<span class="sidenote1">APPARENT DEATH FROM A FALL.</span> There was very little -hæmorrhage, and the stone was still wedged in -between the temporo-parietal suture. Cardiac sounds -and respiratory murmurs could not be detected. The -limbs were perfectly rigid, and there was a good deal of -cadaveric ecchymosis to be distinctly seen. Nothing -would have convinced any one that the sowar was still -alive, and Surgeons-Major Hunter, Gibson, and Briggs, -Apothecary S. Pollock, Assistant-Surgeon J. Lewis and -myself <i>verily</i> believed he was stone-dead. As ‘cause of -death’ is what the army is exceedingly particular about, -Surgeon-Major Hunter removed the impacted stone -and lifted out portions of the fractured bone (prior to -holding a proper <i>post-mortem</i>), when to the surprise of -all of us ‘the corpse’ deliberately closed its eyes (which -were staring open when the body was first brought in), -and there was a slight serous hæmorrhage. On noticing -this, the sowar’s head was trephined—no chloroform or -other anæsthetic being used—some more fragments of -bone and a large blood-clot that pressed on the brain -were removed, and as the sowar repeatedly flinched -under this operation, a stimulant was poured down his -throat, and he was removed to his regimental hospital, -from which he was discharged ‘well’ some six months -and a half later. After this he did good service in the -Afghan and Egyptian campaigns.”</p> - -<p class="psh">“APPARENT DEATH FROM CHOLERA.</p> - -<p>“The cases of collapse and apparent death during -epidemics of cholera are very numerous, as will be seen<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[92]</a></span> -by reference to medical literature. We have now before -us particulars of cases from the <i>Calcutta Journal of -Medicine</i> for 1869, vol. ii., p. 383, where Dr. Charles -Londe, of Paris, observes that patients pronounced dead -of cholera have been repeatedly seen to move. See also, -for Italy, <i>Lancet</i>, 1884, vol. ii., p. 655.</p> - -<p>“A correspondent, signing himself T.E.N., in <i>To-Day</i>, -October 12, 1895, says:—‘When acting as special correspondent -to the <i>Evening Herald</i> in Hamburg during the -cholera plague, I met a gentleman who had been passed -for dead and placed in the mortuary to await burial. -When the porters entered some hours later to remove the -hundred or so bodies, they found this gentleman sitting -up in great pain, and very much frightened. He was -placed in a ward and recovered. About the same time -a little girl came to life actually at the graveside. She -had been brought in one of several four-horse vans that -conveyed bodies for interment in the Ohlsdorff grave-yard. -Fortunately for her, she had not been placed in -a coffin, the exigencies of the time rendering it impossible -to provide caskets for the dead. When the disease -began to die out, the people found time to ask—“Can -it be possible that life remains in any of the bodies -buried?” That the doctors in the latter days cut the -ulnar arteries of all subjects before passing them for -dead is full of significance.’”</p> - -<p>The three following cases were communicated to the -author, during his sojourn in Calcutta, by Dr. Chew, in -the early part of this year (1896):—</p> - -<div class="sidenote">CASES COMMUNICATED BY DR. CHEW.</div> - -<p>“In March, 1877, Assistant-Surgeons H. A. Borthwick, -S. Blake, H. B. Rogers, and myself received orders to -proceed from Rawal Pindi by bullock-train to Peshawur<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[93]</a></span> -to join the various regiments we were to be posted to -for duty. We had just passed a place called Rati when -Borthwick showed strong symptoms of cholera, from -which he suffered all that night. The nearest hospital -was twenty-five miles behind us, and though we had -neither medicines nor sick-room comforts with us, we -had no alternative but to journey onwards, because the -train-drivers (Indians) refused to turn back, and if we -did return to Rawal Pindi we would have been court-martialled -for disobeying lawful commands and coming -back without orders to do so. Travelling by bullock-train -is very slow work, and far from a comfortable -mode of transit; however, we were obliged to make the -best of it, and early next morning Borthwick was cold, -stiff, and seemingly dead. Here was a fine state of affairs—the -nearest cantonment, which we had no expectation -of reaching (<i>i.e.</i>, Nowshera) before nine p.m., was thirty-six -miles off, and by the time we arrived at it, it would -have been too late to approach the authorities, while -Peshawur, our destination, was another twenty-nine miles -further off. Dispose of the body we dared not, and we -had no choice but to continue our route. All that day -there was not a movement or other sign to show that life -was not extinct, and affairs seemed no better by five p.m. -next day, when we reached Peshawur. The apparent -corpse was lifted out of the bullock-train and carried -into the hospital dispensary (where a strong fire was -blazing) preparatory to papers being signed and arrangements -made for its final disposal. Whether it was the -heat of the fire before which he was placed, or whether -the vibriones had produced an antitoxin, I am not prepared -to argue; but <i>we do know</i> that Borthwick recovered<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[94]</a></span> -consciousness while lying on the bed in that dispensary, -and that he whom we mourned as dead returned to life. -He served in the same military stations with me in the -North-West Frontier till 1880, when he accompanied me -to the Calcutta Medical College, where we parted company -in February, 1882, I bound for Egypt and he for -frontier duty. At first we corresponded regularly, but -since 1885 we lost touch of each other.”</p> - -<p class="psh">“REVIVAL IN A MORTUARY IN INDIA.</p> - -<p>“Sergeant J. Clements Twining, of H.M.’s 109th -regiment of British infantry, located at Dinapoor in -1876, was brought in an unconscious state to the -hospital, supposed to be suffering from <i>coup de soleil</i>. -Everything that could be done was ineffectually tried -to rouse him from coma, and he was removed to the -dead-house to wait <i>post-mortem</i> next morning. At -two a.m. the sentry on the dead-house came rushing -down to the dispensary (about four hundred and -fifty yards off) declaring that he had seen and heard -a ghost in the dead-house, to which myself and the -compounder and dresser on duty at once proceeded, -to find that Clements Twining, who was now partially -conscious, was lying on the dead-house flags groaning -most piteously—he had rolled off the table on to the -floor. He returned to health, and in 1877 accompanied -his regiment to England, where I met him at Woolwich -in 1883, and he asked me to corroborate his story of -‘returning to life’ to certain of his acquaintances who -had refused to believe him.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[95]</a></span></p> - -<p class="pch">“CHOLERA CORPSES REVIVED IN A MORTUARY.</p> - -<p>“When the East Norfolk regiment was out cholera-dodging -in 1878, Colour-Sergeant T. Hall and Corporal -W. Bellomy were sent into cantonments for burial as -cholera corpses in the Nowshera Cemetery.<span class="sidenote1">THE USE OF MORTUARIES.</span> There was -some delay in the interment owing to a difficulty in -obtaining the wood necessary for their coffins, so both -bodies were placed in the dead-house, which was generously -sprinkled with disinfectants to ward off the risk -of contagion. First Hall and then Bellomy regained -consciousness, and were duly returned to duty. The -following year Bellomy was ‘invalided’ to England, -where I understand he now enjoys the best of health.”</p> - -<p>“Shortly after the Afghan war of 1878, Surgeon-Major -T. Barnwell and I were told off to take a large -number of time-expired men, invalids, and wounded, to -Deolali on their way to England. Some of the wounded -were in a very critical state, necessitating great care; -one man in particular, Trooper Holmes of the 10th -Hussars, who had an ugly bullet-wound running along -his left thigh and under the groin. Our only means of -transport for these poor fellows was the ‘palki’ or -doolie carried by four bearers at a curious swinging -pace. When we got to Nowshera, Holmes seemed on -a fair way to recovery, but the swinging of the doolie -seemed too much for him, and he grew weaker day by -day till we got to Hassan Abdool, when we could not -rouse him to take some nourishment before starting on -the march, and to all appearance he seemed perfectly -dead; but, as there was neither the time nor convenience -to hold a <i>post-mortem</i>, we carried the body on to ‘John -Nicholson,’ where, the same difficulties being in the way,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[96]</a></span> -and no facilities for burial, we were obliged to put the -<i>post-mortem</i> off for another day, and convey the corpse -to Rawal Pindi rest camp, where we laid him on the -floor of the mortuary tent and covered him over with -a tarpaulin. This was his salvation, as next morning -(<i>i.e.</i>, the third day succeeding his ‘death’), when we -raised the tarpaulin to hold the <i>post-mortem</i>, some -hundreds of field mice (these tracts are <i>noted</i> for them) -rushed out, and we noticed that Holmes was breathing, -though very slowly—five or six respirations to the -minute—and there were a few teeth marks where the -mice had attacked his calves. To prevent a relapse -by the jolting on further marches, we handed him over -to the station hospital staff, who pulled him round, and -then forwarded him to the headquarters of his regiment -at Meerut.”</p> - -<p>A lady, distinguished alike for her literary gifts as -well as for her philanthropy, sends me the following:—</p> - -<p>“I am much obliged to you for sending me ‘Perils.’ -It is a terrible subject, and one that has haunted me all -my life, insomuch that I have never made a will without -inserting a clause requiring my throat to be cut before -I am put underground. Of course one can have no -reliance on doctors whatever, and I have myself known -a case in which a very eminent one insisted on a coffin -being screwed down because the corpse looked so life-like -and full of colour that the friends could not help -indulging in hopes.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">CASES IN IRELAND.</div> - -<p>“My great grandmother, after whom I am called, a -famous heiress, was a notable case of narrow escape. As -a girl she passed into a state of apparent death, and a great -funeral was ordered for her. Among the guests came<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[97]</a></span> -a young girl friend, who insisted that she was not dead, -and raised such a stir that the funeral was postponed, -and time was allowed to pass till the marvel became -that there were no signs of change. I could never -ascertain how long this comatose state lasted before -she recovered; but she <i>did</i> recover, so thoroughly that -after her marriage with Richard Trench, of Garbuly, she -became the mother of twenty-two children. Obviously -this was no case of a feeble, hysterical, cataleptic subject. -I will enclose photograph taken from a miniature of her -in a ring in my possession.</p> - -<p>“There was another case, well known in Ireland in -my youth, of a Colonel Howard, who had a fine place (I -think it was called Castle Howard) in Wicklow. He -was supposed to be dead, and a lead coffin was actually -made with his name and date of death on it; after which -Colonel Howard came to life, and had the plate of the -coffin fixed over his kitchen chimney as a warning to -his servants not to bury people in a hurry.”</p> - -<p>Dr. Colin S. Valentine, LL.D., Principal of the -Medical Missionary Training College, Agra, N.W.P., told -the author during his visit to Agra, February, 1896, that -Captain Young, an officer in the regiment of which -he (Dr. Valentine) was at that time army surgeon, who -had been dreadfully mauled while tiger-hunting in -Madras, was laid out for dead, and all the arrangements -were made for his funeral at six o’clock that -evening, when consciousness returned, and he lived for -twenty years after.</p> - -<p>In a lecture on “Signs of Death and Disposal of the -Dead,” delivered by Dr. A. Stephenson at Nottingham, -January 9, 1896, the lecturer said “he once attended a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[98]</a></span> -girl living in that locality who was in a trance. All the -preparations were made for her funeral, and the grave -ordered. She remained in a trance three days, and her -mother was annoyed because he would not sign her -death-certificate. On the third day she slowly rose and -recovered. The girl would have been buried unless he -had had a very great fear of her being buried alive.”<a name="FNanchor_6_6" id="FNanchor_6_6"></a><a href="#Footnote_6_6" class="fnanchor">[6]</a></p> - -<p>From the London <i>Echo</i>, March 3, 1896.</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="pc1">“NARROW ESCAPE OF A GREEK-ORTHODOX METROPOLITAN.</p> - -<p>“A letter from Constantinople, in the <i>Politische Korrespondenz</i>, -gives a remarkable case of an apparent death which would have -ended in a premature burial but for the high ecclesiastical position -of the person concerned. On the 3rd of this month, Nicephorus -Glycas, the Greek-Orthodox Metropolitan of Lesbos, an old man -in his eightieth year, after several days of confinement to his bed, -was reported by the physician to be dead. The supposed dead -bishop, in accordance with the rules of the Orthodox Church, was -immediately clothed in his episcopal vestments, and placed upon -the Metropolitan’s throne in the great church of Methymni, where -the body was exposed to the devout faithful during the day, and -watched by relays of priests day and night. Crowds streamed -into the church to take a last look at their venerable chief pastor. -On the second night of “the exposition of the corpse,” the Metropolitan -suddenly started up from his seat and stared round him -with amazement and horror at all the panoply of death amidst -which he had been seated. The priests were not less horrified -when the ‘dead’ bishop demanded what they were doing with -him? The old man had simply fallen into a death-like lethargy, -which the incompetent doctors had hastily concluded to be death. -He is now as hale and hearty as can well be expected from an -octogenarian. But here it is that the moral comes in. If -Nicephorus Glycas had been a layman he would most certainly -have been buried alive. Fortunately for him the Canon Law of -the Orthodox Church does not allow a bishop to be buried earlier<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[99]</a></span> -than the third day after his death; whereas a layman, according -to the ancient Eastern custom, is generally buried about twelve -hours after death has been certified. The excitement which has -been aroused by the prelate’s startling resurrection may tend to -set men thinking more seriously about the frequent probability -of the cruel horror of the interment of living persons.”</p></div> - -<p class="pc1">The above-mentioned facts have been authenticated -for the author by Dr. Franz Hartmann, of Hallein, -Austria.</p> - -<p class="psh">NARROW ESCAPES OF SMALL-POX PATIENTS.</p> - -<p>Many physicians who dispute the frequency of premature -burials admit that the liability to such catastrophes -is considerable during epidemics of small-pox, where -extreme exhaustion, amounting to a suspension of life, -is distinguishable from actual death only by patient and -prolonged observation.</p> - -<p>From the <i>Lancet</i>, June 21, 1884, p. 1150:—</p> - - -<div class="pc1"> - -<p class="pc1">“SUSPENDED ANIMATION AFTER SMALL-POX.</p> - -<p>“Sir,—I send you privately names and addresses by means of -which you can test, if you please, the accuracy of the following -statements, which I forward for insertion in your journal:—</p> - -<div class="sidenote">APPARENT DEATHS AFTER SMALL-POX.</div> - -<p>“Some years since, a young man who had been attacked by -small-pox was declared by the medical man to be dead, and was -laid out for burial. The nurse, however, on paying a visit to the -supposed corpse, thinking there was something uncorpse-like about -its appearance, put a wine-glass over the mouth, and returning in a -quarter of an hour, found it dimmed with breath. He was resuscitated, -and, so far as I am aware, is still living. He would now be -about forty-five. He is a farmer.</p> - -<p>“A mother and her baby were ill of small-pox, and seemed -likely to die. The grandmother, however, made the nurse promise -that if death appeared to ensue, and even if the medical man -pronounced either or both to be dead, she would put additional<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[100]</a></span> -blankets on the one or both, and leave them so till her (the grandmother’s) -return, which would not be till the next day. They both -appeared to die, and were declared dead by the doctor; but the -nurse did as she had promised, and the next day when the grandmother -returned, they were both alive, and were both living not -very long since.</p> - -<p>“Some twenty years ago, I was told that about forty years -previously a young man, in a parish where I was acquainted, was -put in a coffin as a person dead of small-pox; but when the bell -was tolling for his funeral, and he was about to be ‘screwed down,’ -he got up and vacated the coffin, and lived several years afterwards.</p> - -<p>“In a town where I was brought up, a woman was nearly buried -alive through having gone into a trance on being frightened by a -young lady who had put on a white sheet and pretended to be a -‘ghost.’ For years she was liable to long spells of insensibility, -from which nothing could rouse her.</p> - -<p>“The haste with which small-pox corpses are disposed of -nowadays is to be deprecated. They are usually buried within -twelve hours of their supposed death, and the cases I first -mentioned show with what very probable results. The only sure -proof of death is decomposition, and a law ought to be passed -forbidding burial until signs of it have appeared. Not very long -since I was in a church-yard where a drain was being made round -the church, and was not a little struck by the horrified look of a -labourer who came to the vicar and stated that they had come on -a skull face downward, which, he said, put it beyond doubt that -the person it had belonged to had turned in his coffin after burial.—I -am, Sir, yours faithfully,</p> - -<p class="pr2">“B. A.</p> - -<p>“June 18, 1884.”</p></div> - -<p class="p1">The <i>Undertakers’ Journal</i>, May 22, 1895, has the -following:—</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<div class="sidenote1">REV. HARRY JONES’ CASES.</div> - -<p class="p1">“The Reverend Harry Jones, in his reminiscences, and as a -London clergyman, declares his conviction that in times of panic -from fatal epidemics it is not unlikely that some people are buried -alive. Mr. Jones recalls a case within his knowledge of a young<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[101]</a></span> -woman pronounced to be dead from cholera, and actually laid out -for the usual collecting cart to call from the undertakers, when a -neighbour happened to come in and lament over her. The story -continues thus: ‘And is poor Sarah really dead?’ she cried. -‘Well,’ said her mother, ‘she is, and she will soon be fetched -away; but if you can do anything you may do it.’ Acting on this -permission the practical neighbour set about rubbing Sarah profusely -with mustard. Sarah sat up, stung into renovated life, and -so far recovered as to marry; ‘and I myself,’ says Mr. Jones, -‘christened four or five of her children in the course of the next -few years.’ In another case, within Mr. Jones’ parochial experiences -in London, a man employed as potman lay <i>in extremis</i>. A -doctor was called in, who said ‘Turn him on his face, and I will -put a thick strip of flannel soaked in spirits of wine down his -spine. We will see what that will do.’ A sister brought a store -of flannel, the doctor soaked it in spirit, and prepared to apply it -as he proposed. First, however, he placed the soaking mass in -a heap (almost as big as a small hassock) in the middle of his -back. Meanwhile the sister leant forward with a candle and -accidently set the hassock on fire. ‘This,’ adds the anecdotist, -‘woke the potman up;’ and not very long ago the doctor told me -he had seen him in a street near the Oxford Circus.”</p></div> - -<p class="p1">From the <i>Daily Chronicle</i>, September 19, 1895.</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="p1">“Sir,—I infer from the following facts that numbers of persons -are buried alive after being supposed to have succumbed to small-pox.</p> - -<p>“Some years ago, at St. Paul’s, Belchamp, near Clare, a young -man who had been down with the small-pox was pronounced to be -dead, and was put into a coffin, which, fortunately, was left unclosed -until after the bell began to toll for his funeral, when he -rose and stepped out. He lived for many years after. In the same -neighbourhood no less than three other similar cases occurred, -saving that the undertakers were not so far forward in their work. -Each of these would have been buried alive but for the facts that -in one case the nurse, having suspicions, put a wine-glass over the -mouth of the person (who had been already ‘laid out’), and on -returning in a quarter of an hour found it dimmed with breath;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[102]</a></span> -and that in the other case the mother of a mother, who with her -baby was declared by the doctor to be dead, had blankets heaped -on them, and after a while had the satisfaction of seeing them -revive. Two of these three persons are, I believe, still living, and -would be just past middle-age. I enclose their names for your -private perusal, that you may verify my statements if desired. -The first-mentioned case happened about seventy years ago, but -I heard of it from residents in the neighbourhood about forty years -after it occurred.</p> - -<p>“Nowadays as soon as a small-pox patient is supposed to be -dead, he or she is enclosed in a coffin and hurried off to the -church-yard or cemetery the ensuing night—at least this is the -practice in country places. I have no doubt that many have been -buried alive.—Yours faithfully,</p> - -<p class="pr2">“<span class="smcap">Ex-Curate</span>.</p> - -<p>“September 18.”</p></div> - -<p class="p1">Brigade-Surgeon W. Curran cites from the <i>Revue des -Deux Mondes</i>, April, 1873, in his Eighth Paper, entitled -“Buried Alive,” as follows:—</p> - -<p>“On the 15th of October, 1842, a farmer who lived -in the suburbs of Neufchâtel (Lower Seine) went to -sleep in his hay-loft in the midst of some newly mown -hay. As he did not get up at the usual hour the next -morning, his wife went to call him, and found him dead. -When the time for his funeral arrived, some twenty-four -or thirty hours subsequently, those who were charged -with the burial put the body on a bier, and having -placed this on the ladder that communicated between -the ground and the loft, they allowed it to slide down. -<span class="sidenote">IMPORTANCE OF CAREFUL EXAMINATION.</span>All of a sudden one of the rungs of this ladder gave -way, and the bier, falling through, was dashed violently -on the pavement below. The shock, which might have -been fatal to a live person, proved to be the ‘saving -clause’ of our supposed dead one; and fortunately, too,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[103]</a></span> -the attendants had not, as so commonly happens in -such contingencies, absconded; on the contrary, responding -without delay to the requirements of the -situation, they quickly realised the gravity of the crisis, -and, unbinding the shrouds of the farmer, they soon -restored him to consciousness and life. He was able, -we are further told, to resume his ordinary duties in -a few days afterwards.”<a name="FNanchor_7_7" id="FNanchor_7_7"></a><a href="#Footnote_7_7" class="fnanchor">[7]</a></p> - -<p>The <i>Undertakers’ and Funeral Directors’ Journal</i>, -January 22, 1889, says:—</p> - -<p>“Mr. J. W. Smith, of 158 River Avenue, Alleghany” -has just had, for instance, a remarkably narrow escape -of prematurely putting his family in mourning, and one -which will, we may be sure, be a very disagreeable recollection -for him during the rest of his existence. -After a visit to the Pittsburg Opera House one night, -Mr. Smith was found lying ‘stiff and cold’ behind the -stove in the dining-room, and apparently dead. A -superficial examination by Dr. M’Cready confirmed the -worst fears of Mrs. Smith, but subsequently the doctor -sought carefully for any little spark of life which might -lurk unseen, and, very fortunately for Mr. Smith, found -it. But, beyond that, nothing could be accomplished; -no effort to restore animation produced the slightest -effect. Two other physicians were then summoned; -but neither attempts at bleeding, the use of ‘mustard -baths,’ nor the application of electricity, could rouse<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[104]</a></span> -Mr. Smith after his visit to the opera. For three weeks -he lay insensible, and when he regained consciousness -a fever followed. This event, and some others of a -similar character which are occasionally heard of, show -that the examination of persons apparently dead should -always be undertaken by an efficient person, and by no -means in a perfunctory manner.”</p> - -<p>The late Madame Blavatsky was subject to death-like -trances, and Dr. Franz Hartmann informs me that -she would have been buried alive if Colonel Olcott had -not telegraphed to let her have time to awaken.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[105]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4">CHAPTER VI.</h2> - -<p class="pch">FORMALITIES AND THEIR FATAL CONSEQUENCES.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Whenever</span> grave-yards have been removed, owing to -the rapid expansion of towns, in America, or examined -elsewhere, unmistakable evidences of premature burial -have been disclosed, as will be seen in this volume; -bodies have been found turned upon their faces, the -limbs contorted, with hair dishevelled, the clothing torn, -the flesh mutilated, and coffins broken by the inmates -in their mad endeavour to escape after returning consciousness, -to terminate life only in unspeakable mental -and physical agonies. It may be said that every grave-yard -has its traditions, but the facts are carefully concealed -lest they should reach the ears of the relatives, or -incriminate the doctors who had with such confidence -certified to actual deaths which were only apparent. It -is not, however, the custom to remove grave-yards in -Europe until all possibility of such discoveries has disappeared. -To reopen a grave is to break the seal of -domestic grief. There is a widespread belief that where -a coffin, with a duly certified corpse,—dead or alive,—has -been screwed up, it must not be opened without an -authorisation from a magistrate, mayor, or other official, -and many people have been suffocated in their coffins -while waiting for this formality. Common sense, under -the circumstances, seems to be often paralysed.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[106]</a></span></p> - -<p>In England it has been decided, Reg. <i>v.</i> Sharpe -(1 Dearsley and Bell, 160), to be a misdemeanour to -disinter a body without lawful authority, even where the -motive of the offender was pious and laudable; and a too -rigorous interpretation of this and similar enactments -in other countries has led to the suffocation of many -unfortunate victims of a mistaken medical diagnosis, -whose lives, by prompt interposition, might have been -saved.</p> - -<p>Köppen, in his work, entitled “Information Relative -to Persons who have been Buried Alive,” Halle, 1799, -dedicated to His Majesty the King of Prussia, Frederick -William III., quotes the following amongst a large -number of cases of premature burial:—“In D——, the -Baroness F—— died of small-pox. She was kept in -her house three days, and then put in the family -vault. After a time, a noise of knocking was heard -in the vault, and the voice of the Baroness was also -heard. The authorities were informed; and instead of -opening the door with an axe, as could have been done, -the key was sent for, which took three or four hours -before the messenger returned with it. On opening the -vault it was found that the lady was lying on her side, -with evidences of having suffered terrible agony.”</p> - -<p>Struve, in his essay on “Suspended Animation,” 1803, -p. 71, relates the following:—“A beggar arrived late at -night, and almost frozen to death, at a German village, -and, observing a school-house open, resolved to sleep -there. The next morning, the school-boys found the -poor man sitting motionless in the room, and hastened, -affrighted, to inform the schoolmaster of what they had -seen. The villagers, supposing the beggar to be dead,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[107]</a></span> -interred him in the evening. During the night, the -watchman heard a knocking in the grave, accompanied -by lamentations. He gave information to the bailiff of -the village, who declined to listen to his tale. Soon -afterwards the watchman returned to the grave, and -again heard a hollow noise, interrupted by sighs. He -once more hastened to the magistrate, earnestly soliciting -him to cause the grave to be opened; but the latter, -being irresolute, delayed this measure till the next morning, -when he applied to the sheriff, who lived at a distance -from the village, in order to obtain the necessary directions. -He was, however, obliged to wait some time -before an interview took place.<span class="sidenote">A MAGISTRATE CENSURED.</span> The more judicious -sheriff severely censured the magistrate for not having -opened the grave on the information from the watchman, -and desired him to return and cause it to be opened -without delay. On his arrival, the grave was immediately -opened; but, just Heaven! what a sight! The -poor, wretched man, after having recovered in the grave, -had expired for want of air. In his anguish and desperation -he had torn the flesh from his arms. All the -spectators were struck with horror at this dreadful -scene.”</p> - -<p class="p1">The <i>Undertakers’ Journal</i>, November 22, 1880, relates -the following:—</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“An extraordinary story is reported from Tredegar, South Wales. -A man was buried at Cefn Golan Cemetery, and it is alleged that -some of those who took part in carrying the body to the burial-ground -heard knocking inside the coffin. No notice was taken of -the affair at the time, but it has now come up again, and the -rumour has caused a painful sensation throughout the district. It -is stated that application has been made to the Home Secretary -for permission to exhume the body.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[108]</a></span></p> - -<p class="p1">Dr. Franz Hartmann, in his “Premature Burial,” pp. -10 and 44, relates the two following cases:—“In the -year 1856 a man died in an Hungarian village. It is -customary there to dig the graves in rows. As the -grave-digger was making the new grave he heard sounds -as of knocking proceeding from a grave where a man -had been buried a few days previously. Terrified, he -went to the priest, and with the priest to the police. -At last permission was granted to open the grave; but -by that time its occupant had died in reality. The fact -that he had been buried alive was made evident by the -condition of the body, and by the wounds which the -man had inflicted upon himself by biting his shoulders -and arms.</p> - -<p>“In a small town in Prussia, an undertaker, living -within the limits of the cemetery, heard during the -night cries proceeding from within a grave in which -a person had been buried on the previous day. Not -daring to interfere without permission, he went to the -police and reported the matter. When, after a great -deal of delay, the required formalities were fulfilled and -permission granted to open the grave, it was found that -the man had been buried alive, but that he was now -dead. His body, which had been cold at the time of -the funeral, was now warm and bleeding from many -wounds, where he had skinned his hands and head in -his struggles to free himself before suffocation made an -end to his misery.”</p> - -<p>A medical correspondent communicates to the author -particulars of the following case, which occurred at Salzburg, -Austria:—“Some children were playing in the -Luzergasse Cemetery, and their attention was attracted<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[109]</a></span> -by knocking sounds in a newly-made grave. They -informed the grave-digger of it, and he secured permission -to open the grave from whence the sounds seemed -to come. A man had been buried there at two p.m. -that day. The formalities of the permission to open the -grave delayed it till seven p.m., when, on opening the -coffin, the body was found to be bent completely over -forwards, and was frightfully distorted and bleeding from -places on the hands and arms, which seemed to have -been gnawed by the man’s own teeth. The medical -experts who were called in to examine the case declared -that the man had been buried alive.”</p> - -<p>From the <i>Undertakers’ and Funeral Directors’ Journal</i>, -January 22, 1887.</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“Another shocking case of premature burial is reported; the -distressing incident took place at Saumur, in France. A young -man suddenly died, at least to all appearance, and his burial was -ordered to take place as soon as possible. The <i>croquemorts</i>, or -undertaker’s men, who carried the coffin to the grave, thought -they heard a noise like knocking under its lid, yet, being afraid of -creating a panic among the people who attended the funeral, they -went on with their burden.<span class="sidenote1">FATAL RESULTS.</span> The coffin was duly placed in the -grave, but, as the earth was being thrown upon it, unmistakable -sounds of knocking were heard by everybody. The mayor, -however, had to be sent for before the coffin could be opened, -and some delay occurred in the arrival of that official. When -the lid was removed, the horrible discovery was made that the -unfortunate inmate had only just died from asphyxia. The conviction -is spreading that the terrible French law requiring speedy -interment ought to be modified without delay.”</p> - -<p class="p1">Mr. William Harbutt, School of Art, Bath, writes to -me, November 27, 1895:—“The copies of the pamphlet -‘The Perils of Premature Burial,’ by Professor Alex. -Wilder, you kindly sent me are in circulation. Almost<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[110]</a></span> -every one to whom I mention the subject knows some -instances. One, a case at Radstock, twelve miles from -Bath, where the bearers at the funeral heard noises -inside the coffin, but were afraid to open it without the -authority from a magistrate. When it was opened next -day the appearance of the body showed that he had -been coffined alive, and had had a terrible struggle to -escape.”</p> - -<p>From the <i>Star</i>, London, May 13, 1895.</p> - - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="pc1">“A WOMAN LOSES HER LIFE THROUGH LEGAL FORMALITIES.</p> - -<p class="pr2">“Paris, May 11.</p> - -<p>“A woman who was believed to have died the day before was -being buried at Doussard, when the grave-digger, who was engaged -in filling up the grave, distinctly heard knocking coming -from the coffin. He called a man who was working near, and he -came and listened, and heard the knocking also. It was then -about nine o’clock in the morning. The knocking continued, and -they listened for about half an hour, when it occurred to one of -them that they ought to do something, so they went to inform the -local authorities. The curé of the village was the first to arrive -on the scene; but as no one had any authority to exhume the body -the coffin was not taken up. All that was done was to bore some -holes in the lid with a drill in such a way as to admit of air. By -mid-day all the necessary formalities had been gone through, and -it was decided at last to open the coffin. This was done; but -whether the unfortunate woman was still alive at this time is -doubtful. Some of those present affirm that she was. They state -that they saw a little colour come into her cheeks, and the eyes -open and shut. One thing is certain—viz.: that when at half-past -six in the evening it was finally decided to consult a doctor, the -practitioner summoned declared that death had taken place not -more than five or six hours before. It was thought that had the -coffin been opened directly the sounds were heard the woman’s -life might have been saved, and she would have been spared -hours of indescribable torture and suffering.”</p></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[111]</a></span></p> - -<p class="p1">The Paris edition of the <i>New York Herald</i>, May 14, -1895, says:—</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“The case of the woman buried alive at Annecy, in the Haute-Savoie, -the other day, has almost found a pendant at Limoges. A -woman, belonging to the village of Laterie, died, to all appearance -at least, a few days ago. After the body had been placed in a -coffin, it was transported to the village church. On the way the -bearers heard sounds proceeding from it, and at once sent for the -mayor, who ordered it to be opened. The woman was found to -be suffering from <i>eclampsia</i>, which had been mistaken for death -by her relatives.”</p> - -<p class="p1">The following case is instructive in that the victim -was exhumed without an order from the Home Secretary, -or waiting for any formalities, and was restored to -life:—</p> - -<div class="pbq"> -<p class="pc1">“BURYING ALIVE.<br /> -[From the <i>Spectator</i>, October 19, 1895.]</p> - -<div class="sidenote1">RESUSCITATION IN IRELAND.</div> - -<p>“Sir,—<i>Apropos</i> of your article and the correspondence about -being buried alive, in the <i>Spectator</i> of September 28, the enclosed -may interest you. It is an extract which I have copied to-day -out of a letter to a neighbour of mine from his brother in Ireland, -dated October 6, 1895:—‘About three weeks ago, our kitchen-maid -asked leave to go away for two or three days to see her -mother, who was dying. She came back again on a Friday or -Saturday, saying her mother was dead and buried. On Wednesday -she got a letter saying her mother had been dug up, and was alive -and getting all right. So she went up to see her, and sure enough -there she was “right enough,” as G—— says, having got out of -her trance, and knowing nothing about being in her grave from -Saturday till Tuesday. The only thing she missed was her <i>rings</i>; -she could not make out where they had got to. Her daughter, it -seems, told the doctor on her way back here that it struck her that -her mother had never got stiff after death, and she could not help -thinking it was very odd; and it made her very uncomfortable.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[112]</a></span> -He never said a word: and the kitchen-maid heard nothing until -she got the letter saying her mother was back again and alive. -Luckily, she did not “come to” until she had been taken out of -her coffin. It was a “rum go” altogether. They say exactly the -same thing happened to a sister of hers who is now alive and -well.’—I am, Sir, etc.,</p> - -<p class="pr2">“<span class="smcap">Peveril Turnbull</span>.”</p></div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[113]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4">CHAPTER VII.</h2> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p class="pch">PROBABLE CASES OF PREMATURE BURIAL.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">There</span> is a great and natural reluctance on the part of -medical practitioners to admit that they have made -mistakes in death-certification, particularly in any one -of the various forms of death counterfeits, or suspended -animation. It should be noted that amongst the lectures -delivered on special occasions, such as the opening of the -medical schools, the subjects of trance and the danger of -premature burial are conspicuous for their absence; allusion -to these subjects is of rare occurrence, nor does the -study of this abstruse branch of medicine, so far as can -be ascertained, form part of any medical curriculum. In -the bibliography at the end of this volume, extensive as -it is, I can hardly refer to a single instance. Dr. Franz -Hartmann, whose work on “Buried Alive” has passed -through two English and one German edition, informs -me that the same reticence is observable in the medical -schools of Germany. Many medical men do not believe -in death-trance. They declare that they have never -seen such a case, and in their judgment when a sick -patient ceases to breathe, when volition is suspended, -and the stethoscope reveals no signs of cardiac action, -the death is real, and the case beyond recovery. The -evidence disclosed in this volume is the result of inquiry -in many countries.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[114]</a></span></p> - -<p>From the <i>Medical Times</i>, London, 1860, vol. i., -p. 65.</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“A lady entering upon the ninth month of pregnancy died of -pneumonia. All the other phenomena of death ensued, except -that the colour of the face was unusually life-like. On the fifteenth -day from that of death there was not the least cadaveric odour -from the corpse, nor had its appearance much altered, and it was -only on the sixteenth day that the lips darkened. The temperature -of the atmosphere had undergone many changes during the time -mentioned, but although there had been frost for a short period, -the weather was in general damp and cold.”</p> - -<p class="p1">This lady might not have been dead. The burial -laws should have been such as to make it certain that -she was dead before interment, by the appearance of -general decomposition.<span class="sidenote">NEIGHBOURS’ INTERFERENCE.</span> The examination of facts -collected by well-known physicians at home leads to -the conclusion that cases of narrow escapes from -premature burial are by no means of rare occurrence. -And it must be obvious to the least reflective reader -that in countries where burial follows quickly upon -supposed death (as in Turkey and France, some parts of -Ireland, and throughout India), or where there is no -compulsory examination of the dead (as in the United -States or the United Kingdom), and amongst people -like the Jews (since the Jewish Law enjoins speedy -interment), and especially in cases of sudden death -(where attempts at resuscitation are rare), the number -of premature burials may be considerable.</p> - -<p>In the United States, while there is no law, as in -France, enforcing burial within a prescribed number -of days, it is the custom of civil authorities, under -regulations made by the Boards of Health, to compel<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[115]</a></span> -interments if delayed by reason of doubt as to actual -death beyond a few days.</p> - -<p>Particulars of the following case were sent me by a -physician, January 17, 1894:—</p> - - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="pc1">“WAS SHE ALIVE?</p> - -<p>“Mrs. John Emmons, of North Judson, Ind., was taken suddenly -ill and apparently died, a week ago. Her husband desired to keep -the body for a few days, to make sure of death. It seems that her -mother went into a trance for four days, rallied, and lived five -years; also that her grandfather on her mother’s side, after having -been pronounced dead for six days, awoke, and lived for twenty-three -years. Mrs. Emmons’s body was kept until Saturday, when, -on the demand of the physician and numerous residents, it was -interred. During the time between Monday and Saturday the -body did not become rigid. Mortification did not set in, and she -was laid to rest without waiting for that, the surest of all tests, to -take place. Many are of the opinion that the woman has been -buried alive.”</p></div> - -<p class="p1">There are many cases like the above on record, in -which, although there is no absolute proof of premature -burial, there is strong presumptive evidence of it. -The following from <i>Truth</i> (London) of May 23, 1895, -is an example, and the writer has heard of many -others:—</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="p1">“The other day I gave a story showing the difficulty of obtaining -a <i>post-mortem</i> examination after a doctor has once certified the -cause of death. One of my readers caps it with a gruesome -narrative, of which this is the outline: A man lately died in -London. The coffin had to be removed by rail, and was to be -closed on the fourth day after the death. My informant, taking a -last look at the deceased, was struck by the complete absence of -all the ordinary signs of death at such a period. In particular, he -states that there was no rigidity in any part of the body, and there -was a perceptible tinge of colour in the forehead. He went over<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[116]</a></span> -to the doctor who had attended the deceased, described all the -signs that he had observed, and begged the doctor to come and -look at the body before the coffin was closed. The doctor absolutely -refused, saying that he had given his certificate, and had no -doubt as to the man’s death. The friend then suggested that he -might himself open a vein and see if blood flowed, to which the -doctor replied that, if he did so without the authority of the widow, -he would be indictable for felony. Whereupon, says my informant, -who was only a friend of the family, ‘I had to retire baffled, and -let matters take their course.’ Why on earth he did not take the -widow into his confidence, or risk an indictment for felony by -opening a vein on his own account, or even summon another -doctor, he does not say. I trust that, should any friend of mine -see my coffin about to be screwed down under similar circumstances, -and find equal cause to doubt whether I am dead, he -will summon up courage to stick a pin into me, and chance the -consequences. This, however, has nothing to do with the doctor’s -responsibilities. It would seem that the medico in this case was -either so confident in his own opinion as to decline even to -walk across the road to investigate the extraordinary symptoms -described to him, or else that he preferred the chance of the -man being buried alive to the chance of having to admit he -had made a mistake. Which alternative is the worst I do not -know.”</p></div> - -<p class="p1">The <i>Gaulois</i> (Paris) of May 16, 1894, contains the -following:—</p> - - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="pc1">“DEATH OR CATALEPSY?</p> - -<p>“The funeral of the Comtesse de Jarnac, whose death was -reported to have taken place on Saturday, was fixed for to-morrow, -but it will probably be postponed. None of the usual -signs of dissolution have appeared; the face still retains its colour, -and <i>rigor mortis</i> has not yet set in. Some hope is even entertained -that the Comtesse may be simply in a state of catalepsy, -and that the embolus, to which death was attributed, may have -lodged in the lungs, not in the heart, in which case it may merely -have caused a stoppage of the circulation (<i>sic</i>). The body had not -been placed in the coffin up to a late hour last night.”</p></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[117]</a></span></p> - -<p class="psh">STRANGULATION BY A SCARF.</p> - -<p>One of the authors was present on May 14, 1894, -with a company of ladies and gentlemen gathered at -a country mansion in the Austrian Tyrol for afternoon -tea, when the conversation turned upon the subject of -premature burial.<span class="sidenote">CASE IN THE AUSTRIAN TYROL.</span> Among other cases related, the host -described that of one of his servants, a woman, who -went to bed with toothache, a long scarf being wrapped -around her face and neck. As she did not appear the -following morning, our host entered her room, and -found her, as he supposed, strangled to death by the -scarf tightly wound about her neck. A doctor was -summoned, when he found that the woman was warm -and limp, her face soft and coloured as in life; yet, as -there was no respiration or perceptible wrist-pulse, nor -beating of the heart, he regarded her as dead, and -thought it would be proper to bury her. The host had -doubts, however, about the case, and, having decided to -observe it further, he had the woman removed to an outhouse, -where she remained three days longer without -any change in her appearance or condition in any way. -But, as there was considerable impatience felt at the -delay of the burial by the people on the estate, the host -sent for two doctors to make a final examination of the -woman, and decide as to the existence of life or death. -The doctors found that no change had taken place—there -was softness of the skin, colour in the face, limpness -of the muscles, and an unmistakable warmth of the -body; but, as there was an absence of apparent respiration -and beating of the heart, they decided that the -woman was dead, and urged her burial, which was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[118]</a></span> -done. They attributed the high temperature to the -process of decomposition which they assumed was going -on, though there was no odour of putrefaction noticed -by anyone.</p> - -<p>The probabilities are that this woman was buried -alive. And in the present state of medical education -on the subject of apparent death and the causes that -bring it about, many physicians would have come to -a like conclusion; and, as physicians know but little -about it, they are not on their guard concerning its -dangers.</p> - -<p>A number of cases of apparent death that have -survived—where there was strangulation from a scarf, -as in this case—have been reported. The explanation -in such cases is, that the pressure of the scarf around -the neck keeps the venous blood from flowing down -from the brain through the jugular veins, and the brain, -in consequence, becomes saturated with carbonic acid -gas from the detained venous blood, and a death-like -stupor caused by carbonic acid poisoning ensues. -Artificial respiration would, it is believed, restore such -persons to consciousness.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">AN UNDERTAKER’S EXPERIENCE.</div> - -<p>A leading West End undertaker, whose letter is -before me, writes under date of June 26, 1896, as -follows:—“In my experience I have had but one case -come under my personal observation where I had real -uncertainty as to death being actually present, and that -was an instance of the kind in which this calamity is -only likely, in my opinion, to occur. A girl who had -been to work in Borwick’s factory apparently fainted -and died, and within a few days the friends buried her. -When we came to close the coffin, there was no evidence<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[119]</a></span> -of death, and we did not close it without having a doctor -sent for, and receiving his assurance that she was dead. -When reading the fatal cases which have come to light -upon this subject, I must confess to looking back upon -that instance with much fear, and it is but a poor consolation -to me that the responsibility was not mine, but -the medical man’s.”</p> - -<p>The foregoing cases are recorded because they are -types of a class that nearly every physician, undertaker, -clergyman, or other observer has met with or heard of, -and the probabilities, having regard to the existing confusion -and uncertainty of opinion on the signs of death, -are on the side of apparent rather than real death. On -the other hand, a medical correspondent informs the -author that he is sceptical as to the reported cases of -narrow escapes, as on more than one occasion his efforts -to verify the facts have proved abortive. It must be -admitted that there are difficulties in the way of such -inquiries. If the subject of trance, or narrow escape -from burial, is a lady, publicity injures her prospects of -marriage, and, if a young man, his reputation for business -stability is endangered or prejudiced, so that this -reticence on the part of relatives is hardly surprising. -Such persons do not like their gruesome and unpleasant -experiences to be talked about.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[120]</a></span></p> - -<h2 class="p4">CHAPTER VIII.</h2> - -<p class="pch">PREDISPOSING CAUSES AND CONDITIONS OF DEATH-COUNTERFEITS.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Those</span> who are most subject to the various forms of -death-counterfeit are persons whose vocations exhaust -the nervous force faster than the natural powers of -recuperation, and who resort to narcotics and stimulants -to counteract the consequent physical depression. Dr. -Alex. Wilder, in his “Perils of Premature Burial,” -London, E. W. Allen, p. 19, says:—“We exhaust our -energies by overwork, by excitement, too much fatigue -of the brain, the use of tobacco, and sedatives or anæsthetics, -and by habits and practices which hasten the -Three Sisters in spinning the fatal thread. Apoplexy, -palsy, epilepsy, are likely to prostrate any of us at any -moment, and catalepsy, perhaps, is not very far from -any of us.” Equally, if not even more likely, to be -overtaken by these simulacra of death are the poor—the -ill-fed, ill-conditioned, and overworked classes.</p> - -<p>With regard to the causation of catalepsy, Dr. W. R. -Gowers, in Quain’s “Dictionary of Medicine,” p. 216, -says:—“Nervous exhaustion is the common predisponent; -and emotional disturbance, especially religious -excitement, or sudden alarm, and blows on the head and -back, are frequent immediate causes. It occasionally -occurs in the course of mental affections, and especially -melancholia, and as an early symptom of epilepsy.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[121]</a></span></p> - -<p class="psh">FAINTING FITS.</p> - -<p>Dr. James Curry, F.A.S., in his “Observations on -Apparent Death,” pp. 81, 82, referring to those conditions -and diseases which predispose to death-counterfeits, -to which women are more liable than -men, says:—“The faintings which most require assistance, -and to which, therefore, I wish particularly to -direct the attention of my readers and the public, are -those that take place from loss of blood, violent and -long-continued fits of coughing, excessive vomiting or -purging, great fatigue or want of food, and likewise -after convulsions, and in the advanced stage of low -fevers. It is but seldom, however, that any attempt at -recovery is made in such cases; and several reasons may -be assigned for this, particularly the great resemblance -that fainting fits of any duration bear to <i>actual death</i>, and -the firm belief of the bystanders that the circumstances -which preceded were sufficient to destroy life entirely.”</p> - -<p>The author continues, pp. 106, 107:—“Nervous and -highly hysterical females, who are subject to fainting -fits, are the most frequent subjects of this kind of -apparent death; in which the person seems in a state -very nearly resembling that of hibernating animals, such -as the dormouse, bat, toad, frog, etc., which annually -become insensible, motionless, and apparently dead, on -the setting in of the winter’s cold, but spontaneously -revive on the returning warmth of spring. Here, by -some peculiar and yet unknown circumstance, the vital -principle has its action suspended, but neither its existence -destroyed, nor its organs injured, so as absolutely -to prevent recovery, if not too long neglected.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[122]</a></span></p> - -<div class="sidenote">THE VITAL PRINCIPLE SUSPENDED.</div> - -<p>Dr. Franz Hartmann reports a case which occurred -within half a mile of his residence near Hallein, -Austria:—“At Oberalm, near Hallein, there died the -widow of a Dr. Ettenberger, a lawyer. It was known -that she had previously been affected with fits of catalepsy, -and therefore all possible means were taken for -the purpose of restoring her to life. All, however, were -in vain, and her death appeared to be certain. On the -third day, just before the hour appointed for the funeral, -the family physician, Dr. Leber, bethought himself of -trying some fresh experiments on the corpse, when the -woman revived. She had been fully conscious all the -time, and aware of all the preparations that were made -for her funeral, although unable to make it known to -others that she was still alive.”</p> - -<p>Dr. Hartmann says:—“In 1866, in Kronstadt, a -young and strong man, Orrendo by name, had a fit and -died. He was put into a coffin and deposited in the -family vault in a church. Fourteen years afterwards, in -1880, the same vault was opened again for the purpose -of admitting another corpse. A horrible sight met -those who entered. Orrendo’s coffin was empty, and -his skeleton lying upon the floor. But the rest of the -coffins were also broken open and emptied of their -contents. It seemed to show that the man after -awakening had burst his coffin open, and, becoming -insane, had smashed the others, after which he had been -starved to death.”—<i>Premature Burial</i>, <i>p.</i> 7.</p> - -<p>Bouchut, in “Signes de la Mort,” p. 40, relates that -“A lawyer at Vesoul was subject to fits of fainting, but -kept the matter secret, so that the knowledge of it -might not spread and interfere with his prospects of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[123]</a></span> -marriage; he only spoke confidentially of it to one of -his friends. The marriage took place, and he lived for -some time in good health, then suddenly fell into one -of his fits, and his wife and the doctors, believing him -dead, had him placed in a coffin, and got everything -ready for the funeral. His friend was absent, but fortunately -returned just in time to prevent the burial. The -lawyer recovered, and lived for sixteen years after this -event.”</p> - -<p class="psh">INTENSE COLD.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">EFFECTS OF INTENSE COLD.</div> - -<p>M. Charles Londe, in “La Mort Apparente,” p. 16, -says:—“Intense cold, coincident with privations and -fatigue, will produce all the phenomena of apparent -death—phenomena susceptible of prolongation during -several days without producing actual death, and consequently -exposing the individual who could be restored -to life to living burial;” and he further maintains it as -an indisputable fact that every day people are thus -interred alive.</p> - -<p>Struve, in his essay on “Suspended Animation,” p. 140, -says:—“In no case whatever is the danger of committing -homicide greater than in the treatment of persons -who have suffered by severe cold. Their death-like -state may deceive our judgment, not only because such -persons continue longest apparently dead, but because -the want of susceptibility of irritation is in many cases -not distinguishable from real death. A man benumbed -with cold burnt his feet, and had continued insensible to -pain, nor did he feel this sensation till he warmed them -at a fire. In this case it is evident that the susceptibility -of irritation was destroyed, while vital power -remained.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[124]</a></span></p> - -<p class="psh">INFLUENZA.</p> - -<p>This is a malady that has been enormously rife all -over the world during the past few years, and has baffled -the efforts of physicians and sanitarians to arrest its -progress: it is sometimes accompanied by conditions -which can hardly be distinguished from catalepsy.</p> - -<p>The <i>Lancet</i>, May 31, 1890, page 1215, gives the -following:—</p> - - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="pc1">“CATALEPSY AS A SEQUELA OF INFLUENZA.</p> - -<p>“The neurotic sequelæ of influenza seem engaging -more attention abroad than at home, probably from their -symptoms being more pronounced than on this side the -Channel. ‘Nonna,’ as it is called, if something more than -the somnolence succeeding the exhaustion of influenza, -has been thought in Upper Italy to have much in -common with catalepsy—one case, indeed, amounting -to the ‘apparent death’ of Pacini. This is reported -from Como. The patient, Pasquale Ossola by name, -had to all appearance died, and a certificate to that -effect, after due consultation, was drawn up and signed. -Already it wanted but an hour or so to the interment, -when the ‘corpse’ began to move spontaneously and to -exhibit signs of returning life. The relatives of the -supposed dead man at once called in assistance, and -though animation and consciousness, even to recognition, -were restored, the resuscitation was not maintained, -and the patient died. Fortunately, the funeral -had been arranged on the traditional lines, and the -faint chance of return to life was not extinguished by -cremation.”</p></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[125]</a></span></p> - - -<p class="psh">NARCOTICS.</p> - -<p>Referring to the supposed death of a girl, Sarola, -aged eleven years, to whom chloroform had been -administered in September, 1894, under peculiar circumstances, -and the body hurried off to cremation, Dr. -Roger S. Chew, of Calcutta, writes:—“That bottle of -medicine was charged with having caused the death -of little Sarola, who, I firmly believe, was <i>burned -alive</i> while in a cataleptic condition induced by the -hysterical convulsions, and rendered profound by the -administration of the chloroform.<span class="sidenote">CHLOROFORM DEATHS PREVENTABLE.</span> Surgeon Lieutenant-Colonel -Edward Lawrie agrees with me that at least -ninety per cent. of the chloroform deaths are preventable -if proper measures are adopted to resuscitate the -body, and it is quite possible for a chloroform narcotic -to be launched into eternity on the funeral pyre or in -the suffocating earth. What a mournful vista Sarola’s -case opens up, and who can say how many hundreds -have been similarly disposed of!”—<i>Communicated to the -Author.</i></p> - -<p>Sir Benjamin Ward Richardson, in “The Absolute -Signs and Proofs of Death,” in the <i>Asclepiad</i>, first quarter, -1889, p. 9, says:—“In the first experiments made -in this country with chloral, after the discovery of its -effects by Liebriech, we learned that such a deep narcotism -could be induced by this narcotic that it might -be impossible to say whether an animal under its influence -were alive or dead.” And referring to cataleptic -trance due to shock, he observes, p. 11, “True traumatic -catalepsy is equally remarkable, and equally embarrassing. -It has been witnessed in the most destructive<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[126]</a></span> -form after shock by lightning, and it may also have -been met with after severe blows and contusions of -the head.”</p> - - -<p class="psh">CHOLERA.</p> - -<p>Dr. Chew, referring to another of the predisposing -causes of apparent death, and the danger of premature -burial in India, says:—“In the cholera season there is -a risk of a soldier being buried alive, as the custom is -to get rid of the body as soon as possible, and it is -very seldom indeed that a <i>post-mortem</i> is held on a -cholera corpse. If the case be one of <i>true</i> cholera, decomposition -sets in before the breath has entirely left -the body, and, immediately life is extinct, putrefaction -rushes forward so rapidly as to render a mistake impossible; -but in choleraic diarrhœa or the lighter forms -of cholera it is possible that coma resultant on extreme -collapse may suspend animation so as to simulate real -death <i>without</i> actual cessation of vital energy, and lead -to live sepulture, except where, by some such lucky -accident as the burial ground being a long journey off, -the funeral is delayed sufficiently to give a chance of -recovery. And this same accident may prove a salvation -in syncope or coma from shock or protracted -illness.</p> - -<p>“With the civil population, save in very exceptional -cases, there is very little chance of recovery from apparent -death, as the time between alleged decease and -sepulture is very short indeed; and unless there are -unmistakable signs of trance, syncope, or coma, the -victim must die <i>after he</i> (or she) <i>has been buried -alive</i>.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[127]</a></span></p> - -<p class="psh">VARIOUS PREDISPOSING DISEASES.</p> - -<p>Living burials take place because the general public -are ignorant of the fact that there are many (some -thirty) diseases, and some states of the body that cannot -be called diseases, as well as a number of incidents and -accidents, which produce all the appearances of death -so closely as to deceive any one.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">THEIR NUMBER AND VARIETY.</div> - -<p>Excessive joy or excessive grief will often paralyse -the nervous system, including the action of the heart -and the respiratory functions, and occasion the appearance -of sudden death as well as shocks, blows upon -the head, fright, strokes of lightning, violent displays of -temper; also certain drugs now in common medical -use, such as Indian hemp, atropia, digitalis, tobacco, -morphia, and veratrum. According to Dr. Léonce Lénormand, -in “Des Inhumations Précipitées,” pp. 85-104, the -following diseases and conditions not infrequently produce -the like symptoms, viz., apoplexy, asphyxia, catalepsy, -epilepsy, nervous exhaustion, ecstasy, hæmorrhage, -hysteria, lethargy, syncope, tetanus, etc.</p> - -<p>Dr. Herbert Mayo in his “Letters on Truths contained -in Popular Superstitions,” p. 34, remarks “that -death-trance belongs to diseases of the nervous system, -but in any form of disease, when the body is brought -to a certain state of debility, death-trance may -supervene.”</p> - -<p>Dr. Hartmann observes: “The cases in which persons -apparently dead have been restored to health by appropriate -means are innumerable, and such accounts may -be added to without end, as they are of daily occurrence, -while it is also self-evident that, if they had not thus<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[128]</a></span> -been saved, premature burial and death in the coffin -would have taken place. But it also often happens that -cases of apparent death recover spontaneously, and even -after all possible means taken for the restoration of life -have failed. This is specially the case in catalepsy, due -to nervous exhaustion, which requires no other remedy -than sufficient rest for the recuperation of the life-power, -which no kind of medicine can supply.”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[129]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4">CHAPTER IX.</h2> - -<p class="pch">PREMATURE BURIAL AND CREMATION IN INDIA.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">The</span> following are some of the facts and experiences -which were brought to the author’s notice during a visit -to India in the early part of 1896.</p> - -<p class="psh">THE CALCUTTA BURNING GHAT.</p> - -<p>On February 9, 1896, I visited the Burning Ghat on -the banks of the Ganges, Calcutta, where twenty bodies -are reduced to ashes by fire daily. The corpse of an -aged Hindu woman had just been brought in on my -arrival, death, we were told, having occurred but an -hour before. The deputy registrar asked the nearest -relative a few questions as to the age, caste, next of -kin, cause of death, which were duly recorded in a book -kept for that purpose, and, the charges having been paid, -the body, which was as supple as in life (and, except for -want of volition, bore no visible marks of death), was -placed upon the logs, which were alternately crossed over -each other, other logs being placed on the top of the -body, with straw underneath. The family being poor in -this case, no expensive spiced oils, ghee, or sandal wood -were used. The pyre having been sprinkled with water -from the sacred river, the nearest male relative took a -wisp of lighted straw and ran seven times round it, -shouting “Ram, Ram, sach hai” (the god Ram is true -and great indeed). He then applied the torch, which<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[130]</a></span> -in a few seconds reached the body, while a Hindu priest -recited verses from the Vedas. The process of burning -occupied about four hours. Two other bodies, one an -adult, and the other a child, were nearly burnt to ashes -during my visit. It appears that in India, when the -body is motionless, and assumes a death-like appearance, -as in trance or catalepsy, no attempt is ever made -at resuscitation, no matter how suddenly or unexpectedly -the supposed death may occur, nor is there any proper -method of examination for the purpose of death certification. -Amongst the Hindus death is not considered -an evil, but is the gate leading to a better and happier -world. Many Hindus when ill are carried by their -friends to the banks of the sacred Ganges, where they -meet death with much hope, and without fear.</p> - -<p>At the General Hospital, Colombo, I was told by Dr. -Van Lagenberg that there was absolutely no protection -against premature burials for persons subject to trance, -as, although according to the law medical certification -was obligatory, medical examination was not; the -doctor taking the word of the friends as to the fact of -death, and certifying accordingly. Early burial (about -six hours after death) was the rule. The Mother -Superior to the staff of nurses mentioned the case of -the venerable Father Vestarani, an aged Catholic priest -of Colombo, who was subject to attacks of epilepsy: -these were followed by apparent death, and he had -several narrow escapes from premature burial. This -case was also known to my friend, Mr. Peter de Abrew, -of Colombo, and others. The house surgeon, Dr. H. M. -Fernando, said that amongst the Moslems burial followed -apparent death very quickly, sometimes in an hour.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[131]</a></span></p> - -<p>From Mr. Vira Raghava Chri, of Madras, manager of -the <i>Hindu</i>, I learned that the Brahmins always burn the -dead soon after death occurs. The relatives, if they reside -within easy reach, are sent for. The body is washed in -cold water, and after two or three hours the religious -service begins, which is performed by the priests, and -consists of citations from the Vedas having reference -to the departure of the soul from the body, and to the -lessons the solemn event teaches. These ceremonies -generally last for two or three hours, after which the body -is taken to be burned. In answer to my inquiries as -to what would happen if within that time no sign of -decomposition was exhibited, Mr. Chri informed me -that under no circumstances would they wait for more -than six hours before the body was taken to be burned. -He had heard of cases of persons declared to be dead -coming to life while being carried to the funeral pyre, -when they were restored to and welcomed by their -friends. Cases were also known of the corpse sitting -up amidst the flames, and being beaten down by those -in charge of the funeral. They were believed to be the -victims of premature cremation. He thought, however, -that such cases were rare amongst his co-religionists.</p> - -<p>Mr. Mohan Chunder Roy, M.B., of Benares, said that -it was a very difficult matter, even for a medical practitioner, -to distinguish the living from the dead,<span class="sidenote">DIFFICULTY OF DIAGNOSIS.</span> and, -where there were no signs of putrefaction, it was his -custom to advise the relatives to wait before burial, or -before sending the body to the burning ghat, which they -were very reluctant to do. When apparent revivals to -consciousness occurred on the pyre, the superstitious -people believed that it was due to the presence of evil<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[132]</a></span> -spirits, and the attempt to escape is frustrated by -cremators in charge of the burning ghat. This barbarous -custom has been repeatedly affirmed to me by -intelligent natives as a matter of common notoriety.</p> - -<p>One reason why Hindus are hurried to the cremation -ground so quickly, and without waiting to see whether -the case is one of trance or suspended animation, is that -the relatives are not allowed either to eat or drink while -the body remains in the house. If a person touches -any article in the house of mourning, that article must -be washed and purified. After the cremation all the -relatives purify themselves by bathing before they are -allowed to eat or drink.</p> - -<p>Mr. Durga Prasad, editor of the <i>Harbinger</i>, Lahore, -writes, February 29, 1896:—“I recollect, when about -twelve years old, my grandmother, who was held in -great esteem for her piety and experience, told me that -she was once declared to be dead, and was therefore -carried to our crematorium, or burning-place; but when -about to be burnt she came back to life.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Joseph, assistant secretary at the Public Library -and Museum, Colombo, told the author that his father, -owing to weakness of the heart, was subject to frequent -attacks of trance-like insensibility. They passed away -by simple treatment in a few hours, but were sometimes -quite alarming. He was afraid, owing to the superstitious -fear of death among the ignorant classes in -Ceylon, and the terror which keeping a corpse, or a -person in a state of catalepsy, where volition had ceased, -excited, that many were buried or burned alive, as it -was the custom, particularly amongst the Mahomedans, -to carry the body away a few hours after death. Signs<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[133]</a></span> -of decomposition quickly appeared in a tropical climate, -but this unequivocal mode of verifying death was not -often waited for by Moslems.</p> - -<p class="psh">SRI SUMANGALA ON SINHALESE BURIALS IN -CEYLON.</p> - -<p>Sri Sumangala, the venerable High Priest of the -Buddhists of Ceylon, and Principal of the College for -Buddhist Priests, at an interview the author had with -him in January, 1895, stated that among the Sinhalese -the chances of burial or cremation of the apparently dead -are not frequent.<span class="sidenote">BURIAL IN CEYLON.</span> Their customs are such that a corpse -is seldom or never removed for burial or cremation -before the expiry of twenty-four hours after death is -said to have taken place. During that time climatic -influence renders signs of decomposition and putrefaction -apparent.</p> - -<p>Only one case came under the observation of the venerable -theologian, which was that of a person bitten by -a cobra. The man apparently succumbed, but a native -specialist, having arrived at the cemetery just before -the burial, examined the case, and said that life was -<i>not extinct</i>, and saved the man from a premature -grave.</p> - -<p>The following is from the <i>British Medical Journal</i>, -April 26, 1884, p. 844:—</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="pc1">“PREMATURE INTERMENT.</p> - -<p>“The <i>Times of India</i>, for March 21, has the following story:—On -last Friday morning the family of a Goanese, named Manuel, -aged seventy years, who had been for the last four months suffering -from dysentery, thinking that he was dead, made preparations -for his funeral. He was placed in a coffin and taken from his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[134]</a></span> -house, at Worlee, to a chapel at Lower Mahim, preparatory -to burial. The priest, on putting his hand on the man’s chest, -found his heart still beating. He was thereupon removed to the -Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy Hospital, where he remained in an unconscious -state up to a late hour on last Friday night, when he died.”</p></div> - -<p class="p1">In a communication to the author from Mr. Nasarvariji -F. Billimoria, dated March 14, 1896, the writer -says that, where cases of premature burning have -occurred in India, the relatives are unwilling to have -the facts published, and shrink from making them -known. Moreover, when members of a family once -declared dead have been rejected by their friends in the -land of shadows, and have returned to this life, they -are believed to bring misfortune with them, and discredit -is attached to the families in consequence. Mr. -Billimoria says the following cases can be relied upon -as authentic:—</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“In the year 18—, in the town of B——, a Marwari was taken -as dead and carried to the cremation ground. Unfortunately, at -that time a superstition was prevalent among all classes of -Indians that, if a dead one is brought back to his or her house, a -plague would break out in the town. When, therefore, the -Marwari survived, instead of bringing him back to the house, or -even allowing him to roam elsewhere, he was killed, it is said, by -a hatchet, which they were in the habit of carrying with them to -break the fuel for the funeral pyre. This had happened in the old -Gaekwari days when Governments did not interfere in the superstitious -customs of the people.”</p> - -<p class="p1">Fortunately, however, those days are gone, and with -them the old superstitions. Some time ago a fisherwoman, -after taking a liberal dose of alcoholic drink -and opium, was found (apparently) dead by her relatives—low-caste -Hindus. No time is lost among the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[135]</a></span> -Hindus, high or low caste, to remove the body to the -cremation ground after a man is found dead.</p> - -<div class="pbq"> -<p class="p1">“A bamboo bier was being prepared to carry the fisherwoman -to the <i>Samashân</i> (cremation ground), upon which the body was -laid as usual, and the relatives were to lift it to their shoulders: -when, lo! the woman turned herself on the bier on her side, and, -thanks to the good sense of the fishermen, she is still enjoying her -life while I am writing.</p> - -<div class="sidenote1">HASTY CREMATION.</div> - -<p>“A young daughter of a Bania was sick for a long time, and was -found apparently dead by her relatives, and carried to the <i>Samashân</i>. -These grounds are generally situated at a river side. -When the bier was prepared for certain ceremonies, the girl -showed signs of revival, and, one by one, the relatives would go -near the bier, bend down, stare at the face, and retire aghast. -Information had reached the town that the girl had survived; but -the body, nevertheless, was cremated, and never brought back -to the house. It is believed that in this case, although the girl -had revived for a little time, she had died soon afterwards, as she -had been ill for a long time previously. Granting that it was a -case in which the dying became actively conscious a few minutes -before real death, it is certain that great and indecent haste was -practised by the relatives in pressing on the cremation, as is the -usual mode in India.”</p></div> - -<p class="p1">The <i>Bombay Guardian</i>, January 11, 1896, under the -head of “The Week’s News,” announced that—</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“A Brahmin went to Poona to attend the National Congress. -He was laid up with fever, became dangerously ill, and fell into -a trance. His friends, thinking him dead, made the necessary -arrangements for the funeral. They took the supposed dead man -to the river to be burned, but, just as the funeral procession -arrived near the Shane temple, his head and hands were seen -moving. The cloth having been removed from his face, he opened -his eyes and tried to speak. He was taken home.”</p> - -<p class="p1">This case was reported also in the <i>Times of India</i>.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[136]</a></span></p> - -<p>The subject of hasty and premature burials in India -might with much profit be introduced at the National -Congress. The author believes that thousands of people -are annually buried and burned in a state of suspended -animation—particularly in places where cholera, small-pox, -and other devastating plagues prevail. It is usual, -both amongst the Parsees and the Hindus, to begin -preparations for the religious ceremonies when the case -is considered hopeless.</p> - -<p>Dr. Roger S. Chew, of Calcutta, who for some years -occupied the position of army surgeon in India, writes -to me:—“Though there is every risk of live interment -with those classes who bury their dead, this is a risk -(save in cases of epidemic or battlefield) the British -soldier never runs in India, where the military law -requires that a <i>post-mortem</i> examination, not earlier than -twelve hours after decease, must be held on every soldier -who dies from any cause except a highly contagious -or infectious disease.” In the present unsatisfactory -state of the law might not this safeguard be generally -adopted?</p> - -<p class="psh">THE TOWERS OF SILENCE, BOMBAY.</p> - -<p>On Sunday, March 15, 1896, my daughter and I -were accompanied to the Towers of Silence, situated on -the highest part of Malabar Hill, Bombay, by Mr. Phiroze -C. Sethna, a highly accomplished Parsee merchant, to -whom we were indebted for many acts of kindness -during our sojourn in the city. The position is one -of rare beauty, commanding as it does charming -panoramic views of Bombay and the surrounding neighbourhood, -while immediately below are extensive cocoa<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[137]</a></span> -and other tropical plantations. At the entrance to the -towers is a notice-board in English, stating that none -but Parsees are admitted. We passed under the porch -into the sacred enclosure, and found ourselves in the -midst of a lovely garden planted with choice shrubs -and trees, and were each presented by the gardener -with bouquets of freshly-cut flowers.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">THE TOWERS OF SILENCE.</div> - -<p>The towers are five in number, the smallest having -been erected in 1669, all modelled after the same pattern, -and are about twenty-five feet high. Inside is -a circular platform about three hundred feet in circumference -paved with large slabs, and divided into rows -of shallow open receptacles in which the bodies are -placed. There are three sections—for males, females, -and children. We noticed a number of vultures sitting -on the adjacent trees, and were informed that, when a -funeral is on its way, large numbers congregate upon -the coping of the tower, ready to seize the body and -devour it the moment it is deposited by the corpse-bearers -on the slabs, after the conclusion of the funeral -ceremonies. In an hour or less the corpse is completely -stripped of its flesh, when the bones are thrown into a -well. From a sanitary point of view, the plan is preferable -to burying or to cremation, which last, as it is -carried out in India, is a slow and tedious process. -Vultures have never been known to attack children, or -even babies left by their mothers tied for safety to a -branch of a tree, and will not, it is said, attack a person -only apparently dead, as in a trance or coma.</p> - -<p>Another custom amongst the Parsees in the treatment -of their dead is to bring a dog to the corpse before it is -removed from the house, and another dog on its arrival<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[138]</a></span> -at the Tower of Silence. This ceremony is known as the -Sagdeed. In a pamphlet on the “Funeral Ceremonies of -the Parsees,” by Ervad Jivanji Jamshedje Mody, B.A., -a learned priest of the Parsee cult, with whom the -author had the pleasure of an interview, the explanation -is that, according to the ancient belief, the spotted dog -can discriminate between the really and the apparently -dead. Dr. Franz Hartmann and other writers appear -also to be of the opinion, which the author considers -highly probable, that a dog knows whether his master -is really dead or only in a trance; but that a strange -dog would be able to discriminate and act as a sentinel -to prevent a living person being mistaken for a dead -one, is highly improbable.</p> - -<p>Having heard of several cases of persons taken to the -Towers of Silence who recovered consciousness after -being laid within the enclosure, I asked Mr. Jivanji -Mody what would happen in such a case, and what -means of escape there would be? Mr. Mody replied -that within the tower there is a chain hanging from the -coping to the floor, by which a person could draw himself -up to the top of the structure, and he would then be -seen and rescued. In a neatly-constructed model of -these towers at the museum, Victoria Gardens, Bombay, -no chain is visible. The subject of apparent death, or -suspended animation, and how to prevent premature -burial, premature cremation, and premature exposure -in the Towers of Silence, is beginning to excite interest -in some parts of India. Mr. Ardeshar Nowroji, Fort -Bombay, student of Zoroastrian literature, is to read -a paper on the subject before the Debating Society -at Elphinstone College. Mr. Soabjee Dhunjeebhoy<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[139]</a></span> -Wadia is also studying literature bearing on the same -topic.</p> - -<p>Mr. Dadabhoy Nusserwanje, a Bombay Parsee and -merchant, residing at Colombo, Ceylon, informed the -author, January 28, 1896, that he knew of two cases -where his co-religionists had been declared dead, and -the bodies prepared for burial (the preparation including -the long religious service as prescribed by their -formulas), who were only in a trance. This was proved -by their having come back to life when placed in the -Towers of Silence in Bombay. It appears that any -persons officially and religiously given over for dead were -formerly not allowed to be restored to their relatives, -or to the society to which they belonged, as they were -supposed to carry with them, from their dead associates, -liability to plagues or ill luck, and they are consequently -obliged to migrate to distant parts of the country. -My informant said that this superstition was so deeply -rooted in the minds of the Parsee people that he did -not think a reform was possible.</p> - -<p>Cases of persons in a trance, mistaken for dead, are -by no means uncommon, as would appear from the -following communication from Mr. Nasarvariji F. Billimoria, -a Parsee of Bombay, addressed to Dr. Franz -Hartmann, and not previously published:-</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="p1">“Several cases of revival of the apparently dead among the -Parsees,” writes Mr. Billimoria, “have come to my notice.</p> - -<p>“A Parsee, whom I shall call M—— B——, was given up as -dead. The body was laid on the ground, and the usual ceremonies -were being performed, when, to the surprise of the people surrounding -the body, he rose and described some spiritual experience. -He died long after this event took place, at a good old age, -at Bilimora, a town about eighty miles north of Bombay.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[140]</a></span></p> - -<p>“S——, a girl of about ten years, was also taken as dead in the -same town, and, after laying her body on the ground, prayers were -being recited by the priests. She rose and said that she had been -to some other land, where she saw an old lady who ordered her -to go away, as she was not required there just then. She died at -a good old age a few months ago.</p> - -<p>“A woman in the garb of a Hindu beggar was some time ago in -the habit of interviewing Parsee ladies at odd times, viz., at -about three or four o’clock in the morning, at the same place, and -asking several questions pertaining to religion. It was afterwards -found that she was K—— (widow of a Parsee priest), who had -apparently died a short time before, and, after revival, had emerged -from the Tower of Silence, and, a superstition being prevalent -among the people that none should be taken back among us who -return from the dead, she dared not unite with the Parsees, and -hence led a wanderer’s life.</p> - -<p>“In Bombay, too, I have heard of some cases of the revival of -the apparently dead among the Parsees, the principal of them -being a lady of a wealthy family, and a Parsee who afterwards -carried on his profession as a physician. The physician was living -as a Christian on account of the prejudice among the Parsees -before referred to. He was called “Mûtchala Dâktar,” <i>i.e.</i>, -doctor with big moustache.</p> - -<p>“Similar cases had also occurred in Surat, where two Parsee -women had returned from the Towers of Silence, one of whom -lived afterwards as a Sanyasini. What became of the other I -cannot say.”</p></div> - -<p class="p1">“The funeral ceremonies among the Parsees provide -that, after the signs of death are manifest, the body be -washed with warm water, and laid on a clean sheet; -two persons hold the hands of the dead person, joining -themselves by a <i>paivand</i> of tape. The priests recite -certain prayers, after which the body is laid on ground -set apart for the purpose in the house. Here it lies for -several hours, during which time priests recite alternately -certain prayers, while a fire is kept alive with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[141]</a></span> -fragrant combustibles near the body. The Nasasâlârs, -or corpse-bearers, arrive at the appointed time, when -the fire is taken away, and other manthrâ or prayers, -which occupy an hour or so, are recited by two priests -conjointly, gazing first on the iron bier, and then on -the face of the body. A procession is then formed, -and the body is carried by the Nasasâlârs only, the -others walking in pairs, joining themselves by holding -a handkerchief in their hands, several yards distant from -the body. The Towers of Silence are removed from -the habitations of mankind, sometimes, miles distant, -where, after the arrival of the funeral procession, the -last obeisance is performed, and the body is carried into -the tower, which is called <i>Dukhmâh</i>, the mourners, -except the Nasasâlârs, remaining outside. The procession -returns after further prayers. The towers are -entirely open from above to allow ample sunlight, and -to allow the carrion-birds access to the dead.</p> - -<p>“From the foregoing it would appear that, with -regard to the disposal of the dead, the Parsee system -offers advantages, in respect of the revival of the supposed -dead persons, over the European system of burial. -After real or supposed death, a fire is kept burning near -the body, the heat of which would indirectly assist in -resuscitating those in a state of suspended animation.</p> - -<p>“If a man dies in the afternoon, his body is not carried -to the towers till next day, and in that case the fire is kept -alive the whole night near the body, two priests alternately -reciting manthrâs. Some time is thus allowed to -intervene between the supposed death and the disposal -of the body in the Towers of Silence. There, too, the -body is not laid without Zoroastrian ceremony. But in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[142]</a></span> -the system of disposal itself we see another protection, -in that the carrion-birds do not touch the body unless -they instinctively find evidence of putrefaction. It is a -fact that in not a few cases persons have escaped from -the dismal and terrible fate of being laid alive in the -Towers of Silence. The system of disposal in the tower -may appear to non-Zoroastrians repulsive; but neither -the system of cremation nor burial will give us back -those whom they have once devoured. That the Parsees -do not allow those who have returned from the Towers -of Silence to intermingle among them is another question. -This too, however, has attracted the attention -of this small community; and I hear that there is a -standing order issued from the trustees of the Parsee -Panchayet at Bombay to the Nasasâlârs (the corpse-bearers) -to the effect that they would be rewarded if they -would give information or bring back any body which -had been revived after it had been carried to the Towers -of Silence.”</p> - -<p>The Parsee custom of using the dog is suggestive. -There are numerous cases on record where a dog, -following his master to the grave as one of the -mourners, has refused to leave the grave; and these -have been quoted as a proof of the undying love of -the master’s canine friend. May it not be that dogs -are gifted, as believed by the Parsees, with another sense -denied to most men—the faculty of discerning between -real and apparent death? A medical correspondent -relates the following:—</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="p1">“In Austria, in 1870, a man seemed to be dead, and was -placed in a coffin. After the usual three days of watching over -the supposed corpse, the funeral was commenced; and when the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[143]</a></span> -coffin was being carried out of the house, it was noticed that the -dog which belonged to the supposed defunct became very cross, -and manifested great eagerness toward the coffin, and could not -be driven away. Finally, as the coffin was about to be placed in -the hearse, the dog attacked the bearers so furiously that they -dropped it on the ground; and in the shock the lid was broken -off, and the man inside awoke from his lethargic condition, and -soon recovered his full consciousness. He was alive and well at -last news of him. Dogs might possibly be of use in deciding -doubtful cases, where their master was concerned.”</p></div> - -<p class="p1">Also the following:—</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<div class="sidenote1">INTELLIGENCE OF DOGS.</div> - -<p class="p1">“The postmaster of a village in Moravia ‘died’ in a fit of -epilepsy, and was buried three days afterwards in due form. He -had a little pet dog which showed great affection towards him, and -after the burial the dog remained upon the man’s grave and -howled dismally, and would not be driven away. Several times -the dog was taken home forcibly, but whenever it could escape it -immediately returned. This lasted for a week, and became the -talk of the village. About a year afterwards that part of the -grave-yard had to be removed owing to an enlargement in building -the church, and consequently the grave of the postmaster was -opened, and the body was found in such a state and position as -to leave no doubt that he had been buried alive, had returned to -consciousness, and had died in the grave. The physician who -had signed the certificate of death went insane on that account, -soon after the discovery was made.”—<i>Premature Burial, p. 109, -London ed.</i></p></div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[144]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4">CHAPTER X.</h2> - -<p class="pch">THE DANGER OF HASTY BURIALS.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Early</span> burials are advocated and defended by certain -writers on sanitary grounds; and there is, no doubt, -something to be said for them, provided the body -shows unmistakable signs of dissolution; but to impose -a general rule upon Englishmen by Parliament, -or upon Americans by State Legislature, as has been -urged, would add to the existing evil of perfunctory and -mistaken diagnosis of death, and greatly increase the -number of premature interments. The Romans kept -the bodies of the dead a week before burial, lest -through haste they should inter them while life remained. -Servius, in his commentary on Virgil, tells -us—“That on the eighth day they burned the body, -and on the ninth put its ashes in the grave.” Plato -enjoined the bodies of the dead to be kept until the -third day, <i>in order</i> (as he says) <i>to be satisfied of the -reality of the death</i>. Quintilian explains why the -Romans delayed burials as follows:—“For what purpose -do ye imagine that long-delayed interments were -invented? Or on what account is it that the mournful -pomp of funeral solemnities is always interrupted by -sorrowful groans and piercing cries? Why, for no -other reason, but because we have seen persons return -to life after they were about to be laid in the grave as -dead.” “For this reason,” adds Lancisi, in “De Subita. -Mort.,” lib. i., cap. 15, “the Legislature has wisely and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[145]</a></span> -prudently prohibited the immediate, or the too speedy, -interment of all dead persons, and especially of such as -have the misfortune to be cut off by a sudden death.”</p> - -<div class="sidenote">THE ADVANTAGE OF DELAY.</div> - -<p>Terilli, a celebrated physician of Venice, in a treatise -of the “Causes of Sudden Death,” sect. vi., cap. 2, -says:—“Since the body is sometimes so deprived of -every vital function, and the principle of life reduced so -low, that it cannot be distinguished from death, the laws -both of natural comparison and revealed religion oblige -us to wait a sufficient time for life manifesting itself by -the usual signs, peradventure it should not be, as yet, -totally extinguished; and if we should act a contrary -part, we may possibly become murderers, by confining -to the gloomy regions of the dead those who are actually -alive.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Cooper, surgeon, in his treatise on “The Uncertainty -of the Signs of Death,” pp. 70, 71, had in his -possession the following certificate, written and signed -by Mr. Blau, a native of Auvergne, a man of untainted -veracity:—“I hereto subscribe, and declare, that fifty-five -years ago, happening to reside at Toulouse for the -sake of my studies, and going to St. Stephen’s Church -to hear a sermon, I saw a corpse brought thither for the -sake of interment. The ceremony, however, was delayed -till the sermon should be over; but the supposed dead -person, being laid in a chapel and attended by all the -mourners, about the middle of the sermon discovered -manifest signs of life, for which reason he was quickly -conveyed back to his own house. From a consideration -of circumstances, it is sufficiently obvious that, without -the intervention of the sermon, the man had been -interred alive.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[146]</a></span></p> - -<p>Between 1780 and 1800 many pamphlets on the -subject appeared in Germany and France. Opposite -sides were taken, some advocating delay until putrefaction, -others urging immediate burial.</p> - -<p>In 1788, Marcus Hertz wrote strongly against the -prevailing precipitate burials among the Jews. He -asked “what motive could justify hasty burials;” and -continued:—“The writings of learned men and doctors, -of both early times and recent date, describe the dangers -of precipitate burial; there is not a town in the world -that has not its stories of revivals in the grave.”</p> - -<p>In 1791, Rev. J. W. C. Wolff, in Germany, published -numerous narratives of narrow escapes from the grave.</p> - -<p>In 1792, Rev. Johann Moritz Schwager stated that -he had preached for twenty years against precipitate -burials, and that he had been requested to do so by -a number of corporate bodies who had evidence of the -danger of hasty interments.</p> - -<p>About 1800 great excitement prevailed in Germany -on account of some narrow escapes from living burial -that happened in high quarters, many books and pamphlets -having been issued, and sermons preached by the -clergy on the subject. The key-note of all of these was -the fallaciousness of the appearances of death, and that -none was reliable but decomposition.</p> - -<p>About this period Dr. Herachborg, of Königsberg, -Prussia, wrote that, for forty years, as a doctor, he had -always been disgusted with the practice of hasty -burials; and, to show the ignorance of the times, he -mentions the case of a woman he kept under observation -in bed for three days, when her relations took her out -and placed her on the floor, insisting that she was dead.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[147]</a></span> -He resisted her burial, and had her covered with -blankets; so that by being kept warm she recovered -completely. He insisted that no sign of death could -be relied upon.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">HASTY BURIAL IN TURKEY.</div> - -<p>From the <i>British Medical Journal</i>, April 12, 1862, -p. 390. “The <i>Gaz. Méd. d’Orient</i> tells us that people -in Constantinople are, in all probability, not unfrequently -buried alive, in consequence of the precipitancy with -which their burial is performed. If the person dies -during the night, he has some chance of escaping premature -sepulture; but if he dies during the day, he is sure -to be in his tomb in two hours after he has drawn his -last breath. Facts of daily occurrence in this country, -we are told, prove that persons who were thought to -have died during the night have recovered before -morning, and thus, thanks to the intervention of night, -have been saved from being interred alive. Other facts -of not unfrequent occurrence show that persons have -recovered while on their road to the grave. In other -rarer cases, again, the cries of the revivified half-buried -ones have been heard by the passers-by, and thus saved -from a horrible conclusion.”</p> - -<p>In all countries it is the custom amongst the Jews to -bury their dead, and apparently dead, quickly, without -taking the slightest steps for restoration, and many are -the catastrophes recorded.</p> - -<p>“The Report of the Royal Humane Society” of 1802 -states:—“At the funeral of a Jewess, one of the bearers -thought he heard repeatedly some motion in the coffin, -and informed his friends. Medical assistance being -obtained, she returned to her home in a few hours completely -restored.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[148]</a></span></p> - -<p>From the <i>British Medical Journal</i>, March 8, 1879, -p. 356.</p> - -<p class="psh">“SUSPENDED ANIMATION.</p> - -<p>“A Jew, aged seventy, who had been ailing for some -time, apparently died recently in Lemberg, on a Friday -night, after severe convulsions. The deceased having -been legally certified, the body was put on a bier, -preparatory to the funeral, which had to be deferred, -the next day being the Jewish Sabbath. Two pious -brethren who had, according to their custom, been -spending the night in prayer, watching the dead, were -suddenly, on the morning of the Saturday, disturbed -from their devotions by strange sounds proceeding from -the bier, and, to their dismay, saw the dead man slowly -rising, and preparing to descend from it, using at the -same time very strong language. Both brethren fled -very precipitately; and one of them has since died from -the effects of the fright. It is hoped by the <i>Wiener -Medicinische Zeitung</i> that this case will make the local -government watch the Jewish funerals more carefully, -as it is known that the Jews often bury their dead very -quickly.”</p> - -<p>The <i>Undertakers’ Journal</i>, January 22, 1887, says:—“The -dangers that may arise from premature interment -are illustrated by a sensational incident which recently -occurred at Trencsin, in Hungary. The wife of the -Rabbi of the Jewish Congregation apparently died -suddenly without having been previously ill. The -night before the funeral the female watcher, sitting in -an adjoining room, heard a noise in the chamber of -death, and, when, stricken with horror, she ventured to -open the door, she found that the seemingly dead woman<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[149]</a></span> -had risen from her bier, and had thrown off the shroud -by which she was covered. By a fortunate accident the -interment had been postponed in consequence of the -intervening Sabbath, otherwise a horrible fate would -have overtaken the Rabbi’s wife.”</p> - -<p>The <i>Lancet</i>, August 23, 1884, vol. ii., p. 329, comments -thus:—</p> - -<p class="psh">“BURYING CHOLERA PATIENTS ALIVE.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">THE LANCET’S SUGGESTIONS.</div> - -<p>“It is not so much undue haste as inexcusable carelessness -that must be blamed for the premature burying -of persons who are not really dead. Such heedlessness -as alone can lead to the commission of this crime is -not a shade less black than manslaughter. We speak -strongly, because this is a matter in regard to which -measures ought to be at once taken to render the -horrible act impossible, and to dismiss all fear from the -public mind. If it be a fact, as would seem to be indisputable, -that during the last few weeks there have been -cases—we will not attempt to say how many or how -few—of burying alive, a scandal and a horror, wholly -unpardonable in the last quarter of the nineteenth century, -have to be faced; and the sooner the full truth is -known and rules of safety established the better. Let -it be once for all decided that measures shall be taken -to ascertain the fact of death before burial. Why not -revert to the old practice, and <i>always</i> open a vein in the -arm after death, or pass a current of electricity through -the body before the coffin is finally screwed down? It -may be held that these unpleasant resorts are unnecessary. -We do not think they are. In any case -enough is known of the possibilities of ‘suspended animation<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[150]</a></span>’ -to render it unsafe to bury until the evidences -of an actual extinction of life are unmistakable; and, as -it is impossible to wait until decomposition sets in in all -cases of death from infectious diseases, it would be -prudent to adopt what must certainly be the least of -evils.”</p> - -<p>If, as the <i>Lancet</i> maintains, it is not possible to wait -until the only absolute sign of death is manifest, then, in -a large majority of cases, there is no safety, and those -who die fatally mutilated by horrible accidents may be -considered fortunate. The difficulty, we admit, is of a -serious nature, particularly for the poor, and can only -be overcome by the erection of mortuaries, as discussed -in another chapter. The expedient of applying the -electric current, suggested by the <i>Lancet</i>, has been -proved useless in cases of death-trance, where the -patients are impervious to the most violent modes of -cutaneous excitation.</p> - -<p>The <i>Jewish World</i>, September 13, 1895, observes:—“Cases -of trance and of the burial of persons who only -seemed to be dead, and of narrow escapes of others -from the most terrible of all imaginable fates, are not -so uncommon as most people suppose; and while Jews -adhere to the practice of interring their dead within a -few hours after the supposed demise, there will always -be a risk of such horrible catastrophes happening, even -more frequently among us than among the general -community. Here is, then, really a matter in which -some reform is needed, and that without a day’s delay.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">OPINIONS OF THE “JEWISH WORLD.”</div> - -<p>“To say nothing of the merely human aspect of this -important question, to bury until decomposition has -actually set in might possibly be shown to be a violation<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[151]</a></span> -of Jewish Law. It is now commonly admitted that even -expert medical men cannot be absolutely certain of -death until some signs of decomposition have shown -themselves. Now, so strict is the Jewish Law as regards -the risk of destroying life, that it is prohibited to -even move or touch a man or woman who is on the -point of death, lest we hasten, by a moment, their -dissolution. It is, therefore, no less than a violation of -the Jewish laws against murder to preserve a custom -that involves even the minutest scintilla of risk of premature -burial. It is high time that this question was -seriously taken up by the Jewish clergy and laity.”<a name="FNanchor_8_8" id="FNanchor_8_8"></a><a href="#Footnote_8_8" class="fnanchor">[8]</a></p> - -<p>In the province of Quebec no interment is permitted -within twenty-four hours, and the Jews reconcile themselves -to this delay, which, however, is far too brief to -ensure safety.</p> - -<p>It will be said that the danger referred to is not so -imminent in the United Kingdom as in France, Spain, -Portugal, or even in the United States, owing to the -existence of a more temperate climate, and the longer -period allowed for burial. This may be so and yet the -danger be considerable. It must be remembered that in -the rural districts nothing in the shape of examination -to establish the fact of death is practised; while in -certain parts of Cornwall, throughout the greater part -of agricultural Ireland, amongst the Jews in all cities -and towns, as well as those who in all places are certified -as dead of cholera, small-pox, and other infectious and -epidemic diseases, burial often follows certified death<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[152]</a></span> -quite as quickly as in the Continental States before -mentioned. In all the public resorts on the Continent -the hotel-keepers, through an insensate fear of death -and the injury which the possession of “a corpse,” dead -or alive, may do to their business, have them coffined -and disposed of, particularly in the night, within a few -hours of their supposed death. Dr. D. de Lignières, in -“Pour ne pas être Enterré Vivant,” Paris, 1893, says he -has known of burials under such circumstances six hours -after death. This author says that these scandalous -homicidal acts are of every-day occurrence, and that the -rapacious landlords have no difficulty in obtaining -certificates of death from the accommodating <i>mort -verificateurs</i>. Every one who visits the <i>hôtels des villes -d’eaux, des stations balnéaires</i>, may verify (he says) the -truth of this statement for himself. In short, these are -willing disciples of the “Latest Decalogue”:—</p> - -<p class="pi6 p1">“Thou shalt not kill; but need’st not strive<br /> -Officiously to keep alive.”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[153]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4">CHAPTER XI.</h2> - -<p class="pch">FEAR OF PREMATURE BURIAL.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Many</span> of those who are most familiar with the phenomena -of life and death, including celebrated physicians, men -of science, and clergymen, knowing that all the ordinary -signs of death (referred to in another chapter) have, in -practice, sometimes proved delusive, have been a prey -to the suspicion that a fatal mistake is possible in their -own case. They have, therefore, left precise instructions -in their wills for various preventives which experience -has shown to be necessary, and in some instances a -combination of these, so as to make doubly sure that -they shall not be subjected, like thousands of human -beings, to the unspeakable horrors of being buried -alive.</p> - -<p>Mr. Horace Welby, in his volume entitled “Mysteries -of Life, Death, and Futurity,” 1861, under the head of -“Premature Interment,” p. 114, says:—“How prevalent -is the fear of being buried alive may be gathered from -the number of instances in which men have requested -that, before the last offices are done for them, such -wounds or mutilations should be inflicted upon their -bodies as would effectually prevent the possibility of an -awakening in the tomb. Dr. Dibdin relates that Francis -Douce, the antiquary, requested, in his will, that Sir -Anthony Carlisle, the surgeon, should sever his head -from his body, or take out his heart, to prevent the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[154]</a></span> -return of vitality; and his co-residuary legatee, Mr. -Kerrick, has also requested the same operation to be -performed in the presence of his son.”</p> - -<p>Bishop Berkeley, Daniel O’Connell, and the late -Lord Lytton entertained similar apprehensions. Wilkie -Collins had a like fear, for he always left on his -dressing-table a letter in which he solemnly enjoined -his people that, if he were found dead in the morning, -he should at once be carefully examined by a doctor. -Hans Christian Andersen had a similar dread, and -carried in his pocket a note to the effect that, when -the time came, his friends were to make sure that he -was really dead before burial. Harriet Martineau left -her doctor ten pounds to see that her head was amputated -before burial. The dread of being buried -alive dictated a clause in the will of the distinguished -actress, the late Miss Ada Cavendish, for the severance -of the jugular vein; and prompted the late Mr. Edmund -Yates to leave similar instructions, with the provision -that a fee of twenty guineas should be paid for the -operation, which was carried out. Mr. John Rose, of -New York, who died in November, 1895, made known -his earnest desire that his coffin should not be closed, -but laid in the family vault at Roseton, and guarded -day and night by two caretakers, who were instructed -to watch for signs of reanimation.</p> - -<p>The late Lady Burton, widow of Sir Richard Burton, -provided that her heart was to be pierced with a -needle, and her body to be submitted to a <i>post-mortem</i> -examination, and afterwards embalmed (not stuffed) by -competent experts. Lady Burton, it is said, had been -subject to fits of trance on more than one occasion,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[155]</a></span> -and was terribly afraid that such an attack might be -diagnosed as death.</p> - -<p>Those who are most apprehensive of apparent death -being mistaken for real death are the clergy and other -ministers of religion, and funeral directors—in other -words, those who know most about it.</p> - -<p>Let anyone introduce the subject when in company, -on a suitable occasion, and we shall hear of startling -cases sufficient to shake credulity, and to compel us -to realise the danger to ourselves, as well as to all other -members of the community, under our present loose -customs. If this dread of premature burial is not -universal, as some writers and authorities aver, it is -certainly widely extended; and the evidence set before -our readers will show that it is by no means without -foundation.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">WIDELY EXTENDED.</div> - -<p>The <i>Lancet</i>, March 17, 1866, says:—“There are many -apparently trustworthy stories afloat, both in this country -and on the Continent, which favour the belief that -premature interment not only does sometimes take -place, but is really of not so unfrequent occurrence as -might be supposed. Some few believe it to be not an -unlikely event, and break out into a cold perspiration -at the thought of the possibility of the misfortune -happening to themselves. Others have actually made -provision in their wills that means should be taken, by -cutting off a finger, or making a pectoral incision, etc., -to excite sensibility, in case any should remain after -their supposed death; whilst a French countess, in order -to escape so terrible a fate, left a legacy to her medical -attendant as a fee for his severance of the carotid artery -in her body before it was committed to the tomb.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[156]</a></span></p> - -<p>The Rev. John Kingston, chaplain R.N., writing to -the (London) <i>Morning Post</i>, September 18, 1895, says—“The -danger of being buried alive appears to be a -very real one; and I can testify, from my experience -as a clergyman, that a great many persons are haunted -by the dread of that unspeakably horrible fate.” The -writer further expresses a hope that the ventilation of -the subject will be followed by practical results.</p> - -<p>While speaking on the subject of premature burials, -in a lecture delivered at Everett Hall, Brooklyn, New -York, June, 1883, Mr. J. D. Beugless, the then President -of the New York Cremation Society, said that an -undertaker in that city (Brooklyn) recently made provision -in his will, and exacted a promise from his wife of -great caution, that his body should be cremated, being -induced thereto by the fear of being buried alive. “Live -burials,” he says, “are far more frequent than most -people think.” It is reported that another undertaker of -Brooklyn some time since deposited a body in a receiving -vault temporarily: when he went some days -later to remove it for burial, what was his horror, upon -opening the niche in which the coffin had been placed, -to find the body crouching at the door, stark in death, -the hair dishevelled, the flesh of the arms lacerated -and torn, and the face having the most appalling -expression of horror and despair ever witnessed by -mortal eyes!</p> - -<p>An undertaker, writing to the <i>Plymouth Morning -News</i>, October 2, 1895, mentions that he reluctantly -buried a young person, who lay in the coffin for seven -clear days without sign of decomposition, and only -consented to close the coffin then, on the assurance that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[157]</a></span> -the same conditions attended all the deaths which had -previously occurred in the family. Dr. Hartmann and -other authorities have found that such cases are probably -the subjects of catalepsy, a malady which sometimes runs -in families and affects every member. The undertaker -adds that, in future, he should decline to close the coffin -of the apparently dead until signs of decomposition -set in, “thus preventing the possibility of our worst -fears being realised.” If undertakers generally would -adopt these wise and necessary precautions, living -sepulture would come to an end. Under the existing imperfect -system of medical examination—and, as we have -shown, both in England and in the United States, where -there is usually no examination at all—there is often -a reckless haste in interments. No thoughtful persons -can contemplate the burial of a million and a half -human beings annually in these two countries without -mistrust and misgivings.</p> - -<p>Many well-to-do people in civilised countries provide -in their wills for the prevention of premature interment, -by leaving instructions for surgical operations after their -decease, <i>post-mortems</i>, embalmment, or cremation. It -may happen, however, that wills are mislaid, lost, or -withheld by the testators, or are not opened and read -until after the funeral, when the instructions in this -regard, however strictly enjoined, are rendered abortive. -Legacies should be given conditionally on the observance -of certain duties, and only payable on proofs to -the executors that they have been carried out. A -large majority of people do not, however, leave testamentary -instructions, for the simple reason that they -have nothing to bequeath. And the majority have an<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[158]</a></span> -equal claim with the minority to be safeguarded by the -State against such terrible misfortunes. Syncope, sometimes -mistaken for death, is a condition to which both -men and women, who are compelled by their poverty -in all large cities to endure exhausting labours in ill-ventilated -work-rooms, and their often ill-nourished -children in board schools in England and in the public -schools in America, are peculiarly liable.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[159]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4">CHAPTER XII.</h2> - -<p class="pch">SUDDEN DEATH.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">The</span> idea commonly entertained is that with animal -bodies there are only two possible conditions—either life -or death; that the presence of one of these conditions -implies the absence of the other; that when the body -has assumed the appearance of death, as during the -sudden suspension of all the functional activities, it must -be dead. This last is far from being true; for all the -appearances of death are fallacious, especially those -that accompany so-called sudden death. All such cases -should be challenged as of doubtful character, and held -so till recovery or putrefaction of the tissues proves the -presence of life or of death. This subject is too often -treated by medical writers with indifference. Technically, -it is regarded as a failure of the brain, or lungs, or heart, -to perform their functions; popularly, we say that “the -thread of life is snapped asunder;” or it is “the going -out of life,” like the sudden extinguishing of a candle. -The author’s experience, however, at the sick bedside, -and in the death-chamber, has taught him that life -leaves the body in a gradual manner, and that death -approaches, and takes the place of life, in one part or -organ after another, thus creeping through the tissues, -and sometimes defying all tests to prove its presence, -leaving putrefaction to be its only sign. There can be no -such thing as veritable sudden death, unless the body is -crushed into a shapeless mass, like an insect under foot.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[160]</a></span></p> - -<p>The late Dr. Farr, of the Registrar-General’s Department, -London, says:—“No definition of the sense in -which <i>sudden death</i> is practically understood by coroners -has been given.” Dr. Granville says: “The writers on -medical jurisprudence do not state with any strictness -what they mean by sudden death, whether it be death -in ten minutes, ten hours, or ten days.”<a name="FNanchor_9_9" id="FNanchor_9_9"></a><a href="#Footnote_9_9" class="fnanchor">[9]</a> And he asks -in the same vein, “Does sudden death mean death in -three minutes, three hours, or three days?”<a name="FNanchor_10_10" id="FNanchor_10_10"></a><a href="#Footnote_10_10" class="fnanchor">[10]</a> Still -further he remarks regarding the customary definitions, -“They lead one to infer that a certain mysterious principle, -called <span class="smcap">LIFE</span>, has been instantaneously withdrawn -from a healthy and well-constituted individual, who was -at the very moment, as heretofore, exercising his proper -animal functions with a regularity that promised to -endure for a long continuance of years.... No such -phenomena occur in Nature, unless through violence or -from accident. Under Nature’s laws there is no such -thing as sudden death.... In every case where -death has abruptly cut short the thread of life, there -has been a preparation, more or less antecedent to the -occurrence, which must inevitably have led to it.... -The victim may seem to have been struck down, as if by -lightning. But in reality the event was only the natural -termination of an inward state of things which insidiously -and unexpectedly was preparing the blow.”<a name="FNanchor_11_11" id="FNanchor_11_11"></a><a href="#Footnote_11_11" class="fnanchor">[11]</a></p> - -<div class="sidenote">DR. TIDY ON CAUSES OF DEATH.</div> - -<p>Dr. Tidy, in “Legal Medicine,” p. 29, says:—“As a -rule, the action required to bring about complete molecular -death—<i>i.e.</i>, the suspension of vital activity in every<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[161]</a></span> -part—is progressive. In a given case, therefore, we are -unable to state any definite time as the period of its -occurrence. The popular idea of death is that the entire -body dies at once. Somatic death is an impossibility.” -Thus, it is clear that the process of death, or the departure -of life, may require days or weeks for its completion; -and it may even be delayed to a time when putrefaction -has set in quite generally, as when the hair and nails -grow after the body has been buried some weeks, as has -been credibly reported. Writers upon so-called sudden -death recite a number of diseases and conditions which -quickly destroy the machinery that carries on the vital -functions, thus rendering resuscitation quite impossible. -Tidy<a name="FNanchor_12_12" id="FNanchor_12_12"></a><a href="#Footnote_12_12" class="fnanchor">[12]</a> names some twelve of such causes: prominent -among them are diseases of the heart, rupture of the -heart, clots in the blood vessels, aneurisms, effusions -of blood in the brain, bursting of visceral abscesses, -ulcers of the stomach, extra-uterine pregnancy, rupture -of the uterus or bladder, large draughts of cold water -taken when the body is heated, cholera, alcoholic poisoning, -mental emotions, etc. But he remarks upon these -causes—“Because a person dies suddenly, there being -no evidence of violence or poison, the action adopted -by many coroners in not requiring a <i>post-mortem</i> examination -leaves the most important witness—the dead -body itself—unheard, and the inquest so far valueless.” -Which may mean that, without the risk of an autopsy, it -is impossible in such cases to determine whether they are -beyond resuscitation or not, unless putrefaction settles -the question. Unfortunately there is nothing in the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[162]</a></span> -external appearance of those cases of so-called sudden -death in which the vital machinery may be totally -wrecked, to distinguish them from those of apparent -death, in which all the organism is in a state of -perfect integrity, and in which resuscitation is possible, -provided the vital principle has not entirely left the -body. Consequently, the only safe rule to observe -in all cases in which death has not followed poisoning, -or injuries which kill outright, or some known -disease of sufficient duration and severity to bring on -dissolution, is to wait for unmistakable evidences of -decomposition before autopsy, embalming, cremation, or -burial is allowed.</p> - -<p>In former times precipitate interments of persons who -died suddenly were specially guarded against.</p> - -<p>Nothing is more common, on opening a newspaper, -than to see one or more announcements of sudden -death. These occurrences are so frequent that the -great London dailies, except when an inquest is held, or -when the deceased is a person of note, omit to record -them. The narratives are much alike: the person, -described to be in his usual health, is seized with faintness -in the midst of his daily-avocation, and he falls -down apparently dead; or he retires for the night, and -is found dead in his bed. In many instances <i>post-mortems</i> -are made, and an inquest held; but in other -cases the opinion of the attendant doctor, that the -death is due to heart-disease, syncope, asphyxia, coma, -apoplexy, or “natural causes,” is deemed sufficient. The -friends who are called in to look at the body will remark, -“how natural and how life-like,” “how flexible the -limbs,” “how placid the face;” and, without the faintest<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[163]</a></span> -attempt at resuscitation, arrangements are made for an -early burial.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">DR. WILDER ON SUDDEN DEATH.</div> - -<p>Dr. Alexander Wilder, Professor of Physiology and -Psychology, in a letter to the author, says:—“There are -a variety of causes for sudden death. The use of tobacco -is one. Another is overtaxed nervous system. Men of -business keep on the strain till they drop from sheer -exhaustion. At the base of the brain is a little nerve-ganglion, -the medulla oblongata, which, once impaired, -sends death everywhere. Overtaxing the strength by -study and mental stress will do this. The solar ganglion -below the diaphragm is the real vital focus of the body. -It is first to begin, last to die. A blow on it often kills. -An emotion will paralyse it. Even undue excess at a -meal, or the use of overmuch alcohol, may produce the -effect.</p> - -<p>“Tobacco impairs the action of the heart. An -overfull stomach paralyses the ganglionic store, and -breathing is likely to stop. It is dangerous in such -cases to lie on the back. All these deaths are by -heart-failure.” It is syncope where the heart fails -first; asphyxia where the lungs are first to cease; coma -when the brain is first at fault. “Natural causes” -and “heart-failure” usually mean, like “congestion,” -that the doctor’s ideas are vague.</p> - -<p>Dr. Wilder continues:—“I would choose such a death -if I could be sure it was death. <i>But most of those things -which I have enumerated may cause a death which is only -apparent.</i>”</p> - -<p>The following briefly extracted cases from English -papers are typical of thousands of others, and can be -duplicated, with slight variation in terms, throughout the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[164]</a></span> -United States. The absolute proof of the reality of -such deaths is not found in hasty diagnosis or in medical -certificates, but in the presence of putrefaction:—</p> - - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="pc1">“SUDDEN DEATH AT ST. AUSTELLS.</p> - -<p>“Mr. P. G—— died suddenly yesterday. Apparently in his -ordinary health, he had been busily occupied during the morning; -went upstairs, and was found lying on his face on the floor. Dr. -Jeffery was called, and pronounced life extinct, and expressed the -opinion that death arose from syncope.”—<i>Western Morning News, -September 14, 1895.</i></p> - -<p class="pc1">“SUDDEN DEATH IN PEASCOD STREET.</p> - -<p>“An inquiry was held as to the circumstances attending the -death of W. P——, which took place suddenly the previous -evening. The deceased was forty-three years of age, and invariably -enjoyed good health, except that he complained of -headache at times. The jury returned a verdict of death from -natural causes.”—<i>Windsor Express, September 21, 1895.</i></p> - -<p class="pc1">“SUDDEN DEATH.</p> - -<p>“T. B—— was seized with sudden illness after retiring to rest, -and expired before medical aid could be obtained. Deceased -had been in his accustomed health, had been at work all day, and -had eaten a hearty supper before retiring to rest. The Coroner -was communicated with; but, as death was certified to be due to -heart-disease, no inquest was necessary.”—<i>Middlesex County -Times, October 2, 1895.</i></p> - -<p class="pc1">“SUDDEN DEATH OF A SERVANT.</p> - -<p>“The deceased, L. E——, aged twenty, retired on Sunday -evening in her usual state of good health. In the morning she was -found insensible, and, when the doctor arrived, shortly afterwards, -he found life to be extinct. Evidence was given to show that she -had previously been perfectly bright, cheerful, and well. Verdict -of the jury, that ‘Deceased died from failure of the action of the -heart in the natural way.’”—<i>Harrogate Advertiser, October 12, -1895.</i></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[165]</a></span></p> - -<p class="pc1">“AWFULLY SUDDEN DEATH NEAR AMBLESIDE.</p> - -<div class="sidenote1">TYPICAL EXAMPLES.</div> - -<p>“Mr. H——, who had been remarkably cheerful during the day, -was just in the act of lighting his pipe to enjoy a smoke, when his -head fell back, and he died in a moment. The family doctor -certified to the cause of death.”—<i>Lancaster Guardian, October 12, -1895.</i></p> - -<p class="pc1">“SUDDEN DEATH AT SEA.</p> - -<p>“Mr. R. B. Tobins, the County Coroner, held an inquiry at -the Guildhall, Plymouth, concerning the sudden death of P. E——. -The deceased was sixty years of age, and was speaking to William -Parkinson, when he began to cough, and passed away suddenly. -Witness never knew deceased to be ill. Dr. Williams made a -superficial examination of the body, and attributed death to heart-disease. -Verdict: ‘Natural causes.’”—<i>The Western Mercury, -Plymouth, October 22, 1895.</i></p> - -<p class="pc1">“SUDDEN DEATH AT TWICKENHAM.</p> - -<p>“Lieutenant S. C. G—— fell down and expired suddenly while -walking near Kneller Hall, yesterday afternoon. Deceased was -forty-four years of age, and had been in his usual health.”—<i>Daily -News, November 1, 1895.</i></p> - -<p class="pc1">“SUDDEN DEATH AT FOREST OF DEAN.</p> - -<p>“Mr. J. W. W—— died very suddenly. He was forty-five years -of age; in his usual health and spirits on Monday; slept well; got -up at five; told Mrs. W. W—— he was giddy; felt ill; went to -bed; and died in her arms in a few minutes.”—<i>Western Press -Bristol, November 1, 1893.</i></p> - -<p class="pc1">“SUDDEN DEATH, WESTON-SUPER-MARE.</p> - -<p>“Mrs. E. T—— was found dead in her bedroom. She appeared -‘all right’ when she retired to rest on Monday evening.”—<i>Bristol -Times and Mirror, November 7, 1895.</i></p> - -<p class="pc1">“SUDDEN DEATH AT NELSON.</p> - -<p>“The East Lancashire Coroner has received notice of the death -of Ann, the wife of T. B——. She retired to bed apparently all<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[166]</a></span> -right on Friday night. At two a.m. on Saturday the husband, -who was awakened by the crying of the baby, went to his wife’s -bedroom and found her dead, she having apparently died in her -sleep.”—<i>Lancashire Express, Blackburn, November 11, 1895.</i></p> - -<p class="pc1">“SUDDEN DEATH.</p> - -<p>“A painful shock was caused at Lowestoft last evening by the -sudden death of Mr. T. R.——, who was forty-seven years of age, -and apparently in his usual health. He drove out to pay a visit, -but death took place a few minutes after his arrival.”—<i>Morning -Advertiser, November 19, 1895.</i></p> - -<p class="pc1">“SUDDEN DEATH AT LLANDERFEL.</p> - -<p>“Mr. D. L—— was found dead in bed on Sunday morning at -half-past eight. The deceased, who was fifty-four years of age, -was apparently in the best of health on Saturday, and had come -on a visit to his daughter. The verdict at the inquest was: ‘Death -from natural causes.’”—<i>Western Mail, Cardiff, November 19, 1895.</i></p> - -<p class="pc1">“SUDDEN DEATH.</p> - -<p>“On Tuesday morning, between nine and ten o’clock, A. S——, -thirty-six, was in her bedroom apparently in her usual health, when -she suddenly fell back against a chair and expired.”—<i>Portsmouth -Mail, November 28, 1893.</i></p> - -<p class="pc1">“DIED AT HIS WORK.</p> - -<p>“Yesterday the district Coroner was notified of the death of T. -C. F——, aged thirty-nine, a butcher. F—— was cutting some -meat on the block when he suddenly fell backwards dead. He -had always enjoyed excellent health.”—<i>Sun., November 29, 1895.</i></p> - -<p class="pc1">“SUDDEN DEATH AT EAST GRINSTEAD.</p> - -<p>“Mr. W. P——, a carpenter, died suddenly yesterday morning. -He was engaged at a light task at his bench, apparently in his -usual health, when about ten o’clock he was seen to fall backwards. -The doctor on arriving could only pronounce life extinct.”—<i>Sussex -Daily News, December 4, 1895.</i></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[167]</a></span></p> - -<p class="pc1">“SUDDEN DEATH.</p> - -<p>“W. D. D—— died suddenly yesterday morning. Deceased -appeared to be in his usual health when he retired on Monday. -About half-past six in the morning he was supplied with a cup of -tea, and an hour later was found dead in bed. Dr. R—— was -called in, and said death was due to natural causes.”—<i>Dundee -Advertiser, December 4, 1895.</i></p> - -<p class="pc1">“SUDDEN DEATH OF A TRAM CONDUCTOR ON DUTY.</p> - -<p>“A shock was occasioned the passengers as they were proceeding -to town this morning by the sudden death of the conductor -in charge. The deceased, J. D——, whose age is twenty-nine, -had always been a steady, faithful servant, an army reserve man, -and <i>suffered from no ailment, and certainly not from one likely to -cause sudden death</i>.”—<i>Daily Argus, Birmingham, December 5, -1895.</i></p> - -<p class="pc1">“SUDDEN DEATH OF A WALSALL LABOURER.</p> - -<p>“On Tuesday, E. W——, aged thirty-six, retired to bed to all -appearances in his usual health. His wife tried to awaken him -about a quarter past seven on the following morning, but found -that her husband was dead.”—<i>Wolverhampton Evening News, -December 6, 1895.</i></p> - -<p class="pc1">“SUDDEN DEATH OF A COLLIERY MANAGER.</p> - -<p>“Last night Mr. A. B. Stouth held an inquest concerning the -death of T. S——. The deceased, who was described <i>as a very -healthy man</i>, went to the colliery shortly after six o’clock; he -conversed freely with the workmen, and when in the act of taking -off his coat he fell down and died. The verdict, without <i>post-mortem</i> -was returned: ‘Died from natural causes.’”—<i>Birmingham -Daily Gazette, December 10, 1895.</i></p> - -<p class="pc1">“SUDDEN DEATH OF A VICAR.</p> - -<p>“The Rev. T. S. C——, of Salop, died very suddenly at his -residence. He attended to his usual duties in the morning, -apparently in the full enjoyment of health, and in the afternoon -conducted a funeral. Immediately upon his return he was taken -ill, and died a few minutes afterwards.”—<i>Daily Argus, Birmingham, -December 16, 1895.</i></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[168]</a></span></p> - -<p class="pc1">“SUDDEN DEATH OF A RAILWAY EMPLOYEE.</p> - -<p>“A painfully sudden death occurred at Hounslow. A. H——, -aged nineteen, clerk, started from home to attend his duties at the -office, apparently in robust health. At about eight o’clock, whilst -sitting between two companions at a table, he suddenly fell forward -and expired.”—<i>Hounslow Chronicle, December 21, 1895.</i></p> - -<p class="pc1">“SUDDEN DEATH OF A SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER.</p> - -<p>“A painful sensation was created at Leicester yesterday by the -discovery that Mr. R. M——, a leading Wesleyan, had been found -dead in his bed. He was apparently in excellent health when he -retired, after a light supper.”—<i>Middlesborough Daily Gazette, -December 30, 1895.</i></p> - -<p class="pc1">“SUDDEN DEATH.</p> - -<p>“Major Taylor held an inquest on C. N. W—— yesterday. -The deceased was described as a fine healthy boy. On Sunday -forenoon he was placed on his grandmother’s knee to nurse, when -he fell back and expired. A verdict of death from natural causes -was returned.”—<i>Evening Press, York, January 1, 1896.</i></p> - -<p class="pc1">“SUDDEN DEATH.</p> - -<p>“Yesterday, Mr. Reilly, Coroner, held an inquest on H. A. -C——. It appeared that the servant, in passing his room, heard -him moaning. Medical aid was procured, but he died in a few -minutes. Deceased was in the enjoyment of robust health previously. -Verdict: ‘Death from natural causes.’”—<i>Irish Times, -Dublin, January 3, 1896.</i></p> - -<p class="pc1">“SUDDEN DEATH.</p> - -<p>“Mr. H. W—— was suddenly taken ill between five and six -yesterday evening, apparently suffering from an apoplectic fit, and -expired in a few minutes. Mr. W—— was a gentleman enjoying -most robust health, and earlier in the afternoon was chatting -genially with several of his friends. An inquest will probably not -be necessary.”—<i>Darlington North Star, January 17, 1896.</i></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[169]</a></span></p> - -<p class="pc1">“SUDDEN DEATH.</p> - -<p>“The City Coroner held an inquiry on Saturday at the Stanley -Arms relative to the death of Alice M. A——, aged twenty-eight, -who died suddenly. On Friday she seemed in good health and -spirits. From an internal examination of the body Dr. Miller was -of opinion that she died of syncope or failure of the heart’s action. -Verdict: ‘Death from natural causes; to wit, heart-disease.’”—<i>Eastern -Daily Press, Norwich, January 20, 1896.</i></p></div> - -<p class="p1">Amongst other sudden deaths more recently reported -are:—R. F——, of <span class="sidenote">RECENT CASES OF SUDDEN DEATH.</span>Torquay, described as “a man of -exceptional physique, who had every appearance of -possessing a very robust constitution.”—F. P. C—— -“looked more than usually robust of late, had never -been known to complain of his head, and appeared in -the best of health and spirits.”—W. W——“had always -appeared to enjoy good health, with the exception of a -cough.”—O. P——, “beyond failing appetite, had given -no indication of ill health.”—W. M——“was in his -usual health, and went to bed all right.”—Mrs. T. B—— -“was in the best of health, and was attending to her -household duties.”—L. T——, “a powerfully-built fisherman, -and most unlikely to come to such a sudden -termination of life.”—M. J. M——, at East Garston. “A -<i>post-mortem</i> was made by Dr. K. and his assistant, but -they were unable to find any evidence as to the cause -of death. Verdict: ‘Natural causes.’”—The sudden -death, while playing the pianoforte, of a girl, aged -twelve, “who had never had a day’s illness in her -life.”—S. G——“was quite well, and in excellent -spirits.”—T. B. B—— was “a robust man, and had not -been ailing.”—G. R—— was “in excellent health and -spirits, and attended to his duties as usual.”—A little<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[170]</a></span> -girl, M. B——, who appeared to be in her usual health, -died very suddenly while sleeping in a cot by the side -of her parents. Verdict at the inquest: “Death from -natural causes.”—A. S——, aged twenty-three, a strong -young fellow, who went to rest before eleven o’clock. -About one o’clock the following morning he was seized -with pain, became unconscious, from which he succumbed.—R. -J. C——, labourer, “a fine, robust-looking -man,” suddenly expired before medical aid could be -procured. Verdict at inquest: “Died suddenly from -natural causes.”—Mrs. R——, “who was quite well when -her daughter left the room, was found dead on her return -a few minutes later.”—T. H——, blacksmith, “went to -bed in his usual health and spirits” in company with a -comrade, who on attempting to wake him in the morning -found life extinct.</p> - -<p>The above are given simply as typical examples of -a class of cases of which thousands might be cited, but -it has not been thought necessary to weary the reader -with the details of further instances.</p> - -<p>While it is not suggested that the foregoing are cases -of premature burial, yet it is absolutely certain that they -belong to the category of persons of whom a considerable -percentage are liable to such misadventures unless precautions -very different from those in vogue are taken to -prevent them. All medical practitioners allow that a -man may be half drowned or half dead, and that cases -of suspended animation occur where the most experienced -physician is unable to detect the faintest indication of -breathing or cardiac movement. They are, however, -quite sceptical as to absolute suspensions of life where -all the ordinary methods to test its existence fail; and,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[171]</a></span> -owing to this scepticism, and the readiness to give -certificates of death in cases of alleged sudden death, -have unwittingly promoted premature burials, as will -appear by the facts quoted in these pages.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">HASTY BURIAL CONDEMNED.</div> - -<p>Mr. M. Cooper, in the “Uncertainty of the Signs -of Death,” p. 49, cites from a letter by one William -Fabri, a surgeon, the opinion that we “... have -just reason to condemn the too precipitate interment -of persons overpowered by lethargies, apoplexies, or -suffocation of the matrix; for I know there have been -some, supposed to be irretrievably cut off by these -disorders, who, resuming strength and returning to life, -have raised the boards of their own coffins, because in -such disorders the soul only retires, as it were, to her -most secret and concealed residence, in order to make -the body afterwards sensible that she had not entirely -forsaken it.” These wise counsels were written two -hundred and sixty-eight years ago, since which time -thousands of our fellow-creatures have, it is feared, been -the victims of premature interment, and yet the danger -then pointed out remains. The <i>Undertakers’ and Funeral -Directors’ Journal</i>, the conductors of which are laudably -anxious to keep their profession from the odium of -burying people alive, referring to sudden deaths and -this danger, says, in its issue of January 24, 1894, under -the head of “A Burning Question”:—“Sufferers from -such chronic ailments as are reputed to end suddenly -are in constant danger from the present state of the law, -if they are in the hands of people interested in their -death.” And continues: “Even where a medical certificate -is obtained, such general laxity has entered into -proceedings that but little protection is thereby afforded<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[172]</a></span> -to the public. While the medical man is bound to state -what he believes to be the cause of death, he is under -no obligation to make sure either that the patient is -dead at all, or that, if dead, he died from a particular -disease for which he was attending him.”</p> - -<p class="psh">VIVISECTION.</p> - -<p>The <i>Medical Times and Gazette</i>, 1859, vol. xviii., -p. 256, has the following:—</p> - - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="pc1">“A CRIMINAL’S HEART.</p> - -<p>“We find in an account taken from the ‘Boston Medical and -Surgical Journal’ some observations on the heart of a hanged -criminal, which are remarkable in a moral point of view, as well as -in their scientific aspect. The man died, it appears, as the phrase is, -without a struggle; and, therefore, probably in the first instance, he -fell into a syncope. The lungs and brain were found normal. Seven -minutes after suspension, the heart’s sounds were distinctly heard, -its pulsations being one hundred a minute; two minutes later they -were ninety-eight; and in three minutes sixty, and very feeble. In -two minutes more the sounds became inaudible. The man was -suspended at ten o’clock, and his body was cut down twenty-five -minutes afterwards. There was then neither sound nor impulse. -At 10.40 the cord was relaxed, and then the face became gradually -pale; the spinal cord was uninjured.... At 11.30 a regular -movement of pulsation was observed in the right subclavian vein; -and on applying the ear to the chest, there was heard a regular, -distinct, and single beat, accompanied with a slight impulse. -Hereupon Drs.. Clark, Ellis, and Shaw open the thorax, and -expose the heart, which still continues to beat! The right -auricle contracted and dilated with energy and regularity. At -twelve o’clock the pulsations were forty in a minute; at 1.45 five -per minute. They ceased at 2.45; but irritability did not entirely -disappear until 3.18, more than five hours after suspension. ‘This -fact,’ says M. Séquard, ‘demonstrates that in a man, unfortunately, -even when syncope exists for some minutes at the commencement<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[173]</a></span> -of strangulation, the ventricles of the heart cease to beat almost -as quickly as they do in strangulation without syncope.’ With -regard to the moral aspects of this case, the same gentleman -remarks:—‘People will probably be surprised that the body of -this man should have been opened while the beating of the heart -was still audible. We will not ask here if the doctors committed -or not a blamable action; we will only say that we know them -personally, and that, if they have in part merited the violent -reproaches addressed to them, they are, nevertheless, <i>hommes -de cœur</i>, who, in an excess of scientific zeal, did not notice that the -body upon which they experimented was not, perhaps, at the time -a dead body.’”</p></div> - -<p class="psh">SYNCOPE.</p> - -<p>The deaths attributed to syncope in the Registrar-General’s -reports for England and Wales during the last -six years are:—</p> - -<table id="t02" summary="t02"> - - <tr> - <td class="tdr"> </td> - <td class="tdc">MALES.</td> - <td class="tdc">FEMALES.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1888</td> - <td class="tdr1">817</td> - <td class="tdr2">896</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1889</td> - <td class="tdr1">939</td> - <td class="tdr2">922</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1890</td> - <td class="tdr1">1,237</td> - <td class="tdr2">1,250</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1891</td> - <td class="tdr1">1,355</td> - <td class="tdr2">1,301</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1892</td> - <td class="tdr1">941</td> - <td class="tdr2">943</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdr">1893</td> - <td class="tdr1">848</td> - <td class="tdr2">770</td> - </tr> - -</table> - -<p class="p1">Syncope, however, is not a disease, though often certified -as such, but is merely a symptom of certain maladies, or a -manifestation of suspended animation from unascertained -cause. In Hoblyn’s “Dictionary of Medical Terms,” -p. 632, syncope is described as—“Fainting or swoon; a -sudden suspension of the heart’s action, accompanied by -cessation of the functions of the organs of respiration, -internal and external sensation, and voluntary motion.” -<span class="sidenote">DEATHS ATTRIBUTED TO SYNCOPE.</span>There appears, therefore, every probability that, with -careless or ignorant medical practitioners, syncope is not<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[174]</a></span> -seldom mistaken for trance, and a certificate of death may -be given where there is merely a suspension and not a -termination of life; and this probability is reduced to a -certainty when we learn the number of premature -burials and narrow escapes reported by Winslow, Bruhier, -Köppen, E. Bouchut, Lénormand, F. Kempner, Moore -Russell Fletcher, Gannal, Gaubert, Hartmann, and other -recognised authorities. Dr. James Curry, Senior Physician -to Guy’s Hospital, and Lecturer on the Theory -and Practice of Medicine, in the introduction to his -“Observations on Apparent Death,” London, 1815, 2 ed., -p. 1, says—“The time is still within the recollection of -many now living when it was almost universally believed -that <i>life</i> quitted the body in a very few minutes after the -person had ceased to breathe. Remarkable examples -to the contrary were, indeed, upon record; but these, -besides being extremely rare, were generally cases -wherein the <i>suspension</i>, as well as the <i>recovery of life</i>, -had occurred <i>spontaneously</i>; they were, therefore, beheld -with astonishment, as particular instances of Divine -Interposition.” It is believed that the majority of the -members of the medical profession still entertain the -idea that a human being is dead when breathing can no -longer be detected, as in the cases of reported sudden -deaths; and, except in those which occur from drowning, -or suffocation through noxious gases, attempts are very -rarely made to promote restoration, and, unless they -return to life spontaneously while above ground, there -are good reasons to fear that an appreciable number do so -under ground. The prevailing belief in the existence of -sudden deaths is one of the chief causes of the terrible<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[175]</a></span> -mistakes that lead to live burials. If this delusive -idea were removed, those concerned, such as physicians, -undertakers, relatives, and friends, would treat a person -who unexpectedly took on the appearance of death as -one needing careful attention by physician and nurse to -bring him round to health again, as is usually done in -cases of fainting. If trance were understood, doctors -would be on the lookout for it; but, as it is not understood, -it is called death, and we bury our mistakes -under ground.</p> - -<p>Dr. Hilton Fagge, while doubting whether there is -any foundation for the strong fear which many persons -entertain of being buried alive after supposed death, -allows that there is danger in cases of sudden death. -In his “Principles and Practice of Medicine,” Dr. Fagge -says: “The cases really requiring caution are some -very few instances of persons found in the streets, or -losing consciousness unexpectedly and in unusual circumstances.”<a name="FNanchor_13_13" id="FNanchor_13_13"></a><a href="#Footnote_13_13" class="fnanchor">[13]</a></p> - -<p>Dr. Léonce Lénormand, in “Des Inhumations Précipitées,” -p. 86, says that medical archives record details -of a great number of apoplectic cases revived after one, -two, and three days’ apparent death; and observes that -the most celebrated physicians, both ancient and modern, -agree in recommending delay in the burial of persons -who succumb to this affliction.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[176]</a></span></p> - -<p>Dr. Franz Hartmann, in his “Premature Burial,” p. 11, -quotes the following:—</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<div class="sidenote1">REVIVAL AFTER APPARENT DEATH.</div> - -<p class="p1">“In the Bukovina, a young woman, in the vicinity of Radautz, -died of spasms of the heart. They waited five days for the -funeral, because no signs of putrefaction appeared. The clergyman -then refused any longer delay, and the final arrangements -for interment were made. Just as they were about to put the -coffin into the grave, the sister of the deceased woman, who lived -at another place, arrived, and begged to be permitted to see the -dead body. Owing to her entreaties the coffin was opened, and -as the woman saw the unaltered features of her sister, she asserted -her belief that the supposed dead was still living. She procured -a red-hot poker, and, in spite of the remonstrances of those -present, she touched with it the soles of the feet of the corpse. -There was a spasmodic jerk, and the woman recovered. The -most remarkable thing was that the supposed dead woman had -not been unconscious for a moment, but was able to describe -afterwards all the details of what had taken place around her, from -the moment when she was supposed to die up to the time of her -recovery; but she had looked upon all that like an unconscious -spectator, and not experienced any sensation, nor was she able to -give any sign of life.”</p></div> - -<p class="p1">In “Les Signes de la Mort,” by Dr. E. Bouchut, p. 51, -Dr. J. Schmid is cited for the case of a girl, seven years -of age, who, while playing with her companions, fell suddenly -down (as if struck by lightning), and died. There -was paleness, absence of pulse, insensibility to all stimulus. -Nevertheless, owing to the requests of the distressed -parents, the apparently hopeless attempts at resuscitation -were continued. After three quarters of an hour the girl -gave a sigh and recovered.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">DR. WATERMAN’S CASE.</div> - -<p>The <i>Medical Record</i>, New York, 1883, vol. xxiii., -p. 236, contains a paper on “Revivification” (in cases -of sudden apparent death from heart-disease, and in -the still-born), by S. Waterman, M.D., New York<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[177]</a></span> -Case 1, February, 1880.—Mr. B——, aged 84, suffered -from valvular disease of the heart, and likewise from -Bright’s disease. “One morning, while I was sitting -at his bedside and in friendly conversation with him, -he being to all appearance in a very happy mood of -mind, he suddenly fell back, his eyes became fixed -and glassy, a deadly pallor crept over his countenance, -respiration and the heart’s action ceased simultaneously, -and death seemed to have carried him -off suddenly and unexpectedly. It was this suddenness -of the event that impelled me to make efforts at -revivification. Two nephews of Mrs. B——, who were -fortunately in the house, were brought under requisition, -and, under my direction, systematic artificial -movements were carried on for nearly thirty minutes, -when one deep inspiratory effort was made by the patient -himself. Thus encouraged, we redoubled our efforts for -ten minutes more; other inspiratory efforts followed in -quicker succession; the heart began to respond. Hardly -audible at first, it acquired force and momentum; it -could now be felt at the wrist; the deadly pallor passed -away, the eyes lost their glassy, fixed aspect, sighs and -groans could be heard, twitchings of the muscles of the -arm and fingers could be distinctly felt, and the appearances -of death made way for reanimated conditions. He -lay unconscious for more than ten hours, respiration -being hurried, and breathing stertorous, the heart’s -action wild and irregular. During the night he was -delirious and restless; toward morning all untoward -symptoms subsided, and a quiet sleep followed the -extreme restlessness.... He died six weeks afterwards, -under symptoms of uræmic toxication. During<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[178]</a></span> -these six weeks he had several other attacks—one very -prolonged and almost fatal—in which artificial respiration -was resorted to with the same success.”</p> - -<p>The editor of the <i>Manchester Criterion</i>, December 11, -1895, says:—“Many cases of sudden death have been -entombed who were really alive, so far as the union of -the body and soul is concerned. Sudden disappearance -of life is very common, due to excessive weakness or -a partial cessation of the heart’s action; and doctors -should be very chary in giving death-certificates until it -has been ascertained that decomposition has ensued. -Many object to this delay, and on the approach of an -indication of death, or apparent death, often hurry the -body to the grave. We know of a young lady, for -whom the shroud was bought, and the crape fastened -on the door, who was restored to life.”</p> - -<p class="psh">SUDDEN DEATH.</p> - -<p>Professor Alexander Wilder, M.D., in “Perils of -Premature Burial,” p. 16, says:—“In this country -(America), however, the peril of interment before death -has actually taken place is very great. For years past -it has been a very common occurrence for persons in -supposed good health to fall down suddenly, with every -appearance of having died. We do not regard sudden -death with terror, as it is so often painless, and exempts -the individual from the anxiety and other unpleasant -experiences which so often accompany a lingering dissolution. -But there is a terrible liability of being -prostrated by catalepsy, the counterpart of death, under -such circumstances that those who have the body in -charge will not hesitate about a prompt interment.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[179]</a></span></p> - -<div class="sidenote">PREVENTIVE LEGISLATION.</div> - -<p>“The difficulty of distinguishing a person apparently -dead from one who is <i>really</i> so has, in all countries -where bodies are interred precipitately, rendered it -necessary for the law to assist humanity. Of several -regulations made on this subject, a few of the most -recent may suffice—such as those of Arras in 1772; of -Mantua in 1774; of the Grand Duke of Tuscany in -1775; of the Senechaussée of Sivrai in Poitou in 1777; -and of the Parliament of Metz in the same year.... -These edicts forbid the precipitate interment of persons -who die suddenly. Magistrates of health are to be -informed, that physicians may examine the body; that -they may use every endeavour to recall life, if possible, -or to discover the cause of death.”—<i>Encyclopædia -Britannica, quoted by John Snart in Apparent Death, -1824, pp. 81-82.</i></p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[180]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4">CHAPTER XIII.</h2> - -<p class="pch">SIGNS OF DEATH.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">The</span> absence of respiration is the most ordinary sign of -death, but at the same time perhaps the one most likely -to deceive. To ascertain whether breathing be entirely -suspended, it is a practice to hold a looking-glass to -the face.</p> - -<p class="pi10 p1">“Lend me a looking-glass;</p> -<p class="pin6">If that her breath will mist or stain the stone,<br /> -Why, then, she lives.”—<i>King Lear</i>, Act v., Sc. 3.</p> - -<p class="p1">The common belief is that, if the operations of the -heart or lungs be arrested for ever so brief a period, -they will never be resumed, and upon a hasty diagnosis -and perhaps a trifling experiment the person is declared -dead. It would appear presumptuous to attempt to -doubt or deny a theory so widely accepted by both the -lay and medical world, but numerous well-attested facts -show that the action of the vital organs, with life itself, -may occasionally be actually suspended, as proved by -the most rigorous tests known to science, and that -various forms of suspended animation taking on the -appearance of actual death are of not unfrequent occurrence. -Scepticism, prejudice, and apathy on this subject -have led to thousands of persons being consigned to the -grave to return to consciousness in that hopeless and -dreadful prison.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[181]</a></span></p> - -<div class="sidenote">VARIOUS TESTS CONSIDERED.</div> - -<p>One of the most distinguished physicians in London -informed the author that, being called in to decide a -case of apparent or real death, he had applied the -stethoscope and failed to detect the faintest pulsation -in the heart, and yet the woman recovered. The -danger of premature burial he believed to be very real -and by no means an imaginary one, and his opinions -were well known in the profession.</p> - -<p class="psh">THE RESPIRATORY TEST.</p> - -<p>Sir Benjamin Ward Richardson, in his paper on “The -Absolute Signs and Proofs of Death,” in the <i>Asclepiad</i>, -No. 21 (1889), vol. vi., p. 6, says:—</p> - -<p>“About the existence of respiratory movements there -is always some cause for doubt, even amongst skilled -observers; for so slight a movement of respiration is -sufficient to carry on life, at what I have in another -paper designated ‘life at low tension,’ the most practised -eye is apt to be deceived.”</p> - -<p>“The cessation of the indications of respiratory function, -although useful in a general sense, is not by any -means reliable. It is quite certain that in poisoning by -chloral, and in catalepsy, there may be life when no -external movement of the chest is appreciable.”—<i>Ibidem, -pp. 13, 14.</i></p> - -<p class="psh">CARDIAC AND ARTERIAL FAILURE TEST.</p> - -<p>“Equal doubt attends the absence of the arterial -pulsations and heart sounds. It is quite certain that -the pulses of the body, as well as the movements and -sounds of the heart, may be undetectable at a time when<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[182]</a></span> -the body is not only not dead but actually recoverable.”—<i>Ibidem, -p. 14.</i></p> - -<p>In a review of several works on the “Signs of Death” -in <i>The British and Foreign Medical and Chirurgical -Review</i>, vol. <span class="smcap">xv</span>. [1855], p. 74, W. B. Kesteven writes -that Bouchut’s test of the cessation of the action of -the heart for one or two minutes is not to be relied -upon as a certain sign of death. “M. Josat has -recorded several instances wherein newly-born children -have been most carefully examined during several -minutes without the detection of the slightest cardial -sound or movement, and yet these have rallied and -lived. M. Depaul has collected ten similar instances. -M. Brachet has recorded<a name="FNanchor_14_14" id="FNanchor_14_14"></a><a href="#Footnote_14_14" class="fnanchor">[14]</a> an instance of a man in -whom neither sound nor movement of the heart could -be heard for eight minutes, and who, nevertheless, -survived. Another adult case is mentioned by Dr. -Josat as having been witnessed by M. Girbal, of -Montpellier.... Sir B. Brodie and others have -described children born without hearts. The circulation -is maintained at one period of human life without -the aid of the heart. It is, besides, quite consistent -with the facts observed in hysterical and other conditions -of the nervous system, that the action of the -heart, like that of other muscles, should be so extremely -feeble as not to be cognisable by any sound or impulse, -and yet it may have sufficient movement slowly to move -the blood through the system, whose every function and -endowment is suspended and all but annihilated. In -cases of catalepsy, and of authentic instances of apparent -death, the respiratory muscles have not been seen to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[183]</a></span> -move, yet inspiration and expiration—however slowly -and imperceptibly—must have taken place.”</p> - -<p class="psh">THE PUTREFACTIVE TEST.</p> - -<p>Dr. Roger S. Chew, of Calcutta, whose personal experiences -of apparent death are elsewhere recorded in -this volume, says:—</p> - -<div class="sidenote">THE PUTREFACTIVE TEST.</div> - -<p>“Numerous expedients have been suggested as means -of ascertaining whether a body is really dead or whether -the animation is temporarily suspended; but, though -these suggestions may collectively yield a correct diagnosis, -still they are valueless when separately considered, -and cannot compare with the ‘putrefaction test.’”</p> - -<p>In the “Principles and Practice of Medicine” of the -late Dr. Hilton Fagge, edited by Dr. Pye-Smith, vol. i., -p. 19, of the second edition, is the following:—</p> - -<p>“In most cases there is no difficulty in determining -the exact moment at which death occurs. But sometimes -it cannot be fixed with certainty, and there are -some altogether exceptional instances (though I have -never myself met with one) in which for hours, or even -for days, it remains uncertain whether life is extinct or -merely suspended. <i>I believe that the only sign of death -which is both certain to manifest itself in the course of a -few days, and also absolutely conclusive and infallible, is -the occurrence of putrefaction</i>, which is generally first -indicated by discoloration of the surface of the abdomen. -And in any case admitting of doubt, the coffin should -not be closed until this has shown itself.” (Italics ours.)</p> - -<p>The <i>Medical Examiner</i>, Philadelphia, vol. vi., p. 610, -says:—</p> - -<p>“A recent French reviewer in the <i>Gazette Médicale</i><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[184]</a></span> -closes a survey of the differences between real and -apparent death, by the following remarks:—‘Experience,’ -says he, ‘has shown the insufficiency of each of -these signs, with one exception—<i>putrefaction</i>. The -absence of respiration and circulation, the absence of -contractility and sensibility, general loss of heat, the -hippocratic face, the cold sweat spreading over the body, -cadaveric discoloration, relaxation of the sphincters, loss -of elasticity, the flattening of the soft parts on which -the body rests, the softness and flaccidity of the eyes, -the opacity of the fingers, cadaveric rigidity, the expulsion -of alimentary substances from the mouth;—all -these signs combined or isolated may present themselves -in an individual suffering only from apparent death.’”</p> - -<p>Prof. D. Ferrier, in an article on “Signs of Death” in -Quain’s “Dictionary of Medicine,” pp. 327, 328, says:—</p> - -<p>“It is not always easy to determine when the spark -of life has become finally extinguished. From fear of -being buried alive, which prevails more abroad than in -this country, some infallible criterion of death, capable -of being applied by unskilled persons, has been considered -a desideratum, and valuable prizes have been -offered for such a discovery. The conditions most -resembling actual death are syncope, asphyxia, and -trance, particularly the last. We cannot, however, say -that any infallible criterion applicable by the vulgar has -been discovered.”</p> - -<p>The writer then proceeds to describe the various -symptoms usually considered to denote death. The -chief of these is putrefaction, but he observes that -putrefaction may occur locally during life, and general -septic changes may occur to some extent before death.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[185]</a></span></p> - -<p>Dr. Gannal, in “Signes de la Mort,” p. 31, says:—</p> - -<p>“I share the opinion of the majority of authors who -have written on this subject, and I consider <i>putrefaction</i> -as the only certain sign of death.” The author then -shows that all other signs are uncertain, and adds “that -it is possible, by taking certain measures, to wait until -putrefaction is well manifest, without injuring the public -health.” If the attending medical practitioner could -always be relied upon to look for any such combination -of signs as above suggested, there would be much less -danger of premature burial than at present almost -everywhere prevails; but personal investigation obliges -the author deliberately to declare that these are looked -for only in a comparatively few instances.</p> - -<p class="pch"><i>RIGOR MORTIS.</i></p> - -<div class="sidenote">RIGOR MORTIS.</div> - -<p>With reference to <i>rigor mortis</i>, one of the signs many -physicians regard as infallible as putrefaction, and to -which the <i>British Medical Journal</i> attaches much importance, -I cite the following:—</p> - -<p>Dr. Samuel Barker Pratt says that <i>rigor mortis</i>, -which is regarded as an absolute proof of death, is in -itself a life-action, caused by a gradual withdrawal of -the nerve-forces from the body, and is distinctly akin to, -and the same in effect as, the tightening of a muscle, and -other similar physiological actions in the living body.</p> - -<p>Dr. Roger S. Chew observes:—</p> - -<p>“<i>Rigor mortis</i> is a condition that seldom or never -supervenes in the hot weather in India, and is often a -feature of catalepsy.</p> - -<p>“Ecchymoses, or <i>post-mortem</i> stains, are sometimes of -value, but very frequently they do not appear, even<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[186]</a></span> -though there are strong evidences of putrefaction having -set in, and in some cases this cadaveric lividity, as it is -termed, may be the result of violence received before -animation was suspended, and, the vital spark not having -been extinguished though the body was apparently -dead, echymosis had asserted itself as a process of life, -and not death.”</p> - -<p>Ebenezer Milner, M.D.Edinb., L.R.C.S.E., observes -in a paper on “Catalepsy or Trance” in the <i>Edinburgh -Medical and Surgical Journal</i>, 1850, vol. lxxiv., p. 330:—</p> - -<p>“Patients labouring under an intense and prolonged -paroxysm of catalepsy have been supposed to be dead, -and have been interred alive.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">VARIOUS OTHER TESTS.</div> - -<p>“There are numerous cases of this kind on record, -and many more where individuals, after being laid in -their coffins, have fortunately recovered from the attack -before the period of interment. In such cases respiration -is insensible, and the heart’s action is almost in -abeyance; the surface of the body is nearly cold, and -presents the pallor of death; and the articulations are -stiff. Although it is no doubt a difficult task to -distinguish this state of trance from the state of death, -yet a careful examination of the body, and time, would -lead to a correct diagnosis. The limbs after death are -first lax, then stiff, and ultimately lax again. The -stiffness of the limbs, known as the cadaveric rigidity, -or <i>rigor mortis</i>, lasts for a longer or shorter time, -according to circumstances; the sooner it supervenes, -the shorter is its duration, and conversely. Now the -stiffness of the limbs accompanying this intense form -of trance supervenes at once, and lasts as long as the -paroxysm continues. This is consequently a valuable -diagnostic sign.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[187]</a></span></p> - -<p>It may be observed that only in rare and very exceptional -cases is time allowed for careful and accurate -diagnosis.</p> - -<p class="psh">CADAVEROUS COUNTENANCE.</p> - -<p>Anthony Fothergill, in “A New Inquiry,” 1795, -p. 92:—</p> - -<p>“Nor can even the cadaverous countenance be, -separately considered, an infallible test of life’s total -extinction. Nay, even putrefaction itself, though -allowed to be the most unequivocal sign of death, -might chance to deceive us in that syncope which -sometimes supervenes on the last stage of the confluent -small-pox, sea-scurvy, or other highly putrid -diseases.”</p> - -<p class="psh">REGARDING CLENCHED JAWS.</p> - -<p>A. de Labordette, Chirurgien de l’Hôpital de Lisieux, -states in a letter to the Secretary of the Royal National -Lifeboat Institution:—</p> - -<p>“I have collected manifold observations relating to -persons drowned or asphyxiated, in whose case contraction -of the jaws was remarked, and who were -subsequently restored to life,” Dr. Brown-Séquard concurred -in this, and declared further that such contraction -is rather a sign of life than of death.—<i>Lancet, 1870, -vol. i., p. 436.</i></p> - -<p class="psh">THE DIAPHANOUS TEST,</p> - -<p>for the discovery of which a prize was given by the -French Academy of Medicine, is regarded by Sir B. -Ward Richardson as of secondary importance. It has -certainly failed in many instances.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[188]</a></span></p> - -<p>The following communication on</p> - -<p class="psh">THE PROPER VALUE OF THE DIAPHANOUS<br /> -TEST OF DEATH,</p> - -<p class="pn">by Edwin Haward, M.D.Edin., F.R.C.S.Eng., appears -in the <i>Lancet</i> of June 10, 1893, p. 1404:—</p> - -<div class="sidenote">THE DIAPHANOUS TEST.</div> - -<p>“A case has come lately under my observation in -which the value of the diaphanous test of death has -been illustrated at its just worth, and, as the matter is -one of supreme practical moment, I think it may be -considered deserving a brief notice in the pages of the -<i>Lancet</i>. Readers of the <i>Lancet</i> need scarcely be informed -that the diaphanous test consists in taking a hand of a -supposed dead person, placing it before a strong artificial -light, with the fingers extended and just touching each -other, and then looking through the narrow spaces -between the fingers to see if there be there a scarlet line -of light. The theory is that if there be such a line of -scarlet colour there is some circulation still in progress, -and therefore evidence of vital action, whilst if there be -no illumination, then the circulation has ceased and -death has occurred. The French Academy of Medicine -was so impressed with the value of this test that it -awarded, I believe, to the discoverer of it a considerable -prize. The illustration I am about to give indicates, -however, that this test must be received with the utmost -caution. The facts run as follows:—I was called in -January last to visit a lady seventy-three years of age, -suffering from chronic bronchitis. She had often suffered -at intervals from similar attacks during a period of -twenty-five years. The present attack was very severe, -and as she was obviously in a state of senile decrepitude<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[189]</a></span> -her symptoms naturally gave rise to considerable -anxiety. Nevertheless, she rallied and improved so -much that after a few days my attendance was no -longer required. I heard nothing more of this lady -until February 6—a period of three weeks—when I was -summoned early in the morning to see her immediately. -The messenger told me that she had retired to bed in -the usual way, and had apparently died in the night, -but that she looked so life-like there was great doubt -whether death had actually taken place. Within half -an hour I was by her bedside; there was no sign of -breathing, of pulse, or of heart-beat, and the hands, -slightly flexed, were rather rigid, but the countenance -looked like that of a living person, the eyes being open -and life-like. I believed her to be dead, and that the -rigidity of the upper limbs indicated commencing <i>rigor -mortis</i>; but this curious fact was related to me by a -near relative, that once before she had passed into a -death-like state, with similar symptoms, even to the -rigidity of the arms and hands, from which state she -had recovered, and after which she had always experienced -the direst apprehension of being buried alive. -Her anxiety, it will be easily conceived, was readily -communicated to her relatives, who urged me to leave -nothing undone for determining whether life was or was -not extinct. Under the circumstances I suggested that -Dr. (now Sir) Benjamin Ward Richardson, who has -made the proofs of death a special study, should be -summoned. He soon arrived, and submitted the body -to all the tests in the following order:—1. Heart sounds -and motion entirely absent, together with all pulse -movement. 2. Respiratory sounds and movements<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[190]</a></span> -entirely absent. 3. Temperature of the body taken -from the mouth the same as that in the surrounding -air in the room, 62° F. 4. A bright needle plunged -into the body of the biceps muscle (Cloquet’s needle -test) and left there shows on withdrawal no sign of -oxidation. 5. Intermittent shocks of electricity at different -tensions passed by needles into various muscles -and groups of muscles gave no indication whatever of -irritability. 6. The fillet-test applied to the veins of the -arm (Richardson’s test) causes no filling of veins on the -distal side of the fillet. 7. The opening of a vein to -ascertain whether the blood has undergone coagulation -shows that the blood was still fluid. 8. The subcutaneous -injection of ammonia (Monteverdi’s test) causes -the dirty brown stain indicative of dissolution. 9. On -making careful movements of the joints of the extremities, -of the lower jaw, and of the occipito-frontals, <i>rigor -mortis</i> is found in several parts. Thus of these nine -tests eight distinctly declared that death was absolute; -the exception, the fluidity of the blood, being a phenomenon -quite compatible with blood preternaturally fluid -and at a low temperature, even though death had -occurred. 10. There now remained the diaphanous test, -which we carried out by the aid of a powerful reflector -lamp, yielding an excellent and penetrating light. To -our surprise the scarlet line of light between the fingers -was as distinct as it was in our own hands subjected to the -same experiment. The mass of evidence was of course -distinctly to the effect that death was complete; but, to -make assurance doubly sure, we had the temperature of -the room raised and the body carefully watched until -signs of decomposition had set in. I made a visit<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[191]</a></span> -myself on a succeeding day to assure myself of this -fact.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">INADEQUACY OF DIAPHANOUS TEST.</div> - -<p>“The results of these experimental tests were satisfactory, -as following and corroborating each other in eight -out of the ten different lines of procedure; but the point -of my paper is to show the utter inadequacy of the -diaphanous test, upon which some are inclined entirely -to rely. Sir Benjamin Richardson has reported an -instance in which the test applied to the hand of a -lady who had simply fainted gave no evidence of the -red line; she therefore, on that test alone, might have -been declared dead. In my case the reverse was -presented; the body was dead, whilst the red line -supposed to indicate life was perfectly visible. Hence -the test might possibly lead to a double error, and ought -never of itself to be relied upon.</p> - -<p>“It is a question worthy of consideration whether the -colouration observed was due to the fluid state of the -blood after death; it is not unreasonable to suppose so -but I prefer merely to offer the suggestion without -further comment.”</p> - -<p>Dr. Gannal, in his “Signes de la Mort,” p. 54, says:—</p> - -<p>“The loss of transparency of the fingers is an uncertain -sign, because with certain subjects it takes place some -time before death; next, because it does not always -occur in the corpse; and finally, because it exists under -certain circumstances in sick persons—in intermittent -fever, for example, when the skin loses colour, the hands -get cold, and the nails blue, as happens at the onset of -the fits.”</p> - -<p>Orfila, “Médicine Légale,” vol. i., p. 478, 4th edit., -observes:—</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[192]</a></span></p> - -<p>“This sign can be of no use, because it is easy to -prove that the fingers of corpses placed between the -eye and the flame of a candle are transparent, even -when this experiment is made one or two days after -death.”</p> - -<p>Sir Benjamin Ward Richardson read a paper before -the Medical Society of London on “The Absolute -Signs and Proofs of Death,” published (in 1889) in -No. 21 of the <i>Asclepiad</i>. The circumstance which -originated his investigation was a case of the revival -of an apparently dead child immediately before the -funeral. Dr. Richardson has seen persons apparently -dead, and presenting all the signs of death, but who -were really living. Amongst these he cites the following:—</p> - -<p>“A medical man found dead, as it was presumed, -from an excessive dose of chloral. To all common -observation this gentleman was dead. There was no -sign of respiration; it was very difficult for an ear so -long trained as my own to detect the sounds of the -heart; there was no pulse at the wrist, and the -temperature of the body had fallen to 97° Fahr. In -this condition the man had lain for some hours before -my arrival; and yet, under the simple acts of raising -the warmth of the room to 84° Fahr. and injecting -warm milk and water into the stomach, he rallied -slowly out of the sleep, and made a perfect recovery.”</p> - -<p>More remarkable is the case of a man struck by -lightning, details of which Sir Benjamin received, in -1869, from Dr. Jackson, of Somerby, Leicestershire.</p> - -<p>“The patient reached his home in a state of extreme -prostration, in which he lay for a time, and then sank<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[193]</a></span> -into such complete catalepsy that he was pronounced -to be dead, and heard the sound of his own passing -bell from the neighbouring church; by a desperate -attempt at movement of his thumbs he attracted the -attention of the women engaged about him, and, being -treated as one still alive, recovered, and lived for several -years afterwards, retaining in his memory the facts, and -relating them with the most consistent accuracy.”</p> - -<div class="sidenote">SIR B. W. RICHARDSON’S ENUMERATION.</div> - -<p>Medical practitioners tell us that the signs of death -are quite easy and impossible to mistake. Dr. Richardson, -who has had the best of reasons, as already shown, -for observation and investigation, holds a different -opinion, and enumerates the signs of death as follows:—</p> - -<p>(1) Respiratory failure, including absence of visible -movements of the chest, absence of the respiratory -murmur, absence of evidence of transpiration of water -vapour from the lungs by the breath.</p> - -<p>(2) Cardiac failure, including absence of arterial -pulsation, of cardiac motion, and of cardiac sounds.</p> - -<p>(3) Absence of turgescence or filling of the veins on -making pressure between them and the heart.</p> - -<p>(4) Reduction of the temperature of the body below -the natural standard.</p> - -<p>(5) Rigor mortis and muscular collapse.</p> - -<p>(6) Coagulation of the blood.</p> - -<p>(7) Putrefactive decomposition.</p> - -<p>(8) Absence of red colour in semi-transparent parts -under the influence of a powerful stream of light.</p> - -<p>(9) Absence of muscular contraction under the stimulus -of galvanism, of heat, and of puncture.</p> - -<p>(10) Absence of red blush of the skin after subcutaneous -injection of ammonia (Monteverdi’s test).</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[194]</a></span></p> - -<p>(11) Absence of signs of rust or oxidation of a bright -steel blade, after plunging it deep into the tissues. (The -needle test of Cloquet and Laborde.)</p> - -<p>Sir Benjamin sums up as follows:—</p> - -<p>“If all these signs point to death—if there be no -indications of respiratory function; if there be no signs -of movement of the pulse or heart, and no sounds of the -heart; if the veins of the hand do not enlarge on the -distal side of the fillet; if the blood in the veins -contains a coagulum; if the galvanic stimulus fails -to produce muscular contraction; if the injection of -ammonia causes a dirty brown blotch—the evidence may -be considered conclusive that death is absolute. If -these signs leave any doubt, or even if they leave no -doubt, one further point of practice should be carried -out. The body should be kept in a room, the temperature -of which has been raised to a heat of 84° Fahr., -with moisture diffused through the air; and in this -warm and moist atmosphere it should remain until -distinct indications of putrefactive decomposition have -set in.”</p> - -<p>Dr. Franz Hartmann, whose recent monograph<a name="FNanchor_15_15" id="FNanchor_15_15"></a><a href="#Footnote_15_15" class="fnanchor">[15]</a> has -excited much attention both in the English and -American Press, observes:—</p> - -<p>“Apparent death is a state that resembles real -death so closely that even the most experienced persons -believe such a person to be really dead. In many cases -not even the most experienced physician, coroner, or -undertaker can distinguish a case of apparent death<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[195]</a></span> -from real death, neither by external examination nor -by means of the stethoscope, nor by any of the various -tests which have been proposed by this or that writer, -for all those tests have been proved fallible, and it is -now useless to discuss them at length, because many of -the most experienced members of the medical profession -have already agreed that there is no certain sign that a -person is really and not apparently dead, except the -beginning of a certain stage of putrefaction. All other -tests ought to be set down as delusive and unreliable.”</p> - -<div class="sidenote">RULES FOR OFFICIAL INSPECTORS.</div> - -<p>In the Royal Decree issued by the Government for -examining the dead in Würtemberg, dated January 24, -1882 (<i>Dienst-Vorschriften für Leichenschäuer</i>, Stuttgart, -1885), various signs and experiments for enabling the -official inspector of deaths to ascertain if actual death -has taken place are laid down. Among these are:—</p> - -<p>(1) “The cessation of sensibility may be assumed if, -on raising the eyelid, the pupil remains unaltered when -a lighted candle is held close to it; or if pungent -odours, such as those derived from onions, vinegar, sal-ammoniac, -or severe friction of the chest, arms, or soles -of the feet, the application of mustard, or burning tinder, -or if sealing-wax dropped upon the chest produces no -reaction, and particularly if in the latter case the skin -does not blister.</p> - -<p>(2) “The stoppage of the circulation of the blood, -apart from the absence of heart beating, if, after tying a -tight bandage around the arm, the veins do not swell -up, upon the hands being firmly gripped; also if, upon -pricking the lips, no blood escapes; furthermore, if, on -holding the hand in front of a bright light (the diaphanous<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[196]</a></span> -test), the finger-tips are no longer translucent as in -the living.”</p> - -<p>Nor should the inspector ever neglect to examine the -heart to ascertain the complete absence of all sound, -and to test the absence of breath by other experiments.</p> - -<p>The rescript further adds that these experiments -“may not furnish absolute proof of death,” and describes -what further proceedings to institute. These -are referred to in this volume in the chapter devoted to -Death Certification.</p> - -<p>An editorial note in the <i>Lancet</i>, January 29, 1887, -p. 233, shows the difficulty of distinguishing real from</p> - -<p class="psh">APPARENT DEATH.</p> - -<p>“It was only last year that we commented in our -columns upon the ‘signs of death,’ drawing attention -to the more important criteria by which a skilful -observer may avoid mistaking cases of so-called suspended -animation from actual disease.<span class="sidenote">CASES FROM THE “LANCET.”</span> Quite recently -two instances have been recorded, in which, if report be -true, it would seem there is still room for maturing the -judgment upon the question herein raised. At Saumur -a young man afflicted with a contagious disease apparently -died suddenly. His body was enshrouded and -coffined, but as the undertaker’s men were carrying the -‘remains’ to their last resting-place they heard what -they believed to be a knocking against the coffin-lid, -and the sound was repeated in the grave. Instead of -testing at once the evidence of their senses, they, in -accordance with judicial custom, sent for the Mayor, -in whose presence the lid was removed from the coffin. -Whereupon, to the horror of the spectators, it was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[197]</a></span> -observed that the dead man had only just succumbed -to asphyxia. The above narrative seems on the face -of it too ghastly to be true, especially as the occupant -of the coffin must have been shut up in a space containing -oxygen in quantity totally inadequate to sustain -an approximation to ordinary breathing. But in cataleptic -and similar states the organic functions are -reduced to the lowest ebb, and history records several -instances in which, for a time at least, the determination -of the living state was a matter of uncertainty. In our -issue of the 15th inst., p. 129, the reader will find an -account of ‘Post-mortem Irritability of Muscle,’ in which -the phenomenon was manifested in a marked degree -two hours after death from a chronic wasting disorder—a -condition which favours early extinction of vital -action in muscle. It may be argued, then, with some -show of reasonableness, that it is quite possible for the -heart to stand still, as it were, and yet retain the power -of action, although experience tells us but little on the -question as regards the human subject. Experiments -on the lower animals, however, show that over-distension -of the right cavities of the heart causes cessation of -cardiac contraction, and that relief from the distension -may be followed by resumption of the function of contractibility. -It must not be forgotten that an analogous -condition is witnessed at times in patients suffering from -capillary bronchitis or other physical states underlying -acute distension of the right heart; for, in these cases, -venesection is not uncommonly instrumental in arresting -the rapidly failing cardiac contractions. The second case -of apparent death alluded to above happened in ‘the -land of big things.’ An inhabitant of Mount Joy,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">[198]</a></span> -Paramatta, was believed to be dead, and his supposed -remains were about to be committed to the earth, when -a mourning relative startled the bystanders by exclaiming, -‘I must see my father once more; something tells me -he is not dead.’ The coffin was taken from the grave -to the sexton’s tool-house, and there opened, and was -found to contain a living inmate, who justified the -presentiment of his son by ‘slowly recovering.’ As no -mention is made in either case of the period that elapsed -between the occurrence of apparent death and the body -being placed in the coffin, or of the time during which -the encasement lasted, special and minute criticism is -uncalled for. Enough has been said on the subject to -emphasize the exhortation, ‘Get knowledge, and with -all thy getting get understanding.’”</p> - -<p>The <i>British Medical Journal</i>, of September 28, 1895, -in a leading article on the “Signs of Death,” says:—</p> - -<p>“The question of the possibility of the interment of -living beings has recently been exercising the minds of -a portion of the public, whose fears have found expression -in a series of letters to some of the daily papers. -It is a matter of regret that so much irresponsible nonsense -and such hysterical outpourings should find a -place in the columns of our great daily press. No -attempt at the production of evidence in support of -their beliefs or fears has been made by the majority of -writers, whilst the cases mentioned by the few are either -the inventions of the credulous or ignorant, or are -destitute of foundation. It cannot be said that the few -medical men who have joined in this public correspondence -have either contributed any useful information or -have seriously attempted to allay the fears of the public.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">[199]</a></span> -One medical gentleman managed to earn for himself a -cheap notoriety by employing, with very scanty acknowledgment -of the source, copious extracts from Dr. Gowers’ -article on ‘Trance’ in Quain’s ‘Dictionary of Medicine.’</p> - -<p>“The possibility of apparent death being mistaken for -real death can only be admitted when the decision of -the reality of death is left to ignorant persons. We are -quite unprepared to admit the possibility of such a -mistake occurring in this country to a medical practitioner -armed with the methods for the recognition of -death that modern science has placed at his disposal. -Moreover, even by the ignorant the reality of death can -only be questioned during the period preceding putrefaction. -During this period various signs of death -appear which, taken collectively, allow of an absolute -opinion as to the reality of death being given. To each -of these, as a sign of death, exception may perhaps be -individually taken, but a medical opinion is formed from -a conjunction of these signs, and not from the presence -of an individual one.”</p> - -<p>The writer must surely have overlooked the able -treatises by Winslow, Kempner, Russell Fletcher, Hartmann, -Gannal, and others, supported by evidence in the -aggregate of thousands of cases of premature burial or -narrow escapes, or have forgotten the dreadful cases -which have appeared from time to time in the <span class="sidenote">THE “BRITISH MEDICAL JOURNAL.”</span> columns -of the <i>British Medical Journal</i> itself. Commenting -upon the case of a child nearly buried alive, this medical -authority in its issue of October 31, 1885, under the -head of “Death or Coma,” sensibly refers to some of the -difficulties in distinguishing apparent from real death as -follows:—</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">[200]</a></span></p> - -<p>“The close similarity which is occasionally seen to -connect the appearance of death with that of exhaustion -following disease, was lately illustrated in a somewhat -striking manner. An infant, seized with convulsions, -was supposed to have died about three weeks ago at -Stamford Hill. After five days’ interval, preparations -were being made for its interment, when, at the grave’s -mouth, a cry was heard to come from the coffin. The -lid was taken off, and the child was found to be alive, -was taken home, and is recovering. Such is the published -account of the latest recorded case of suspended -animation. We need not now attempt a dissertation on -the physical meaning of coma. It is well known that -this condition may last for considerable periods, and -may at times, <i>even to the practised eye</i>, wear very much -the same aspect as death. In the present instance, its -association with some degree of convulsion may easily -have been mistaken by relatives, dreading the worst, for -the rigid stillness of <i>rigor mortis</i>. This is the more -likely, since the latter state is apt to be a transient one -in infants, though it is said to be unusually well marked -in death from convulsions. One cannot, however, help -thinking that the presence of the various signs of death -was not, in this case, very carefully inquired into. It is -hardly possible that, had the other proofs as well as that -of stiffening been sought for, they would have been -missed. <i>It is true that hardly any one sign short of -putrefaction can be relied upon as infallible.</i> In actual -death, however, one may confidently reckon on the -co-existence of more than one of these. After a period -of five days, not one should have been wanting. Besides -<i>rigor mortis</i>, the total absence of which, even in forms of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[201]</a></span> -death which are said not to show it, we take leave to -doubt, the <i>post-mortem</i> lividity of dependent parts afford -sure proof, as its absence suggests a doubt, of death. -Then there is the eye, sunken, with glairy surface, flaccid -cornea, and dilated insensitive pupil. Most practitioners, -probably, are accustomed to rely upon stethoscopic -evidence of heart-action or respiration. These alone, -indeed, are almost always sufficient to decide the question -of vitality, if they be watched for during one or -two minutes. There is no information as to whether -the child so nearly buried alive was seen by a medical -man. It is difficult to believe that, if it had been, some -sign of life would not have been observed. Still, the -case is a teaching one, even for medical men, and warns -us to look for a combination of known tests where any -doubt exists as to the fact of death.” The italics are -ours.</p> - -<p>Prof. Alex. Wilder, M.D., in “Perils of Premature -Burial,” p. 20, says:—</p> - -<div class="sidenote">DR. ALEXANDER WILDER’S OPINION.</div> - -<p>“The signs of total extinction of life are not so unequivocal -as many suppose. Cessation of respiration -and circulation do not afford the entire evidence, for the -external senses are not sufficiently acute to enable us to -detect either respiration or circulation in the smallest -degree compatible with mere existence. Loss of heat -is by no means conclusive; for life may continue, and -recovery take place, when no perceptible vital warmth -exists.”</p> - -<p>M. B. Gaubert, in “Les Chambres Mortuaires -d’Attente,” p. 187, Paris, 1895, says:—</p> - -<p>“One of the most celebrated physicians of the Paris -hospitals, according to Dr. Lignières, declares that out<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">[202]</a></span> -of twenty certified deaths, one only presented indubitable -characteristics of absolute death.”</p> - -<p>The difficulty of diagnosis in many cases being -allowed renders the obligation and necessity for a -radical change in our methods of treating the supposed -dead a very urgent one. Medical writers, whilst admitting -the unsatisfactory nature of the current practice of -medical certification, allege that the remedy lies with -Parliament to make compulsory a personal medical -inspection of the dead, and to allow a fee as compensation -for the trouble. This, however, would be very far -from meeting the difficulty. How many general practitioners -would be willing to submit half-a-dozen, say, of -the eleven tests of death formulated by Sir Benjamin -Ward Richardson, in any given case, and if willing, how -many, having regard to the fact that these tests are not -taught in the Medical Schools, and form no part of the -usual medical curriculum, would be competent to make -them with the requisite skill? In most of the Continental -States there are State-appointed surgeons to -examine the dead, <i>médécins vérificateurs</i>, and in some of -these—Würtemburg, for instance—the official is obliged -to examine the corpse several times before his certificate -is made out. But notwithstanding this careful official -inspection, cases of premature burial and narrow escapes -are telegraphed by <i>Reuter</i> and <i>Dalziel</i> every now and -then to the English Press, as we have seen, and -additional details, with the names and addresses of -the victims, are furnished by responsible special -correspondents.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">CONFUSION OF MEDICAL OPINIONS.</div> - -<p>The best proof that one can give of the uncertainty of -the signs of death is the great divergence of opinion<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[203]</a></span> -amongst medical experts. Dr. Gannal, in “Signes de -la Mort,” Paris, 1890, p. 27, observes:—“If any of these -signs had presented characters of absolute certainty, it -is unquestionable that the unanimity of authors would -have recognised it; now, there is none. One sign -held to be good by some, is declared bad by others.” -Dr. Gannal affirms with iteration that there is only one -unequivocal sign and proof of dissolution—decomposition. -All authorities agree that whatever degree of -doubt attends the ordinary appearances of death, none -dispute that this amounts to a demonstration.</p> - -<p>When standing round the bed of a sick patient, -reduced to a state of coma or suspended animation, -to which death is the expected termination, as soon -as the doctor utters the fatal words “all is over,” no -one present thinks of doubting the verdict, or putting -it to the test. Mr. Clarke Irvine, who has had a wide -experience, writing in the <i>Banner of Light</i>, December -14, 1895, Boston, U.S., says:—</p> - -<p>“I have known of hundreds of deaths in my experience, -and never have I known of any instance -wherein a bystander has doubted save once, and then -the person supposed dead was revived, and is now living -out in Colorado. The mere accident of a stranger -coming in just previous to the enclosing in a coffin -prevented the man from the awful fate of burial alive, -so far as we can see.</p> - -<p>“In one other, the supposed dead man came to life -a little before the time set for his funeral, by the -accident of some one seizing hold of his foot: he is -still living, and a resident of this country. The case -was widely published in the newspapers after he was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[204]</a></span> -interviewed by a reporter in Chicago, where the rescued -man was visiting at the time of the great Fair. He is -known as Judge William Poynter. I saw him a few -days ago, and have heard him relate the experience.</p> - -<p>“The case of the little girl who was rescued while -the funeral was in progress, at St. Joseph, Missouri, I -have already contributed to <i>The Banner</i>. These people -were saved by a mere chance; how many have passed -underground forever, of whom nothing was ever suspected! -All through the country, people are dying or -apparently dying, or falling into death-like trances daily, -and being placed in their coffins <i>as a matter of course</i>, -and hurried to and into their graves, <i>as of course</i> also—and -in the very nature of things it must be and must -have been that hundreds upon hundreds have been and -are being consigned to that most awful of all the dooms -possible. The horror of the thing is simply unspeakable.”</p> - -<p class="psh">OFFICIAL REGULATIONS FOR THE PREVENTION OF -PREMATURE INTERMENT IN BAVARIA.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">BAVARIAN REGULATIONS.</div> - -<p>The following are extracts from the Police Regulations -for the inspection of the dead, and the prevention of -premature burial in Bavaria, and issued by the Royal -State-Ministry for Home affairs:—</p> - - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="pc1">§ 4.</p> - -<p>In public hospitals, penitentiaries, charitable or other similar -homes or institutions, the duty of inspection falls upon the -physician in chief.</p> - -<p>Outside these institutions the inspectors must be chosen, in the -first instance, from among physicians, after them surgeons, former -assistants of military hospitals, and lastly, in default of such, from -lay people. The latter must, however, be of undoubted respectability,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[205]</a></span> -and, before their appointment, must be properly instructed -by the district physician, and subjected from time to time to an -examination.</p> - -<p class="pc1">§ 6.</p> - -<p>As a rule the inspection of dead bodies must be made once if -by doctors, and twice if by laymen. In communities which possess -a mortuary a <i>second inspection</i> has to be made, even though the -regular inspection has previously been made by doctors or laymen.</p> - -<p class="pc1">§ 7.</p> - -<p>The first inspection has to be made as soon as possible after -death, and, where practicable, within twenty-four hours, and in -cases described under § 6, sec. 2, at least before removal of the -body to the mortuary.</p> - -<p>The second inspection must take place just before burial.</p> - -<p class="pc1">§ 8.</p> - -<p>The body, until the arrival of the Inspector, must be left in -an undisturbed position, with the face uncovered, and free from -closely-fitting garments.</p> - -<p>The instructions of the Inspector, for the resuscitation of a -body suspected of apparent death only, are to be followed most -strictly.</p> - -<p class="pc1">§ 9.</p> - -<p>The Inspector has to give a certificate of corpse inspection -confirmatory of his inspection, but he must only issue the same if -he has fully ascertained the actuality of death.</p> - -<p class="pc1">§ 10.</p> - -<p>(1) As a rule the bodies must not be interred before the lapse of -48 hours, but not later than 72 hours, after death.</p> - -<p>The Police Authorities may, however, at the recommendation of -the Corpse Inspector, exceptionally grant permission for the burial -before the expiration of 48 hours if a <i>post-mortem</i> dissection has -taken place, also if decomposition has set in, and if on account of -lack of room the body has to be preserved in an overcrowded -habitation.</p></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">[206]</a></span></p> - - -<p class="pind p1"><span class="smcap">Appendix</span> to the Police Instructions as to Corpse -Inspection and time of Burial, of 20th November, -1885.</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="pc1">I.</p> - -<p>The purpose of corpse inspection is to prohibit the concealment -of deaths by violent means or resulting from medical malpractices; -to detect infectious diseases, and the establishment of correct death -lists; and particularly <i>to prevent the burial of people only apparently -dead</i>. For this purpose each corpse is to be closely examined -on the first inspection as to any signs of death, both in the front -and the back of the body.</p> - -<p class="pc1">II.</p> - -<p>The Inspectors have primarily to establish the actuality of death -by observing and notifying all the symptoms accompanying or -following the decease.</p> - -<p>Indications of death may be noted:—</p> - -<p>(1) If there is no indication of any pulsation noticeable, either in -the region of the heart, at the neck, at the temples, or the forearm.</p> - -<p>(2) If the eyelids when pulled asunder remain open, and the -eyes themselves appear sunken into their sockets, dulled, and -lustreless, also if the eyeballs feel soft and relaxed.</p> - -<p>(3) If parts of the body are pale and cold, if chin and nose are -pointed, if cheeks and temples are sunken.</p> - -<p>(4) If the lower jaw hangs down and immediately drops again -if pushed up, or if the muscles feel hard and stiff (rigidity).</p> - -<p>(5) If the skin of the fingers held against one another, held -towards light, do not appear reddish.</p> - -<p>(6) If a feather or burning candle held against the mouth show -no sign of motion, or if there is no sign of moisture upon a looking-glass -held before the mouth.</p> - -<p>(7) If on different parts of the body, particularly the neck, back, -or posterior, or the undersurface of the extremities there are bluish-red -spots (death spots) visible.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[207]</a></span></p> - -<p>(8) If the skin, particularly at the sides of the stomach, show a -dirty-green discoloration (decomposition spots).</p> - -<p>The non-Medical Inspector has to observe at least all the -symptoms 1 to 4.</p> - -<p>In doubtful cases the Medical Inspectors are advised to test the -muscles and nerves by electric currents.</p> - -<p class="pc1">IV.</p> - -<p>If the inspection gives rise to suspicions of apparent death -(Scheintod), the inspector must (if he is not himself a doctor) -immediately call for the assistance of a practised physician, so as -to establish the actual condition, and to adopt the necessary -measures for resuscitation, as follows:—</p> - -<p>(1) Opening of the windows, and warming the room.</p> - -<p>(2) Efforts at artificial respiration.</p> - -<p>(3) Applications of warm mustard-plaisters to the chest and the -extremities.</p> - -<p>(4) Rubbing with soft brushes, with cloths saturated in vinegar, -or spirit of camphor, also with hot woollen cloths.</p> - -<p>(5) Irritation of the throat with a feather.</p> - -<p>(6) Smelling sal-ammoniac.</p> - -<p>(7) Dropping from time to time a few drops of “extract of balm” -or similar essences into the mouth.</p> - -<p>Unless medical aid has meanwhile arrived, the application of -these measures must be continued until the apparently dead comes, -back to life, and begins to swallow, in which case he ought to have -warm broth, tea, or wine, or until there is absolutely no doubt as -to the total ineffectiveness of all attempts at reanimation.</p></div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[208]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4">CHAPTER XIV.</h2> - -<p class="pch">DURATION OF DEATH-COUNTERFEITS.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">The</span> differences observed in the length of time that -persons have remained in this condition depended, -doubtless, upon the constitutional peculiarities of the -patients—such as strength or weakness—or upon the -nature of the disease from which they may have suffered. -Struve, in his Essay, pp. 34-98, says “that it depends -upon the proportion of vital power in the individual. -Hence children and young persons will endure longer -than the aged. Also upon the nature of the element in -which the accident happened, whether it contained -greater or less proportion of oxygenated or carbonic -acid gas, or other poisonous vapours. The latent vital -power seems to be much longer preserved when animation -has been suspended by cold. A man revived after -being under snow forty hours. Persons apparently dead -sometimes awake after an interval of seven days, as was -the case with Lady Russell.... In the female sex, -the suspension of vital power, spasms, fainting fits, etc., -originating from a hysterical, feeble constitution, are not -rare, nor is it improbable that the state of apparent -death may be of longer duration with them; nay, it may -be looked upon as a periodical disorder, in which all -susceptibility of irritation is extinguished.” Struve -further remarks, p. 98, “that the state in which the vital<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">[209]</a></span> -power is suspended, or in which there is a want of -susceptibility of stimuli, consists of infinite modifications, -from the momentary transient fainting fit, to a death-like -torpor of a day’s duration. The susceptibility of -irritation may be completely suppressed, and the -apparently dead may be insensible of the strongest -stimuli, such as the operation of the knife, and the -effects of a red-hot iron.”</p> - -<div class="sidenote">M. JOSAT’S OBSERVATIONS.</div> - -<p>M. Josat, in “De la Mort et de ses Caractères,” gives -the result of his own observations in one hundred and -sixty-two instances, in which apparent death lasted—</p> - -<table id="t03" summary="t03"> - - <tr> - <td class="tdrw">In</td> - <td class="tdlx">7</td> - <td class="tdcw">from</td> - <td class="tdrw">36</td> - <td class="tdcw">to</td> - <td class="tdrw">42</td> - <td class="tdcw">hours.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td rowspan="4"> </td> - <td class="tdlw">20</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">20</td> - <td class="tdc">to</td> - <td class="tdr">36</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl">47</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">15</td> - <td class="tdc">to</td> - <td class="tdr">20</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl">58</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">8</td> - <td class="tdc">to</td> - <td class="tdr">15</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl">30</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - <td class="tdr">2</td> - <td class="tdc">to</td> - <td class="tdr">8</td> - <td class="tdc">”</td> - </tr> - -</table> - -<p class="p1">The order of frequency of diseases in which these -occurred was as follows:—Asphyxia, hysteria, apoplexy, -narcotism, concussion of the brain, the cases of -concussion being the shortest.</p> - -<p>The length of time a person may live in the grave -will depend upon similar concomitant conditions; but -all things considered, a person buried while in a state of -trance, catalepsy, asphyxia, narcotism, nervous shock, -etc., and in any of the other states that cause apparent -death without passing through a course of disease, and -that occur during his or her usual health, will have a -longer struggle before life becomes extinct than one whose -strength had been exhausted by an attack of sickness. -Estimates of the duration of such a struggle differ considerably. -Some writers believe that “however intense,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">[210]</a></span> -it must be short-lived.” As to the prolongation of the -horrible suffering incident to such tragic occurrences, -Dr. Léonce Lénormand, in his “Des Inhumations -Précipitées,” pp. 2-4, observes—“It is a mistake to think -that a living person, enclosed in a narrow box, and -covered with several feet of earth, would succumb to -immediate asphyxiation.”<a name="FNanchor_16_16" id="FNanchor_16_16"></a><a href="#Footnote_16_16" class="fnanchor">[16]</a></p> - -<p>Dr. Charles Londe, in his “La Mort Apparent,” -remarks:—“It has been calculated that, after one -quarter of the quantity of atmospheric air contained in -the coffin—approximately estimated at one hundred -and twenty litres—was exhausted, death would set in;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[211]</a></span> -therefore, it is quite certain that, if the shroud is thick, -and the coffin well closed, and the grave impenetrable to -the atmosphere, life could not last more than forty to -sixty minutes after inhumation. But is not that a -century of torture?”</p> - -<p>Some allowance should be made for the persistence of -the vital energy, which continues after all atmospheric -air is cut off. “Experiments on dogs show that the -average duration of the respiratory movements after the -animal has been deprived of air is four minutes five -seconds. The duration of the heart’s action is seven -minutes eleven seconds. The average of the heart’s -action after the animal has ceased to make respiratory -efforts is three minutes fifteen seconds. These experiments -further showed that a dog may be deprived of -air during three minutes fifty seconds, and afterwards -recover without the application of artificial means.”<a name="FNanchor_17_17" id="FNanchor_17_17"></a><a href="#Footnote_17_17" class="fnanchor">[17]</a></p> - -<div class="sidenote">PERSISTENCE OF LIFE.</div> - -<p>Prof. P. Brouardel, M.D., Paris, in “La Morte Subité,” -p. 35, observes that:—“A dog, placed in a common -coffin, lived five to six hours; but a dog occupies less -room than a man, who, in such a coffin, when closed, -would not have more than one hundred litres, so he -would possibly live twenty minutes. I would not wish -anybody to pass twenty such cruel minutes.”</p> - -<p>“Mr. Bernard, a skilful surgeon of Paris, certified that, -in the parish of Riol, he himself, and several other -bystanders, saw a monk of the Order of St. Francis, who -had been buried for three or four days, taken from his -grave breathing and alive, with his arms lacerated near<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">[212]</a></span> -the swathes employed to secure them; but he died -immediately after his releasement. This gentleman -also asserts that a faithful narrative of so memorable -an accident was drawn up by public authority, and that -the raising of the body was occasioned by a letter written -from one of the monk’s friends, in which it was affirmed -that he was subject to paroxysms of catalepsy.”—<i>The -Uncertainty of the Signs of Death, by Surgeon M. Cooper. -Dublin, 1748.</i></p> - -<p>In a volume, entitled “Information Relative to Persons -who have been Buried Alive,” by Heinrich Friedrich -Köppen, Halle, 1799, dedicated to Frederick William -III., King of Prussia, and Louise, Queen of Prussia, -are the nine following amongst many other cases:—</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="p1">“<i>England.</i>—Lady Russell, wife of a colonel in the army, was -considered dead, and only through the tender affection of her -husband was she saved from living burial. He would not allow -her to be taken away until decomposition would absolutely force -him to do so. After seven days, however, in the evening, when -the bells were ringing, the faithful husband had the triumph to see -her eyes open and her return to full consciousness.”</p> - -<p>“<i>Halle, Germany.</i>—Medical Professor Junker, in Halle, a very -humane man, had a corpse of a suicide—by hanging—delivered -for dissection at his college. He was placed on a table in -the dissecting room, and covered with a cloth. About midnight, -while the professor was sitting at his writing-table in an adjoining -room, he heard a great noise in the dissecting room, and fearing -that cats were gnawing at the corpses, he went out, and saw the -cloth in a disturbed condition, and on lifting it up found the corpse -missing. As all the doors and windows were closed, he searched -the room, and found the missing one crouching in a corner, -trembling with cold, in the terror of death. He besought the -professor for mercy, help, and means for escape, as he was a -deserter from the army, and he would be severely punished if -caught. After consideration the kind professor clothed him, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">[213]</a></span> -took him out of town at night as his own servant—passing the -guards—pretending to be on a professional visit, and set him free -in the country. Years afterwards he met the same man in Hamburg -as a prosperous merchant.”</p> - -<p>“<i>Leipsic.</i>—The wife of the publisher, Mathäus Hornisch, died, -and, according to the custom of the times, the coffin was opened -before being put into the ground. The grave-digger noticed golden -rings on her fingers, and in the following night went to the grave -to steal them—which he found was not easy to do—when suddenly -she drew back her arm. The robber ran away frightened, -leaving his lantern at the grave. The woman recovered, but -could not make out where she was, and cried for help. No one -heard her; so she got out of the grave, took the lantern, and went -to her home. Knocking at the door, the servant called to know -who it was. She replied, “Your mistress. Open the door; I -am cold, and freezing to death.” The master was called; and -happily she was restored to her home again, where she lived for -several years longer.”</p> - -<p>“<i>Pavese, Italy, 1787.</i>—A clergyman was buried, and noises were -heard in his grave afterwards. Upon opening the grave and the -coffin, the man was found alive, and violently trembling with fright.”</p> - -<p>“<i>Paris, 1787.</i>—A carpenter was buried, noises were heard proceeding -from his grave, and upon opening it he was found to be -breathing. He was taken to his home, where he recovered.”</p> - -<div class="sidenote">DR. KÖPPEN’S CASES.</div> - -<p>“<i>Stadamhof, 1785.</i>—A young, healthy girl, on the way to a -wedding, had an apoplectic stroke, as it was thought, and fell as if -dead. The following day she was buried. The grave-digger, who -was occupied near her grave that night, heard noises in it, and -being superstitious ran home in fright. The following morning -he returned to finish a grave he was digging, and heard the -whining again from the girl’s grave. He called for help, the grave -was opened, when they found the girl turned over, her face -scratched and bloody, her fingers bitten, and her mouth full of -blood. She was dead, with evidences of most dreadful suffering.”</p> - -<p>“<i>France.</i>—Madame Lacour died after a long sickness, and was -buried in a vault of a church, with all her jewels on. Her maid -and the sexton opened the coffin the following night to steal the -jewellery, when some hot wax from the candle they were using<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">[214]</a></span> -fell on the woman’s face and woke her up. The robbers fled in -fright, and the woman went back to her home. She lived many -years afterwards, and had a son who became a priest, who in -turn—inheriting his mother’s nature—underwent a fate similar to -her own.”</p> - -<p>“<i>Lyons, France.</i>—The wife of a merchant died. Two days after -her seeming death, and just before the time set for her burial, -her husband, who, it seems, had some doubts as to her death, had -her taken from the coffin, and had a scarifier used in cupping -applied in twenty-five places without bringing any blood, but the -twenty-sixth application brought her to consciousness with a -scream, and she recovered completely.”</p> - -<p>“<i>Cadillac.</i>—A woman had been buried in the morning. In the -following morning whining was heard in her grave. It was opened, -and the woman was found still alive, but she had mutilated half of -her right arm and the whole hand. She was finally restored.”</p></div> - -<p class="p1">The <i>Spectator</i>, October 11, 1895, publishes particulars -of a recent case of recovery, after three days’ interment, -in Ireland. See pp. 111, 112 in this volume.</p> - -<p>Köppen’s investigations led him to observe that—“Human -life may appear to come to a stop, and no one -can say it will not go on again, if time enough is allowed -for it to do so. This even the most learned in medicine -cannot explain away or deny; and the greatest precaution -should be taken before death is declared to exist.”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[215]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4">CHAPTER XV.</h2> - -<p class="pch">THE TREATMENT OF THE DEAD.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">The</span> following extracts from French, English, and -American authorities, who have made the subject of premature -burial one of patient research, show how the dead, -or apparently dead, were treated in their respective -countries at the time they wrote, and when no reforms had -been instituted. Buffon, who wrote more than a century -ago, said:—“Life often very nearly resembles death. -Neither ten, nor twenty, nor twenty-four hours are sufficient -to distinguish real from apparent death. There are -instances of persons who have been alive in the grave at -the end of the second, and even the third day. Why, -then, suffer to be interred so soon those whose lives we -ardently wished to prolong? Most savages pay more -attention to deceased friends and relatives, and regard -as the first duty what is but a ceremony with us. -Savages respect their dead, clothe them, speak to them, -recite their exploits, extol their virtues; while we, who -pique ourselves on our feelings, do not show common -humanity; we forsake and fly from our dead. We -have neither courage to look upon or speak to -them; we avoid every place which can recall their -memory.”</p> - -<p>In his “History of the Modes of Interment among -Different Nations,” pp. 191-193, Mr. G. A. Walker, -surgeon, quotes the following observations, as deserving<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">[216]</a></span> -consideration on the subject of premature interment:—“On -many occasions, in all places, too much precipitation -attends this last office; or, if not precipitation, a neglect -of due precautions in regard to the body in general; -indeed, the most improper treatment that can be -imagined is adopted, and many a person is made to -descend into the grave before he has sighed his last -breath. Ancient and modern authors leave us no doubt -respecting the dangers or misconduct of such precipitation. -It must appear astonishing that the attention of -mankind has been, after all, so little aroused by an idea the -most terrible that can be conceived on this side eternity. -According to present usage, as soon as the semblance -of death appears, the chamber of the sick is deserted by -friends, relatives, and physicians; and the apparently -dead, though frequently living, body is committed to -the management of an ignorant and unfeeling nurse, -whose care extends no further than laying the limbs -straight, and securing her accustomed perquisites. The -bed-clothes are immediately removed, and the body is -exposed to the air. This, when cold, must extinguish -any spark of life that may remain, and which, by a -different treatment, might have been kindled into flame; -or it may only continue to repress it, and the unhappy -person afterwards revive amidst the horrors of the -tomb.</p> - -<p>“The difference between the end of a weak life and -the commencement of death is so small, and the uncertainty -of the signs of the latter is so well established, -that we can scarcely suppose undertakers capable of -distinguishing an apparent from a real death. Animals -which sleep in the winter show no signs of life. In<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">[217]</a></span> -this case, circulation is only suspended; but were it -annihilated, the vital spark does not so easily lose its action -as the fluids of the body, and the principle of life, which -long survives the appearance of death, may re-animate a -body in which the action of all the organs seems to be -at an end. But how difficult it is to determine whether -this principle may not be revived.... Coldness, -heaviness of the body, a leaden, livid colour, with a -yellowness in the visage, are all very uncertain signs. -M. Zimmermann observed them all upon the body of a -criminal, who fainted through dread of that punishment -which he had merited. He was shaken, dragged about, -and turned in the same manner as dead bodies are, -without the least signs of resistance, and yet, at the end -of twenty-four hours, he was recalled to life by means of -the volatile alkali.” Mr. Walker’s history was written -nearly sixty years ago, but the custom he deprecates -still continues.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">IN THE UNITED STATES.</div> - -<p>Dr. Moore Russell Fletcher, in his “Suspended Animation -and Restoration,” Boston, 1890, p. 19, speaking -of the treatment of the dead in the United States, -says:—“It is doubtful whether modern civilisation has -much advanced the rites of burial, or the means of -preventing interment before positive death. The practice -now is, as soon as apparent death takes place, to -begin at once preparing the body for burial; the -relatives and physician desert the room, pack it in ice or -open the windows, thus banishing any possible chance -of reviving or resuscitating any spark of vitality which -may exist. No examination is ever made by the -physician or the friends to see if there are even the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">[218]</a></span> -faintest signs of life present. Under such circumstances, -and with no attempts made at discovering -whether any signs of life were still present (but a hasty -burial instead), it is not strange that cases of premature -interment frequently occur.”</p> - -<p>The Rev. Walter Whiter, in his “Dissertation on the -Disorder of Death,” 1819, p. 328, sensibly observes:—“The -signs marked on the dying and the dead are -fallacious. The dying man may be the sinking man, -exhausted by his malady, or perhaps exhausting his -malady, and fainting under the conflict. Exert all the -arts which you possess, and which have been found not -only able to resuscitate and restore the dying, but even -the dead; rouse him from this perilous condition, and -suffer him not, by your supineness and neglect, to pass -into a state of putrefactive death.” And in p. 363:—“If -the humane societies had applied the same methods -in various cases of natural death which they have -adopted in the case of drowning, and if they had -obtained a similar success in the cultivation of their -art, the gloom of the bed of death would be brightened -with cheering prospects, and would have become the -bed of restoration and the scene of hope.”</p> - -<div class="sidenote">AN OPENING FOR THE PROFESSION.</div> - -<p>In this connection we may remark that no profession -is more overcrowded at the present time than that of -medicine, particularly in the United Kingdom, the -English Colonies, and the United States. Hundreds -of young men graduate from medical colleges every -year, vainly seeking openings for a practice; and some, -for the purpose of gaining a livelihood, resort to -expedients which the <i>Lancet</i> denounces as undignified,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">[219]</a></span> -unprofessional, and disgraceful.<a name="FNanchor_18_18" id="FNanchor_18_18"></a><a href="#Footnote_18_18" class="fnanchor">[18]</a> Then, again, the -number of nurses and of those qualifying for this -honourable vocation is already in excess of the -demand, and nursing institutions under the keen competition -to which they are subjected, are reducing their -charges. Now, the care and treatment of the supposed -dead is an honourable vocation, offering a wide field for -the instructed physician and the tender and sympathetic -nurse, and if the appliances for resuscitation were always -at hand, as they should be, in every hospital, town-hall, -mortuary, police station, and in all large hotels and -churches, many lives now subjected to the risks of -premature burial would be saved. While in London -there are two or more houses or retreats for the -dying, there is no place for the apparently dead but -a shunned and neglected coffin. The time is not far -distant when the present mode of treating the dead -and the apparently dead—a practice born of superstition -and fear, by which many are consigned to -premature graves—will be catalogued amongst the -barbarisms of the nineteenth century.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220">[220]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4">CHAPTER XVI.</h2> - -<p class="pch">NUMBER OF CASES OF PREMATURE BURIAL.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Those</span> interested in the movement, if we are right in -designating the widespread feeling of discontent by this -name, are occasionally asked if the cases of premature -burial are numerous, and what estimates, if any, have -been made of them. We have no means of answering -these queries. We do not even know the percentage of -people who are subject to trance, catalepsy, shocks, -stroke of lightning, syncope, exhausting lethargy, excessive -opium-eating, or other diseases or conditions which -produce the various death-counterfeits. Personal inquiries -over a considerable portion of Europe, America, -and the East prove that such cases are by no means of -infrequent occurrence, and this is the deliberate conclusion -of nearly all the authorities cited in this volume.</p> - -<p>Dr. Chambers wrote in 1787—“Every age and country -affords instances of surprising recoveries, after lying -long for dead. From the number of those preserved by -lucky accidents, we may conclude a far greater number -might have been preserved by timely pains and skill.”—<i>Cited -in Mort Apparente et Mort Réelle, p. 17.</i></p> - -<p>In his introduction to the work above cited, “Information -Relative to Persons who have been Buried Alive,” by -Henrich Friedrich Köppen, Halle, 1799, the author -says:—“General Staff Medical Officer, D. O. in D., states -that, in his opinion, one third of mankind are buried<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221">[221]</a></span> -alive.” This estimate is very obviously exaggerated, -although many trustworthy experiences prove that a -certain number of those who die have returned to consciousness -in their graves. A great many are buried -alive from ignorance of their relatives, who mistake -coldness of the body, stoppage of the pulse and breathing, -the colour of death, spots of discolouration, a -certain odour, and stiffness of the limbs—which are -only deceptive signs, not the signs of real death.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">DR. HUFELAND’S ADVICE.</div> - -<p>The very respectable Dr. Hufeland says:—“One cannot -be too careful in deciding as to life or death, therefore I -always advise a delay of the funeral as long as possible, -so as to make all certain as to death. No wonder when -those who are buried alive, and who undergo indescribable -torture, condemn those who have been dearest to -them in life. They will have to undergo slow suffocation, -in furious despair, while scratching their flesh to -pieces, biting their tongues, and smashing their heads -against their narrow houses that confine them, and -calling to their best friends, and cursing them as murderers. -The dead should not be buried before the -fourth day; we even have examples that prove that -eight days or a fortnight is too soon—as there have -been revivals as late as that. I say every one should -respect those who only seem to be dead. They should -be treated gently, and kept in a warm bed for thirty-six -hours.”</p> - -<p>Mr. John Snart, in his “Thesaurus,” pp. 27, 28, London, -1817, says:—“The number of dreadful catastrophes, -arising from premature interment, ... -that have been <i>discovered</i> only, or have transpired to -man, <i>above ground</i>, both in ancient and modern times,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">[222]</a></span> -conveys to every reflecting mind the fearful thought -that they are but a <i>sample</i> (per synecdochen) out of such -an incalculable host, perhaps one in a thousand.”</p> - -<p>Professor Froriép, quoted in Kempner’s volume, says -that—“In 1829, arrangements were made at the cemetery, -New York, so as to bury the corpses in such -manner as not to prevent them communicating with the -outside world, in case any should have awakened to -life; and among twelve hundred persons buried six -came to life again.” In Holland, the same author states, -of a thousand cases investigated, five came to life before -burial or at the grave. The Rev. J. G. Ouseley, in his -pamphlet on “Earth to Earth Burial,” London, 1895, -estimates “that two thousand seven hundred persons at -least, in England and Wales, are yearly consigned to a -living death, the most horrible conceivable.”</p> - -<p>The Rev. Walter Whiter, in the “Disorder of Death,” -1819, p. 362, calls attention to one of the reports (of -Humane Societies) where the following passage occurs: -“Monsieur Thieurey, Doctor Regent of the Faculty -of Paris, is of opinion that one third, or perhaps half, of -those who die in their beds are not actually dead when -they are buried. He does not mean to say that so great -a number would be restored to life. In the intermediate -state, which reaches from the instant of apparent death -to that of total extinction of life, the body is not -insensible to the treatment it receives, though unable to -give any signs of sensibility.”</p> - -<p>Maximilian Misson, in his “Voyage Through Italy,” -vol. i., letter 5, tells us “that the number of persons who -have been interred as dead, when they were really alive, -is very great, in comparison with those who have been,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">[223]</a></span> -happily, rescued from their graves.” He then proceeds -to substantiate his statement by the recital of cases.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">VARIOUS ESTIMATES.</div> - -<p>Dr. Léonce Lénormand, in his able treatise, “Des -Inhumations Précipitées,” has given his deliberate -opinion that a thousandth part of the human race have -been, and are, for want of knowledge, annually buried -alive. This we regard as an under, rather than an overestimate.</p> - -<p>M. Le Guern, in his “Danger des Inhumations -Précipitées,” which has passed through several editions, -declares that he has personally met with forty-six cases -of premature burial in twelve years. He devoted thirty -years to the study of the facts, and collected a list of -two thousand three hundred and thirteen cases from -various sources. He estimates the number of premature -burials in France at two per thousand.</p> - -<p>On February 27, 1866, the petition of M. Cornot was -presented to the French Senate by M. de la Gueronnière, -stating that a comparatively large number of persons -are annually buried alive, which he supported by -statistics. The author has tried to procure a copy of -this petition, but these documents are not published by -the State department.</p> - -<p>The following appears in the <i>Lancet</i>, June 14, 1884, -p. 1104:—</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="pc1">“BURIED ALIVE.</p> - -<p>“Sir,—That this is an incident that does happen, and -frequently has happened, has for some years past been -my firm conviction; and during epidemics, particularly -in the East, its possible contingency has frequently -caused me much anxiety; and when the burial has, for -sanitary reasons, had to be very hurried, I always made<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224">[224]</a></span> -it a rule to withhold my certificate unless I had personally -inspected the body and assured myself of the -fact of death.</p> - -<p>“The reason and necessity for extreme caution in -such matters were impressed vividly upon me some -years ago, when visiting the crypt of the cathedral at -Bordeaux, where two bodies were shown, to whom, I -think it obvious, this most terrible of all occurrences -must have happened; and I am unable to attribute the -position in which they were found in their coffins, and -the look of horror which their faces still displayed, to -any action of <i>rigor mortis</i> or any other <i>post-mortem</i> -change, but simply and solely to their having awakened -to a full appreciation of their most awful position. In -the case of one of these bodies, which was found lying -on its side, the legs were drawn up nearly to a level -with the abdomen, and the arms were in such a position -as to convey the impression that both they and the legs -had been used in a desperate, but futile, attempt to -push out the side of the coffin; whilst the look of horror -remaining on the face was simply indescribable. In the -other case, the body was found lying on its face, the -arms extended above the head, as if attempting to push -out the top of the coffin. In the year 1870 these two -bodies were still on view; and the attendants used to -dwell at some length upon the horrors of being interred -alive. It appears that some years prior to 1870, in -making excavations in a church-yard in the immediate -vicinity of the cathedral, the workmen came upon a belt -of ground that apparently was impregnated with some -antiseptic material, as all the bodies within this belt, to -the number of about two hundred, were found to be almost<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225">[225]</a></span> -as perfect as when they were buried; of these a selection -appears to have been made; and at the time I mention -about thirty or forty were exhibited, propped up on iron -frames, in the crypt of the cathedral. The impression -left on my mind at the time was that; if out of two -hundred bodies so discovered there could be two in -which, to say the least, there is a strong probability of -live interment, this awful possibility was a thing that -should receive more attention than is generally devoted -to it.—I am, Sir, your obedient servant,</p> - -<p class="pr2">“H. S.</p> - -<p>“Bayswater, June 10, 1884.”</p></div> - -<p class="p1">Protests against the present state of the law in France -are very frequent. M. Gaubert in “Les Chambres -Mortuaires d’Attente,” page 80, says: “During the -monarchy of July petitions have not ceased to come in -from all parts of France to the Chamber of Deputies.” -<span class="sidenote">PROTESTS OF GENERAL COUNCILS.</span>For a great number of years, said the Deputy Varin, -in the sitting of April 10, 1847, every year petitions -having the same object (the prevention of premature -burial) are presented to the Chambers and referred to -the Ministry. What has been done, however? Nothing! -Again M. Gaubert in p. 88, referring to resolutions of the -General Councils of the Departments, observes: “That -under the movement of protest, which we are examining -and find particularly serious, is shown the widespread -character which it assumes. It is, indeed, from all parts -of France, and under every form, that the sad complaints -of the public (for the prevention of premature -burial) arrive at the office of the Minister of the Interior. -Those protests adopted by the General Councils (of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226">[226]</a></span> -Departments) were not the less numerous nor the less -conspicuous in important places. Many of those who -take the trouble to petition or draw up resolutions have -been prompted to action by melancholy experience of -such catastrophes in their own families.”</p> - -<p>M. Gaubert in “Les Chambres Mortuaires d’Attente” -(Paris, 1895), pp. 193-195, says that in France there are -in round numbers thirty-six thousand Communes, and -it is beyond doubt that in every one of these will be -found cases of premature burial. Communes with a population -of eight hundred have even several. Dr. Pineau has -recorded twelve in the single Commune of Fontenay-le-Comte -in Poitou. In the large towns, especially in those -which have great hospitals, the proportion is more considerable. -In Paris, Dr. Rousseau, verificateur of the -dead, in 1853 wrote: “Le médecin n’est jamais appelé -que pour constater la mort apparente.” M. Gaubert -declares that he would not be far from the truth in estimating -the number of victims to apparent death at eight -thousand a year, and asks if France be so rich in population -as to be able to pay such an enormous tribute. Dr. -Josat, lauréat de l’Institut, declares that a considerable -number of people refuse to visit France through fear -that they might be overtaken by apparent death and -precipitately buried alive.</p> - -<p>The <i>Undertakers’ Journal</i>, July 22, 1889, the editor -of which has exceptional opportunities of knowing the -true facts, observes: “It has been proved beyond all -contradiction that there are more burials alive than is -generally supposed. Stories of these cases are numerous. -Five cases are reported on p. 85 of this same -issue, one the wife of a well-known tradesman at St.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227">[227]</a></span> -Leonards, medically pronounced dead, but who revived -before it was too late. Many undertakers could -describe similar experiences.”</p> - -<div class="sidenote">OPINIONS OF DRS. CHEW AND HARTMANN.</div> - -<p>Dr. Roger S. Chew, of Calcutta, in reply to the -author’s inquiries while in India in the early part of the -year (1896) says: “There are hundreds of instances on -record where from some cause, as syncope, shock, -chloroform, hysteria, or other condition not clearly -understood, the powers of life assumed a static condition -in which oxidation was completely arrested, -carbonification was held in abeyance, and nitrification -maintained at positive rest, with the consequence that -the vital functions have passed into a condition of -hibernation or apparent death so closely simulating -real or absolute death as to render differential diagnosis -an almost impossibility, and to lead to the interment -or cremation while yet alive of a body apparently -dead.”</p> - -<p>Dr. Franz Hartmann, of Hallein, Austria, whose -book, “Buried Alive,” is now being translated into -French, has collected seven hundred cases of premature -burial and narrow escapes, several of which have occurred -in his own neighbourhood, and is of opinion that -the actual danger to every member of the human -family is of serious proportions, and that the subject -should not be trifled with. He is a strong advocate -for cremation as offering the easiest practical method of -prevention.</p> - -<p>It will have been noticed that whenever the subject -of premature burial has been introduced in an influential -journal published in England, the United States, or the -Continent, one contribution follows another in quick<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228">[228]</a></span> -succession, by persons furnishing particulars of cases of -trance, catalepsy, and of narrow escapes from living -burial. The Paris <i>Figaro</i> opened its columns two years -ago for this subject, and in fifteen days received four -hundred letters from all parts of France. When we -consider that nearly all the reported cases of resuscitation -have come about spontaneously and independently -of human intervention, it becomes evident, owing to our -ignorance and apathy, that cases of premature burial -are far from infrequent, and our church-yards and -cemeteries, like those examined by Dr. Thouret in -Paris, are probably the silent witnesses of unnumbered -unspeakable tragedies. Immediate legislation is called -for to remedy a national evil, and to remove the feeling -of disquietude which extensively prevails.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_229" id="Page_229">[229]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4">CHAPTER XVII.</h2> - -<p class="pch">EMBALMING AND DISSECTIONS.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">An</span> intelligent and observing correspondent writes to -the author that “under the prevailing custom of embalming -in vogue in the United States, it is almost -impossible to have a living burial, as the injection of -the fluids used in the operation would prevent revival -and make death certain. Of course, the class denominated -‘poor folks,’ who cannot afford this security, -have to take their chances with the mysteries of trance -and other forms of apparent death, as well as with -ignorance, indifference, and unseemly haste, that seem -to encompass a man at a time when he is in need of -the most considerate care.”</p> - -<p>Embalming is no doubt preferable, as was thought -by the late Lady Burton, to the risks, prevailing in -almost all countries, of burial before careful medical -examination, for the reason that it is better to be killed -outright by the embalmer’s poisonous injections, or even -to come to life under the scalpel of the anatomist, than -to recover underground. A leading New York investigator -has openly declared his belief that a considerable -number of human beings (supposed by their relatives to -be dead, but who are really only in a state of death -trance) are annually killed in America by the embalming -process.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230">[230]</a></span></p> - -<p class="psh">EMBALMING.</p> - -<p>In the second edition of Dr. Curry’s “Observations -on Apparent Death,” 1815, p. 105, the case is cited of -William, Earl of Pembroke, who died April 10, 1630. -When the body was opened in order to be embalmed, -he was observed, immediately after the incision was -made, to lift up his hand.</p> - -<p>F. Kempner, in “Denkschrift,” p. 6, says:—</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="p1">“Owing to some great mental excitement, the Cardinal Spinosa -fell into a state of apparent death. He was declared to be dead -by his physicians, and they proceeded to open his chest for the -purpose of embalming his body. When the lungs were laid open, -the heart began to beat again; the cardinal returned to consciousness, -and was just able to grasp the knife of the surgeon when he -fell back and died in reality.”<a name="FNanchor_19_19" id="FNanchor_19_19"></a><a href="#Footnote_19_19" class="fnanchor">[19]</a></p></div> - -<p class="p1">The <i>Journal de Rouen</i>, Aug. 5th, 1837, relates the -following:—</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<div class="sidenote1">PREMATURE EMBALMENT.</div> - -<p class="p1">“Cardinal Somaglia was seized with a severe illness, from -extreme grief; he fell into a state of syncope, which lasted so long -that the persons around him thought him dead. Preparations -were instantly made to embalm his body, before the putrefactive -process should commence, in order that he might be placed in a -leaden coffin, in the family vault. The operator had scarcely -penetrated into his chest when the heart was seen to beat. The -unfortunate patient, who was returning to his senses at that -moment, had still sufficient strength to push away the knife of -the surgeon, but too late, for the lung had been mortally wounded, -and the patient died in a most lamentable manner.”</p></div> - -<p class="p1">Dr. Hartmann in “Premature Burial,” p. 80, says:—</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_231" id="Page_231">[231]</a></span></p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“The celebrated actress Mlle. Rachel died at Paris, on 4th -January, 1858. After the process of embalming her body had -already begun, she awoke from her trance, but died ten hours -afterwards owing to the injuries that had been inflicted upon -her.”</p> - -<p class="p1">The <i>Celestial City</i>, New York, June 15, 1889, records:—</p> - - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="pc1">“MRS. BISHOP’S EXPERIENCE.</p> - -<p>“Mrs. Eleanor Fletcher Bishop, the mother of the celebrated mind-reader, -has a thrilling experience of her own regarding the horrors of -being railroaded into the grave. Anent the unseemly haste exercised -by the doctors who made the autopsy on her son, the old lady stated -what terrible perils she at one time barely escaped. ‘I am subject -to the same cataleptic trances in which my boy often fell,’ said -Mrs. Bishop. ‘One can see and hear everything, but speech and -movement are paralyzed. It is horrible. For six days, some years -ago, I was in a trance, and saw arrangements being made for my -funeral. Only my brother’s determined resistance prevented them -from embalming me, and I lay there and heard it all. On the -seventh day I came to myself, but the agony I endured left its -mark forever.’”</p></div> - -<p class="p1">Dr. P. J. Gibbons, M.A., says:—</p> - -<p class="p1">“In my mind there is no doubt that bodies in which -life is not extinct are embalmed. To prevent the embalming -of live bodies in cases where doubt exists, my -method for resuscitation should be resorted to. If -success does not follow, death has taken place. When -one in whom the vital spark may possibly not yet have -fled is found, two objects should be aimed at, viz., first, -to restore breathing, and, second, to promote warmth -and circulation.”—<i>The Casket</i>, Rochester, New York, -April 1, 1895.</p> - -<p>The Select Committee of the House of Commons -appointed in 1893 to enquire into the subject of Death<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232">[232]</a></span> -Certification, suggests in their report that in all cases -where it is desired to embalm a dead body an authorisation -should be obtained from the Home Secretary. -This is probably intended to prevent concealing cases -of death by poisoning. The Select Committee might -very well have extended its recommendations to the -need of verifying the death before the embalmer was -allowed to exercise his art on the subject. Legislation -in the United States, where embalming is extensively -practised among well-to-do people, is a matter of urgent -necessity. The author is aware of only one town where -the city ordinance enforces such verification before -permitting burial.</p> - -<p>Mr. M. Cooper, surgeon, in his admirable little volume -“The Uncertainty of the Signs of Death,” London, -1746, p. 196, observes that “those who are dissected -run no risk of being interred alive. The operation is an -infallible means to secure them from so terrible a fate. -This is one advantage which persons dissected have -over those who are, without any further ceremony, shut -up in their coffins.”</p> - -<div class="sidenote">PREMATURE AUTOPSIES.</div> - -<p>The following from Ogston’s <i>Medical Jurisprudence</i>, -p. 370, is a case in point (quoted by the <i>Lancet</i>):—“In -October, 1840, a servant girl, who had retired to bed -apparently in perfect health, was found the following -morning, as it appeared, dead. A surgeon who was -called pronounced her to have been dead for some -hours. A coroner’s inquest was summoned for four -o’clock, and the reporter and the surgeon who had been -called in to the girl were ordered to inspect the body -previous to its sitting. On proceeding to the house for -this purpose at two o’clock, the inspectors found the girl<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_233" id="Page_233">[233]</a></span> -lying in bed in an easy posture, her face pallid, but -placid and composed, as if she were in a deep sleep, -while the heat of the body had not diminished. A vein -was opened by them, and various stimuli applied, but -without affording any sign of resuscitation. After two -hours of hesitation and delay, a message being brought -that the jury were waiting for their evidence, they were -forced to proceed to the inspection. In moving the -body for this purpose, the warmth and pliancy of the -limbs were such as to give the examiners the idea that -they had to deal with a living subject! The internal -cavities, as they proceeded, were found so warm that a -very copious steam issued from them on exposure. All -the viscera were in a healthy state, and nothing was -detected which could throw the smallest light on the -cause of this person’s death.” Tidy (<i>Legal Medicine</i>), -part i., p. 140, remarks thereon—“A mistake had no -doubt been made in this case, as its warmth was not -caused by decomposition.”</p> - -<p>In the <i>Cyclopædia of Practical Medicine</i>, edited by -Sir John Forbes, M.D., and others, 1847, vol. i., -pp. 548-9, we find the following:—“Nothing is more -certain than death; nothing is more uncertain at times -than its reality; and numerous instances are recorded -of persons prematurely buried, or actually at the verge -of the grave before it was discovered that life still -remained; and even of some who were resuscitated by -the knife of the anatomist.... Bruhier, a celebrated -French physician, who wrote on the uncertainties -of the signs of death in 1742, relates an instance of a -young woman upon whose supposed corpse an anatomical -examination was about to be made when the first<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234">[234]</a></span> -stroke of the scalpel revealed the truth; she recovered, -and lived many years afterwards. The case related by -Philippe Pue is somewhat similar. He proceeded to -perform the Cæsarean section upon a woman who had -to all appearance died undelivered, when the first incision -betrayed the awful fallacy under which he acted.... -‘There is scarcely a dissecting-room that has not some -traditional story handed down of subjects restored to -life after being deposited within its walls. Many of -these are mere inventions to catch the ever greedy ear -of curiosity; but some of them are, we fear, too well -founded to admit of much doubt. To this class belongs -the circumstance related by Louis, the celebrated French -writer on medical jurisprudence. A patient who was -supposed to have died in the Hospital Salpétrière was -removed to his dissecting-room. Next morning Louis -was informed that moans had been heard in the theatre; -and on proceeding thither he found to his horror that -the supposed corpse had revived during the night, and -had actually died in the struggle to disengage himself -from the winding sheet in which he was enveloped. -This was evident from the distorted attitude in which -the body was found. Allowing for much of the fiction -with which such a subject must ever be mixed, there is -still sufficient evidence to warrant a diligent examination -of the means of discriminating between real and apparent -death; indeed, the horror with which we contemplate a -mistake of the living for the dead should excite us to -the pursuit of knowledge by which an event so repugnant -to our feelings may be avoided.... If life -depends upon the presence of a force or power continually -opposed to the action of physical and chemical<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_235" id="Page_235">[235]</a></span> -laws, real death will be the loss of this force, and the -abandonment of organised bodies to these agents; -while apparent death will be only the suspension of the -exercise of life, caused by some derangement of the -functions which serve as instruments of vital action. This -suspension must have been lost for a considerable time, if -we may judge by the cases collected by credible authors, -to some of which we have alluded, and by the numerous -instances of drowned persons restored to life after long -submersion. From this definition of life and death, it -would follow that putrefaction is the only evidence of -real death.’ ... The absence of the circulation of -the blood has been looked upon as a certain indication -of death; but this test is not much to be depended on, -for it is well known that persons may live even for hours -in whom no trace of the action of the heart and arteries -can be perceived.”</p> - -<p>Le Guern, in “Du Danger Des Inhumations Précipitées,” -chap. iv., p. 24, relates that “The Abbé Prévost -was found in the forest of Chantilly perfectly insensible. -They thought him dead. A surgeon proceeded to -make a <i>post-mortem</i>; but hardly had he put the scalpel -in the body of the unfortunate victim before the supposed -corpse uttered a cry, and the surgeon realised the -mistake he had made. Prévost only became conscious -to feel aware of the horror of the death by which he -perished.”</p> - -<p>Dr. Franz Hartmann, in his “Premature Burial,” p. 80, -has the following:—</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“In May, 1864, a man died very suddenly at a hospital in the -State of New York, and, as the doctors could not explain the cause -of death, they resolved upon a <i>post-mortem</i> examination, but, when<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_236" id="Page_236">[236]</a></span> -they made the first cut with the knife, the supposed dead man -jumped up and grasped the doctor’s throat. The doctor was -terrified and died of apoplexy on the spot, but the “dead” man -recovered fully.</p> - -<p class="p1">Brigade-Surgeon W. Curran in his 8th paper, entitled -“Buried Alive,” relates the following:—“At the Medical -College at Calcutta, on the 1st of February, 1861,” so -writes my friend as above, “the body of a Hindu male, -about 25 years of age, was brought from the police -hospital for dissection.... It was brought to the -dissecting-room about 6 a.m., and the arteries were -injected with arsenical solution about 7. At 11 the -prosector opened the thorax and abdomen for the -purpose of dissecting the sympathetic nerve. At noon -Mr. Macnamara distinctly saw the heart beating; there -was a regular rythmical vermicular action of the right -auricle and ventricle. The pericardium was open, the -heart being freely exposed, and lying to the left in its -natural position. The heart’s action, although regular, -was very weak and slow. The left auricle was also in -action, but the left ventricle was contracted and rigid, -and apparently motionless. These spontaneous contractions -continued till about 12.45 p.m., and, further, -the right side of this organ contracted on the application -of a stimulus, such as the point of a scalpel, &c., for -a quarter of an hour longer.”—<i>Health</i>, May 21st, 1886, -p. 121.</p> - -<p>Bruhier in his work, “Dissertation sur l’Incertitude -de la Mort et l’Abus des Enterrements,” records a -number of cases of the supposed dead who, after burial, -were revived at the dissecting table, together with fifty-three -that awoke in their coffins before being buried,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_237" id="Page_237">[237]</a></span> -fifty-two persons actually buried alive, and seventy-two -other cases of apparent death. This was at a time -when body-snatching was in vogue, and it is a curious -comment on our civilisation to be compelled to admit -that a subject of trance or catalepsy during the last or the -early part of the present century had a better chance of -escape from so terrible a fate than now, when the vocation -of the resurrection-man has become obsolete.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_238" id="Page_238">[238]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4">CHAPTER XVIII.</h2> - -<p class="pch">DEATH-CERTIFICATION.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">A Select Committee</span> of the House of Commons, under -the chairmanship of Sir Walter Foster, M.D., was -appointed on March 27, 1893, to inquire into the subject -of death-certification in the United Kingdom. Fourteen -sittings were held, and thirty-two witnesses examined. -All the witnesses practically agreed as to the -serious defects in the law, and a number of recommendations -were made. It was shown that in about four per -cent. of the cases the cause of death was ill-defined and -unspecified, many practitioners having forms specially -printed for their own use, in which all mention of medical -attendance is omitted, the object being to enable the -doctor to give certificates in cases which he has never -attended. Numerous deaths attended by unqualified -practitioners were certified by qualified practitioners -who had probably never seen the cases; and deaths were -certified by medical practitioners who had not seen the -patient for weeks or months prior to death, and who -knew only by hearsay of the deaths having occurred. -Deaths were also certified in which the true cause was suppressed -in deference to the feelings of survivors; these -last in particular are reported to be very numerous.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">INADEQUATE RECOMMENDATIONS.</div> - -<p>In Q. 2552-83, remarkable evidence was produced as -to the reckless mode of death-certification. One medical<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_239" id="Page_239">[239]</a></span> -witness testified that he saw a certificate of death, signed -by a registered medical practitioner, giving both the fact -and the cause of death of a man who was actually alive -at the time, and who lived four days afterwards, with -facts of even a more startling character described as -“murder made easy.” It was pointed out that fraud -and irregularity in giving false declarations of death are -by no means infrequent. Various other matters are -treated, and the following are some of their recommendations:—</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="p1">1. That in no case should a death be registered without the -production of a certificate of the cause of death by a registered -medical practitioner, or by a coroner after inquest, or, in Scotland, -by a procurator-fiscal.</p> - -<p>2. That in each sanitary district a registered medical practitioner -should be appointed as public medical certifier of the cause of death -in cases in which a certificate from a medical practitioner in attendance -was not forthcoming.</p> - -<p>3. That a medical practitioner in attendance should be required, -before giving a certificate of death, to personally inspect the body, -but if, on the ground of distance, or for other sufficient reason, he -is unable to make this inspection himself, he should obtain and -attach to the certificate of the cause of death a certificate signed -by two persons, neighbours, verifying the fact of death.</p> - -<p>4. That medical practitioners be required to send certificates -of death direct to the registrar instead of handing them to the -relatives of the deceased.</p> - -<p>5. That a form of certificate of death should be prescribed, and -that medical practitioners should be required to use such form.</p></div> - -<p class="p1">From the <i>Times</i>, May 23, 1896:—</p> - - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="pc1">DEATH-CERTIFICATION.</p> - -<p>At the special meeting of the Metropolitan Counties Branch of -the British Medical Association, held last night at the Museum of -Practical Geology, Jermyn Street, the subject of an improvement<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_240" id="Page_240">[240]</a></span> -in the present procedure in death-certification and registration -came up for discussion. Sir W. Priestley, M.P., president, took -the chair.</p> - -<p>Sir Henry Thompson moved the following resolution:—“Considering -that a Select Committee of the House of Commons has -in 1893 made an extended inquiry into the subject of death-certification -and registration on the plan now followed in this -country, and has reported that it manifestly fails to accomplish the -purpose for which it was designed, this meeting is of opinion that -Her Majesty’s Government should be respectfully memorialised to -bring in a bill as soon as possible to give effect to an improved -procedure in general accordance with the suggestions offered in -the Committee’s report.” He said that, during the last twenty -years or more, circumstances had not unfrequently occurred to -attract public attention to the existence of grave defects in the -system of death-certification adopted in this country, whether -regarded as a safeguard against criminal attempts on life, or as a -means of forming trustworthy records of disease for scientific purposes. -From the Registrar-General’s report for England and Wales -for the year 1892, it was shown that in fifteen thousand cases of death -no inquiry had been made as to its cause, and that no certificate had -been obtained from any source—a number amounting to nearly three -per cent. on the total returned for the year. On the same authority -it appeared that in twenty-five thousand more, or four and a half -per cent., the cases “were so inadequately certified as not to be -classifiable,” making together a class of seven and a half per cent. in -which no evidence of any value as to the cause of death existed. -After what had already been done in the matter, all that appeared -to be necessary at present seemed to him to be that they should -forward a memorial to the Home Secretary, with a request that he -would consider the important work which had been already done -by the Select Committee, and, if he saw fit, take steps to embody -their recommendations in an Act of Parliament, for the purpose of -giving the country a greatly improved procedure in exchange for -that at present employed. Dr. Isambard Owen, in the absence of -Dr. Farquharson, M.P., seconded the resolution, and asserted that -the State now winked at an exceedingly loose system of death-certification, -since under the present procedure it was possible for<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_241" id="Page_241">[241]</a></span> -a medical man to give a death-certificate on a patient whom he -might not have seen for an interval of several weeks, and perhaps -months. The resolution was supported by Dr. Nelson Hardy, -Dr. Alderson, Dr. Hugh Woods, Dr. Sykes, and others, and was -unanimously adopted.</p></div> - -<p class="p1">A well-known physician in large practice, writing to -the author from a Midland town, October 10, 1895, -says:—“Medical men, attending patients seriously ill, -accept the statement of the friends that the patient died -in the night, and give a certificate at once, without any -inspection of the body. This is the regular practice.”</p> - -<div class="sidenote">INTERMENTS WITHOUT CERTIFICATES.</div> - -<p>In Ireland matters are no better, and clergymen and -others, with whom the author has been in correspondence, -say they are much worse, and the danger of -premature burial is, if possible, greater than it is in -England. The Rev. W. Walters, writing from Ventry -Parsonage, Dingle, Ireland, September 16, 1895, says:—“In -Ireland interment usually takes place the day after -decease, and no certificate as to the cause of death is -ever required. There is no safeguard whatever, and -amongst the ignorant poor I fear premature burial is -terribly frequent.”</p> - -<p>A prominent medical officer of health, having charge -of a populous metropolitan parish, wrote to the author, -October 8, 1895, in reply to inquiries:—“When a doctor -attends a patient in an illness, and the patient dies, he -usually accepts the word of the friends as to the facts of -death, and if they are poor, or in moderate circumstances, -he grants the certificate in the ordinary way. -If he is satisfied as to the cause of death he dare not -refuse the certificate. You will see by the form I send -you that <i>he need not actually satisfy himself that the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_242" id="Page_242">[242]</a></span> -patient is dead</i>; if he is not satisfied he writes, ‘As I am -informed,’ in the space left for the words.... On -one occasion I was directed by a lady to drive a very -long hat-pin through her heart after death, to ensure -that she should not be buried alive. I have given so -little attention to the matter that I cannot say if the -Continental practice in this respect is better than ours. -<i>Signs of decomposition are, I believe, the only ones of any -real value.</i> The form of certificate of death referred to -is marked, ‘Printed by authority of the Registrar-General,’ -and a request marked ‘N.B.’ is to read the -suggestions on page ii. In this other form, which is -entitled ‘Suggestions to medical practitioners respecting -certificates of the cause of death,’ elaborate instructions -are set forth under ten separate clauses, with examples -showing in what way the death-certificates are to be -filled up, but not one word of instruction or caution as -to the fact of death—whether it be real or apparent—the -absolute signs of death, or the steps to be taken in -doubtful cases, or in the various forms of suspended -animation, such as coma, trance, catalepsy, etc.”</p> - -<p>The <i>Times</i>, January 19, 1878, p. 9, foot of column 6, -reports a singular case in point:—</p> - -<p>“<span class="smcap">Premature.</span>—A poor woman lay very ill in her -scantily-furnished home in Sheffield. The doctor was -sent for, and came. He at once saw that hers was a -very grave case, and that she had, as he thought, little -chance of recovery, even if she could get the nourishment -her illness required. As he was about to leave, the -question was put, ‘When should we send for you again, -doctor?’ ‘Well,’ was the reply, as he looked at the -poor woman and then at her wretched surroundings, ‘I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_243" id="Page_243">[243]</a></span> -don’t think you need send for me again. She cannot -possibly get better; and to save you further trouble I’ll -just write you out a certificate for her burial.’ And he -did. After the doctor departed the woman—women -always were wilful—got better rapidly. She has now -completely recovered, and goes about carrying her burial -certificate with her.—<i>Sheffield Telegraph.</i>”</p> - -<div class="sidenote">WORTHLESS DEATH-CERTIFICATES.</div> - -<p>Dr. Charles Cameron, M.P., in moving the introduction -of the Disposal of the Dead (Regulation) Bill, in -the House of Commons, on April 30, 1884, said:—“A -very large number of our population die without any -medical attendance at all, or at least without having -ever received sufficient medical attention to enable a -certificate of the cause of death to be given worth the -paper on which it is written. In many of these cases -some sort of worthless certificate is procured and presented -to the registrar, but many thousands of persons -are each year buried in the United Kingdom without -even this formality.”</p> - -<p>The contrast between the laxity at home and the -regulations laid down by authority in Würtemburg, -Bavaria, and other Continental States, is remarkable, -and should receive the attention of the Registrar-General -without delay.</p> - -<p class="p1">From the <i>Lancet</i>, 1890, vol. i., p. 1440:—</p> - - -<p class="pc1">“UNCERTIFIED CAUSES OF DEATH IN ENGLAND.</p> - -<p>“Considering the general progress that has been made -in public health during the last twenty years, it is seriously -to be regretted that this matter of unknown and uncertified -causes of death has been practically left untouched, -and its settlement is, therefore more urgently needed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_244" id="Page_244">[244]</a></span> -now than when so often pressed upon the public notice -by the late Dr. William Farr during his connection with -the Registrar-General’s department.”</p> - -<p>The Parliamentary Committee above referred to -omitted an unexampled opportunity of inquiring into -the facts of premature burial. They could have summoned -pathologists, who had made trance and catalepsy -a subject of close and searching investigation, as well as -physicians, who, in their practice, have been called in to -decide upon cases of apparent death, and of witnesses -up and down the country who know of such cases, and -others who have met with narrow escapes from these -horrible mishaps. Instead of taking this reasonable -course of procedure, the Committee contented themselves -by examining two or three medical men, who had -been summoned to give evidence upon the irregularities -of death-certification only, and whose negative and -apathetic replies showed either that the subject had -never engaged their attention, or that they were unwilling -to charge any member of the profession with a -fault so ruinous to his professional reputation as to be -unable to discriminate between the living and the dead. -No questions were submitted to the witnesses as to the -signs of death, the characteristics of catalepsy, trance, -asphyxia, syncope, etc., or how to distinguish these from -death, or as to the submission of tests in doubtful cases -in order to ascertain the fact of death. Indeed, it may -be observed that the investigation regarding a most -vital point connected with death-certification appears to -have entirely escaped the notice of this tribunal. As a -specimen of the proceedings under this head are the -following (“Report,” p. 116)—Mr. John Tatham, M.A.,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_245" id="Page_245">[245]</a></span> -M.D., being under examination by the chairman, Si -Walter Foster, M.D.</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<div class="sidenote1">RELUCTANT ANSWERS.</div> - -<p class="p1">Q. 2112—Have you ever had any instances within your knowledge, -or brought to your notice, of cases where persons have been -buried alive?—Never.</p> - -<p>Q. 2113—Do you think such cases occur frequently?—I have no -means of knowing.</p> - -<p>Q. 2114—Supposing the public think they do sometimes, your -methods (of medical death-certification) would be a great barrier -to anything like that?—Yes.</p> - -<p>Q. 2115—The doctor’s examination and identification of the -body would enable them to detect in many instances if such an -occurrence was likely to take place?—I think so.</p></div> - -<p class="p1">Further questions were asked of the same witness by -Dr. Farquharson.</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="p1">Q. 2178—You do not believe in people being buried alive?—I -do not think that occurs in Manchester.</p> - -<p>Q. 2179—Do you think it occurs anywhere?—I do not know.</p> - -<p>Q. 2180—We read occasionally very horrifying descriptions of -bodies having been found to have turned in their coffins. How -do you explain that?—I am not able to explain it.</p></div> - -<p class="p1">A correspondent of the <i>Undertakers’ and Funeral -Directors’ Journal</i>, July 22, 1893, p. 92, writes:—</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="pc1">“PREMATURE BURIAL.</p> - -<p>“Sir,—The newspapers continue to give us fresh accounts of -premature burials. Seeing how frequently cases are heard of (in -spite of the exhumations being not one-thousandth per cent. of the -interments), the occurrence is probably far more common than is -generally supposed. It is, therefore, surprising that medical men -have not discovered an infallible evidence of death—whatever the -cause of death may be; or a simple means of proving, beyond the -possibility of doubt, that life is extinct. Further, the application -of such a test should, by law, be made to form part of the certificate -of death.—I am, Sir, your obedient servant,</p> - -<p class="pr2">“<span class="smcap">Lux</span>.</p> - -<p>“July 3.”</p></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_246" id="Page_246">[246]</a></span></p> - -<p class="psh">VERIFICATION OF DEATHS.</p> - -<p>“In Paris and the large French towns medical inspectors, -called <i>médecins verificateurs</i>, are appointed, -whose business it is to visit each house where a death -occurs, and ascertain that the person is really dead, and -that there are no suspicious circumstances connected -with his or her decease. More than eighty qualified -medical men are employed for this purpose in Paris.</p> - -<p>“In the rural districts of France this system is not in -force; two witnesses making a declaration to a civil -officer that a death has taken place, is considered -sufficient. The burial is not allowed to take place until -at least twenty-four hours after the declaration.”—<i>Blyth: -Dictionary of Hygiene and Public Health.</i></p> - -<p>Dr. Léonce Lénormand, in his admirable work “Des -Inhumations Précipitées,” p. 140, accuses the <i>médecins -des morts</i> in France with culpable carelessness in the -exercise of their function, which consists in verifying -the reality of the death. Instead of making a minute -examination of the body to ascertain the fact of death, -this writer says they are content (except in cases of -death from violence) to merely glance at the body, and -immediately to hand the family the necessary authorisation -for interment.<span class="sidenote">VERIFICATIONS ILLUSORY.</span> The inspector knows that if he -examined every part of the body, as in duty bound, -he would be accused of barbarism and profanation. -Those, therefore, who think that premature burial could -be prevented in England by means only of a more -stringent law of compulsory death-certification, would, -if it were carried, find themselves in hardly any better -position than at present, where the fact of death is left<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_247" id="Page_247">[247]</a></span> -to a great extent to the judgment of friends, if the -deceased has any, or to the perfunctory inspection of -the undertaker. It is in France where probably, in -spite of <i>médecins verificateurs</i>, more premature burials -occur than in any country in Europe except Turkey, -immediate burial after real or apparent death being -the inexorable rule. Dr. Lénormand attributes the frequency -of premature burials in France, first of all, to the -negligence and prejudices of the families of the deceased; -then to the carelessness of the doctors charged by the -State with the inspection of the dead; and lastly, to the -imperfection of the police regulations.</p> - -<p>From the <i>British Medical Journal</i>, January 28, 1893, -p. 204. (Special Correspondence, Paris.)</p> - -<p class="psh">“PREMATURE BURIAL.</p> - -<p>“The question whether premature burial occurs, and -how to prevent it, is, notwithstanding the all-absorbing -interest of the Panama question, attracting some attention -here. The ‘Union Medicale’ devotes one of its -feuilletons to it, in which two or three <i>nouvelles à sensation</i> -are reproduced, and easily proved to be untrue. -Premature burial cannot occur, the writer says, when -a death is duly verified. The 77th Article of the Code -obliges the <i>officier de l’état civil</i> to visit the death-bed -and verify every death; but this Article is a dead letter. -The officer in question has neither time nor knowledge -sufficient to put it in practice. In small country places, -rarely any precautions are taken to prevent premature -burials. In more important villages and towns, the -mayors delegate the doctors of the locality to verify -deaths before burial. Throughout the whole of France,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_248" id="Page_248">[248]</a></span> -it appears that there are not fifty towns where the death-verifying -service is well organised; and, on an average, -there are from twenty thousand to thirty thousand -burials without previous verification of death. The -declaration of two witnesses is sufficient, who obtain -their information from those around the deceased. In -Paris, the two mortuaries already in existence—one at -the Montmartre Cemetery, the other at Père La Chaise—are -rarely used. The bodies of those who die in the -streets, from accident or sudden death, are taken there -when there is no domicile; also, those of foreigners -who die in lodging-houses. In the course of eighteen -months the mortuary of Montmartre received five dead -bodies, and Père La Chaise one. In Germany the mortuaries -are much used, and every arrangement made is -in order that any who come back to life may be able -to easily summon help. At Munich, a ring in connection -with a bell-cord is put on one of the fingers -of the hands of the dead. At Frankfort, similar precautions -are taken.”</p> - -<div class="sidenote">CONTINENTAL REGULATIONS.</div> - -<p>Extracts from “Regulations for the Domiciliary -Examination of the Dead in the City of Brussels Civil -Government (Medical Service).”</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="p1">“<span class="smcap">Article 1.</span>—The Medical Service of the Civil Government is -distributed among the medical heads of divisions, the deputies -and chiefs of the Department of Hygiene.”</p> - -<p>“<span class="smcap">Article 5.</span>—No interment can take place except after the -decease has been verified by the doctors of the Civil Government -by means of a careful and complete examination of the -corpse.”</p></div> - -<p class="p1">This verification, as well as the identity of the person -deceased, shall be certified by a <i>procès-verbal</i> [statement,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_249" id="Page_249">[249]</a></span> -or description, for which a blank is furnished “A”], -which they shall leave at the house of the deceased.</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="p1">“<span class="smcap">Article 8.</span>—They shall notify the officers of the Civil Government, -and their superintendents of police, of any infractions of -the regulation provisions which forbid proceeding with autopsy, -moulding [making a cast?], embalmment, or putting in a coffin the -corpse, before the death has been duly ascertained.”</p> - -<p>“<span class="smcap">Article 9.</span>—The verification of the decease of still-born or of -newly-born infants shall exact a most attentive examination on -the part of the examining doctors. They shall indicate in their -report if the infant has died before, during, or after birth; and, in -the last case, how long it lived after birth.”</p> - -<p>“<span class="smcap">Article 10.</span>—If they doubt the reality of the death, they shall -employ, without delay, every means of recovery that science -suggests under the circumstances. They shall immediately notify -the visiting doctor, and, in every case, shall prepare the <i>procès-verbal</i> -of the verification of death only after certainty has been -established, and, if need be, by repeated visits.”</p> - -<p>“<span class="smcap">Article 11.</span>—When a woman has died in a state of advanced -pregnancy, they shall direct the artificial extraction of the infant, -supposed to be yet living; and, in the lack of an attending doctor, -shall perform it themselves when necessary.”</p></div> - -<p class="psh">EXAMINATION AND CERTIFICATION OF THE DEAD -IN WÜRTEMBURG.</p> - -<p>A Royal Decree, entitled “Dienst-Vorschriften für -Leichenhaüser,” for the inspection and burial of the -dead, promulgated by the King of Würtemburg, -January 24, 1884, provides for the appointment of -medical inspectors of the highest integrity and qualifications -in every commune, the position being justly -regarded as one of great responsibility.</p> - -<p>Immediately after a death, the body must under no -circumstances be interfered with, and must not be -removed from the death-bed until after the authorised<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_250" id="Page_250">[250]</a></span> -inspection. <i>Post-mortems</i> can be made only if the fact -of death has been previously clearly established. Precise -instructions are laid down, so that the inspector, who -is to examine the entire body, may see that the various -forms of suspended animation are not certified as actual -death. Amongst these are the following:—</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="p1">“Section ii.—To see that sensibility, pulsation of the heart, neck, -temples, and forearm, and the breath, have ceased. That the -muscles of the body have lost their elasticity; therefore the limbs -are limp, the face sunken, the nose pinched, the eyes sunken, and, -when the eyelids are forcibly opened, they remain so, the lower -jaw drops more or less, and drops again when pressed upwards.</p> - -<p>“In actual death the body gradually gets colder, beginning with -the exposed limbs, and in from ten to sixteen hours the body will -be quite cold. The colour of the face becomes ashy pale, and the -lips discoloured. The eye loses its brilliancy, and is usually dulled -by a covering of dried mucus.</p> - -<p>“If all the foregoing symptoms are exhibited, and particularly -if the deceased was of an advanced age, or if the death was caused -by severe or long illness, which led to the expectation of a fatal -result, the fact of death may be safely assumed.</p> - -<p>“But, on the other hand, if part of these symptoms are missing, -or in cases of pregnancy, or exhaustion in consequence of flooding -after confinement, or if death occurs under fits, or in violent outbursts -of passion, the possibility of counterfeit-death is to be taken -for granted.</p> - -<p>“Notwithstanding the existence of all the symptoms (signs of -death) before mentioned, the possibility of <i>apparent</i> death is not -excluded in cases where the death has occurred after syncope, -tetanus, suffocation, or in cases of drowning, stroke of lightning, -or from a severe fall, or from frost, or in still-born children.”</p></div> - -<p class="p1">After detailing instructions as to a variety of experiments -to ascertain whether the death is actual or -apparent, this Royal Decree proceeds:—</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“Section viii.—These experiments may, however, not give -absolute certainty as to the complete extinction of all life. If,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_251" id="Page_251">[251]</a></span> -therefore, the slightest doubt remains as to the reality of death, -the inspector is to take the necessary precautions for the protection -of the deceased, by frequent inspections, and the most careful -examinations, and to obtain the assistance of the nearest physician -or surgeon, who is to co-operate with him to promote resuscitation. -If these attempts prove abortive, he must see that nothing is -done which would be detrimental to reanimation, or resumption -of life.”</p> - -<p class="p1">Then follow minute instructions how to proceed -under the varied circumstances which may have produced -the symptoms known as apparent death. <i>In no -case must the burial certificate be handed over by the -inspector until he has thoroughly satisfied himself of the -presence of unmistakable signs of actual death.</i></p> - -<p>One cannot help contrasting these carefully considered -rules with the lax and haphazard methods of -dealing with the dead and apparent dead both in -England and in the United States. As a consequence, -cases of premature burial in Würtemburg are of very -rare occurrence, and sensible people in that country, -knowing that the danger of premature burial has been -reduced to a minimum, are not consumed by an ever-abiding -anxiety as with us, nor is it the custom for -testators in Würtemburg to give instructions to their -executors for piercing the heart or severing the jugular -vein, or some other form of mutilation, as in France, -Spain, and other countries, where the risks are so -terribly great.</p> - -<p>The only case of the danger of premature burial that -has come to the author’s notice in Würtemburg is related -by Bouchut, in his “Signes de la Mort,” p. 48:—</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<div class="sidenote1">IN WÜRTEMBURG.</div> - -<p class="p1">“In the village of Achen, in Würtemburg, Mrs. Eva Meyers, -twenty-three years of age, was taken ill during an epidemic. Her<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_252" id="Page_252">[252]</a></span> -condition became rapidly worse, and she apparently died. They -put her into a coffin, and carried her from the warm into a cold -room, there to await burial, which was to take place at two p.m. -on the following day. Shortly after noon on that day, and before -the carriers arrived, she awoke and made an effort to rise. Her -aunt, who was present, and who believed that a ghost had taken -possession of her, took a stick and would have killed her, if she -had not been prevented by another woman. Nevertheless, she -succeeded in pushing the body back violently into the coffin, after -which she indignantly went to her room. The patient remained -helplessly in that condition, and would have been buried if the -usual hour for the burial had not for some reason been changed. -Thus she remained for another twelve hours, when she was able -to gather sufficient strength to arise. She still lives, and has paid -the charges for her funeral, which were claimed by the clergy, the -bell-ringer, and the undertaker.”</p></div> - -<p class="p1">In the United States the subject of Death-Verification -has only recently begun to engage public attention. -The following appears to be the only instance in which -reasonable, although not altogether adequate, precautions -are adopted.</p> - - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="psh">“DOVER, NEW HAMPSHIRE.—CITY ORDINANCES, 1895.</p> - -<p class="pc1">“CHAP. XVII.—VITAL STATISTICS.</p> - -<div class="sidenote1">AN AMERICAN CITY ORDINANCE.</div> - -<p class="p1">“<span class="smcap">Section 3.</span>—Whenever any person shall die within the limits -of the city, it shall be the duty of the physician, attending such -person, during his or her last sickness, to examine the body of -such deceased person before the burial thereof, and to make out -a certificate, setting forth, as far as the same may be ascertained, -the name, age, colour, sex, nativity, occupation, whether married or -single, duration of residence in the city, cause, date, and place of -death of such deceased person; and it shall be the duty of the -undertaker, or other person in charge of the burial of such -deceased person, to add to such certificate the date and place of -burial, and, having duly signed the same, to deposit it with the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_253" id="Page_253">[253]</a></span> -city clerk, and obtain a permit for burial; and, in the case of death -from any contagious or infectious disease, said certificate shall be -made and forwarded immediately; and, in each case of a physician -so examining and reporting, he shall receive of the city a fee of -one dollar.”</p> - -<p>“<span class="smcap">Section 4.</span>—Whenever a permit for burial is applied for, in case -of death without the attendance of a physician, or it is impossible -to obtain a physician’s certificate, it shall be the duty of the city -physician to make the necessary examination, and to investigate -the case, and make and sign a certificate of the probable cause of -death; and, if not satisfied as to the cause and circumstances -attending such death, he shall so report to the mayor.”</p> - -<p>“<span class="smcap">Section 5.</span>—No interment or disinterment of the dead body -of any human being, or disposition thereof in any tomb, vault, or -cemetery, shall be made within the city without a permit therefor, -granted as aforesaid, nor otherwise than in accordance with such -permit.</p> - -<p>“No undertaker, superintendent of cemetery, or other person -shall assist in, assent to, or allow any such interment, or disinterment, -to be made, until such permit has been given as -aforesaid....</p> - -<p>“Any person violating any of the provisions of this chapter shall -be fined not less than ten nor more than twenty dollars.”</p></div> - -<p class="p1">Mr. A. Braxton Hicks, Barrister-at-Law, and Coroner -for London and Surrey, states that—</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="p1">“The giving of certificates of death, and the registration of -deaths, is regulated by 37 and 38 Vict. c. 88, called the Registration -of Births and Deaths Act, its object being to provide a proper and -accurate registration of births and deaths, with the causes of the -latter.</p> - -<p>“In case of the death of any person who has been attended -during his last illness by a registered medical practitioner, that -practitioner shall sign and give to some person, required by this -Act to give information concerning the death, a certificate stating, -to the best of his knowledge and belief, the cause of death.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_254" id="Page_254">[254]</a></span></p> - -<p>“No certificate given by an unregistered medical man can be -registered, and any person who covers an unregistered medical -man by giving a certificate, or lending his name to the giving of -a certificate by an unregistered medical man, is guilty of -<i>unprofessional conduct</i>, as defined by the Medical Council.”—<i>Hints -to Medical Men concerning the granting of Certificates of -Death.</i></p></div> - -<p class="psh">A DOCTOR FOR THE DEAD.</p> - -<p>Dr. J. Brindley James, in a communication to the -<i>Medical Times</i>, May 23, 1896, pp. 355-356, calls attention -to the insufficient safeguards against premature burial -under the present system of death-certification, and -observes—“The dread possibility of premature interment -ever hangs like a gloomy sword of Damocles over -all our heads, and fearful indeed is the authentic record -of persons buried alive, who have recovered consciousness; -too late, alas! to be rescued from their frightful -dungeon. How often does our overworked—we do not -say careless—practitioner sign the death-certificate of a -patient whose death-bed he did not attend—whose -corpse he has not visited? And even assuming him to -have done so, and conscientiously too, in how many of -the fearful cases above alluded to have not these formalities -proved insufficient, clearly suggesting the -advisability of a specialist, experienced in <i>post-mortem</i> -inspection, solely sanctioning interment in all cases.” -And Dr. Frederick Graves, writing in the same journal -of July 18, 1896, says:—</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="p1">“I have recently heard of a case which illustrates the utility of -a medical examination before burial. A soldier in the German -army, during the forced march on Paris, became unconscious, with -five others, from sunstroke, and the six were put aside for burial<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_255" id="Page_255">[255]</a></span> -by their comrades, when the timely examination of the army -surgeon prevented premature burial of the person referred to, who -is alive and well at the present time.”</p></div> - -<p class="p1">The <i>Daily Chronicle</i>, London, September 16, 1895, in -a leading article on the danger of premature burial, -says:—“The truth is, the whole system of certifying for -burial needs to be reconsidered and reformed, and that -for other reasons than the danger of entombment before -life is extinct. We do not want a coroner’s inquest, with -its jury, for every death; but the doctors should be compelled, -under severe penalties, to discover the certain sign -of death before they authorise the burial, and to know -the cause of death in every case.<span class="sidenote">STRINGENT LEGISLATION SUGGESTED.</span> We trust now too -much to individuals in a generally trustworthy profession, -who may not reach the high general standard of -their class, or may grow listless through the indifference -wrought by use and wont, or who think they can detect -the <i>rigor mortis</i> at a glance, never having seen the -severest form of catalepsy. There would be no difficulty -in getting Parliament to pass a more stringent regulation -for death-certificates without much discussion, and -there is no reason why Sir Matthew White Ridley -should not turn his attention to the matter, and, with -such medical advice as the Health Department of the -Local Government Board will be pleased to lend him, -propose a necessary little bill to the House of Commons -next February.”</p> - -<p>The following letter by a German resident in England -appeared in the <i>Times</i> of September 20, 1895:—</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="pc1">“BURIED ALIVE.</p> - -<p>“Sir,—As this important subject appears to be arresting the -attention of the public in England, may I venture to state the law<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_256" id="Page_256">[256]</a></span> -as to the examination of corpses in my own country? In a copy -of the official regulations in Würtemburg for the inspection of -dead bodies (‘Dienst-Vorschriften für Leichenhaüser in Würtemburg, -1882.’ Stuttgart, W. Kohlhammer), I find the following:—</p> - -<p>“‘No corpse must be interfered with before the arrival of the -inspector, who is expected to pay several visits before granting -the death-certificate, which he alone is authorised to do. In cases -of death from infectious disease the body must be removed to a -mortuary, where it is carefully watched.’</p> - -<p>“These inspectors are highly qualified, State-appointed -physicians, but, as if to show the uncertainty of all this care and -experience, as we see by the researches of Dormodoff, Hufeland, -Hartmann, and others, as well as by the reports of startling cases -in the press, those medically and officially declared to be dead do -occasionally come to life before burial. This is a state of things -unworthy of the civilisation and humanity of which we are proud.</p> - -<p>“Medical examination, not being infallible when carried out -at its best, must be very unreliable when performed in a careless -manner.</p> - -<p>“A safer plan would be to send every supposed corpse to a -mortuary, there to remain until decomposition manifests itself. -As a German I should be afraid to die in England (excuse the -paradox) for fear of being buried alive.</p> - -<p class="pr2">“P. P.</p> - -<p>“Forest Hill, September 17.”</p></div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_257" id="Page_257">[257]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4">CHAPTER XIX.</h2> - -<p class="pch">SUGGESTIONS FOR PREVENTION.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">The</span> learned Dr. Vigné, of Rouen, who won the respect -of his fellow-citizens during a long and honourable -career, was for many years engaged in the study of this -question, and published the result of his researches -shortly before his death. Convinced that the resources -of science were insufficient to distinguish real from -apparent death, he left testamentary instructions to -provide against his own premature burial. (“Des Inhumations -Précipitées, p. 83,” by Lénormand.)</p> - -<p>Dr. Winslow, a French physician, who had on two -different occasions very nearly fallen a victim to premature -burial, having been laid out for dead, chose for -the subject of his thesis before the Paris Faculty of -Medicine, “Les moyens les plus propres à reconnaître -la réalité de la mort.” Dr. Winslow may be said to -have been the pioneer of a movement in France for -exposing the danger of, and educating the public into the -necessity of reforms in, the mode of treating the apparent -dead; and, although his efforts and warnings were as -of one crying in the wilderness or amongst an apathetic -people, with a legislature apparently uninfluenced either -by facts or by reason, they were never relaxed. Numerous -writers have since confirmed the truth of Dr. Winslow’s -contention by facts within their own experience, and it -is believed that legislation in France cannot be much -longer delayed.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_258" id="Page_258">[258]</a></span></p> - -<p>That the risk of premature burial is not an imaginary -one, as recently declared by a leading London medical -journal, has been shown by the citation in this volume -of cases of death-like trance which have baffled the -ablest of medical experts; also the instances of numerous -narrow escapes from this terrible occurrence, and of -others where the victims were suffocated before timely -aid could be obtained, most of which are drawn from -medical sources, and some from the columns of the said -sceptical journal. The painful reality is also shown by -the multitude of preventive measures suggested by -medical authorities, and by the ingenious contrivances -of those who have made this distressing subject one of -patient and laborious research. Several of the remedies -suggested for adoption in cataleptic cases are really -homicidal, or seriously mutilative; many of them are -impracticable, and have been shown by Hufeland, -Lénormand, Richardson, Hartmann, Bouchut, Fletcher, -and Gannal to be delusive. The merits and demerits -of some of these methods might be inquired into by the -appointment of a Parliamentary Committee, or a Royal -Commission, as a supplement to that appointed in 1893, -by Mr. Asquith, on Death-Certification.</p> - -<p class="psh">CUTANEOUS EXCITATION.</p> - -<p>Dr. James Curry, F.R.S., in his “Observations on -Apparent Death,” pp. 56, 57, says, concerning the -application of stimulants to the skin:—</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="p1">“To assist in rousing the activity of the vital principle, it has -been customary to apply various stimulating matters to different -parts of the body. But, as some of these applications are in -themselves positively hurtful, and the others serviceable only -according to the time and manner of their employment, it will be -proper to consider them particularly.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_259" id="Page_259">[259]</a></span></p> - -<p>“The application of all such matters in cases of apparent death -is founded upon the supposition that the skin still retains sensibility -enough to be affected by them. It is well known, however, -that even during life the skin loses sensibility in proportion as it -is deprived of heat, and does not recover it again until the natural -degree of warmth be restored. Previous to the restoration of -heat, therefore, to a drowned body, all stimulating applications -are useless, and, so far as they interfere with the other measures, -are also prejudicial.”</p></div> - -<p class="p1">Several writers, besides Dr. Winslow, whose views on -premature burial are cited in this volume, have themselves -been the victims of hasty and erroneous medical -diagnosis; and, having had narrow escapes of premature -burial, their experience has prompted them to take a -deep interest in the subject, with the determination to -do what they could to enlighten and safeguard the -public from so terrible a danger. In other cases, -members of their families have been the unhappy victims -of mistaken certificates. Mr. George T. Angell, the -editor of “<i>Dumb Animals</i>,” Boston, U.S., whose father -was pronounced by his physician dead, and returned to -consciousness after preparations for the funeral had been -made, has repeatedly alluded to the subject in his paper, -and published preventive suggestions at various times, -including the following from a physician:—</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="p1">“When I arrived, the man had been dead twenty-four hours. I -empanelled a jury; the family of the deceased testified to the -extent of their knowledge; but I was unable to find he had any -disease sufficient to kill him. I looked at the body and examined -it carefully. Then I lighted a match, and applied it to the end of -one of the fingers of the corpse. Immediately a blister formed. -I had the man put back into his bed, applied various restoratives, -and to-day he is alive and well.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_260" id="Page_260">[260]</a></span></p> - -<p>“That is the test. Do you see the philosophy of it? If you are -alive, you cannot burn your hand without raising a blister. Nature, -in the effort to protect the inner tissues, throws a covering of -water, a non-conductor of heat, between the fire and the flesh. If -you were dead, and flames should come in contact with any part -of your body, no blister would appear, and the flesh would be -burned.</p> - -<p>“All you have to do is to apply a match to any part of the -supposed corpse. If life remains, however little, a blister will at -once form.”</p></div> - -<p class="p1">The test, like the following one, is deceptive, because -life may be so torpid and inactive as to be unable to -respond to the irritation of heat, or even to the application -of red hot irons.</p> - -<p class="psh">THE BLISTER TEST.</p> - -<p>The <i>British Medical Journal</i>, January 18, 1896, p. -180, under the head of “Living or Dead?” prints the -following communication concerning this test:—</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p>“Sir,—Burial alive, though of exceedingly rare occurrence, -sometimes does happen, and calls for increased -attention to the means of detecting with certainty the -presence of vitality, however feeble. The ordinary -means of deciding the vital question are known to all -persons. Auscultation may detect the enfeebled heart-beat, -while the electric battery can elicit any existing -muscular contractility. Conditions of trance are occasionally -almost mystical in their profundity (Brahmin -trance), and a simple and ready-to-hand test to decide -whether death has occurred is of prime importance. -We can ascertain whether or not life still lingers in -uncertain cases by <span class="sidenote1">THE BLISTER TEST.</span> applying (say) to the back of the -forearm a small stream of boiling water directly from<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_261" id="Page_261">[261]</a></span> -the kettle. If life is present, the boiling water will soon -and unfailingly raise a blister where applied, and the -blister will contain fluid, the serum of the blood. The -production of the serum blister being essentially a vital -process, its production or non-production becomes an -infallible test, and determines the question. This test, -not generally known, should be widely proclaimed.</p> - -<p class="pr2">“<span class="smcap">J. Milford Barnett</span>, M.D., Edin.</p> - -<p>“Belfast, January 11, 1896.”</p></div> - -<p class="p1">This test has frequently failed, and should not be -relied upon.</p> - -<p class="psh">AUSCULTATION.</p> - -<p>The stethoscope, which is regarded by many medical -practitioners as an infallible means of preventing premature -burial, has proved a broken reed in hundreds of -cases, and can be of use only when applied with other -tests. Dr. Roger S. Chew, of Calcutta, writes to me, -February, 1896:—</p> - -<p>“The <i>British Medical Journal</i> (September 28, 1895) -tells us that the careful use of the stethoscope will enable -a medical man to distinguish a living from a dead body. -<span class="sidenote">AUSCULTATION.</span>Auscultation may give startling results, and the body -yet be absolutely dead. I recollect an instance of death -from cobra-bite, when, though decomposition had set in, -the relatives refused to believe she was dead, because -one of them declared that, though he did not see her -chest rise and fall, he had distinctly heard her sigh. A -medical man was called in, applied the stethoscope over -her thorax, and declared he could hear sounds from her -lungs, and a peculiar ‘<i>sough</i>,’ ‘<i>sough</i>’ towards the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_262" id="Page_262">[262]</a></span> -apex of the heart. So far he was right, but, as the girl -had already been dead some fourteen hours, and the -weather was warm, the sounds he heard were those of -the escape of the putrefactive gases bubbling upward -and unable to find exit, as her mouth was closed with -a chin-bandage, and her nostrils plugged with mucus. -To convince the parents that the girl was really -dead, I offered to perform artificial respiration, to -which end I untied the bandage, prized open her jaws, -and pressed <i>heavily</i> on her thorax, when some of the -imprisoned gases escaped, emitting an abominable odour -that brought conviction of the girl being beyond all -hope.</p> - -<p>“In another case, that of my son, aged two years, after -a series of brain symptoms and severe clonic convulsions -preceding an outbreak of confluent small-pox, the stethoscope -told me and a medical friend who was present -that my little boy had ceased to exist; but a liberal -application of ice to his head and cardiac region, together -with violent friction and artificial respiration vigorously -employed for <i>forty</i> minutes, restored the child to me, -and I thanked God that I had refused to accept the -evidence of the stethoscope as final.”</p> - -<p class="psh">ELECTRICITY.</p> - -<p>The application of the electric current is a powerful -restorative agent in cases of suspended animation, if -judiciously applied. Struve in his essay, “Suspended -Animation,” p. 151, under the head of “Apparent -death from a fall,” says:—“A girl, three years of -age, fell from a window two stories high upon -the pavement. Though she was considered as lifeless,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_263" id="Page_263">[263]</a></span> -Mr. Squires, a natural philosopher, applied electricity. -Almost twenty minutes elapsed before the shocks produced -any effect. At last when some of the electric -force pervaded the breast he observed a slight motion -of the heart. The child soon after began to breathe -and groan with great difficulty, and after some minutes -a vomiting ensued. For a few days the patient remained -in a state of stupefaction, but in the course of a week -she was perfectly restored to health.”</p> - -<div class="sidenote">THE ELECTRICAL TEST.</div> - -<p>Referring to the subject of premature burial, Dr. W. -S. Hedley, writing to the <i>Lancet</i>, October 5, 1895, -says:—“Forty years ago the subject was investigated -by Crimotel, twenty years later by Rosenthal, and more -recently by Onimus. It seems safe to say that in no -disease, certainly in none of those conditions usually -enumerated as likely to be mistaken for death, is -galvanic and faradaic excitability abolished in every -muscle of the body. On the other hand, electro-muscular -contractility disappears in all the muscles -within a few hours after death (generally ninety minutes -to three hours, according to Rosenthal), its persistence -varying to some extent with the particular muscle -examined (1), and with the mode of death (2). Therefore, -if electro-muscular contractility be present in any -muscle, it means life or death only a few hours before. -It is clear that no interment or <i>post-mortem</i> examination -ought to take place so long as there is any flicker of -electric excitability. To me it seems almost equally -obvious that in all doubtful cases, sometimes in sudden -death, and often to allay the anxiety of friends, this test -ought to be applied, and applied by one who is accustomed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_264" id="Page_264">[264]</a></span> -to handle electric currents for purposes of -diagnosis.”</p> - -<p>The <i>Medical Record</i>, New York, March 30, 1895, -contains the following:—“In a case reported by M. -D’Arsonval, a man was struck with a current of four -thousand five hundred volts. The current entered at -his hand and issued at his back. Half an hour or more -elapsed before any attempts at resuscitation were made, -but, on artificial respiration being practised on Silvester’s -method, recovery took place. Dr. Donnellan reports a -case of the passage of a current of one thousand volts -through a man, which instantly caused coma, dilated -pupils, pallor of the face, and sweating; delirium and -tonic, alternating with clonic, spasms followed. The pulse -was eighty. The respiration, at first stertorous, passed -into the Cheyne-Stokes type. After the injection, first -of morphia, and then of strychnia, the patient fell into a -deep sleep, from which he awoke convalescent.—<i>Centralblatt -für die medicinischen Wissenschaften.</i>”</p> - -<p>The apparatus for applying electrical currents, long -used by the Humane Society for restoration of the -drowned, might with advantage be kept at public -mortuaries, for use in cases of apparent death due to -other causes, where decomposition has not manifested -itself. The Weather Bureau at Washington advises -those who are in the neighbourhood of persons struck -by lightning to make immediate efforts to restore consciousness, -because the effect of lightning is to suspend -animation rather than to produce death. Respiration -and circulation should be stimulated, and the usual -remedies for relief in such cases should be administered<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_265" id="Page_265">[265]</a></span> -for at least an hour before giving up the victim as -dead.</p> - -<p>Dr. Moore Russell Fletcher says:—“When persons -without pulse or breathing are found in bed, in the field, -or elsewhere, treat them in such manner as will restore -from stroke of lightning, paralysis, or suspended animation -from catalepsy, trance, or somnambulism, and -continue the treatment until resuscitation rewards the -exertions, or decomposition is evident.”—<i>Suspended -Animation, pp. 7, 8.</i></p> - -<p class="psh">HYPODERMIC INJECTIONS.</p> - -<p>Mr. E. E. Carpmael, of the Medical Department, -Berkeley University, U.S.A., recommends, in the <i>Morning -Post</i>, London, September 19, 1895, the injection of -strychnine in “a supposed corpse;” while “Medicus,” -in the <i>Daily Chronicle</i>, September 17, 1895, considers -that <i>post-mortems</i> “would be to the advantage of the -patient, to his relations, to science, and the community -at large.” No doubt either of these plans would prevent -live sepulture, by killing the cataleptic subject; while -“M.R.C.S.,” in <i>Morning Post</i>, September 20, says:—“Obviously -the simplest and best proof of death is -putrefaction—shown chiefly by the discolouration of -the abdomen.”</p> - -<div class="sidenote">HYPODERMIC INJECTIONS.</div> - -<p>A correspondent in the <i>English Mechanic</i>, October -25, 1895, says:—“I have long advised hypodermic -injection of morphia before placing in coffin for -burial. <i>Ex hypothesi</i>, the vital spark is not supposed -to have expired, and the circulatory system not finally -stopped. Hence the hypodermic injection cannot -be futile.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_266" id="Page_266">[266]</a></span></p> - -<p>A medical correspondent writing from Dresden, -August 18, 1895, sends me the following as showing -the value of</p> - -<p class="psh">ARTIFICIAL RESPIRATION.</p> - -<p>“Major J. H. Patzki, Surgeon, U.S. Army, reports that -in 1882, at St. Augustine, Florida, a lady patient of his -had an attack of tetanus, caused by a scratch upon her -foot by a nail while bathing. The convulsive symptoms -commenced in the muscles of the face, and increased in -violence in spite of energetic treatment, until the fifth -day, when the respiratory muscles became involved. -The breathing was completely suspended by the spasmodic -action, and the radial and carotid pulse ceased. -The cardiac sounds became utterly inaudible to careful -stethoscopic examination repeatedly employed. The -lady assumed all the appearances of death, and there -was <i>rigor mortis</i>, the result of muscular spasm. Artificial -respiration was resorted to, but not until after the -expiration of eighteen minutes did the first faint efforts -of respiration, and a feeble action of the heart, become -perceptible. Artificial respiration was continued for an -hour afterwards, and the life of the patient was saved, -although the muscular spasms continued to some extent -for six days.</p> - -<p>“This case is instructive in showing that tetanus, when -it involves the chest, may produce a state of apparent -death, by interfering with the respiratory and cardiac -functions; and that artificial respiration, if persistently -employed, may rescue patients so affected from the -perils of apparent death.”</p> - -<div class="sidenote">DR. JOHN OSWALD’S OPINION.</div> - -<p>Dr. John Oswald, in “Suspended Animal Life,” -Philadelphia, 1802, p. 65, says:—“The books of authors<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_267" id="Page_267">[267]</a></span> -on this subject are replete with criteria to judge of the -existence or non-existence of the vital principle. It is -not necessary to take a separate view of the propriety -or impropriety of adopting any of these ambiguous -signs, when we have the accomplishment of so great an -end as that of restoring suspended life! Our exertions -should never be influenced by any of them, but continued -with ardour and unremitted attention for a -length of time. It would be more happy for our unfortunate -patients, and a source of greater satisfaction -to ourselves, were they expunged altogether. They -are all fallacious to a certain degree, and ought never -to have the smallest influence on the propriety or impropriety -of persevering in our attempts to revive the -latent spark; for it is an unfortunate fact, in consequence -of an ignorant confidence placed in them, -that persons who might have been restored to life, to -their friends, and to society have been consigned to the -grave.... This important subject has been anxiously -investigated by philosophers, to discover a just criterion -of judging with more certainty in these cases whether -life is extinct, and our patient a mass of dead matter, -or whether, by our perseverance, he may not be again -recovered. The most indubitable sign is allowed to be -putrefaction of the body, or disorganisation of the -fibre.”</p> - -<p>The following extracts from an instructive but apparently -forgotten article in Dickens’ “All the Year -Round,” July, 1869 (<i>à propos</i> of a pamphlet, “Lettre -sur la Mort Apparente, les Conséquences Réelles des -Inhumations Précipitées, et le Temps pendant lequel -peut persister l’Aptitude à être rappellé à la Vie,” by<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_268" id="Page_268">[268]</a></span> -the late regretted Dr. Charles Londe), afford valuable -suggestions:—</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="p1">“Suffocation by foul air and mephitical gas is not a rare form of -death in the United Kingdom. It is possible that suspended animation -may now and then have been mistaken for the absolute -extinction of life. Dr. Londe gives an instructive case to the -purpose. At the extremity of a large grocer’s shop, a close, -narrow corner, or rather hole, was the sleeping-place of the shopman -who managed the night sale till the shop was closed, and -who opened the shutters at four in the morning. On the 16th of -January, 1825, there were loud knocks at the grocer’s door. As -nobody stirred to open it, the grocer rose himself, grumbling at -the shopman’s laziness, and, proceeding to his sleeping-hole to -scold him, he found him motionless in bed, completely deprived -of consciousness. Terror-struck by the idea of sudden death, he -immediately sent in search of a doctor, who suspected a case of -asphyxia by mephitism. His suspicions were confirmed by the -sight of a night-lamp, which had gone out, although supplied with -oil and wick, and by a portable stove containing the remains of -charcoal partly reduced to ashes. In spite of a severe frost, he -immediately had the patient taken into the open air, and kept on -a chair in a position as nearly vertical as possible. The limbs of -the sufferer hung loose and drooping, the pupils were motionless, -with no trace either of breathing or pulsation of the heart or -arteries; in short, there were all the signs of death. The most -approved modes of restoring animation were persisted in for a -long while without success. At last, about three in the afternoon—that -is, after <i>eleven hours’</i> continued exertion—a slight movement -was heard in the region of the heart. A few hours afterwards -the patient opened his eyes, regained consciousness, and -was able to converse with the spectators attracted by his resurrection. -Dr. Londe draws the same conclusions as before—namely, -that persons suffocated by mephitism are not unfrequently buried -when they might be saved.”</p> - -<div class="sidenote1">DANGER TO CHOLERA PATIENTS.</div> - -<p>“We have had cholera in Great Britain, and we may have it -again. At such trying times, if ever, hurried interments are not -merely excusable, but almost unavoidable. Nevertheless, one of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_269" id="Page_269">[269]</a></span> -the peculiarities of that fearful disease is to bring on some of the -symptoms of death—the prostration, the coldness, and the dull -livid hues—long before life has taken its departure. Now, Dr. -Londe states, as an acknowledged fact, that patients pronounced -dead of cholera have been repeatedly seen to move one or more -of their limbs after death. While M. Trachez (who had been sent -to Poland to study the cholera) was opening a subject in the -dead-house of the Bagatelle Hospital, in Warsaw, he saw another -body (that of a woman of fifty, who had died in two days, having -her eyes still bright, her joints supple, but the whole surface -extremely cold) which vividly moved its left foot ten or twelve -times in the course of an hour. Afterwards, the right foot participated -in the same movement, but very feebly. M. Trachez sent -for Mr. Searle, an English surgeon, to direct his attention to the -phenomenon. Mr. Searle <i>had often remarked it</i>. The woman, -nevertheless, was left in the dissecting-room, and thence taken to -the cemetery. Several other medical men stated that they had -made similar observations. From which M. Trachez draws the -inference: ‘It is allowable to think that many cholera patients -have been buried alive.’”</p> - -<p>“Dr. Veyrat, attached to the Bath Establishment, Aix, Savoy, -was sent for to La Roche (Department of the Yonne), to visit a -cholera patient, Thérèse X., who had lost all the members of her -family by the same disease. He found her in a complete state of -asphyxia. He opened a vein; not a drop of blood flowed. He -applied leeches; they bit, and immediately loosed their hold. He -covered the body with stimulant applications, and went to take a -little rest, requesting to be called if the patient manifested any -signs of life. The night and next day passed without any change. -While making preparations for the burial, they noticed a little -blood oozing out of the leech-bites. Dr. Veyrat, informed of the -circumstance, entered the chamber just as the nurse was about to -wrap the corpse in its winding-sheet. Suddenly a rattling noise -issued from Thérèse’s chest. She opened her eyes, and in a -hollow voice said to the nurse: ‘What are you doing here? I -am not dead. Get away with you.’ She recovered, and felt no -other inconvenience than a deafness, which lasted about two -months.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_270" id="Page_270">[270]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Exposure to cold may also induce a suspension of vitality -liable to be mistaken for actual death. This year the French -Senate has again received several petitions relative to premature -interments.... And, considering the length of time that -trances, catalepsies, lethargies, and cases of suspended animation -have been known occasionally to continue, it is scarcely, in -England, less interesting to us, though public feeling, which is -only an expression of natural affection, approves, and indeed -almost compels, a longer delay. The attention of the French -Government being once more directed to the subject, there is -little doubt that all reasonable grounds for fear will be removed.<a name="FNanchor_20_20" id="FNanchor_20_20"></a><a href="#Footnote_20_20" class="fnanchor">[20]</a></p> - -<p>“The petitioners have requested, as a precaution, that all -burials for the future should, in the first instance, be only provisional. -Before filling a grave, a communication is to be made -between the coffin and the upper atmosphere by means of a -respiratory tube; and the grave is not to be finally closed until -all hope of life is abandoned. These precautions, it will be seen -at once, however good in theory, are scarcely practicable. Others -have demanded the general establishment of mortuary chambers, -or dead-houses, like those in Germany. And not only the petitioners, -but several senators, seem to consider that measure -the full solution of the problem. Article 77 of the Civil Code -prescribes a delay of twenty-four hours only, which appears to -them to be insufficient, since, they urge, it admits the certainty -that death has taken place only after putrefactive decomposition -has set in. Now, a much longer time than twenty-four hours may -elapse before that decomposition manifests itself. Deposit, therefore, -your dead in a mortuary chapel, until you are perfectly sure, -from the evidence of your senses, that life is utterly and hopelessly -extinct.</p> - -<div class="sidenote1">DIFFICULTY OF DIAGNOSIS.</div> - -<p>“When Article 77 of the Civil Code was under discussion -by the Council of State, Fourcroy added: ‘It shall be specified -that the civil officer be assisted by an officier de santé (a -medical man of inferior rank to a doctor of medicine); because<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_271" id="Page_271">[271]</a></span> -there are cases in which it is difficult to make certain that death -has actually occurred, without a thorough knowledge of its -symptoms, and because there are tolerably numerous examples -to prove that people <i>have</i> been buried alive.’</p> - -<p>“In Paris, especially since Baron Hausmann’s administration, -Article 77 has been strictly fulfilled; but the same exactitude -cannot be expected in out-of-the-way nooks and corners of -the country, where a doctor cannot always be found at a -minute’s warning, to declare whether death be real or apparent -only. It is clear that the Legislature has hit upon the sole indisputable -practical solution; the difficulty lies in its rigorous and -efficient application.</p> - -<p>“It has been judiciously remarked that it would be a good plan -to spread the knowledge of the sure and certain characteristics -which enable us to distinguish every form of lethargy from real -death. It cannot be denied that at the present epoch the utmost -pains are taken to popularise every kind of knowledge. Nevertheless, -it makes slow way through the jungles of prejudice and -vulgar error. Not long ago it was over and over again asserted that -an infallible mode of ascertaining whether a person was dead or -not was to inflict a burn on the sole of the foot. If a blister full of -water resulted, the individual was not dead; if the contrary happened, -there was no further hope. This error was unhesitatingly -accepted as an item of the popular creed.</p> - -<p>“The Council of Hygiene, applied to by the Government, indicated -putrefaction and cadaverous rigidity as infallible signs of -actual death. In respect to the first—putrefaction—a professional -man is not likely to make a mistake; but nothing is more possible -than for non-professionals to confound hospital rottenness -(gangrene) with true <i>post-mortem</i> putrefaction. M. de Parville -declines to admit it as a test adapted for popular application. -Moreover, in winter, the time required for putrefaction to manifest -itself is extremely uncertain.</p> - -<p>“The cadaverous rigidity—the stiffness of a corpse—offers an -excellent mode of verifying death; but its value and importance -are not yet appreciable by everybody, or by the first comer. -Cadaverous rigidity occurs a few hours after death; the limbs, -hitherto supple, stiffen; and it requires a certain effort to make -them bend. But when once the faculty of bending a joint is<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_272" id="Page_272">[272]</a></span> -forcibly restored—to the arm, for instance—it will not stiffen -again, but will retain its suppleness. If the death be real, the -rigidity is overcome once for all. But if the death be only -apparent, the limbs quickly resume, with a sudden and jerking -movement, the contracted position which they previously occupied. -The stiffness begins at the top, the head and neck, and descends -gradually to the trunk.</p> - -<p>“These characteristics are very clearly marked; but they must -be caught in the fact, and at the moment of their appearance, -because, after a time of variable duration, they disappear. The -contraction of the members no longer exists, and the suppleness -of the joints returns. Many other symptoms might be added to -the above; but they demand still greater clearness of perception, -more extended professional knowledge, and more practised habits -of observation.</p> - -<p>“Although the French Government is anxious to enforce -throughout the whole empire the rules carried out in Paris, it is -to be feared that great difficulties lie in the way. The verification -of deaths on so enormous a scale, with strict minuteness, is almost -impracticable. But, even if it were not, many timid persons would -say: ‘Who is to assure us of the correctness of the doctor’s -observations? Unfortunately, too many terrible examples of their -fallibility are on record. The professional man is pressed for -time. He pays a passing visit; gives a hurried glance; and a -fatal mistake is so easily made!’ Public opinion will not be -reassured until you can show, every time a death occurs, an irrefutable -demonstration that life has departed.</p> - -<p>“M. de Parville now announces the possibility of this great -desideratum. He professes to place in any one’s hands a self-acting -apparatus which would declare not only whether the death -be real, but <i>would leave in the hands of the experimenter a written -proof of the reality of the death</i>. The scheme is this: It is well -known that atropine—the active principle of <i>belladonna</i>—possesses -the property of considerably dilating the pupil of the -eye. Oculists constantly make use of it when they want to perform -an operation, or to examine the interior of the eye. Now, M. -le Docteur Bouchut has shown that atropine has no action on -the pupil when death is real. In a state of lethargy, the pupil, -under the influence of a few drops of atropine, dilates in the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_273" id="Page_273">[273]</a></span> -course of a few minutes; the dilatation also takes place a few -instants after death; but it ceases absolutely in a quarter of an -hour, or half an hour at the very longest; consequently the -enlargement of the pupil is a certain sign that death is only -apparent.</p> - -<div class="sidenote1">AN INGENIOUS CONTRIVANCE.</div> - -<p>“This premised, imagine a little camera obscura, scarcely so big -as an opera-glass, containing a slip of photographic paper, which -is kept unrolling for five-and-twenty or thirty minutes by means of -clockwork. This apparatus, placed a short distance in front of -the dead person’s eye, will depict on the paper the pupil of the -eye, which will have been previously moistened with a few drops -of atropine. It is evident that, as the paper slides before the eye -of the corpse, if the pupil dilate, its photographic image will be -dilated; if, on the contrary, it remains unchanged, the image will -retain its original size. An inspection of the paper then enables -the experimenter to read upon it whether the death is real or -apparent only. This sort of declaration can be handed to the -civil officer, who will give a permit to bury in return.</p> - -<p>“By this simple method a hasty or careless certificate of death -becomes impossible. The instrument applies the test, and counts -the minutes. The doctor and the civil officer are relieved from -further responsibility. The paper gives evidence that the verification -has actually and carefully been made; for suppose that half -an hour is required to produce a test that can be relied on, the -length of the strip of paper unrolled marks the time during which -the experiment has been continued. An apparatus of the kind -might be placed in the hands of the minister or one of the notables -of every parish. Such a system would silence the apprehensions -of the most timid; fears—natural enough—would disappear, and -the world would be shocked by no fresh cases of premature -burial.”</p></div> - -<p class="p1">The authors have not heard whether this ingenious contrivance -had been put into practice, or with what result.</p> - -<p>Various prizes have been offered, and awards made, -by scientific and medical societies, but, with one exception, -the so-called proofs of death for which the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_274" id="Page_274">[274]</a></span> -awards have been given are deemed unsatisfactory. -The most notable of the prizes is that of the Marquis -d’Ourches, who by his will bequeathed the sum of twenty -thousand francs to be given to the author of the discovery -of a simple and common means of recognising beyond -doubt the absolute signs of death, by such a test as could -be adopted by poor villagers without technical instruction. -The Marquis d’Ourches left also a prize of five -thousand francs for a similar discovery, but requiring the -intervention of an expert. M. Pierre Manni, Professor at -the University of Rome, offered a prize, which was -awarded to Dr. E. Bouchut, in 1846. And M. Dusgate, -by will, dated January 11, 1872, bequeathed to the -French Academy of Sciences a sufficient sum in -French <i>Rentes</i>, to found a quinquennial prize of two -thousand five hundred francs to the author of the -best work on the diagnostic signs of death, and the -means of preventing premature interments. A decree -of November 27, 1874, authorised the Academy to -accept this legacy.</p> - -<p>Dr. Gowers, on “Diseases of the Nervous System,” -vol. ii., p. 1037, says:—“In cases of ‘death-trance,’ in -which no sign of vitality can be recognised, the presence -of life may be ascertained (1) by the absence of any sign -of decomposition; (2) by the normal appearance of the -<i>fundus oculi</i> as seen with the ophthalmoscope; (3) by -the persistence of the excitability of the muscles to -electricity. This excitability disappears in three hours -after actual death. In a case observed by Rosenthal, -thirty hours after supposed death, the muscles were still -excitable, and the patient awoke.”</p> - -<p>The <i>British Medical Journal</i>, January 21, 1893, p. 145,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_275" id="Page_275">[275]</a></span> -reports, through its Paris correspondent, the first award. -“The Académie des Sciences proposed as the subject for -the Dusgate Prize for 1890, ‘The Signs of Death, and the -Means of Preventing Premature Burial.’ The prize has -been awarded to Dr. Maze, who considers that putrefaction -is the only certain sign. He urges that the -deaths should be certified by medical men on oath; -also that in every cemetery there should be a mortuary -where dead bodies can be deposited, and that burial -should take place only when putrefactive changes set in. -Cremation should be adopted.”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_276" id="Page_276">[276]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4">CHAPTER XX.</h2> - -<p class="pch">CREMATION AS A PREVENTIVE OF PREMATURE BURIAL.</p> - - -<div class="sidenote">SUGGESTIONS FOR PREVENTION.</div> - -<div class="sidenote">SIR HENRY THOMPSON’S OPINION.</div> - -<p><span class="smcap">Amongst</span> the numerous suggestions made by correspondents -in the press with a view of preventing live -sepulture, none has been more frequently put forward -than that of cremation. Sir Henry Thompson, the -president of the Cremation Society of England, in the -second edition of his admirable volume, “Modern Cremation: -Its History and Practice,” p. 41, observes:—“There -is a source of very painful dread—as I have -reason to know—little talked of, it is true, but keenly -felt by many persons at some time or another, the -horror of which to some is inexpressible. It is the -dread of a premature burial—the fear lest some deep -trance should be mistaken for death, and that the -awakening should take place too late. Happily such -occurrences must be exceedingly rare, especially in this -country, where the interval between death and burial is -considerable, and the fear is almost a groundless one. -Still, the conviction that such a fate is possible—which -cannot be altogether denied—will always be a source of -severe trial to some. With cremation no such catastrophe -could ever occur; and the completeness of a -properly-conducted process would render death instantaneous -and painless if by any unhappy chance an -individual so circumstanced were submitted to it. But -the guarantee against this danger would be doubled,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_277" id="Page_277">[277]</a></span> -since inspection of the entire body must of necessity -immediately precede the act of cremation, no such -inspection being possible under the present system.” -While agreeing with this distinguished authority as to -the advantages of cremation from the sanitary and -æsthetic point of view, which he dwells upon in the -treatise referred to, and admitting that a certain -amount of protection against live burial is obtainable -by means of the dual medical inspection, we cannot -agree that this protection is absolute. Cases of -trance are on record where some half a dozen doctors, -after careful examinations, have pronounced a cataleptic -patient to be dead, and the patient, in defiance of their -united opinion, has recovered consciousness, and been -restored to health.</p> - -<p>Dr. Franz Hartmann, in his “Premature Burial,” quotes -the two following cases amongst many others:—</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="p1">“Madame de P——, aged eighteen years, and subject to -hysteria, apparently died, and for forty hours she presented all -the signs of real death. All possible means of restoring her -to life were taken, but proved of no avail. <i>Five physicians of -Lyons were called in, and they finally agreed, positively, that the -lady was really dead.</i> The funeral preparations were made; but -owing to the supplications of a sister of the deceased the burial -was delayed, when after a while the patient recovered. She said -that she had been all the time aware of all that was going on, -without being able to give a sign, and without even being desirous -of attempting it.” (F. Kempner, p. 38.)</p> - -<p>“In 1842 a remarkable affair occupied the attention of the -court at the city of Nantes. A man apparently died, and -<i>his death was certified to both by the attending physicians and the -medical inspector</i>; he was put into a coffin, and the religious ceremonies -were performed in good style. At the end of the funeral -service, and as he was about to be buried, he awoke from his -trance. The clergy and the undertakers sent in their accounts for<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_278" id="Page_278">[278]</a></span> -the funeral expenses; but he refused to pay them, giving as his -reason that he had not ordered them; whereupon he was sued -for the money.” (F. Kempner, p. 39.)</p></div> - -<p class="p1">Neither can we share the optimistic views of Sir -Henry Thompson as to the rarity of premature interment. -The results of searching and independent -inquiries and study in various countries by each of the -authors of this treatise all point the other way, and -the various authorities whose names and opinions are -cited elsewhere in this volume confess their astonishment -at the number of cases brought to light during their -investigations. The Rev. H. R. Haweis also, in his work -“Ashes to Ashes: A Cremation Prelude” (London, 1895, -now out of print), advocates cremation on the ground -of preventing living burial, and quotes several cases of -persons buried while in a state of trance. During a discussion -on the merits and demerits of cremation in the -<i>Birmingham Gazette</i>, September 17, 1895, Lieutenant-General -Phelps, an able and judicious observer, -advocated cremation for similar reasons, and said that -“the use of a crematorium would entirely prevent that -ghastly accident, the burial of the living. There is no -room to doubt that this frightful catastrophe is of -continual occurrence. The phenomena of trance are -little understood, and a certificate of death is held by -most of us to justify the burial of the ‘corpse,’ dead -or alive. Those of us who object to the risk of being -buried alive should do all in our power to promote the -success of this sanitary contrivance for disposing of -our dead.”</p> - -<p>The writer of the following communication, which -appeared in the <i>Sunday Times</i>, September 6, 1896, has<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_279" id="Page_279">[279]</a></span> -substantial reasons for preferring cremation to the -risks of burial:—</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="pc1">“BURIAL DANGER AND ITS PREVENTION.</p> - -<div class="sidenote1">COMMUNICATION TO THE “SUNDAY TIMES.”</div> - -<p>“Madam,—When I was about five years old, my paternal -home was one day plunged into a state of great consternation, -through the sudden apparent death of my father, who had been -sitting up during a part of the previous night occupied with some -literary work, without a fire (it was in January), which brought on -a death-like numbness, in which he was found the next morning. -The family doctor, who was sent for at once, declared life to be -extinct, but said he could not tell the cause of death until after the -opening of the dead body. My mother, however, who did not see -any reason why a young man of thirty-six should have died without -any previous illness, caused the body of my father to be rubbed for -about two hours, which renewed its circulation and brought it to -life again. My father lived thirty-two years after that memorable -day. Without the prudence of my mother, he would either have -been dissected or buried alive. About twenty years after that -occurrence, I visited the cemetery of Père La Chaise (Paris), -accompanied by some friends. While inspecting the monuments -of some musical celebrities we heard a noise from another part of -the cemetery, whereto we proceeded without delay. When we -had arrived there we found a strong body of policemen surrounding -an open grave. But in answer to our inquiring ‘what had -happened,’ we were simply requested to leave the cemetery at -once, which, of course, we had to do. Neither the <i>portier</i> nor any -other person connected with the burial-ground would give any satisfactory -answer to our questions. We left puzzled. But a week -after, a young lady, who had been of our party the week before, -went again to the Père La Chaise, determined to penetrate the -mystery, in which endeavour she succeeded, partly through persuasion -and partly through the gift of a twenty-franc piece to a -grave-digger, who then told her the following story:—A poor -young man of twenty-one years had been buried on the day of -our visit. When the mourners had left the cemetery the grave-digger, -who was occupied in filling up the grave, heard some noise -coming from below. He hastened to the superintendent of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_280" id="Page_280">[280]</a></span> -cemetery, imploring him to have the coffin opened, which, however, -the superintendent could not do without the permission and -the presence of the Commissaire de Police of that district. When -the Commissaire appeared at last with his men, all was silent in -the grave. But he had the coffin opened, nevertheless, ‘to appease -the mind of that poor grave-digger,’ as he mockingly said. But -great was the horror of the Commissaire de Police and his followers -when the coffin was opened. The unfortunate young man -(who was now quite dead) had been buried alive, recovered consciousness -in his grave, scratched his face, bitten off the tips of his -fingers, and turned around in his coffin, until suffocation put an -end to his sufferings, which, if not long, must have been terrible. -The Parisian newspapers did not mention the case. They were -probably forbidden by the French Government to do so. But -would it not have been wiser to let the whole world know of it, and -thereby prevent repetitions of such dreadful occurrences? A -similar case of live sepulture occurred in a village near Wiesbaden -some thirty years ago, where a girl of sixteen was found with the -same signs of suffocation in her coffin as those of that unfortunate -young man in Paris. We are assured by a German authority that -thousands of people are buried alive every year. But why should -this be the case? If people must be buried before they begin to -show signs of putrefaction (which seems to be the only reliable -proof that life is really extinct), why not shorten their sufferings, in -case of resuscitation, by opening an artery before they are buried? -There is still much prejudice against the cremation of dead bodies, -although two great facts are decidedly in its favour—viz., the -impossibility of recovering consciousness when once inserted in -the crematory oven, and the prevention of the unhealthiness which -the slow process of putrefaction must entail.—Yours, etc.,</p> - -<p class="pr2">“J. H. BONAWITZ.</p> - -<p>“London.”</p></div> - -<p class="p1">Professor Alexander Wilder, M.D., in his “Perils of -Premature Burial,” 1895, p. 16, says:—“I have often -wished that the old Oriental practice of cremation -was in fashion among us. There would then be at<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_281" id="Page_281">[281]</a></span> -least the comfortable reflection of no liability to suffocation -in a coffin. The application of fire, however, will -generally rouse the cataleptic person to some manifestation -of life.”</p> - -<div class="sidenote">CREMATION SOCIETY OF ENGLAND.</div> - -<p>Having regard to the importance of the subject the -author wrote to the hon. secretary of the Cremation -Society of England, and received the following reply, -dated 8 New Cavendish Street, London, W.:—</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="p1">“With reference to your inquiry as to the steps adopted -to prevent a person in a trance being cremated, I may say -that this society has not made any special provision in -that respect. You will notice, however, that before a -cremation can be carried out, the cause of death must be -certified without the slightest shadow of doubt by two -duly qualified medical men. This being so, I think -there is less likelihood of a person who is simply in a -trance being cremated than buried, one doctor’s certificate -being sufficient in the latter case.</p> - -<p class="pr2">“(Signed)<span class="vh">——————</span><span class="smcap">T. C. Swinburne-Hanham</span>.”<br /></p></div> - -<p class="p1">In the present state of medical knowledge on an -occult subject not usually taught in the medical schools, -and regarding phenomena as to which a large number of -medical men are sceptical, to say the least, we fail to see -how the fact of death, in the absence of putrefaction, can -be certified “beyond the slightest shadow of doubt.” -Many of the cases cited in this volume are those regarding -which the examining medical practitioners have been -most sure. The Rev. John Page Hopps, in <i>Light</i>, July 4, -1896, says:—</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“We are told that respect for the dead urges to burial as -against cremation, but many are now very keenly feeling the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_282" id="Page_282">[282]</a></span> -reverse of this. They can bring the mind to bear the liberation of -the body by one swift act of disintegration and purifying, but cannot -overcome the shrinking from subjecting it to the foul and -lingering processes of the grave—or, perchance, to the horror of -recovering consciousness in the grave.”</p> - -<p class="p1">We take the occasion, however, to express on general -grounds our cordial adherence to the cremation movement. -Mr. Hopps further states one of the strongest -arguments thus:—</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“Respect for the living, too, is an urgent motive. The highest -authorities tell us that the air we breathe and the water we drink -are often contaminated by the emanations of graves. It cannot be -right that London, for instance, with all its inevitable impurities, -should add to its foulnesses that of trying to live in company with -thousands upon thousands of decaying bodies in its very midst.”</p> - -<p class="p1">To dispose of the dead decently, and at the same time -without injury to the living, is one of the first obligations -of civilised communities, and cremation seems -best calculated to fulfil the conditions. Zymotic diseases, -such as typhus, scarlatina, and the plague, have -been traced in certain instances to emanations from -burial-grounds.</p> - -<p>Dr. Charles Creighton, in his “History of Epidemics in -Britain,” vol. i., p. 336, says:—“The grand provocative of -plague was no obvious nuisance above ground, but the -loading of the soil, generation after generation, with an -immense quantity of cadaveric matters, which were -diffused in the pores of the ground under the feet of the -living, to rise in emanations more deadly in one season -than in another.”</p> - -<p>It would seem from these experiences as though there -was quite as much truth as poetry in Shakespeare when -he said, “Grave-yards yawn, and hell itself breathes out<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_283" id="Page_283">[283]</a></span> -contagion on the world.” Before many years it is not -unlikely that cremation in this as in some other -countries will be made obligatory in cases of death from -all infectious diseases. As the late Bishop of Manchester -observed, “The earth is not for the dead, but for the -living.” During the thirteen years ending 1890 there -were three hundred and three thousand four hundred -and sixty-six deaths from cholera in Japan, and all the -bodies of these persons were cremated. In India, as we -have already shown, cremation is practised under most -of the religious systems, as it is believed that the soul is -not free from its earthly tenement until the body is -reduced to ashes. The method of burning is slow and -cumbersome as compared with that adopted in Europe; -but during the author’s last visit to Ceylon, in the early -part of the present year (1896), there was some talk of -establishing a crematorium.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">THE LONDON BURIAL-GROUNDS.</div> - -<p>In “The London Burial-Grounds,” by Mrs. Basil -Holmes, 1896, p. 269, the question is asked:—“Are we -ever to allow England to be divided like a chess-board -into towns and burial-places? What we have to consider -is how to dispose of the dead without taking so much -valuable space from the living. In the metropolitan -area alone we have almost filled (and in some places -over-filled) twenty-four new cemeteries within sixty -years, with an area of above six hundred acres; and -this is as nothing compared with the huge extent of -land used for interments just outside the limits of the -metropolis. If the cemeteries are not to extend -indefinitely they must in time be built upon, or they -must be used for burial over and over again, or the -ground must revert to its original state as agricultural<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_284" id="Page_284">[284]</a></span> -land, or we must turn our parks and commons into -cemeteries, and let our cemeteries be our only recreation -grounds, which heaven forbid!”</p> - -<p>According to Dr. Ebenezer Duncan eight thousand -bodies are buried yearly in Glasgow and its neighbourhood, -poisoning both air and water, and endangering the -public health. The same state of things has existed in -London, Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, and other -large towns. The following resolution was unanimously -adopted in the Preventive Medicine Department of a -Health Congress, Glasgow, in July, 1896:—</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“That in the opinion of this Congress cremation of the dead, -especially in cases of infectious disease, is a natural and very -desirable hygienic process, and that this Congress of the British -Institute of Public Health use all proper means to urge upon the -Government the desirability of their promoting a measure to -enable sanitary authorities, if they so desire, to build crematoria -and to conduct them under proper superintendence.”</p> - -<p class="p1">It must be allowed, however, that cremation, in spite -of its obvious advantages, is not one of those movements -which advance by leaps and bounds. The recent annual -report of the Cremation Society of England states that -during the last year there were two hundred and eight -cremations in the United Kingdom—viz., one hundred -and fifty at Woking, and fifty-eight at Manchester. -Crematoria have recently been established at Glasgow -and Liverpool.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_285" id="Page_285">[285]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4">CHAPTER XXI.</h2> - -<p class="pch">WAITING MORTUARIES.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Of</span> all the various methods that have been suggested or -introduced for the prevention of premature interment, -none has been attended with such satisfactory results -as the erection of mortuaries (Leichenhäuser) in Germany. -These structures, described in pp. 294 <i>et seq.</i>, ought to be -provided, as far as practicable, in every parish, and certainly -in every Sanitary District in the United Kingdom, -and by the Boards of Health in the United States, and -adapted to the requirements of the population. They -should be of chaste and elegant design, well ventilated; -their atmosphere made antiseptic with living plants and -flowers, and by plenty of light; provided with baths and -couches, and a skilled attendant—edifices where both -the dead and the apparent dead can be deposited -pending burial, cremation, or resuscitation. Separate -compartments are necessary for cases where death has -been due to accidents and for those who have succumbed -to infectious diseases. Every modern appliance should -be introduced for the restoration of such as may exhibit -signs of returning consciousness, and of those in whom, -after sufficient time had elapsed, no sign of putrefaction -was observable. The temperature of the room should be -kept at eighty-four degrees, as suggested by Sir Benjamin<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_286" id="Page_286">[286]</a></span> -Ward Richardson, and no interment, cremation, <i>post-mortem</i>, -or embalming should be permitted until a -medical examination by one or more experienced physicians -showed unequivocal signs of putrefaction. Perhaps -the Royal Humane Society, which during the last one -hundred and fifty years has done such splendid work -in restoring the drowned and asphyxiated, might be -willing to extend the field of its benevolent operations -to other neglected forms of suspended animation where -intelligent direction and supervision is so much required.</p> - -<p>A writer in the <i>British and Foreign Medico-Chirurgical -Review</i>, 1855, vol. xv., p. 75, says:—“The earliest -movements in the direction of means for the prevention -of premature interments originated with Winslow in -France, followed by other well-known writers upon the -signs of death. It was Madame Necker, however, who -embodied their suggestions in a practicable form as -submitted to the National Assembly, in 1792, by Count -Berchshold. In the ninth year of the first French Republic -(1801) a project was entertained for the erection of six -‘temples funeraires’ in Paris, but came to no good, as -attendant evils preponderated. To Germany belongs -the credit of having executed these designs in such wise -that they should not prove the positive sources of more -danger to the living than could be counter-balanced by -the occasional preservation of an individual from the risk -of premature interment. Believing that this risk had -been prodigiously diminished since the establishment of -these institutions for the reception of cases where doubt -of the reality of death has existed, Hufeland, in Weimar, -devised the plan that Frankfort-on-the-Maine incorporated -with its reform in sepulture and establishment of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_287" id="Page_287">[287]</a></span> -extra-mural cemeteries, in 1823. Hufeland’s plans have -subsequently been adopted and carried out in many -other German States.... As a sanitary measure -the separation of the dead from the living, especially -from among the crowded poor, would be, apart from -the not less important point of verification of death, an -incalculable benefit.... It behoves us in this -matter to learn another lesson from our neighbours, -and to take measures to prevent the occurrence of -catastrophes too fearfully horrible to contemplate in -thought, too dreadful for the most vivid imagination -to realise. Science can hold out no token by which -to recognise the certainty of death. Sanitary police, at -least in England, is indifferent about the risk of a few -burials alive, and thinks it superfluous to prevent their -occurrence.”</p> - -<p>That the people have a right to protection by the -State against preventable sources of danger, all civilised -nations have acknowledged, by the making of laws that -guard their citizens from the invasion of diseases of -domestic or foreign origin, as well as many other perils. -<span class="sidenote">THE GERMAN SYSTEM.</span>But the German-speaking countries have gone further -than any other in this humane direction <i>by recognising -apparent death as a special peril to be guarded against by -law</i>, in order to prevent living burials. For this purpose -they have established mortuaries connected with cemeteries, -in which the apparently dead are placed, under -the observation of physicians and attendants. Here the -bodies are placed upon tables, dressed in their ordinary -clothes, amidst light, warmth, and ventilation, surrounded -by plants and floral tributes. Thus they are kept from -forty-eight to seventy-two hours, unless decomposition<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_288" id="Page_288">[288]</a></span> -sets in earlier, or the death was due to an infectious -disease. Further delay is allowed on application by the -attending physician, or by some member of the family -interested. Cords connected with an alarm bell are -attached to the fingers, under the conviction that the -least movement of the body would arouse the attendant -in an adjoining room. No doubt these mortuaries have -saved a certain number from being buried alive; but the -system can be improved by extending the observation -until such time as death is certain, for experience shows -that no stated limit of time can apply to all cases -of trance and catalepsy, which are the chief causes of -apparent death. Some of these continue for a week, -and cases of even longer duration are not unknown. It -often happens that returning vital activity consists merely -in scarcely perceptible movements of the eyelids or the -mouth, a change of the complexion, slight moisture on -the face, or a faint action of the heart, or a warmth in -that region, or feeble thoracic movements—all of which -might escape observation until the allotted time had -expired, and no contrivance, however delicately adjusted, -could announce their presence. Time alone will -test the existence of life or death in such cases.</p> - -<p>The extensive literature on this subject shows that the -struggle to bring about the existing mortuary system -in Germany was kept up for many years before it -obtained its measure of success. It was legalised -about the year 1795, after the physicians of Germany, -France, and Austria had shown the absolute -necessity for it.</p> - -<p>Mortuaries have continued in high favour with the -people wherever they have once been properly established;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_289" id="Page_289">[289]</a></span> -none, so far as the author has been able to -learn, have ever been abolished. At the present -time the city of Munich is constructing a mortuary at -the Southern cemetery upon a costly scale, surpassing -in sumptuous accessories anything of the kind before -attempted in Germany. It will be not unworthy of -the public buildings of the city. This is an emphatic -endorsement of the necessity of the system by a people -that for more than fifty years has given it a thorough -trial; and it is a strong argument for its adoption -elsewhere.</p> - -<p>The question suggests itself here: Why should not the -English-speaking peoples accept the long experience of -a philosophical, painstaking, clear-minded people like -the Germans, supported as it is by many sanitary and -medical authorities in France, England, and the United -States, and establish these institutions in connection -with existing cemeteries, with such modifications as -national habits, local tastes, and customs may dictate?</p> - -<p>The following practical suggestions are from a paper -in the <i>Medical Times</i>, vol. xvi., No. 415, p. 574, September -11, 1847, entitled, “On the construction of houses -for the reception of the dead; and on the means to be -used for the recovery of those who are only in trances -or fits, or in whom life is only impassive,” by Robert -Brandon, Esq., Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury:—</p> - - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="psh">“<i>DUBIÆ VITÆ REFUGIUM</i>; OR, ASYLUM FOR -DOUBTFUL LIFE.</p> - -<div class="sidenote1">ASYLUM FOR DOUBTFUL LIFE.</div> - -<p>“The building should be large enough to provide means -for resuscitation, and have room enough for the deposition -of bodies when epidemics are prevalent. There<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_290" id="Page_290">[290]</a></span> -should be hot baths, for these often are alone enough to -recall the vital spark; and a kitchen to prepare nourishment -for those who are recovered, and for the porter and -other officers who would live on the building. The room -for the deposit of the bodies should communicate with -the porter’s room by means of a glass door, and every -body should have a wire fixed to the feet and hands, in -communication with a bell, which bell must ring in the -porter’s room, in order to warn him should there be any -motion in those thought to be dead. There should be -men and women on the premises to use friction, a -galvanic machine, and the implements necessary for -transfusion and artificial respiration. As the usual and -accepted signs of death are not signs to be relied on, so -is decomposition a true sign, and none should be buried -until this be present; but as the presence of decomposed -animal matter would be injurious, not only to the inmates -of houses, but to the surrounding inhabitants, and as it -is inconvenient to the poor man who has but one room -to keep a body in that room, where he and his family -eat, drink, and sleep, asylums for the reception of those -thought to be dead should be constructed, and are absolutely -necessary. Nor is it enough to wait for decomposition, -but we should endeavour to prevent this by -endeavouring to restore vitality by means of hot baths, -external heat, artificial respiration, galvanism, or transfusion; -the first of these is oftentimes enough. Now, I -think it probable that many persons would be recovered, -thought to be dead, for, out of a number of those -reputed dead, a certain number have recovered—some -by the sticking of the pins into them which fixed the -shrouds, some under the surgeon’s knife, some from<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_291" id="Page_291">[291]</a></span> -delays in the burial, and others from the accidental overturning -of the coffins, as we learn from a paper published -on premature burials. Some time since a woman was -kept above ground for a considerable time, as medical -men could not decide if she were dead or no. And at -Constantinople a sailor the other day was attacked with -apoplexy, and a vein was opened in his arm; no blood -came, and the man was thought to be dead, but on -the road to the grave blood began to flow, and the supposed -dead man recovered. There is now living in -Brussels a man who escaped from the grave; and another -built a house at Cologne to commemorate his escape. -These cases will be enough to show that we have no -certain sign of death but decomposition; and, if this be -true, we must have asylums for the reception of bodies -previous to decomposition, and for the application of -means which can do no harm, and may do much -good, such as those before indicated. Medical men -think that the absence of respiration and want of -heart’s action, with loss of motion and sensation, -are signs of death; but this is not the case, for -many bodies which have been drowned have all these -signs present and yet recover. Again, infants are often -born without any action of the heart or lungs, and yet -are recovered by very simple means, such as the hot bath; -and I myself have recovered persons by stimulants who -were thought to be dead. Many may be recovered by -transfusion (first introduced into this country by the -celebrated Dr. Blundel) when the heart still palpitates, -but the brain is insensible; or by stimulants given at -that period; or by hot bath, and the external application -of heat; by galvanism, where other means have failed;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_292" id="Page_292">[292]</a></span> -and these can do no harm. Since the brain is insensible -there can be no suffering; and many lives will be saved -by perseverance, and the skilful application of means -which have succeeded in isolated cases. Buildings for -the reception of those thought to be dead should be -placed in cemeteries.</p> - -<p>“I divide life into active and passive. Life is active -when man is in the enjoyment of all his faculties, -intellectual and moral; when the various organs necessary -for circulation and respiration are in play; when there is -sensation, perception, and motion; and when the -sphincters are not relaxed. Passive life is that state -hitherto called death; but, according to me, death is -decomposition.</p> - -<p>“Nor should we despair at any period previous to this, -since we can give motion by galvanism; blood by transfusion; -respiration by artificial respiration; heat by this -and the external application of caloric; and by stimulants -we can keep up that action which has been excited by -other means. Nor must we despair if we do not at once -succeed in our endeavours to recall life, for perseverance -often accomplishes that which at first sight seems -impossible.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">MR. ROBERT BRANDON’S SUGGESTIONS.</div> - -<p>“Men have recovered from simulated death after being -in the sea twenty minutes, and I see no reason why, -after disease, men may not also be recovered from a state -resembling death. Many who are left as dead are only -in fainting fits, some are in trances; and graves have -been opened where the buried man has been found to -have eaten portions of his own flesh, which of course he -could not have done unless recovery had taken place. -How horrible to think that we may awake up in our<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_293" id="Page_293">[293]</a></span> -graves tormented with the pangs of hunger, unable -scarce to breathe, and finding all escape from our narrow -cell impossible; the prisoner in his grave has nought to -do but to commend his soul afresh to his Maker, and -lay himself down to die! May not much of this be prevented -by asylums for doubtful life, by the application -of reagents, and by building vaults in our cemeteries -instead of graves? I earnestly hope that the day has -arrived when we see these things in the proper light; -when our church-yards will be no longer overloaded with -the remains of those who, perhaps, might have lived had -they been left a little longer above ground—had they -been transfused, or even buried in vaults instead of -graves, with a guardian to watch over their mortal -remains! Life may exist, but not be evident; but the -non-evidence of life is no proof of death, as many have -been recovered in whom life was only latent—in whom -there was no action of the heart, no respiration, no motion, -no sensation. This has happened after drowning, in infants -born asphyxiated, in women after flooding, and would -happen much more often were the proper means applied in -all cases to recall life, and to ascertain those who may be -recoverable. Simple inspection is not enough to decide -if a man be dead or not, because persons are often only -in trances or fainting fits when they are thought to be -dead; and I wish to insist on the fact that there is no -sign of death but decomposition, and that, therefore, none -should be buried until this sign be present, nor until an -attestation of the presence of decomposition be given by -some surgeon.”</p></div> - -<p class="p1">Referring to the universal fear of burying relatives -alive, the <i>Lancet</i>, September 20, 1845, vol. ii., p. 321,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_294" id="Page_294">[294]</a></span> -observed:—“It is but little use to descant upon an evil -without pointing out a remedy. In Frankfort, Munich, -and in various other towns, houses, properly situated, -have been fitted up for the temporary reception of the -dead. Corpses are there deposited immediately after -death, and taken care of until the signs of decomposition -have become unequivocal, medical assistance being at -hand should symptoms of vitality manifest themselves. -By this simple plan all the objections which attend on -the retention of the dead in the dwellings of the poor -may be obviated, and at the same time their dread of -burying their relatives whilst still alive respected. This -plan is evidently much preferable to that which is -followed in France. In the latter country, in the large -towns, there is in every district a medical inspector of -the dead. The inspector is informed of the death as -soon as it has taken place, and within a very limited -time is bound to inspect the body and give a formal -certificate. This guarantee having been obtained, the -inhumation of the deceased is enforced by law within -two or three days of the death. Notwithstanding this -precaution, cases have occurred, even during the last -few years, which appear to prove that inhumation has -taken place before life was quite extinct. We doubt, -also, whether such early interment could under any -circumstances be enforced in our own country. Some -modification of the German plan is evidently what we -must look for in any system of legislation which may -hereafter be decided on.” These admirable suggestions -from the leading medical journal were made more than -half a century ago; since that time, every year has -brought to light cases of living burial, and confirmed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_295" id="Page_295">[295]</a></span> -the urgent need of reform; but nothing has been done -until quite recently to awaken public attention to their -importance. The subject is of such a gruesome, unpleasant, -and depressing character that few people care -to have their names associated with a movement of this -character, beneficent though it is, and certain to save -thousands of unfortunate people, particularly women and -children (who are more especially liable to various forms -of suspended animation), from such tragic occurrences.</p> - -<p>The <i>Undertakers’ and Funeral Directors’ Journal</i>, -August 22, 1895, referring to the fact that in 1892 -thirty-one thousand eight hundred and ninety-two -inquests were held in England, and to the urgent -necessity for the erection of mortuaries, says:—</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<div class="sidenote1">EVERYWHERE NEEDED.</div> - -<p class="p1">“The bountiful, or private enterprise, should provide these -mortuaries. But once let their necessity be recognised and the -scheme approved,—fashion leading the way,—then undertakers -would readily supply what was wanted. If not, then the local -authority should take the initiative. Mortuaries are sadly needed -almost everywhere for present purposes, as newspapers constantly -affirm. In providing them, care should be taken to build with an -eye to future requirements when it shall become customary if not -compulsory to remove the dead from among the living within a -reasonable time after death.</p> - -<p>“It is merciful sometimes to be inexorable, and what a lot of -willing and unnecessary discomfort and risk would be saved were -it possible and the practice to find a temporary resting-place for -our departed friends till we are ready to carry them befittingly to -the tomb.”</p></div> - -<p class="psh">MORTUARIES OF LONDON.</p> - -<p>Each of the sanitary districts in the Metropolis is supposed -to have a mortuary of some kind for the reception -of bodies from hospitals, infirmaries, hotels, private -houses, as well as from the river and streets, or in transit to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_296" id="Page_296">[296]</a></span> -and from foreign countries, where they are kept without -charge for about five days, unless the public health -requires earlier interment. Hospitals, hotels, and -families are thus relieved of the presence of corpses, for -convenience, and for purposes of inquest. The mortuaries -are nearly all plain, gloomy, and depressing structures of -brick. The best of them comprise a coroner’s courtroom, -coroner’s private room, the caretaker’s rooms, -waiting room, <i>post-mortem</i> room, chapel, and viewing -room connected. There is no physician in attendance, -and no autopsies are performed except by surgeons upon -their own cases, or for purposes of inquests. There are -no appliances or conveniences for resuscitation, as all -the bodies are regarded as dead, having been, for the -most part, certified as such by a medical practitioner, -the exceptions being such as are taken from -the water or street by the police, or left there for -inquest. The buildings are usually well lighted, and -some of the rooms contain fire-places, but they are -devoid of taste or ornamentation of any kind. The -bodies are kept in coffins, which, if there is any odour -proceeding from them, are screwed down. Permission is -afforded for inspection by doctors or by any of the family -of the deceased on application to the keeper. These -mortuaries are kept clean, and decent and respectful -treatment of the bodies is enforced by regulations.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">THE LONDON MORTUARIES.</div> - -<p>The London County Council issued a return (No. 157) -dated March 9, 1894, in pursuance of the Public Health -(London) Act, 1891, relating to coroners’ courts, mortuaries, -etc., from which it appears that there were -fifty-one mortuaries in the sanitary districts of London -up to September 30, 1893. In most of these the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_297" id="Page_297">[297]</a></span> -accommodation is described as “sufficient,” “good,” -“well arranged,” “excellent,” “convenient.” Others are -of an opposite character. The one attached to the Town -Hall, Holborn district, is reported as “very small (about -nine feet by nine feet), inconvenient, and badly situated.” -In the Poplar district the mortuary “is an old crypt, -quite unfit for the purpose, and has no convenience for -<i>post-mortems</i>.” At Ratcliffe, in the Limehouse district, the -mortuary “consists of a railway arch, and is very unsuitable.” -“There is a very small mortuary in the -church-yard” at Shadwell. The mortuary under the -church-yard of St. Martin’s Church (St. Martin’s-in-the-Fields) -is reported “very imperfect.” The one in the -Southern Coroner’s district is situated under a railway -arch, and there is no mortuary-keeper. At St. Paul’s, -Deptford, the mortuary contains only one room, which -serves for mortuary and <i>post-mortem</i> room. Plumstead -is possessed of an underground mortuary in the -church-yard, reported as “unsatisfactory.” The Lewisham -district has an “unsuitable” mortuary at the -cemetery. Rotherhithe has “an inadequate mortuary in -the old burial-ground.” At St. George the Martyr -(Southwark) the mortuary is reported to be “inadequate -and unsuitable.” In the Strand district there is “no -proper mortuary, but a small dead-house attached to -the Savoy Chapel is used.” Eltham, Lea, and Kidbrooke, -in the Plumstead district, have no mortuaries. The -part of Lambeth, S. and S.E., up the Clapham and -Kennington Park roads, is without a mortuary, and -<i>bodies awaiting inquest are kept in private houses</i>. Nor -are there any mortuaries in the Greenwich district -(Hatcham), Wapping, or Mile End Old Town. Arrangements<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_298" id="Page_298">[298]</a></span> -are reported to be in progress for the enlargement -of some of these establishments and the erection of -others.</p> - -<p>No resuscitations are reported from any of these places, -except in the case of Ernest Wicks, a boy two years old, -who was found lying on the grass in Regent’s Park -apparently dead, and resuscitated in St. Marylebone -Mortuary (after being laid out on a slab as dead) in -September, 1895, by the keeper, Mr. Ellis, assisted by -Mrs. Ellis. When the doctor arrived, the child was -breathing freely, though still insensible. The child was -taken to the Middlesex Hospital, and was reported by -the surgeon to be recovering from a fit.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">HOSPITAL MORTUARIES.</div> - -<p>The London mortuaries stand well in the estimation -of the authorities, medical practitioners, and the people, -on account of their usefulness and convenience in relieving -hotels and private houses of the dead pending -funerals, and in cases of deaths from infectious diseases, -as well as from accidents and acts of violence (amongst -which suicides are included) which require investigation. -In consequence of this, there is a disposition on the part -of the authorities to enlarge and improve the older and -smaller ones, and to introduce the later conveniences. -Those in St. Marylebone and St. Luke’s are the latest -examples, and could, with comparatively little outlay, -be rendered creditable and useful establishments. -First of all, they require the means of resuscitation, -such as are in use at the Royal Humane Societies’ -Depôts, and at the German mortuaries; also baths, -couches, plants, flowers, and mural ornaments, with -a skilled nurse or caretaker, and a medical practitioner -either on the establishment or within telephone call.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_299" id="Page_299">[299]</a></span> -A fundamental regulation should be added to the -standing orders that, when there is no sign of decomposition, -bodies should be treated not as dead but as -sick needing attention, and to be kept under careful -observation. Such simple and inexpensive alterations, -gradually introduced by County, Parish, and District -Councils, would, in the course of time, bring about a -greater respect for the dead, with proper consideration -for the apparently dead, besides increasing the feeling of -the sanctity of human life. In the course of time these -improvements would educate the public, and lead to the -erection of new and handsome structures of beautiful -design, with appropriate artistic decorations, such as are -to be found in Munich and other parts of Germany.</p> - -<p>The <i>Medical Times</i>, September 5, 1896, p. 569, -says:—</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“In a recent issue of the <i>Nursing Record</i>, there is an interesting -article on hospital mortuaries by a special commissioner.... At -Guy’s the mortuary only contains room for one body. There is a -bier, covered by a cradle and a red and white washing pall, and -over this is a shelf, on which are placed a cross, fresh flowers, and -candles. At St. Bartholomew’s the mortuary itself is certainly not -a place where one would care to find one’s dead. The bare, white-washed -walls, the sloping floor, the black lidless shells, covered by -white sheets, would depress most people even if they had no special -interest in them. That this is felt to some extent by the hospital -authorities is evident from the fact that, when a member of the -staff dies, they do their best to make other arrangements for the -disposal of the body until it is removed from the hospital. There -is an hospital not named [continues the <i>Medical Times</i>] where the -only place available as a mortuary is the wash-house. It would -appear that the managers of metropolitan hospitals do not believe -in the reality of death-counterfeits, and therefore make no arrangements -for resuscitation.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_300" id="Page_300">[300]</a></span></p> - -<p class="psh">MORTUARIES IN THE PROVINCES.</p> - -<p>With the object of ascertaining the utility of these -establishments, the author wrote to the clerks or other -officials in all the larger towns in the United Kingdom, -fifty in number, requesting copies of the regulations, -reports, etc. To these communications twenty-four -replies were received. Of these, only three sent copies -of reports, furnishing particulars of the number of -bodies received, and the number of inquests and <i>post-mortems</i>; -three sent copies of regulations; and the -remainder do not publish either reports or regulations. -One, however (Poplar), states that the by-laws in use are -approved by the Local Government Board. The Chief -Constable at the Town Hall, Salford, writes, July 26, -1896—“There are three mortuaries in the borough, but -a separate record of the bodies laid in the mortuaries is -not kept, and no papers exist respecting them.” Mr. -Hagger, the Vestry Clerk of the Parish of Liverpool, -says—“I know of no public mortuary in Liverpool -which is considered to be of such importance as to call -for anything in the shape of periodical reports.” Mr. -R. Davidson, Governor of the City Parish Poorhouse, -Glasgow, writes, July 27, 1896—“I have never had any -reports relating to the mortuary here.” Mr. J. Jackson, -Chief Constable, Sheffield, writes, July 29—“We have -never had papers or reports connected with it (the -mortuary), except the ordinary rules and regulations for -preserving decency, cleanliness, etc.” Similar replies -were received from Manchester, Swansea, Scarborough, -Wigan, Bristol, St. Mary’s (Islington), Dundee, and -Catford. Mr. Robert Clinton, Master of the Bethnal<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_301" id="Page_301">[301]</a></span> -Green Workhouse, writes, July 30—“That their mortuary -has not been the subject of any reports,” and -continues, “The subject of persons being buried alive -is a very important one, and should arouse the interest -of every intelligent person. Some method ought -certainly to be devised that will prevent anyone being -subjected to so horrible a fate.”</p> - -<p class="psh">IRELAND.</p> - -<p>The following extracts are from the report by Dr. -J. E. Kenny, M.P., Coroner for the City of Dublin, -received in January, 1894:—</p> - -<div class="sidenote">BURIAL CUSTOMS IN IRELAND.</div> - -<p>“There are no local laws in Dublin or in Ireland -relative to the mode of disposal of the dead, but the -Sanitary Acts, which refer to the United Kingdom of -Great Britain and Ireland, can be availed of when necessary -to compel the burial of the dead within a reasonable -period, on the ground that an unburied body is a nuisance -dangerous to public health. There is, however, no fixed -period. Among Roman Catholics it is customary to -bury the dead on the third or fourth day after death, -but there is no hard-and-fast rule.... The local -burial authorities usually require a medical certificate of -death before opening the grave, but there is no legal -sanction for this, and it is merely the custom. The -coroner’s order for burial where an inquest is held does -away with the necessity of such certificates as those -above referred to, but <i>post-mortem</i> examinations in these -cases are the exception, not the rule. A good many, -however, are held on those who die in local hospitals -when the consent of the relatives or friends can be<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_302" id="Page_302">[302]</a></span> -obtained. I have not heard of any case of cremation -in Ireland, and earth-burial is the universal practice. -Occasionally, when so ordered by the will of the -deceased, a body is removed to England for cremation. -I am myself rather in favour of cremation as -a more scientific and safer method of disposing of the -dead.</p> - -<p>“There are no chambers (mortuaries) of the kind -referred to in this question in Dublin, nor, so far as I -know, in Ireland. I know of no law as to the signs of -death which must be recognised to exist before burial -is permitted, nor is there any officer on whom is thrown -the duty of ascertaining or deciding whether such exist -or not.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">REFORMS URGENTLY NEEDED.</div> - -<p>“If cremation be generally adopted, it ought not to -be performed earlier than the third day after death, or -perhaps not until some unmistakable sign of decomposition -has set in. I think this rule of some such sign -of decomposition setting in ought to apply to all methods -of disposal of the dead. Whenever well-marked warmth -of the body exists after apparent death, burial of any -kind ought not to take place until after a full and -exhaustive examination by a competent authority. In -all doubtful cases I would suggest the application of -either a hot iron to some sensitive part of the body, or -that a small incision should be made over the course of -some small artery, a person being left to watch the -result for some time in the latter case, so as to take -proper precautions against hæmorrhage, should the -person be not really dead. It might perhaps with -advantage be made the law that in every case of death -or supposed death the body should be viewed by a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_303" id="Page_303">[303]</a></span> -medical man, who, having satisfied himself that death -had taken place, would sign a certificate to that effect. -If I understand rightly, such is the law in France. I -would, however, be opposed to any law making an -autopsy necessary in every case. The existence of such -a public officer as a coroner is undoubtedly of advantage -in reference to cases of sudden death or supposed death, -as it is among such cases that mistakes are most likely -to occur. I can see no objection to the establishment, -at the public expense, of chambers for the reception of -dead bodies under certain circumstances.”</p> - -<p>In reply to a similar inquiry Sir Charles A. Cameron, -Superintendent Medical Officer of Health, writes, -August 10, 1896—“There is no public mortuary in -Dublin, but we are taking steps for the establishment -of one.”</p> - -<p>It need hardly be said that the mortuaries described in -these reports have little in common with certain <i>Leichenhäuser</i> -of Germany or the <i>Mortuaires d’ Attente</i> urgently -called for by various writers of France, and proposed to be -erected. The English mortuaries may more appropriately -be described as <i>morgues</i> or depositories for the homeless -and neglected dead—useful for this purpose, but in no -respect fulfilling the requirements of the present day. -Without skilful attendants and scientific appliances for -the restoration of suspended life, to which all are liable, -the apparently dead, if deposited in such chilling establishments, -would, through neglect, be more likely to lose -what spark of life remained than to have it kindled into -a flame and recover. The erection of mortuaries for the -sake of death-counterfeits, and in order to give peace -of mind to doubting friends, would no doubt be opposed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_304" id="Page_304">[304]</a></span> -chiefly on the ground of expense. The outlay must -come from the pockets of the rate-payers, who have been -accustomed to accept the cursory inspection of “the -corpse” and the certificate of the doctor as a satisfactory -solution of any misgivings as to the actuality of death. -Under the circumstances it would not be surprising if the -unreflecting majority preferred to take what they would -consider to be an infinitesimal risk rather than to incur -the expense of the necessary outlay. This volume has -been written to remove such apathy, and, if possible, to -arouse public attention to the subject; and if the facts are, -as the author believes, absolutely true, and the danger -real, other and abler contributions furnishing the results -of wider and more extensive investigations may be -expected to follow. It is believed that the expense of -constructing tastefully designed mortuaries in all populous -districts could be met by a rate of from a farthing to -a penny in the pound, and in the smaller or thinly -populated districts groups of parishes could unite in -providing such useful institutions. At present, under -existing customs, probably ten times the amount required -is annually expended in funeral trappings, mourning -habiliments, costly wreaths, and ornamental monuments -(mainly for the purpose of ostentatious display) -than would provide temporary resting-places for the -real and apparently dead in every part of the United -Kingdom. The erection of such establishments, where -the fact of death in every case could be unequivocally -demonstrated before burial or cremation, would remove -an ever present and consuming load of anxiety from -the hearts of thousands of sensitive souls.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_305" id="Page_305">[305]</a></span></p> - -<p class="psh">CONTINENTAL MORTUARIES.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">CONTINENTAL MORTUARIES.</div> - -<p>The author is indebted to a “Treatise on Public -Health,” by Albert Palemberg and A. Newsholme, -London, 1893, for the following details:—</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="pc1">BRUSSELS.</p> - -<p>“This city possesses two mortuaries to which bodies are conveyed -from confined houses. One of these, within the town, only -receives the bodies of persons not having died of an infectious -disease; all others are conveyed to the mortuary at the Evère -Cemetery....</p> - -<p>“In times of epidemic the removal of corpses to the mortuary -is compulsory, and so also in other cases where the medical health -officer decides that it is necessary. No corpse, without special -permission, can be kept in the mortuary more than forty-eight -hours after death, but this interval can be shortened or lengthened -by special order.”</p> - -<p class="pc1">PARIS.</p> - -<p>“By a decision of July 21, 1890, the Municipal Council of Paris -has decided to establish a mortuary in each of the cemeteries of -the east (Père La Chaise) and the north (Montmartre).... -The mortuaries are not available for the bodies of persons having -died from infectious disease.</p> - -<p>“Bodies are only admitted to the mortuary—(1) On the written -application of the head of the family or some other persons competent -to undertake the funeral. (2) On the production of a -certificate of death from the doctor who attended the patient, -stating that the death was not caused by infectious disease.</p> - -<p>“Up to the present time (1893) these mortuaries do not appear -to have been of great service, owing to the unwillingness of families -to part with their dead before the time of interment.</p> - -<p>“‘La Morgue.’—This establishment only receives bodies on -which a <i>post-mortem</i> examination is required, and the bodies of -unknown persons, placed there for recognition. In the hall where -the bodies are exposed, the temperature is kept several degrees -below zero by a system of refrigeration, thus retarding putrefaction.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_306" id="Page_306">[306]</a></span> -This system would, in consequence of the low temperature, greatly -retard or prevent the revival of persons who may only be in a state -of torpidity from submergence, or of trance or catalepsy, who could -be resuscitated if warmth and other proper means were promptly -applied to them.”</p> - -<p class="pc1">BERLIN.</p> - -<p>“In some of the cemeteries mortuaries have been built, which are -placed at the disposal of the public by the authorities, with the -understanding that the corpses shall be taken from them as soon -as possible.</p> - -<p>“The bodies of the poor are first placed in the depository -of the old cemeteries, within the city enclosure, whence they are -removed by night in carriages kept for the purpose to the -mortuary in the large cemetery outside the city, to be buried the -next day. The Jews have built a mortuary chapel in their new -cemetery at Weissensee, which fulfils all the conditions required -by modern hygiene, and contains everything necessary for washing, -isolating, and enveloping the bodies.</p> - -<p>“A new establishment, which answers its purpose perfectly, has -been built in the old cemetery—Charité—and is used for inquests, -<i>post-mortem</i> examinations, etc., also for the exhibition of bodies of -unknown persons. The bodies are preserved from putrefaction by -an apparatus in which refrigeration is produced by ammonia and -chloride of calcium, as the Morgue in Paris.”</p> - -<p class="pc1">VIENNA.</p> - -<p>“There is a mortuary in each district of the city to which are -brought corpses belonging to families who have imperfect accommodations.</p> - -<p>“The district doctor must decide whether removal is necessary, -as it is his duty to register deaths and their causes. He should at -the same time examine into the state of the dwelling from a -sanitary standpoint.</p> - -<p>“In cases of sudden death, and when the cause of death is not -apparent, a <i>post-mortem</i> examination must be made.</p> - -<p>“The bodies of persons who have died from infectious disease -must not be taken to the common mortuaries, but to one built in -the common cemetery.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_307" id="Page_307">[307]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Bodies must not be buried in the city. The principal cemetery -is at Kaiser-Ebersdorf, north-west of the city, and cost four millions -of marks.”</p> - -<p class="pc1">STOCKHOLM.</p> - -<p>“Every parish possesses a mortuary vault. According to the -regulations of the Health Commission, bodies must not remain -there more than forty-eight hours in the hot season, and seventy-two -in the cold weather.”</p></div> - -<p class="p1">The first modern mortuary was opened at Weimar, -Germany, in 1791.</p> - -<p>In a “Handbook for Travellers in Europe” for 1890, -by W. Pembroke Fetridge, p. 622, is the following description -of the model mortuary in Weimar:—</p> - -<p class="pbq">“The New Church-yard is a sweet place of its kind. Here may -be seen an admirable arrangement to prevent premature burials in -cases of suspended animation. In a dark chamber, lighted with a -small lamp, the body lies in a coffin. In its fingers are placed -strings, which communicate with an alarm clock; the least pulsation -of the corpse will ring the bell in an adjoining chamber, where -a person is placed to watch, when a medical attendant is at once -supplied. There have been several cases where persons supposed -to be dead were thus saved from premature burial.”</p> - -<p class="p1">The <i>Middlesborough Gazette</i> of 11th October, 1895, -says:—</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“Those who have visited burying grounds in some parts of the -South of England are well aware that tombs made in the shape of -‘waiting rooms’ are largely in vogue with the well-to-do classes. -One in a little church-yard in Sussex was elegantly fitted up. The -coffins were placed on one side of the well-lighted vault, while on -the opposite side was a couch, chairs, and a table, together with -books. The relatives of the deceased—eccentric they may have -been, we are not prepared to say—visited the vault, access to which -was gained by a flight of steps, and there passed much of their -time in reading, the ladies doing needle work. But this sort of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_308" id="Page_308">[308]</a></span> -thing is only for the rich. The poor must be protected from being -buried alive by other and more economical methods—namely, by -stricter attention to the actual and unmistakable evidences of -death, and by careful registration on medical certificates only.”</p> - -<p class="p1">It would appear by the following announcement, that -an effort is being made to supply one of the several -properly fitted mortuaries needed in the French -capital:—</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“The <i>Pall Mall Gazette</i> of September 21, 1895, announces a -decided novelty in the way of limited liability companies—the -Mortuary Waiting-room Company, which, it says, is on the point of -being floated in the French capital. Our contemporary says that -the amount for subscription is stated to be £20,000, and dividends -at the rate of at least 100 per cent. may, it is claimed, be confidently -looked for. The company undertake to provide separate waiting-rooms, -of two classes, in a large mortuary building. The alleged -corpse will be comfortably deposited there upon a couch, and carefully -looked after till the fact that it is a corpse shall have been -established beyond question. The waiting-rooms will be tastefully -decorated, with everything about them to welcome the revived -tenant agreeably back to life. It is interesting to hear that no -shareholder’s heirs will be allowed to visit him.”</p> - -<p class="p1">Some sanitarians and funeral reformers urge with -much reason that the presence of the dead should not be -allowed to endanger the health of the living, and recommend -that if death has occurred from infectious -disease, the body should be covered with charcoal and -conveyed at once to a mortuary chamber; and others -advise early burials for all as soon as possible. If, however, -this volume has not demonstrated the danger of -such early burials, except where decay of the earthly -vesture is visible, it will have been written in vain.</p> - -<p>The following recommendation from a well-known -physician and surgeon appears in <i>London</i>, p. 613, September -27, 1894:—</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_309" id="Page_309">[309]</a></span></p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="p1">“Coroners’ Courts and Mortuaries,” a paper read at the Hygiene -Congress at Buda Pesth, by W. J. Collins, M.D., M.S., B.Sc., D.P.H. -(Lond.), L.C.C.</p> - -<p>“I therefore hold that every inducement should be held out to -the poor by local authorities, by the provision of decent, suitable, -and attractive mortuaries, to allow their dead to be removed from -danger to the living to a place where sentiment shall be respected -and sanitation satisfied.”</p></div> - -<p class="psh">THE UTILITY OF MORTUARIES.</p> - -<p>During the discussion on Premature Burials in the -press, the erection of mortuaries (chambres mortuaires -d’attente) has been objected to (1) on the ground of -expense to the rate-payers; and (2) because the results -by way of resuscitation of those constructed in Germany -have not justified the cost of their erection and maintenance, -and that if they had not already been in existence -they would not now, it is said, be established. The -most recent investigations on this subject have been -made by Monsieur B. Gaubert, the results of which -appear in his work, “Les Chambres Mortuaires -d’Attente,” a volume of 308 pages, published in Paris, -1895. The author shows by the citation of facts that -both in France and Germany numerous cases of resuscitation -of persons certified as dead, and deposited in -mortuaries, in spite of many drawbacks connected with -their management, have occurred, and that their continuance -is amply justified on the ground of utility. In -the report of the Municipal Council of Paris for 1880, -No. 174, p. 84, is a letter from <span class="sidenote">THE MAYOR OF MUNICH’S OPINION.</span> Herr Ehrhart, Mayor of -Munich, May 2, 1880, who says:—“The lengthy period -during which these establishments have been utilised, the -order which has always prevailed, the manner in which<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_310" id="Page_310">[310]</a></span> -the remains are disposed and adorned, <i>the resuscitation -of some who were believed to be dead</i>, have all contributed -to remove any sentimental objections to these establishments. -The bodies are transported to the Leichenhäuser -twelve hours after death, without the least opposition on -the part of the relatives.” The expense of these institutions -would, no doubt, in the aggregate be a considerable -sum, but not nearly so large as that voted for the -erection and maintenance of public libraries, now so -common; but in the presence of so serious and real a -danger as that of living burial, to which any of us is -liable, it is hardly worth considering. For peace of mind -the cost of such insurance would be cheerfully paid by -thousands, and ought to be provided for the poor and -for those who would in time come to value it. This is -a matter that might appropriately be taken up by the -County, District, and Parish Councils and Boards of -Guardians, under the powers granted to them by the -Local Government Act of 1894.</p> - -<p>Dr. Josat, in his treatise “De la mort et de ses -caractères,” shows by numerous arguments and examples -that, as there is an interval or condition provided -by nature between disease and health known as <i>convalescence</i>, -and the transition between the one and the other -is preceded by a variety of phenomena known as a <i>crisis</i>, -so there is an interval between the termination of a fatal -malady and real death (erroneously described as the -agony), the symptoms which denote intermediate or -apparent death. But while the result of an error may be -of little moment in the first case, it may in the other -become disastrous, by abandoning the dying before -absolute death. It is during this interval, between<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_311" id="Page_311">[311]</a></span> -(so called) death agony and absolute death, which -sometimes has been known to last a week, that the -transfer to a suitable mortuary should be made.</p> - -<p>The following may be cited as typical illustrations -of the utility of mortuaries in discovering the existence -of life after apparent death.</p> - - - -<p>H. L. Kerthomas in “Dernières Considérations sur les -Inhumations Précipitées,” Lille, 1852, p. 17, relates that—</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<div class="sidenote1">AND CASES OF RESUSCITATION.</div> - -<p class="p1">“At a hospital in Liege two house-surgeons were at the ‘Salles -des décades’ in pursuance of their anatomical studies, when hearing -at one side of them a noise like stifled breathing great was -their fear! Still they coolly finished their examination, and then -discovered the supposed corpse moving convulsively amongst his -dead companions; but, thanks to efficient help, he was completely -restored to health.” (The above occurred in 1847.)</p> - -<p class="p1">M.B. Gaubert, in “Les Chambres Mortuaires d’Attente,” -records the six following cases:—“On the 25th of January, -1849, the <i>Journal des Débats</i> recorded a fact somewhat -similar to that which lately disturbed the town of -Perigueux:—</p></div> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="pc1">“‘MUNICH.</p> - -<p>“‘A young man who was asphyxiated by charcoal had been -declared dead by the doctor. After they had been watching the -body twenty-four hours at the mortuary chamber, the family caused -it to be carried to the church, where it passed the night without the -customary caretaker. The next morning “the corpse” was found -bathed in its own blood, and the floor of the church was stained. -Restored to consciousness during the night and not having any -help, the poor young man had succumbed to hæmorrhage, brought -on by the incisions which they blindly practised on the body of the -supposed dead one to make sure of his death.’</p> - -<p>“‘The mother of a family had just lost her child, aged five years. -She carried to the Leichenhäuser a heart broken by grief, cherishing -the vague hope in the depth of her love that this separation<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_312" id="Page_312">[312]</a></span> -would not be the last. According to habit the families of Munich -exposed the corpse in a mortuary chamber amidst flowers and -trees, and surrounded by a circle of light. The Leichenhäus -then appeared to have lost its habitual funereal character—for it -had quite a festive air. The poor mother passed the night amidst -tears and prayers, waiting with anxiety and hoping for the arrival -of the good news. The next morning a workman of the Leichenhäuser -knocked at the door of the house with a large bundle which -he carried in his arms; a few seconds after, the mother pressed to -her heart the resuscitated child which she was told she had just -lost. The transports of joy she experienced were so great that she -fell down dead. The child had come to life in the mortuary by -himself, and, when the keeper saw it, it was playing with the white -roses which had been placed on its shroud.’ (P. 179.)</p></div> - -<p class="p1">“The same recent writer quotes the following on the -testimony of the surgeons Louis and Junker:—</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="pc1">“‘SALTPÉTRIÈRE.</p> - -<p>“‘A young country girl,’ said Surgeon Louis, ‘strong and -vigorous, twenty-five years old, left on foot from the Hotel Dieu, -Paris, where she had been resting the night before, and came to -Saltpétrière. The fatigue of the journey induced an attack of -syncope on her arrival. They put her on the bed, and with -cordials and warmth she revived, but at the end of an hour she -had another attack. They thought she was dead, and carried her -to the mortuary. After leaving the body—it had remained there -some time—they carried it to the amphitheatre. The next morning -a young surgeon said he had heard plaintive cries in the -amphitheatre, and his fear had prevented him from coming to -tell me. I went into the amphitheatre, and saw with sorrow -that the poor girl, who had vainly struggled to free herself from -the sheet which enveloped her, was now quite dead. She had one -leg on the floor, and an arm on the seat of the trestle of a dissecting -table. I here recall the feelings of horror with which I was -agitated on this occasion. I doubt if there ever was a sadder or -more touching spectacle than this.’ (P. 187.)</p></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_313" id="Page_313">[313]</a></span></p> - -<p class="pc1">“BERLIN.</p> - -<p>“‘A Berlin apothecary wrote to me lately’ (says Dr. -Lénormand) ‘in this town to the effect that during an -interval of two years and a-half, ten people stated to be -dead had been recalled to life. I shall quote only the -following:—</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="pc1">“‘SOLDIER OF THE GUARD.</p> - -<p>“‘In the middle of the night the bell of the vestibule rang -violently. The caretaker, who had only entered on duties within -a few days, much startled, ran towards the mortuary. As soon as -he opened the door he found himself confronted with one of “the -corpses” enveloped in his shroud who had quitted his bier and -was making his way out. He was a soldier of the guard believed -to be dead, and he was able to join his regiment five days later.’ -(<i>Ibid.</i>, p. 180.)</p></div> - -<p class="psh">“FRANKFORT-ON-THE-MAINE.</p> - -<p>“Dr. Josat said that during his sojourn in Germany, -Herr Schmill, director of the mortuary at Frankfort, -related to him a case of apparent death which occurred -under his own eyes.</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“‘In the year 1840, a girl of nineteen years died of acute -pleuro-pneumonia. Her body, during very hot weather, was exposed -in the mortuary for a period of eight days in a state of perfect -preservation. Her face retained its colour, the limbs were supple, -and the substance of the cornea transparent, whereas in ordinary -cases decomposition shows itself on the third day. The parents -could not reconcile themselves to have their daughter buried, and -found themselves much troubled. Finally on the ninth day the -supposed dead suddenly awoke without any premonitory indications -of life.’ (<i>Ibid.</i>, p. 180.)</p> - -<p class="pc1">“BELGIUM.</p> - -<p>“There was a case at Brussels in January, 1867, of a -person who returned to life just as the bearers arrived -at the mortuary.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_314" id="Page_314">[314]</a></span></p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“‘A workman of the suburbs, employed by a firm of carriers, fell -ill, and in a few days died. This suddenness of the death caused -doubts as to its reality, and after the usual delay he was taken to -the mortuary connected with the cemetery. The body was left for -a few days’ observation. As soon as they arrived a noise escaped -from the coffin, and arrested the attention of the people present. -At once they hastened towards the coffin, and tried to restore him, -and in a short time he came to life. The same evening he was -able to return to his home. On the following day he went himself -to the authorities to annul the record of his supposed death.’” -(P. 182.)</p> - -<p class="p1">M. Gaubert continues:—“We have collected in Germany -fourteen cases of apparent death followed by -return to life in mortuaries, in spite of all that has been -done for the prevention of such occurrences.” (P. 182.)</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="pc1">CASSEL.</p> - -<p>“Dr. E. Bouchut, in ‘Signes de la Mort,’ 3rd edition, p. 50, -relates that an apothecary’s assistant had an attack of syncope, -which continued for eight days, when he was apparently dead, -and was removed to the mortuary of the Military Hospital, Cassel, -where he was covered with a coarse wrapper and left amongst the -dead. The following night he awoke from his lethargy, and, on -recognising the horrible place where he was, dragged himself to the -door and kicked against it. The noise was heard by the sentinel, -aid arrived, and the patient was put in a warm bed, where he recovered. -Dr. Bouchut says that, if he had been swathed in tight -bandages, his efforts at release would have been futile, and he -would have been buried alive.”</p></div> - -<p class="pc1">LILLE.</p> - -<p>The Paris <i>Figaro</i>, March 31, 1894, on the authority -of the <i>Progrés du Nord</i>, April 2, 1894, reports that:—</p> - -<p class="pc1">“M. Vangiesen, aged eighty-one years, awakened from supposed -death on the flagstones of the mortuary at the Charité Hospital at -Lille.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_315" id="Page_315">[315]</a></span></p> - -<p>The <i>Undertakers’ Review</i>, January 22, 1894, reports that -Lena Fellows, aged twenty-two years, a servant in the -employ of A. R. Knox, of Buffalo, fell dead, as was -thought, while at work on December 8. The remains -were taken to the morgue in a coffin, but next morning -when morgue-keeper McShane began to lift the supposed -corpse into the refrigerator he found that the woman -was alive. It was a case of catalepsy.</p> - -<p>The case of a child found apparently dead in Regents’ -Park, London, and carried to the Marylebone Mortuary, -where it subsequently revived, has already been noticed. -The incident caused a good deal of comment, and -suggested, doubtless, to the reflective reader that other -cases of suspended animation might have a less fortunate -issue.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">NEED OF CAREFUL SUPERVISION.</div> - -<p>It is quite impossible on the Continent for an enquirer, -as the author knows from experience, to obtain reliable -information with regard to what takes place within the -walls of mortuaries, because of the numerous officials and -others who are interested in covering up any errors of -previous death-certification that may come to light in -them. These comprise the health authorities, and the -police in places where the latter regulate funerals, as well -as the physicians, whose credit is at stake, and the -nurses and undertakers. In many districts in Germany -the original object of the mortuaries—the prevention of -premature burial—advocated by Hufeland and others, -has not been kept in view, but the edifices have rather -been used for the convenience of the undertakers and -their assistants, the bodies in many cases being removed -before actual dissolution was established by evidence -of putrefaction. This will need to be guarded against -by more careful supervision.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_316" id="Page_316">[316]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4">CHAPTER XXII.</h2> - -<p class="pch">CONCLUSION.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">It</span> is universally admitted that nothing is less certain -than life; and if the reader will weigh the facts, which it -has been the authors’ intention to understate rather than -overstate, he will rightly conclude that nothing is more -uncertain than the signs which are ordinarily accepted -as indicating death. It would have been easy to fill a -much larger volume than this with reports of authentic -cases of premature burial, and narrow escapes from such -terrible mischances, and with more detailed results of the -authors’ researches on the subject in various parts of -Europe and America, as well as in the East. The cases -adduced to illustrate the text are, however, presented as -types of hundreds of others obtainable from equally -reputable sources, and to be found in the works of -various trustworthy authorities, the titles of which can -be seen in the Bibliography at the end of this volume.</p> - -<p>The <i>London Review</i> for July, 1791, p. 40, referring to -“An Essay on Vital Suspension: Being an Attempt to -Investigate and Ascertain those Diseases in which the -Principles of Life are Apparently Extinguished,” by a -Medical Practitioner—observes, that this is one of -many publications “written by physicians and surgeons, -versed in medical science, and well skilled in anatomy, -to demonstrate, beyond a possibility of contradiction, -that there are many cases in which the human body has -the appearance of death, and preserves it for a considerable<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_317" id="Page_317">[317]</a></span> -time, without the reality; the vital principle being -still unsubdued, and a restoration of all its powers and -functions practicable by the administration, in due time, -of proper means.” The author of the pamphlet under -review says, “It is a proof of the temerity and imbecility -of human judgment, that we have too many instances -on record, wherein even the most skilful physicians have -erred in the decisions they have pronounced respecting -the extinction of life.”</p> - -<div class="sidenote">IMBECILITY OF HUMAN JUDGMENT.</div> - -<p>Unfortunately, we appear to be no nearer the prevention -of these terrible mistakes now than we were when -the reviewer called attention to them a century ago. -The imbecility of human judgment complained of -exists now in an unmitigated degree. The appearance -of death is generally taken for its reality: and the -great mass of the inhabitants of this planet are hurried -to their graves without (except in a comparatively few -cases of drowning or poisoning) the application of any -serious efforts at restoration, and without waiting for -unequivocal signs of dissolution.</p> - -<p>Whether the risks of being buried alive are as great as -those declared by some of the authorities quoted in this -volume, must be left to the reader to determine for himself; -but that they are considerable there appears little -room for doubt by those who have taken the trouble to -inquire into the facts. How often is the reader shocked -by reading narratives in his daily or weekly newspaper -of persons either buried alive, or of those in a state of suspended -animation, but diagnosed and duly certificated by -the attending doctor as dead, who have returned to consciousness -during the funeral rites or at the grave itself.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_318" id="Page_318">[318]</a></span></p> - -<p>The <i>Lancet</i> has borne frequent testimony to these -disasters, some of which are quoted in this volume; and, -just as we are writing the closing chapter, the leading -medical journal, in its issue of September 12, 1896, -p. 785, records the following from its Cork correspondent -as having occurred at Little Island, Ireland, which, -the writer says, is thoroughly vouched for:—</p> - -<p>“A child of four years of age contracted (typhoid) -fever, and to all ordinary appearances died. The time -of the funeral was appointed, and friends were actually -on their way to attend it. When the supposed corpse -was about to be removed from the bed to the coffin, -signs of animation were exhibited. The services of the -medical man were again requisitioned, and the child, -opportunely rescued from such a terrible death, is now -progressing satisfactorily.”</p> - -<p>Amongst the headings of paragraphs taken from -recent papers lying before me are the following:—“Buried -Alive,” “A Gruesome Narrative,” “Restored to -Life in a Mortuary,” “Premature Burial,” “The Dead -Alive,” “Buried Alive,” “Sounds from Another Coffin,” -“Mistaken for Dead,” “A Lady Nearly Buried Alive,” -“Revivification After Burial,” “A Woman’s Awful -Experience,” “Bolt Upright in His Coffin,” “Almost -Buried while Alive,” “A Woman Buried Alive,” “The -Corpse Sat Up,” “Alive in Her Coffin,” “Seemed to -Rise from Death,” “Escaped Burial Alive,” “Revival -at a Wake,” “Snatched from Death at the Graveside,” -“Laid Out, but not Dead,” “Alive in His -Grave,” “Interment before Death,” “Came to Life in -the Coffin,” “Corpse Seems to Live,” “The Corpse -Moved,” etc.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_319" id="Page_319">[319]</a></span></p> - -<p>According to the “London Manual and Municipal -Year Book,” 1896-97, there are over four hundred public -authorities at work in governing London, who spend -over twelve million pounds a year, and from other -sources it is said that seven millions a year are collected -in the Metropolis for charitable purposes, and yet there -are no officials, associations, or insurance companies to -safeguard the people either in this wealthy Metropolis -or in any part of the United Kingdom against one of -the most terrible physical calamities that can overtake -any member of the human family.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">EXPECTATIONS OF LIFE.</div> - -<p>The Registrar-General’s Decennial Supplement for -1881-90, published this year (1896), includes a “Life -Table” furnishing the expectations of life in England -and Wales. It appears that the death-rate has fallen -from 21.3 in the decade ending 1880 to 19.0 per -thousand living in that ending 1890. The expectation -of life at birth, according to the actuary’s standard -in the decade 1871-80, was 41.3 years for males, and -44.6 years for females. This has been increased, -as shown in the “Life Table” 1881-90, to 43.6 for -males, and 47.2 for females, mainly through sanitary -amelioration. A perceptible increase, the author believes, -could be shown if steps were taken to restore still-born -children, who constitute about five per cent. of births, -and if the same trouble were adopted to restore the -apparently dead from other diseases (which are sometimes -only crises of repose after wasting disease) as is -generally taken with respect to those accidentally -poisoned or drowned. Besides reducing the mortality -and increasing the expectation of life, such a reform -would greatly diminish the appalling suffering of those<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_320" id="Page_320">[320]</a></span> -who, through our apathy and ignorance, are, under our -present system of <i>laissez faire</i>, consigned to precipitate -interment, and would bring tranquillity of mind to those -who are haunted all their lives through fear of such -a catastrophe. Why we should limit our efforts at -restoration of those apparently dead to a few cases has -never been shown, and is surely a serious oversight, -which should be remedied without delay.</p> - -<p>Dr. Hartmann, in “Premature Burial,” observes—“As -by cleaning a dusty watch the watchmaker causes the -hindrances to be removed which prevented the energy -stored up in the watch from setting the clockwork in -motion, so, in cases of apparent death from catalepsy, -asphyxia, syncope, and other diseases causing obstacles -to the manifestation of the life-energy in the body, these -obstacles may be removed by appropriate means, such -as are known to many intelligent physicians, and the -energy of life being latent in the physical form may be -enabled to manifest itself again when the harmony of -the organism has been sufficiently restored, even after -the heart has entirely ceased to beat.”</p> - -<p>Dr. A. Fothergill says:—“Since no one, from prince to -peasant, can at all times be secure from these dreadful -disasters, which suddenly suspend vital action; and -since medical practitioners themselves are not exempt, -it surely becomes them to use every exertion to <i>improve</i> -the art of <i>restoring animation</i>. May each -progressive step in this interesting path of science -tend to that great object! and may every laudable -attempt undertaken with that benevolent view enable -us with more certainty to preserve life and to diminish -the sum of human infelicity!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_321" id="Page_321">[321]</a></span></p> - -<p>It is regrettable that medical practitioners, neither in -this nor in any of the Continental states, except, -possibly, a few in Germany, have been trained to -distinguish apparent from real death; and when a -case of death-trance occurs, they certify to actual -death, and the unfortunate person is interred in a -strong coffin, which effectually conceals the tragedy -following resuscitation. Moreover, the ordinary practitioner, -both in England and the United States, considers -himself exonerated from blame when he thus follows -the traditions and practice of the heads of his profession. -Personally, he has neither the time, opportunity, or -inclination to study the abnormal phenomena of trance, -catalepsy, or hypnotisation, and thus the evil of live -sepulture is perpetuated from generation to generation.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="psh p4">SUMMARY OF CONCLUSIONS.</p> - -<p>(1) An examination of both the historical and modern -cases of trance, catalepsy, and other death-counterfeits -shows that nothing is more uncertain than the so-called -signs of death, and that in all countries and in all ages -many persons supposed by their attendant physicians -and relations to be dead have revived, while the cases -are as numerous and the danger as great at the present -day as at any previous period.</p> - -<p>(2) That the risk of premature burial is especially -serious in France, in Spain and Portugal, in the west of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_322" id="Page_322">[322]</a></span> -Ireland, in both European and Asiatic Turkey, and in -India; also amongst the Jews, where both the Jewish -law and ancient customs enjoin burial within a few hours -of death, and for similar reasons in all Oriental countries; -and in the Southern States of North America.</p> - -<p>(3) That the various signs which are supposed to -indicate death, such as the cessation of respiration and -of cardiac action, a pale, waxy and death-like appearance, -the stiffening of the limbs, or <i>rigor mortis</i>, insensibility -to cutaneous excitation, the departure of heat from the -body, are singly and collectively illusory; the only safe -and infallible test of dissolution being the manifestation -of putrefaction in the abdomen.</p> - -<p>(4) That medical death-certificates have been shown -by various witnesses before the Select Parliamentary -Committee of Inquiry of 1893-94 to be often misleading -as to the cause of death, and inconclusive as to the fact -of death. Any compulsory extension of the death-certification -system in the present imperfect state of medical -knowledge would only partially meet the necessities of -the case, and might have the effect of crystallising a -defective system into perfunctory routine. A certain -safeguard would, however, be provided if the law made -it binding on medical practitioners to set forth on the -death-certificate a precise statement of indications showing -that dissolution has actually occurred.</p> - -<p>(5) That the only safe and effective method of reform -is the establishment of appropriately designed waiting -mortuaries, such as are provided at Munich, Weimar, -Stuttgart, and other German cities, with qualified attendants<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_323" id="Page_323">[323]</a></span> -and appliances for resuscitation, and where doubtful -cases of death (and all are doubtful in which decomposition -has not clearly manifested itself) can be deposited -until the fact of death is unequivocally established.</p> - -<p>(6) That premature burial in civilised countries is -mainly possible owing to the fact that instruction in the -phenomena of trance, catalepsy, syncope, and other forms -of suspended animation is not systematic in the medical -schools in any country, and the means of prevention are -therefore practically unknown. This omission should be -immediately remedied by the inclusion of the subject -at the appropriate place in the medical curriculum, and -in the examination for degrees.</p> - -<p>(7) That, inasmuch as a radical change in the methods -of treating the dead or supposed dead is extremely -urgent, and legislation with an overworked Parliament -in England and apathetic State Legislatures in America -will probably be delayed, the authors recommend, as a -preliminary measure of protection, the formation of -associations for the prevention of premature burial -amongst their members, as in some cities in France, -Austria, and the United States, or the alternative plan -of engrafting such an obligation of prevention upon -existing associations, clubs, and insurance companies -established for other purposes.</p> - -<p class="p2">If the foregoing conclusions are established, the need -for immediate action is urgent and imperative, and the -prompt intervention of Parliament should be at once -invoked. May we hope for the cordial co-operation -of all classes and of all sections on a question in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_324" id="Page_324">[324]</a></span> -which the whole community have a deep and vital -interest, and on which procrastination will certainly be -fatal to some of its members. It is not an academic -question, but one of the gravest practical character, the -earnest consideration and treatment of which cannot be -neglected with impunity.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_325" id="Page_325">[325]</a></span></p> - - -<p class="pc4 elarge gesperrt">APPENDICES.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4"><a id="appa" name="appa">APPENDIX A.</a></h2> - -<p class="pch">HISTORICAL CASES OF RESTORATION FROM APPARENT -DEATH.</p> - -<p class="pn"><span class="smcap">From</span> the time of Kornmann, Terilli, and Zacchia (see “Bibliography,” -seventeenth century), certain notable instances, from old authors, of -restoration from apparent death have been cited, with a good deal of -uniformity, in essays or theses on this subject. One of the most convenient -(to English readers) of these compilations is to be found in an -anonymous essay, “The Uncertainty of the Signs of Death,” Dublin, -1748 (printed by George Faulkner), from which the following extracts are -taken <i>verbatim</i>:—</p> - -<p>Plutarch informs us that a certain person fell from an eminence, but -did not show the least appearance of any wound, for, three days after, he -suddenly resumed his strength, and returned to life as his friends were -conveying him to the grave.</p> - -<p>Asclepiades, a celebrated physician, on his return from his country seat, -met a large company conveying a corpse to the grave. A principle of -curiosity induced him to ask the name of the deceased person, but grief -and sorrow reigned so universally that no one returned him answer; upon -which, approaching the corpse, he found the whole of it rubbed over with -perfumes, and the mouth moistened with precious balm, according to the -custom of the Greeks; then carefully feeling every part, and discovering -latent signs of life, he forthwith affirmed that the person was not dead, and -the person was saved.—<i>Celsus ii., 6, “De re Medica.”</i></p> - -<p>In the tenth book of Plato’s Republic is related the story of one -Er, an Armenian, who was slain in battle. Ten days after, when -the surviving soldiers came with a view to inter the dead, they found all -the bodies corrupted except his; for which reason they conveyed him to -his own house in order to inter him in the usual manner. But two days -after, to the great surprise of all present, he returned to life when laid on -the funeral pile. Quenstedt remarks upon this case, which he took from<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_326" id="Page_326">[326]</a></span> -Kornmann’s treatise “De Miraculis Mortuorum,” “That the soul sometimes -remains in the body when the senses are so fettered, and, as it were, locked -up, that it is hard to determine whether a person is dead or alive.” Pliny -in his “Natural History,” book vii., chap. 52, which treats of <i>those who -have returned to life when they were about to be laid in the grave</i>, tells us -that Acilius Aviola, a man of so considerable distinction that he had formerly -been honoured with the consulship, returned to life when he was -upon the funeral pile; but, as he could not be rescued from the violence of -the flames, he was burnt alive. The like misfortune also happened to -Lucius Lamia, who had been praetor. These two shocking accidents are -also related by Valerius Maximus. Celius Tubero had a happier fate than -his two fellow-citizens, since, according to Pliny, he discovered the signs of -life before it was too late. His state, however, was far from eligible, since, -being laid on the funeral pile, he stood a fair chance of being exposed to -the like misfortune. Pliny, from the testimony of Varro, adds that when -a distribution of land was making at Capua, a certain man, when carried a -considerable way from his own house in order to be interred, returned -home on foot. The like surprising accident also happened at Aquinum. -The last instance of this nature related by the author occurred at Rome, -and Pliny must, no doubt, have been intimately acquainted with all its -most minute circumstances, since the person was one Cerfidius, the husband -of his mother’s sister, who returned to life after an agreement had been -made for his funeral with the undertaker, who was probably much disappointed -when he found him alive and in good health.</p> - -<p>These examples drawn from Roman history greatly contribute to -establish the uncertainty of the signs of death, and ought to render us -very cautious with respect to interments.</p> - -<p>Greece and Italy are not the only theatres in which such tragical events -have been acted, since other countries of Europe also furnish us with -instances of a like nature. Thus, Maximilian Misson, in his “Voyage -Through Italy,” tome i, letter 5, tells us—</p> - -<p>“That the number of persons who have been interred as dead, when they -were really alive, is very great in comparison with those who have been -happily rescued from their graves; for, in the town of Cologne, Archbishop -Geron—according to Albertus Krantzïus—was interred alive, and died for -want of a seasonable releasement.”</p> - -<p>It is also certain that in the same town the like misfortune happened to -Johannes Duns Scotus, who in his grave tore his hands and wounded his -head. Misson also relates the following:—</p> - -<p>“Some years ago the wife of one, Mr. Mervache, a goldsmith of Poictiers, -being buried with some rings on her fingers, as she had desired when dying, a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_327" id="Page_327">[327]</a></span> -poor man of the neighbourhood, being apprised of that circumstance, next -night opened the grave in order to make himself master of the rings, but as -he could not pull them off without some violence, he in the attempt waked -the woman, who spoke distinctly, and complained of the injury done her. -Upon this, the robber made his escape. The woman, now roused from an -apoplectic fit, rose from her coffin, returned to her own house, and in a few -days recovered a perfect state of health.”</p> - -<p>What induced Misson to relate these histories was a certain piece of -painting preserved in the Church of the Holy Apostles at Cologne, in order -to keep up the memory of a certain accident, which that traveller relates -in the following manner:—</p> - -<p>“In the year 1571, the wife of one of the magistrates of Cologne -being interred with a valuable ring on one of her fingers, the grave-digger -next night opened the grave in order to take it off, but we may -readily suppose that he was in no small consternation when the supposed -dead body squeezed his hand, and laid fast hold of him, in order -to get out of her coffin. The thief, however, disengaging himself, -made his escape with all expedition; and the lady, disentangling herself -in the best manner she could, went home and knocked at her own door, -where, after shivering in her shroud, after some delay she was admitted by -the terror-stricken servants; and, being warmed and treated in a proper -manner, completely recovered.”</p> - -<p>Simon Goubart, in his admirable and memorable histories, printed at -Geneva in 1628, relates the following accident:—“A lady, whose name -was Reichmuth Adoloh, was supposed to fall a victim to a pestilence, which -raged with such impetuous fury as to cut off most of the inhabitants of -Cologne. Soon after, however, she not only recovered her health, but -also brought into the world three sons, who, in process of time, were -advanced to livings in the Church.”</p> - -<p>“The town of Dijon, in Burgundy, was, in the year 1558, afflicted with -a violent plague, which cut off the inhabitants so fast that there was not -time for each dead person to have a separate grave; for which reason -large pits were made and filled with as many bodies as they could contain. -In this deplorable conjuncture, Mrs. Nicole Tentillet shared the common -fate, and after labouring under the disorder for some days, fell into a -syncope so profound that she was taken for dead, and accordingly buried -in a pit with the other dead bodies. The next morning after her interment -she returned to life, and made the strongest efforts to get out, but was -held down by the weight of the bodies with which she was covered. She -remained in this wretched condition for four days, when the grave-diggers -took her out and carried her to her own house, where she recovered<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_328" id="Page_328">[328]</a></span> -perfectly.” Following this case, that of a labouring man of Courçelles, -near Neuchâtel, is narrated. He fell into so profound syncope that he -was taken for dead; but the persons who were putting him into his grave -without a coffin, perceived some motion in his shoulders, for which reason -they carried him to his own home, where he perfectly recovered. This -accident laid the foundation for his being called the ghost of Courçelles.</p> - -<p>“A lawyer of Vesoul, a town of Franche-Comté, near Besançon, so -carefully concealed a lethargy, to which he was subject, that nobody knew -anything of his disorder, though the paroxysms returned very frequently. -The motive which principally induced him to this secrecy was the dread -of losing a lady to whom he was just about to be married. Being afraid, -however, lest some paroxysm should prove fatal to him, he communicated -his case to the Sheriff of the town, who, by virtue of his office, was obliged -to take care of him if such a misfortune should happen. The marriage was -concluded, and the lawyer for a considerable time enjoyed a perfect state -of health, but at last was seized with so violent a paroxysm of the disease -that his lady, to whom he had not revealed the secret, not doubting his -death, ordered him to be put in his coffin. The Sheriff, though absent -when the paroxysm seized him, luckily returned in time to preserve him; -for he ordered the interment to be delayed, and the lawyer, returning to -life, survived the accident sixteen years.”</p> - -<p>Another case is that of a certain person who was conveyed to the -church in order to be interred, but one of his friends sprinkling a large -quantity of holy water on his face, which was covered, he not only returned -to life, but also resumed a perfect state of health.</p> - -<p>This writer subjoins other histories of persons who, being interred alive, -have expired in their graves and tombs, as has afterwards been discovered -by various marks made, not only in their sepulchres, but also in their own -bodies. He in a particular manner mentions a young lady of Auxbourg, -who, falling into a syncope, in consequence of a suffocation of the matrix, -was buried in a deep vault, without being covered with earth, because her -friends thought it sufficient to have the vault carefully shut up. Some -years after, however, one of the family happened to die; the vault was -opened, and the body of the young lady found on the stairs at its entry, -without any fingers on the right hand.</p> - -<p>It is recorded in “Tr. de Aere et Alim. defect.,” cap. vii., that a certain -woman was hanged, and in all appearances was dead, who was nevertheless -restored to life by a physician accidentally coming in and ordering a -plentiful administration of sal ammoniac.</p> - -<p>Another case of hanging is the story of Anne Green, executed at -Oxford, December 14, 1650. She was hanged by the neck for half an hour,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_329" id="Page_329">[329]</a></span> -some of her friends thumping her on the breast, others hanging with all -their weight upon her legs, and then pulling her down again with a sudden -jerk, thereby the sooner to despatch her out of her pain. After she was in -her coffin, being observed to breathe, a lusty fellow stamped with all his -force on her breast and stomach to put her out of pain. But by the -assistance of Dr. Petty, Dr. Willis, Dr. Bathurst, and Dr. Clark, she was -again brought to life.</p> - -<p>Kornmann, in his treatise “De Miraculis Mortuorum,” relates the following -history:—“Saint Augustine, from Saint Cirille, informs us that a Cardinal -of the name of Andrew having died in Rome in the presence of several -bystanders, was next day conveyed to the church, where the Pope and a -body of the clergy attended service in order to do honour to his memory. -But to their great surprise, after some groans, he recovered his life and -senses. This event was at the time looked upon as a miracle, and ascribed -to Saint Jerome to whom the Cardinal was greatly attached.”</p> - -<p>The following account seems more to resemble a miracle, though we do -not find that it was looked upon as such:—“Gocellinus, a young man, and -nephew to one of the Archbishops of Cologne, falling into the Rhine, -was not found for fifteen days after, but was discovered to be alive as he -lay before the shrine of Saint Guibert.”</p> - -<p>Persons curious or incredulous upon the dangers of precipitate burials -may, for their satisfaction, have recourse to the medical observations of -Forestus; those of Amatus Lusitanus; the chirurgical observations of -William Fabri; the treatise of Levinus Lemnius on the secret miracles of -Nature; the observations of Schenkins; the medico-legal questions of Paul -Zacchias; Albertinus Bottonus’s treatise of the Disorders of Women; -Terilli’s treatise on the Causes of Sudden Death; Lancisi’s treatise Concerning -Deaths, and Kornmann’s treatise on the Miracles of the Dead. -These authors furnish us with a great variety of the most palpable and -flagrant instances of the uncertainty of the signs of death. As examples -of the possibility of even great anatomists being imposed upon by these -fallacious signs, the two following accidents are given:—</p> - -<p>“Andreas Vesalius, successively first physician to Charles the Fifth and -his son Philip the Second of Spain, being persuaded that a certain -Spanish gentleman, whom he had under management, was dead, asked -liberty of his friends to lay open his body. His request being granted, he -no sooner plunged his dissecting-knife in the body than he observed signs -of life in it, since, upon opening the breast, he saw the heart palpitating. -The friends of the deceased, horrified by the accident, pursued Vesalius as a -murderer; and the judges inclined that he should suffer as such. By the -entreaties of the King of Spain, he was rescued from the threatening<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_330" id="Page_330">[330]</a></span> -danger, on condition that he would expiate his crime by undertaking a -voyage to the Holy Land.”</p> - -<p>The account of the accident that befell the other anatomist is taken from -Terilli, and runs as follows:—</p> - -<p>“A lady of distinction in Spain, being seized with an hysteric suffocation -so violent that she was thought irretrievably dead, her friends -employed a celebrated anatomist to lay open her body to discover the -cause of her death. Upon the second stroke of the knife she was -roused from her disorder, and discovered evident signs of life by her -lamentable shrieks extorted by the fatal instrument. This melancholy -spectacle struck the bystanders with so much consternation and horror -that the anatomist, now no less condemned and abhorred than before -applauded and extolled, was forthwith obliged to quit not only the town -but also the province in which the guiltless tragedy was acted. But though -he quitted the now disagreeable scene of the accident, a groundless remorse -preyed upon his soul, till at last a fatal melancholy put an end to his -life.”</p> - -<p>Physicians of the earlier ages knew that there were disorders which so -locked up or destroyed the external senses that the patients labouring under -them appeared to be dead. According to Mr. Le Clerc, in his “History -of Medicine,” Diogenes Laertius informs us “that Empedocles was particularly -admired for curing a woman supposed to be dead, though that -philosopher frankly acknowledged that her disorder was only a suffocation -of the matrix, and affirmed that the patient might live in that state (the -absence of respiration) for thirty days.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Le Clerc, in the work already quoted, tells us that “Heraclides of -Pontus wrote a book concerning the causes of diseases, in which he -affirmed that a patient is without respiration in certain disorders for -thirty days, and that they appeared dead in every respect, except corruption -of the body.”</p> - -<p>To these authorities we may add that of Pliny, who, after mentioning -the lamentable fate of Aviola and Lamia, affirms—“That such is the -condition of humanity, and so uncertain the judgment men are capable -of forming of things, that even death itself is not to be trusted to.”</p> - -<p>Colerus, in “Oeconom.” part vi., lib. xviii., cap. 113, observes, “That a -person as yet not really dead may, for a long time, remain apparently in -that state without discovering the least signs of life; and this has happened -in the times of the Plague, when a great many persons interred have -returned to life in their graves.” Authors also inform us that the like -accident frequently befalls women seized with a suffocation of the matrix -(hysteria).</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_331" id="Page_331">[331]</a></span></p> - -<p>Forestus, in “Obs. Med.,” 1. xvii., obs. 9, informs us—“That drowned -persons have returned to life after remaining forty-eight hours in the water; -and sometimes women, buried during a paroxysm of the hysteric passion, -have returned to life in their graves; for which reason it is forbidden in -some countries to bury the dead sooner than seventy-two hours after -death.” This precaution of delaying the interment of persons thought -to be dead is of a very ancient date, since Dilberus, in “Disput. Philol.,” -tome i., observes that Plato ordered the bodies of the dead to be kept till -the third day, <i>in order to be satisfied of the reality of death</i>.</p> - -<p>The burial customs of the ancients often included steps that were taken -as a precaution against mistaking the living for the dead. Indeed the fear -of such an accident seems to have always been entertained as a thing liable -to occur in every case of seeming death. The embalming process employed -by the Egyptians was a surgical test of the kind. The abdomen was first -opened in order to remove the intestines, and some startling experiences -must have been had in consequence of the incisions required for this -operation, because it was customary for the friends and relatives of the -deceased to throw stones at the persons employed in embalming as soon -as the work was over, owing to the horror with which they were struck -upon witnessing what must have been at times a cruel proceeding.</p> - -<p>The funeral ceremonies used in the Caribbee Islands are, in a great -measure, conformable to reason. They wash the body, wrap it up in a -cloth, and then begin a series of lamentations and discourses calculated to -recall the deceased to life, by naming all the pleasures and privileges he -has enjoyed in the world, saying over and over again, “How comes it, -then, that you have died?” When the lamentations are over, they place -the body on a small seat, in a grave about four or five feet deep, and for -ten days present aliments to it, entreating it to eat. Then, convinced that -it would neither eat nor return to life, they, for its obstinacy, throw the -victuals on its head, and cover up the grave. It is evident from the -practices of this people that they wait so long before they cover the body -with earth, because they have had instances of persons recalled to life by -these measures.</p> - -<p>Lamentations of a similar kind were employed by the Jews and -Romans, as well as by the ancient Prussians and the inhabitants of Servia, -founded doubtless upon similar experiences.</p> - -<p>The Thracians, according to Herodotus, kept their dead for only three -days, at the end of which time they offered up sacrifices of all kinds, and, -after bidding their last adieu to the deceased, either burned or interred -their bodies.</p> - -<p>According to Quenstedt, the ancient Russians laid the body of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_332" id="Page_332">[332]</a></span> -dead person naked on a table, and washed it for an hour with warm water. -Then they put it into a bier, which was set in the most public room in the -house. On the third day they conveyed it to the place of interment, -where the bier, being opened, the women embraced the body with great -lamentations. Then the singers spent an hour in shouting and making -a noise in order to recall it to life; after which it was let down into the -grave and covered with earth. So that this people used the test of warm -water, that of cries, and a reasonable delay, before they proceeded to the -interment.</p> - -<p>In the laws and history of the Jews, there is but one regulation with -respect to interment (in the twenty-first chapter of Deuteronomy), where -the Jewish legislator orders persons hanged to be buried the same day. -From this, one is led to infer that the funeral ceremonies, as handed down -from Adam, were otherwise perfect and unexceptionable. The bier used -by the Jews, on which the body was laid, was not shut at the top, as our -coffins are, as is obvious from the resurrection of the Widow of Nain’s son, -recorded in the seventh chapter of Luke, where these words occur:—“And -he came and touched the bier, and they that bare him stood still. -And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise; and he that was dead sat -up and began to speak.”</p> - -<p>Gierus and Calmet inform us that the body, before its interment, lay -for some days in the porch or dining-room of the house. According to -Maretus, it was probably during this time that great lamentations were -made, in which the name of the deceased was intermixed with mournful -cries and groans.</p> - -<p>Mr. Boyer, member of the Faculty at Paris, observes that such lamentations -are still used by the Eastern Jews, and even by the Greeks who -embrace the articles of the Greek Church. These people hire women to -weep and dance by turns round the body of the dead person, whom they -interrogate with respect to the reasons they had for dying.</p> - -<p>Lanzoni, a physician of Ferrara, informs us that “when any person -among the Romans died, his nearest relatives closed his mouth and eyes, -and when they saw him ready to expire, they caught his last words and -sighs. Then calling him aloud three times by his name, they bade him an -eternal adieu.” This ceremony of calling the name of the dying person was -called Conclamation, a custom that dates prior to the foundation of Rome, -and was only abolished with paganism.</p> - -<p>Propertius acquaints us with the effect they expected from the first -Conclamation—since there were several of them. He introduces Cynthia -as saying, “Nobody called me by my name at the time my eyes were closing, -and I should have enjoyed an additional day if you had recalled me to life.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_333" id="Page_333">[333]</a></span></p> - -<p>Conclamations were made also by trumpets and horns, blown upon the -head, into the ears, and upon neck and chest, so as to penetrate all the -cavities of the body, into which, as the ancients imagined, the soul might -possibly make her retreat.</p> - -<p>Quenstedt and Casper Barthius, in “Advers.,” lib. xxxvii., ch. 17, tell us -that it was customary among the ancients to wash the bodies of their dead -in warm water before they burned them, “that the heat of the water might -rouse the languid principle of life which might possibly be left in the body.”</p> - -<p>By warm water we are to understand boiling water, as is obvious from -the copious steam arising from the vessel represented in pieces of statuary -in such instances: as also from the Sixth Book of Virgil’s “Æneid”—“Some -of the companions of Æneas, with boiling water taken from brazen -vessels, wash the dead body, and then anoint it.”</p> - -<p>The Romans, as Lanzoni informs us, kept the bodies of the dead seven -days before they interred them; and Servius, in his commentary on Virgil, -tells us “that on the eighth day they burned the body, and on the ninth -put its ashes in the grave.” Polydorus and Alexander ab Alexandro are -also of opinion that the Romans kept the dead seven days; and Gierus -affirms that they sometimes did not bury them till the ninth; but it is -easy to believe that they deviated from the most universal custom when -evident and incontestable marks of death rendered it safe to inter before -the usual time. Alexander ab Alexandro also observes that it was customary -among the Greeks to keep the bodies of their dead seven days before -they put them on the funeral pile.</p> - -<p>It would have, perhaps, been sufficient to have kept the bodies of the -dead seven days, or nine, or till putrefaction evinced the certainty of death; -but the Romans carried their circumspection farther, since, to use the words -of Quenstedt, “Those who were employed in watching the dead now and -then began their conclamations, and all at once called the dead person aloud -by his name, because, as Celsus informs us, the principle of life is often -thought to have left the body when it still remains in it; for which reason -conclamations were made, in order, if possible, to rouse it and excite it.”</p> - -<p>If our senses are so imperfect that the signs of life may escape them; if -the languid state of the sensitive powers, or the origin of the nerves, is such -that the most painful chirurgical operations are sometimes insufficient to -put the spirits in motion; if the duration of a perfect insensibility for a -considerable number of days is a precarious and uncertain mark of death; -and if situations, apparently the most inconsistent with life, for a considerable -time amount only to strong presumptions that life is destroyed, we ought, -with Mr. Winslow and a great many other celebrated authors, to conclude -that a beginning of putrefaction is the only certain sign of death.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_334" id="Page_334">[334]</a></span></p> - -<p>Mr. Winslow evidently proves that the most cruel chirurgical operations -are sometimes insufficient to ascertain death. From these observations we -can but conclude—(1) That it is to no purpose to use the most cruel -chirurgical operations; and (2) that it is necessary to abstain from such as -may prove mortal to the patient. Mr. Winslow is indeed so far from -recommending operations of the last mentioned kind, that he calls it rash -to plunge a long needle under the nail of an apoplectic patient’s toe.</p> - -<p>But if Mr. Winslow thinks it rash to make a simple puncture in a -nervous part, we ought, surely, not to entertain a favourable notion of the -large and enormous incisions made in dissections. Those, indeed, who are -dissected run no risk of being interred alive. The operation is an infallible -means to secure them from so terrible a fate. This is one advantage -which persons dissected have over those who are without any further -ceremony shut up in their coffins.</p> - -<hr class="d1" /> - -<p>In the appendix to the second edition of Dr. Curry’s “Observations on -Apparent Death” several instances of a similar kind are added, and -amongst others the case of William Earl of Pembroke, who died April 30, -1630. When the body was opened in order to be embalmed, he was -observed, immediately after the incision was made, to lift up his hand. This -is capped by the incident of Vesalius already given.</p> - -<p>“A correspondent of the late Dr. Hawes assures us that there was then -living in Hertfordshire a lady of an ancient and honourable family whose -mother was brought to life after interment by the attempt of a thief to steal -a valuable ring from her finger. (See Reports of the Royal Humane -Society for 1787-88-89, p. 77.) Whether it was the same or not I cannot -say, but Lady Dryden, who resided in the southern part of Northamptonshire, -in consequence of some such event having occurred in her family -expressly directed in her will that her body should have the throat cut -across previous to interment; and to secure this bequeathed fifty pounds to -an eminent physician, who actually performed it.”—<i>Ibid., p. 106.</i></p> - -<p>Dr. Elliotson refers to a case of a female who was pronounced to be -dead. Her pulse could not be felt, and she was put into a coffin; and, as -the coffin lid was being closed they observed a sweat break out, and thus -saw that she was alive. She recovered completely, and then stated that -she had been unable to give any signs of life whatever; that she was conscious -of all that was going on around her; that she heard everything; -and that when she found the coffin lid about to be put on,the agony was -dreadful beyond all description, so that it produced the sweat seen by the -attendants.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_335" id="Page_335">[335]</a></span></p> - -<p class="psh">DEATH-TRANCE.</p> - -<p>In two cases related by the late Mr. Braid, of Manchester, “the patients -remained in the horrible condition of hearing various remarks about -their death and interment. All this they heard distinctly without having -the power of giving any indication that they were alive, until some -accidental abrupt impression aroused them from their lethargy, and -rescued them from their perilous situation. On one of these occasions, -what most intensely affected the feelings of the entranced subject, as she -afterwards communicated to my informant, was hearing a little sister, who -came into the room, where she was laid out for dead, exulting in the -prospect, in consequence of her death, of getting possession of a necklace -of the deceased.” In another instance, the patient remained in a cataleptic -condition for fourteen days. During this period, the visible signs of -vitality were a slight degree of animal heat and appearance of moisture -when a mirror was held close to her face. But although she had no -voluntary power to give indication by word or gesture, nevertheless she heard -and understood all that was said and proposed to be done, and suffered the -most exquisite torture from various tests applied to her.... There -is hardly a more interesting chapter in the records of medical literature -than the history of well-authenticated cases of profound lethargy or death-trance. -Most of the reported cases in which persons in a state of trance -are stated to have been consigned to the horrors of a living burial may -possibly be apocryphal. Still, on the other hand, there are unquestionably -too many well-substantiated instances of the actual occurrence of this -calamity, the horrors of which no effort of the imagination can exaggerate, -and for the prevention of which no pains can be excessive and no -precaution superfluous.</p> - -<p>The following is taken from “Memorials of the Family of Scott, of -Scott’s Hall, in the County of Kent, with an Appendix of Illustrative -Documents,” by James Benat Scott, F. S. A., London, 1876, page -225:—</p> - -<p>“Robert Scott, Esq., tenth (but sixth surviving) son of Sir Thomas -Scott, of Scot’s-Hall, Knight, married Priscilla, one of the daughters of -Sir Thomas Honywood, of Elmsmere, Knight, by whom he had nine -children. Remarkable accidents happened to the said Robert Scott -and Priscilla, his wife, before their marriage, at their marriage, and after -their marriage, before they had children. At their marriage, which was in -or about the year 1610, the said Robert Scott having forgot his wedding -ring when they were to be married, the said Priscilla was married with a -ring with death’s head upon it.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_336" id="Page_336">[336]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Within a short time after they were married, the said Robert Scott, -and Priscilla, his wife, sojourning with Sir Edward at Austenhanger, the -said Robert Scott, about Bartholomewtide, fell sick of a desperate malignant -fever, and was given over for dead by all, insomuch as that he was -laid forth, the pillows pulled from under him, the curtains drawn, and the -chamber windows set open, and ministers spoke to to preach the funeral -service, and a book called for his funeral that was to have been kept at -Scott’s Hall, where Sir John Scott the eldest brother then lived. At night -he was watched with by his own servant, named Robins, and another -servant in the house, and about midnight they, sitting together by the fire -in the chamber, the said Robins said to the other, ‘Methinks my master -should not be dead, I will go and try,’ and presently starting up went to -the bedside where his master laid, and hallooed in his ear, and laid a feather -to his nostrils, and perceived that he breathed, upon which he called them -up in the house, and they warmed clothes and rubbed him, and brought -him to life again. He lived afterwards to be upwards of seventy-two years -of age, and to have nine children.</p> - -<p>“Another remarkable passage was that his wife, Priscilla, being then very -sick also, they told her that he was dead. She answered that she did not -believe that God would part them so soon. The said Priscilla, when -born, was laid for dead, no one minding her, but all the women went to -help her mother, who was then like to die after her delivery; but at last an -old woman, taking the child in her arms, carried it downstairs, and using -means, brought her to life. The other women, missing the child, and -hearing the old woman had carried her down to get life in her, laughed at -her, as thinking it impossible to bring the child to life; but in a little time -she brought it into the chamber, to the amazement of them all, and said -she might live to be an old woman; and so she did to the age of fifty-two, -and had nine children.”</p> - -<p>The following cases are from Mrs. Crowe’s “Night Side of Nature,” -pp. 133-136:—</p> - -<p>“Dr. Burns mentions a girl at Canton, who lay in a trance, hearing -every word that was said around her, but utterly unable to move a finger. -She tried to cry out, but could not, and supposed that she was really dead. -The horror of finding that she was about to be buried at length caused a -perspiration to appear on her skin, and she finally revived. She described -that she felt that her soul had no power to act upon her body, and that it -seemed to be <i>in her body and out of it at the same time</i>.”</p> - -<p>“Lady Fanshawe related the case of her mother who being sick of a -fever, her friends and servants thought her deceased, and she lay in that -state for two days and a night; but Mr. Winslow, coming to comfort my<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_337" id="Page_337">[337]</a></span> -father, went into my mother’s room, and looking earnestly into her face, -said, ‘She was so handsome, and looked so lovely, that he could not think -her dead,’ and, suddenly taking a lancet out of his pocket, he cut the sole -of her foot, which bled: upon this he immediately caused her to be removed -to the bed again, and she opened her eyes, after rubbing and other -restorative means, and came to life.”</p> - -<p>“On the 10th of January, 1717, Mr. John Gardner, a minister at Elgin, -fell into a trance, and being to all appearances dead, he was put into a -coffin and on the second day was carried to the grave. But fortunately a -noise being heard, the coffin was opened, and he was found alive and taken -home again, where, according to the record, ‘he related many strange and -amazing things which he had seen in the other world.’”</p> - -<p>Under the head of “Suspended Animation: Cases of Recovery, etc.,” -the Report of the Royal Humane Society for 1816-17, pp. 48-50, copies -the following:—“A young lady, an attendant on the Princess of——, -after having been confined to her bed for a great length of time with a -violent disorder, was at last to all appearances deprived of life. Her lips -were quite pale, her face resembled the countenance of a dead person, and -her body became cold.</p> - -<p>“She was removed from the room in which she died, was laid in a -coffin, and the day of her funeral was fixed on. The day arrived, and, -according to the custom of the country, funeral songs and hymns were sung -before the door. Just as they were about to nail on the lid of the coffin, a -slight perspiration was observed to appear on the surface of her body. It -grew greater every moment, and at last a kind of convulsive motion was -observed in the hands and feet of the corpse. A few moments after, -during which time fresh signs of returning life appeared, she at once -opened her eyes, and uttered a pitiable shriek. Physicians were quickly -procured, and in the course of a few days she was considerably restored, -and is probably alive at this day.”</p> - -<p>The description which she herself gave of her situation is extremely -remarkable, and forms a curious and authentic addition to psychology:—</p> - -<p>“She said it seemed to her, as if in a dream, that she was really dead; -yet she was perfectly conscious of all that happened around her in this -dreadful state. She distinctly heard her friends speaking, and lamenting -her death at the side of her coffin. She felt them pull on the dead-clothes -and lay her in it. This feeling produced a mental anxiety which was -indescribable. She tried to cry, but her soul was without power and could -not act on her body. She had the contradictory feeling as if she were in -her body, and yet not in it, at one and the same time. It was equally -impossible for her to stretch out her arms, or to open her eyes, or to cry<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_338" id="Page_338">[338]</a></span> -although she continued to do so. The internal anguish of her mind was, -however, at its utmost height when the funeral hymns began to be sung, -and when the lid of the coffin was about to be nailed on. The thought -that she was to be buried alive was the first one which gave activity to her -soul, and caused it to operate on her corporeal frame.”</p> - -<p>Related by Dr. Herz in the “Psychological Magazine,” and transcribed -by Sir Alexander Crichton in the introduction to his essay on “Mental -Derangement.” [2 vols., Lond., 1798.]</p> - -<hr class="d1" /> - -<p>“One of the most frightful cases extant is that of Dr. Walker, of Dublin, -who had so strong a presentiment on this subject, that he had actually -written a treatise against the Irish custom of hasty burial. He, himself, -subsequently died, as was believed, of a fever. His decease took place in -the night, and on the following day he was interred. At this time, Mrs. -Bellamy, the once-celebrated actress, was in Ireland; and as she had -promised him, in the course of conversation, that she would take care he -should not be laid in the earth till unequivocal signs of dissolution had -appeared, she no sooner heard of what had happened than she took -measures to have the grave reopened; but it was, unfortunately, too late. -Dr. Walker had evidently revived, and had turned upon his side; but life -was quite extinct.”</p> - -<p>Mr. Horace Welby, in a chapter on “Premature Interment,” says that -“the Rev. Owen Manning, the historian of Surrey, during his residence -at Cambridge University, caught small-pox, and was reduced by the -disorder to a state of insensibility and apparent death. The body was -laid out and preparations were made for the funeral, when Mr. Manning’s -father, going into the chamber to take a last look at his son, raised the -imagined corpse from its recumbent position, saying, ‘I will give my -poor boy another chance,’ upon which signs of vitality were apparent. -He was therefore removed by his friend and fellow-student, Dr. Heberden, -and ultimately restored to health.”—<i>The Mysteries of Life and Death, -pp. 115-116.</i></p> - -<hr class="d1" /> - -<p>A most conspicuous and interesting monument in St. Giles’s Church, -Cripplegate, London (where Cromwell was married and John Milton -buried), is associated with a remarkable case of trance or catalepsy. -In the chancel is a striking sculptured figure in memory of Constance -Whitney, a lady of remarkable gifts, whose rare excellences are fully -described in the tablet. She is represented as rising from her coffin.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_339" id="Page_339">[339]</a></span> -Welby, at p. 116, relates the story that she had been buried while in a state -of suspended animation, but was restored to life through the cupidity of the -sexton, which induced him to disinter the body to obtain possession of a -valuable ring left upon her finger, which he concluded could be of no use to -the wearer. A study of the facts of premature burial shows that the rifling -of tombs and coffins to obtain valuables has in other instances revealed -similar tragic occurrences.</p> - -<p>The often-cited case of Mrs. Goodman, one of those recalled to life by -the sexton’s attempt to remove a ring from the finger, is thus related in the -“History of Bandon,” by George Bennett:—</p> - -<p>Hannah, wife of Rev. Richard Goodman, vicar of Ballymodan, Bandon, -from 1692 to 1737, fell into ill-health, and apparently died. Two or three -days after her decease, the body was taken to Rosscarbery Cathedral, and -there laid in the family vault of the Goodmans. The attempt of the sexton -to recover a valuable diamond ring from the finger is said to have been -made at an early hour the next morning. Much violence was used, so that -the corpse moved, yawned, and sat up. The sexton having fled in terror, -leaving his lantern behind and the church door open, the lady in her -shroud made her way out of the vault and through the church to the -residence of her brother-in-law, the Rev. Thomas Goodman, which was -just outside the church-yard. Having been admitted after some delay -and consternation, she was put to bed, and fell asleep soon after, her -brother-in-law and his man-servant keeping watch over her until mid-day, -when she awoke refreshed. She is said to have shown herself in the village -in the afternoon, to have supped with the family in the evening, and to -have set out for home on horseback next morning. She is said to have -survived this episode for some years, and to have borne a son subsequent -to it, who died at an advanced age at Innishannon, a village near Bandon.</p> - -<p>In Smith’s “History of Cork,” vol. ii., p. 428, the same incident is thus -mentioned:—“Mr. John Goodman, of Cork, died in January, 1747, aged -about four score; but what is remarkable of him, his mother was interred -while she lay in a trance, having been buried in a vault, etc.... -This Mr. Goodman was born some time after.”</p> - -<hr class="d1" /> - -<p>Mr. Peckard, Master of Magdalen College, Cambridge, in a work -entitled “Further Observations on the Doctrine of an Intermediate State,” -mentions that Mrs. Godfrey, Mistress of the Jewel Office, and sister of the -great Duke of Marlborough, is stated to have lain in a trance, apparently -dead, for seven days, and was declared by her medical attendants to have<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_340" id="Page_340">[340]</a></span> -been dead. Colonel Godfrey, her husband, would not allow her to be -interred, or the body to be treated in the manner of a corpse; and on the -eighth day she awoke, without any consciousness of her long insensibility.</p> - -<p>The daughter of Henry Laurens, of South Carolina, the first President -of the American Congress during the Revolutionary War, died when young -of small-pox. At all events a medical certificate pronounced her dead, and -she was shrouded and coffined for interment. It was customary in those -days to confine the patient amidst red curtains with closed windows. -After the certificate of death had been duly made out, the curtains were -thrown back and the windows opened. The fresh air revived the patient, -who recovered and lived to a mature age. This circumstance occasioned on -her father so powerful a dread of living interment, that he directed by will -that his body should be burnt, and enjoined on his children the performance -of this wish as a sacred duty.</p> - -<p>Bouchut in his “Signes de la Mort,” p. 58, relates that the physician -of Queen Isabella of Spain was treating a man during a dangerous illness, -and as he went to see his patient one morning he was informed by the -assistants that the man had died. He entered, and found the body, in the -habit of the Order of St. Francis, laid out upon a board. Nothing daunted, -he had him put back to bed in spite of the ridicule of those present, and -the patient soon revived and fully recovered.</p> - -<p>The following cases are from Köppen (see Bibliography, 1799):—</p> - -<p>Vienna. 1791.—A castle guard (<i>portier</i>) was in a trance for several days. -His funeral was prepared, and he was placed in a coffin. All at once he -unexpectedly opened his eyes and called out, “Mother, where is the -coffee?”</p> - -<p>Halle, 1753.—In the register of deaths, at St. Mary’s Church, is the following -entry:—“Shoemaker Casper Koch was buried, aged eighty-one years. -Thirty years ago he had died, to all appearances, and was put in a coffin, -when suddenly, when they were about to bury him, he recovered his -consciousness.”</p> - -<p>Haag, Holland, 1785.—The son of a cook died, and while the coffin was -being carried to the grave-yard, he was heard to knock. On opening the -coffin he was found alive. He was taken home and was restored.</p> - -<hr class="d1" /> - -<p>In the “Cyclopædia of Practical Medicine,” edited by John Forbes, -M.D., F.R.S., and others, 1847, vol. i., pp. 548-549, is the following:—“A -remarkable instance of resuscitation after apparent death occurred in -France, in the neighbourhood of Douai, in the year 1745, and is related by<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_341" id="Page_341">[341]</a></span> -Rigaudeaux, (<i>Journal des Sçavans</i>, 1749,) to whom the case was confided. -He was summoned in the morning to attend a woman in labour, at a -distance of about a league. On his arrival, he was informed that she had -died in a convulsive fit two hours previously. The body was already -prepared for interment, and on examination he could discover no indications -of life. The os uteri was sufficiently dilated to enable him to turn the -child and deliver by the feet. The child appeared to be dead also; but, by -persevering in the means of resuscitation for three hours, they excited some -signs of vitality, which encouraged them to proceed, and their endeavours -were ultimately crowned with complete success. Rigaudeaux again carefully -examined the mother, and was confirmed in the belief of her death; -but he found that, although she had been in that state for seven hours, her -limbs retained their flexibility. Stimulants were applied in vain; he took -his leave, recommending that the interment should be deferred until the -flexibility was lost. At five p.m. a messenger came to inform him that -she had revived at half-past three. The mother and child were both alive -three years after.”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4"><a id="appb" name="appb">APPENDIX B.</a></h2> - -<p class="pch">RESUSCITATION OF STILL-BORN AND OTHER INFANTS.</p> - -<p class="pn"><span class="smcap">The</span> danger of premature burial of still-born (apparently dead) infants is -clearly shown by the following quotation from Tidy’s “Legal Medicine,” -part ii., page 253, from tables given on the authority of the <i>British and -Foreign Medical Review</i>, No. ii., p. 235, based on eight millions of births. -“It would appear that from one in eighteen to one in twenty births are -still-born. Dr. Lever found that the proportion in his three thousand cases -was one in eighteen. So notorious is it that a large number of these deaths -could be averted, that some legislation is urgently needed, requiring that -still-borns, whose bodies weigh, say, not less than two pounds (the average -weight about the sixth and seventh months at which children are viable), -should not be buried without registration and a medical examination.”</p> - -<p>Many instances can be found in current medical literature of still-born -infants that have been revived by artificial respiration. Such cases not -infrequently revive without any means being employed for their resuscitation; -but among the poor, who dispose of the new-born apparently dead -in a hasty manner, they might be buried alive through carelessness. The -use of mortuaries, where the seeming dead would be kept under observation -until decomposition appears, would of course prevent such disasters.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_342" id="Page_342">[342]</a></span></p> - -<p>Struve, in the Essay cited in the Bibliography (1802), says:—</p> - -<p>“All still-born children should be considered as only apparently dead, -and the resuscitative process ought never to be neglected. Sometimes two -hours or more will elapse before reanimation can be effected. An -ingenious man-midwife, says Bruhier, was employed for several hours in -the revival of an apparently still-born child, and as his endeavours proved -unavailing, he considered the subject really dead. Being, however, -accidentally detained, he again turned his attention to the child, and by -continuing the resuscitative method for some time it was unexpectedly -restored to life” (p. 150).</p> - -<p>The following is one of Struve’s most striking cases:—</p> - -<p>A Mr. E.—— called in 18—— to obtain a certificate of death for a -still-born child of seven months’ gestation. Arriving at the house, the -doctor found the child laid upon a little straw and covered with a slight -black shawl; this was one p.m., and the child had been there since five a.m. -It was icy cold, and there was no heart sound nor respiration, but there -was a slight muscular twitching over the region of the heart. The child -was immersed in a hot bath and artificial respiration employed, but for -twenty minutes the case seemed hopeless; then the eyes opened and -after continued effort the respirations began, laborious and interrupted at -first, then normal by degrees. The child was saved, and became an -accomplished violinist.</p> - -<p>The mortality and waste of infant life, particularly in large cities like -Paris, London, Berlin, Vienna, and New York, is admitted by all -investigators to be enormous. In France medical writers, in view of the -small percentage of births to population, are waking up to the realisation -that the State cannot afford the loss, and that, among other things, steps -should be taken to resuscitate the still-born, so that none should be buried -before unequivocal signs of death are manifested.<a name="FNanchor_21_21" id="FNanchor_21_21"></a><a href="#Footnote_21_21" class="fnanchor">[21]</a> The premature -abandonment of the still-born among the poorer classes in crowded cities is -only too probable. There are also cases recorded which show a corresponding -risk to infants who have survived their birth:—</p> - -<p>The <i>British Medical Journal</i>, January 21, 1871, p. 71, gives the -following case, under the heading, “Alive in a Coffin”:—“Stories of this -kind are generally very apocryphal; but the following reaches us from an -authentic source. A child narrowly escaped being buried alive last week<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_343" id="Page_343">[343]</a></span> -in Manchester. The infant’s father had died, and was to be buried in -Ardwick Cemetery. The day before the burial the infant was taken ill, -and apparently died. A certificate of death was procured from a surgeon’s -assistant who had seen the child, and, to save expense, it was decided to -place it in the same coffin with the father. This was done, and the next -morning the bearers set off to the cemetery with their double burden; but -before reaching the grave-yard a cry was heard to issue from the coffin. -The lid being removed, the infant was discovered alive and kicking. It was -at once removed to a neighbour’s house, but died eight hours afterwards.</p> - -<p>The <i>British Medical Journal</i>, 1885, ii., p. 841, gives the following case, -under the heading, “Death or Coma?”</p> - -<p>“The close similarity which is occasionally seen to connect the appearance -of death with that of exhaustion following disease, was lately -illustrated in a somewhat striking manner. An infant seized with convulsions -was supposed to have died about three weeks ago at Stamford -Hill. After five days’ interval, preparations were being made for its -interment, when, at the grave’s mouth, a cry was heard to come from the -coffin. The lid was taken off, and the child was found to be alive; it was -taken home, and is recovering.”</p> - -<p>The following is from Tidy’s “Legal Medicine,” pt. i., p. 29:—</p> - -<p>“In a communication to the French Academy, Professor Fort mentions -a child (<i>ætat.</i> three) having been resuscitated by artificial respiration continued -for four hours, and not commenced until three and a half hours -after its apparent decease.</p> - -<p>“Ogston records one case of a child alive for seven hours, and a second -case of a young woman alive for four hours, after they had been left as -dead.”</p> - -<p>From the <i>Lancet</i>, April 22, 1882, p. 675:—</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="pc1">“PREMATURE INTERMENT.</p> - -<p>“A daily contemporary states that at the gates of the Avignon cemetery -the parents of a child certified to have died of croup insisted on having -the coffin opened to take a last look. The child was found breathing, and -is expected to be saved.”</p></div> - -<p class="p1">The following letter to the editor of the <i>Lancet</i>, March 31, 1866, p. 360, -illustrates the danger to which infants supposed to be dead are exposed, -under one of our traditional customs:—</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="pc1">“LAYING-OUT OF DEAD INFANTS.</p> - -<p>“Sir,—In your journal of last Saturday, among the ‘Medical Annotations,’ -you notice the inquiry into the circumstances under which an infant, being<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_344" id="Page_344">[344]</a></span> -still living and moving, was ‘bandaged’ beneath the chin, and ‘laid-out’ -at St. Pancras Workhouse. Allow me to state that in the <i>Lancet</i>, vol. ii., -1850, a contribution from me ‘On the Danger of Tying-up the Lower Jaw -immediately after Supposed Death’ was published. An infant, aged two -months, was brought to me on a Friday with the lower jaw tied up by its -mother, who asked for a certificate of death; but on my removing the -bandage, the child began to show symptoms of vitality, and it lived until -the following Monday.</p> - -<p class="pr2"><span class="smcap">C. J. B. Aldis</span>, M.D., F.R.C.P.</p> - -<p>“Chester Terrace, Chester Square, March 26, 1866.”</p></div> - -<p class="p1">It is recorded that Dr. Doddridge showed so little signs of life at his birth -that he was laid aside as dead, but one of the attendants observing some -signs of life, took the baby under her charge, and by her judicious treatment -perfectly restored it.</p> - -<p>Mr. Highmore, Secretary of the London Lying-in Hospital, confirmed (by -a communication to the Royal Humane Society, April, 1816,) the statement -of Mrs. Catherine Widgen, the matron of that excellent establishment, that, -by a zealous perseverance in the means recommended by that Society, she -had been the happy instrument of restoring from a state of apparent death -in the space of <i>three years</i> no less than forty-five infants, who, but for her -humane attention and indefatigable exertions, must have been consigned to -the grave. Later on, Mrs. Widgen restored in one year twenty-seven -apparently dead-born children—a striking instance of the truth of the -remark of a celebrated writer (Osiander) that “the generality of infants, -considered as still-born, are only apparently so; if, therefore, persons would -persevere in their exertions to revive them, most of them might be -restored.”—<i>Report of the Royal Humane Society, 1816-17, pp. 52-54.</i></p> - -<p>“For these exertions the General Court adjudged the Honorary -Medallion to Mrs. Widgen, and it was accordingly presented to her by -His Royal Highness the Duke of Kent.”—<i>Ibid., p. 52.</i></p> - -<p>[The question naturally suggests itself in this place: If the matron of such -a noble institution as the above was able to save seventy-two apparently -dead children from the grave in four years, how many of these poor little -beings are consigned to the grave all over the world for lack of the “humane -attention and indefatigable exertions,” such as this skilful matron gave to -those that came under her intelligent care?]</p> - -<p class="psh">“RECURRENCE OF SUSPENDED ANIMATION.</p> - -<p>“A child, who had a cough for some time, was suddenly attacked with -difficulty of breathing, and <i>to all appearances died</i>. A medical gentleman<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_345" id="Page_345">[345]</a></span> -immediately inflated the lungs, and by persisting in this for a considerable -time, recovered the child. A similar state of suspended animation took -place three or four times, and inflation was as often had recourse to with -the same success; but the attack, happening, unfortunately, to recur whilst -the medical gentleman in whose family the case happened was from home, -the proper measures were not taken, and the child was lost.”—<i>Ibid., p. 140.</i></p> - -<p class="psh">“SHOCK FROM LIGHTNING.</p> - -<p>“A boy was struck down by a flash of lightning near Hoxton (in the -suburbs of London), and lay exposed to the rain at least an hour, until his -companions carried him home on some boards, apparently dead—the body -being stiff and universally cold, the fingers and toes contracted, and the -countenance livid. He was stripped of his wet clothes, put in hot blankets, -and bled twenty ounces. In half an hour, interrupted respiration commenced, -without inflating the lungs; in an hour more, regular pulsation and -breathing were established, together with power of swallowing; and in a -week he was quite well.”—<i>Ibid., p. 147.</i></p> - -<p>In the <i>Lancet</i>, 1884, vol. i., p. 922, W. Arnold Thompson, F.R.C.S.I., -reports a case of resuscitation of a child delivered by the forceps, which was -“apparently to myself [he says] and the nurse and relatives, a perfectly -dead child, and with no signs of respiration or life about it.... -My opinion was that the death was real and positive, but that, there being -no actual disease present, and the blood still warm, the machinery of life -was set going, and resuscitation followed as a consequence of suitable means -being taken and persevered in without undue delay. In the future I do -not intend to allow any still-born children to be put away without making -strenuous efforts to restore vitality.”</p> - -<p>The <i>Lancet</i>, 1880, vol. ii., p. 582:—In a discussion at the Royal -Medical and Chirurgical Society upon Artificial Respiration in New-born -Children, Dr. Roper related three cases in which the child was left for -dead. “One of these occurred in the practice of Mr. Brown, of St. Mary -Axe. The child was still-born in the absence of a medical man. It was -taken to the surgery, and thence to the late Mr. Solly, who next day, in -dissecting the body, found that the heart was still beating. A second -instance was of a fœtus of five months and a half, which was set aside as -dead, Dr. Roper attending the mother, who was suffering from hæmorrhage. -He was astonished next day to find that this immature child, which had -lain on the floor for eleven hours through a cold night, was breathing and -its heart beating....” Such examples show that the new-born have -greater tenacity of life than is supposed.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_346" id="Page_346">[346]</a></span></p> - -<p>The <i>Lancet</i>, 1881, vol. ii., p. 430, under the heading of “The Burial of -Still-born Infants,” states that “Greater security for the due observance of -these necessary regulations (the Births and Deaths Registration Act of -1874), for the burial of infants said to be still-born, is urgently called for. -It is constantly patent that the burial of deceased infants as still-born, if -checked, is by no means prevented; and that the authorities of burial grounds, -by their laxity in carrying out the provisions of the Act, afford -dangerous facilities for the concealment of crime, or negligence, and for a -practice which threatens to impair the value of our birth and death -registration statistics; for, if a live-born infant be buried as still-born, -neither its birth nor its death is registered.”</p> - -<p>A case of forceps-delivery occurred in the hands of the writer (E.P.V.), in -which the child, when extracted, was quite purple in colour, and absolutely -dead to all appearances—there was no breathing nor impulse to be found -anywhere. After some efforts at resuscitation in the way of artificial -respiration—not very thoroughly done, nor much prolonged (for the child -was believed to be dead)—with a warm bath and frictions, it was laid aside -and covered up. At a subsequent visit some hours later, the child was found -in the nurse’s lap, completely recovered, and changed in colour to a bright -pink. The nurse said she did not like to give the little fellow up, and by -breathing into his mouth for some time he showed returning life, and by -keeping it up he soon began to breathe himself.</p> - -<p>Cases like this are believed to be not infrequent, because physicians and -nurses are not, as a general rule, aware of the great tenacity of life -possessed by the new-born infant.</p> - -<p>“<i>Still-births</i> are not registered in England; but, under the new -Registration Act, no still-born child can be buried without a certificate -from a registered practitioner in attendance, or a declaration from a midwife, -to the effect that the child was still-born. The proportion of still-births -in this country is supposed to be about four per cent., but this is -uncertain.”—<span class="smcap">A. Newsholme</span>, <i>Vital Statistics, 1889, p. 61</i>.</p> - -<p>“The proportion of deaths from premature births, compared with the -total number of births, in 1861-65 was 11·19 to 1,000 births; since which -time it has steadily increased, reaching the ratio of 15·89 per births in -1,000 in 1887.”—<i>Ibid., p. 216.</i></p> - -<p>The same author, p. 17, states that “a certain proportion of the <i>births -remain unregistered</i>(<i>a</i>). There is strong reason for thinking that a certain -number of children born alive are buried as still-born.”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_347" id="Page_347">[347]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4"><a id="appc" name="appc">APPENDIX C.</a></h2> - -<p class="pch">RECOVERY OF THE DROWNED.</p> - -<p class="pn"><span class="smcap">This</span> is perhaps the best known and most generally appreciated occasion -of rescuing the apparently dead. The high degree in which it has -excited public sympathy will appear from a glance at that section of the -“Bibliography” (towards the end of the eighteenth century) which gives -the titles of essays and reports connected with the Royal Humane Society -and the corresponding foreign institutions upon which our own was modelled. -The following general remarks and cases are from the essay of Dr. Struve, -of Görlitz, Lusatia, 1802:—</p> - -<p>“A great number of persons apparently drowned have been restored to -life without the use of stimulants, merely by the renovated susceptibility of -irritation. I have collected thirty-six cases of persons apparently drowned -in Lusatia from the year 1772 to the year 1792. Most of them were -treated by uninformed people, and revived by friction and warming; -two persons, however, were indebted for their lives to the continuation of -the resuscitative process for several hours. The greatest number were -children; which is to be ascribed not only to the greater danger to which -they are exposed of drowning, but also to the longer continuance of vital -power in the infant frame” (p. 136).</p> - -<p>“A boy of about a year and a half old had lain upwards of a quarter of -an hour in the water, and was found face downwards, and the whole body -livid and swollen. He was undressed, wiped dry, and wrapped in warm -blankets; but the most particular part of the process was rolling the body -upon a table, shaking it by the shoulders, and rubbing the feet. This -having been continued for an hour, a convulsive motion was observed in -the toes; sneezing was excited by snuff; the tongue stimulated by strong -vinegar; the throat irritated with a feather; an injection given. The child -vomited a large quantity of water, and in an hour afterwards began to -breathe, and was completely restored to life” (p. 137).</p> - -<p>“A woman upwards of thirty years of age, and who was affected with -epilepsy, fell in a fit from a height of twenty feet into the water, where she -remained a full quarter of an hour before she was taken out. Mr. Redlich, -surgeon, of Hamburg, had her put into a bed warmed by hot bottles; she -was rubbed with warm flannels, some spirits were dropped into her mouth, -when in a quarter of an hour symptoms of life, such as convulsive motion -and a very weak pulse, appeared. In three hours from the time she was -taken out of the water she recovered completely” (p. 138).</p> - -<p>Dr. Charles Londe, in a remarkable pamphlet (“Lettre sur la Mort<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_348" id="Page_348">[348]</a></span> -Apparente, les Conséquences Réelles des Inhumations Précipitées, et le -Temps Pendent lequel peut persister l’Aptitude à étre Rapellé à la Vie.” -Paris, Bailliére, 1854), records some instances of narrow escapes from -premature burial of the drowned, one of which may be cited:—</p> - -<p>“On the 13th of July, 1829, about two p.m., near the Pont des Arts, -Paris, a body, which appeared lifeless, was taken out of the river. It was -that of a young man, twenty years of age, dark-complexioned, and strongly -built. The corpse was discoloured and cold; the face and lips swollen and -tinged with blue; a thick and yellowish froth exuded from the mouth; the -eyes were open, fixed, and motionless; the limbs limp and drooping. <i>No -pulsation of the heart nor trace of respiration was perceptible.</i> The body had -remained under water for a considerable time; the search for it, made in -Dr. Bourgeois’s presence, lasted fully twenty minutes. That gentleman -did not hesitate to incur the derision of the lookers-on by proceeding to -attempt the resuscitation of what, in their eyes, was a mere lump of clay. -Nevertheless, several hours afterwards, the supposed corpse was restored -to life, thanks to the obstinate perseverance of the doctor, who, although a -strong man and enjoying robust health, was several times on the point of -losing courage and abandoning the patient in despair. But what would -have happened if Dr. Bourgeois, instead of persistently remaining stooping -over the inanimate body, with watchful eye and <i>attentive ear</i>, to catch the -first rustling of the heart, had left the drowned man, after half an hour’s -fruitless endeavour, as often happens? The unfortunate man would have -been laid in the grave, <i>although capable of restoration to life</i>!”</p> - -<p>To this case, Dr. Bourgeois, in the “Archives de Medecine,” adds others, -in which individuals remained under water as long as <span class="smcap">SIX HOURS</span>, and -were recalled to life by efforts which a weaker conviction than his own -would have refrained from making. These facts lead Dr. Londe to the -conclusion that, <i>every day, drowned individuals are buried, who, with -greater perseverance, might be restored to life</i>!</p> - -<p>The following case in point appears in the <i>Sunnyside</i>, New York, communicated -by J. W. Green, M.D.:—</p> - -<p>“A few years since I was walking by the Central Park, near One -Hundred and Tenth Street and Fifth Avenue. Noticing a crowd that was -acting in an unusual manner by the side of the lake, I approached and -inquired of one of the bystanders what was the cause of the excitement. -He replied, ‘A boy is drowned.’ I advanced to the edge of the water, and -saw two or three men in the water searching for the body. As they had -not yet discovered it, I made enquiries, and found at last a small boy who -had been a comrade of the victim. He showed me the spot from which -the boy had fallen. I then pointed out to the searchers where to look, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_349" id="Page_349">[349]</a></span> -immediately the body was recovered. I took it at once from the hands of -the person who had it, and held it reversed, in order to disembarrass it of -all the water possible, for a minute or two, then stripped it of its clothing, -sent for a blanket and brandy. I took a woollen coat from one of the -bystanders until the blanket should arrive, laid the child upon it and commenced -to rotate it. This I continued to do for at least fifteen minutes by -the watch. I then tried auscultation; no murmur could be heard.</p> - -<p>“The skin was cold, the lips were blue. Every artery was still. With -all these signs of death present it was still obligatory upon me to persevere. -At the end of fifteen minutes there was a slight gasp. A small quantity of -brandy was placed upon the tongue. A little of this ran into the larynx, -and the stimulation was sufficient to produce a long inspiration and then a -cough. This was more than a half-hour from the time when the boy had -been removed from the water. Complete restoration did not occur until -nearly an hour from that time. He was now given to his mother, and I was -informed on the following day that he entirely recovered, without an -unfavourable symptom.”</p> - -<p>The three following cases of resuscitation from apparent death by -drowning are copied from the most recent reports of the Royal Humane -Society, London:—</p> - -<p>“On 13th of August, 1895, Samuel Lawrence, aged five years, while playing -on the bank of a disused clay-pit at South Bank, Yorkshire, fell into -the water and sank. Two of his companions dived into the water, and -brought him up after a submersion of from seven to ten minutes in an -unconscious state. Two working men commenced artificial respiration, -and Dr. Steele continued it for ten hours before the boy showed signs of -returning sensibility and his complete recovery.”</p> - -<p>“October 6th, 1895.—At Deptford, Surrey, a woman with a baby in her -arms threw herself into the canal. They were rescued by the Royal -Humane Society’s drags. Two ladies took possession of the bodies (time of -submersion not stated), and they employed Silvester’s system of artificial -respiration with success, in the case of the woman in about one hour, and -with the child one hour and a half.”</p> - -<p>“August 6th, 1895.—At Bradford, England, Rudolf Pratt, a clerk with -Midland R.R. Company, was bathing, and sank in deep water. A -bystander by diving brought him up. After a submersion of five minutes, -unconscious, and not breathing, Dr. Oldham restored respiration by -Sylvester’s method after one and a half hour’s treatment.”</p> - -<p>These three cases are instructive on account of the length of time animation -remained suspended before it could be aroused to a state of activity; -and they lead to the belief that many cases that are given up as actually<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_350" id="Page_350">[350]</a></span> -dead could be saved if efforts at resuscitation were kept up for a lengthened -period, as in the first case.</p> - -<p>In cases of drowning some persons are quickly revived after a long -submersion; others again who are under water only a short time require -artificial respiration for a long time before they show signs of returning life, -as was the case with Samuel Lawrence, who was submerged only ten -minutes, yet required ten hours’ active treatment to revive him.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4"><a id="appd" name="appd">APPENDIX D.</a></h2> - -<p class="pch">MISCELLANEOUS ADDENDA.</p> - -<p class="psh">HASTY BURIALS.</p> - -<p class="pn"><span class="smcap">As</span> an illustration of hasty burials dealt with in Chapter X. the following -case is cited from the <i>King’s County Chronicle</i>, Parsonstown, -Ireland, August 27, 1896:—</p> - -<p class="pc1">“ROSCREA GUARDIANS.</p> - -<p>“Thursday—Present: T. Jackson, D.V.C., in the chair; L. S. Maher, -J.P.; M. Bergin, J.P.; W. J. Menton, W. Jackson, P. Roe.</p> - -<p>“Mr. Roe—You made short work of Jack Ryan at the chapel of Knock. -He was alive and speaking at three o’clock, and buried at six the same -day. The Master stated that, it being supposed the man died from an -infectious disease, no person would assist in coffining him till a message -came asking that he (the Master) would send out some of the male inmates, -and he sent two and had him coffined and interred. Mr. Roe—The man -was not cold when he was buried. Master—The nun tells me the man -had an ounce of tobacco clasped tightly in his hands. Chairman—What -disease had he? Clerk—Pneumonia was certified by the doctor. The -people believed that he had died from an infectious disease, and insisted he -should be buried immediately. Mr. Roe—It was certainly short work—a -man dying at three o’clock and buried at six. Master—This man was -married to a woman who was a nurse in the old Donoughmore workhouse, -and they lived at Drumar, Knock.”<a name="FNanchor_22_22" id="FNanchor_22_22"></a><a href="#Footnote_22_22" class="fnanchor">[22]</a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_351" id="Page_351">[351]</a></span></p> - -<p class="psh">EVIDENCE OF RESUSCITATIONS IN GRAVE-YARDS.</p> - -<p>Reference has been made in this volume to the discoveries of premature -burial brought to light during the investigations of charnel-houses in -France, and the removal of grave-yards, necessitated through the rapid -expansion of towns, in America. The <i>Casket</i>, Rochester, New York, U.S., -of March 2, 1896, gives a detailed narrative of recent discoveries made by -T. M. Montgomery in the removal of Fort Randall Cemetery, with the condition -of the bodies found as to decay or state of preservation, and says:—</p> - -<p>“We found among these remains two that bore every evidence of having -been buried alive. The first case was that of a soldier that had been -struck by lightning. Upon opening the lid of the coffin we found that the -legs and arms had drawn up as far as the confines of the coffin would -permit. The other was a case of death resulting from alcoholism. The -body was slightly turned, the legs were drawn up a trifle, and the hands -were clutching the clothing. In the coffin was found a large whisky flask, -showing that those who buried him were not his friends, or else that they too -were afflicted with the disease that had cut short the life of their companion.</p> - -<p>“It occurred to us at that time that this was a great argument in favour -of incineration. Nearly two per cent. of those exhumed here were, no -doubt, victims of suspended animation. Once before in our experience -have we noted this; and while not believing in as large a percentage of -live burials as the radical advocates of cremation claim, yet we know that -the percentage is larger than most scientists give. Disinterment is the -only solution of the question. In regard to these two cases, we wish to -say that science has proved that electricity does not always kill, and that -persons addicted to the liquor habit, after long debauches, sometimes -relapse into a comatose state, and are to all appearances dead. Statistics -show that a great many die annually of these causes, hence the percentage -in cases of this kind must be very large. What is the remedy?”</p> - -<p class="psh">HASTY EMBALMMENTS IN THE UNITED STATES.</p> - -<p>The <i>Casket</i>, Rochester, New York, September, 1896, observes:—At -different times considerable opposition has been raised against embalming -by Boards of Health and other officials in various localities, on account of -the haste with which the embalmer proceeds with his duties. A few recent -cases of supposed corpses recovering, one of which occurred in Philadelphia, -Pa., have revived the question, and it is reported that the Philadelphia -Board of Health may take action looking to the enactment of a law prescribing -the period of time which should elapse after death before a body -should be embalmed.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_352" id="Page_352">[352]</a></span></p> - -<p>In a recent issue of the Philadelphia <i>Times</i>, Funeral-Director John -J. O’Rourke, a well-known professional of that city, expresses himself on -the subject as follows:—</p> - -<p>“These two narrow escapes from burial alive have further impressed me -with one of the perils attending the disposition of the dead—I mean the -danger of hasty embalming. As you know, in most cases the doctor who has -had the patient is not called in after death, and very often the relatives of -the deceased expect the undertaker, if embalming is to be done, to proceed -with it at once. All the embalming schools teach that the only proper -way to thus treat the body is by use of fluids through the arteries. But -in the lectures on the subject no period that should be permitted to elapse -before it is begun is prescribed, and, as a rule, it follows dissolution as -quickly as possible.</p> - -<p>“I contend that there should be some law or official rule governing the -matter, because after the artery is punctured and the fluid goes through the -whole body, it is sure to destroy any spark of life that might remain. I -have never met with any cases of resuscitation myself, but have had -instances of deaths that made me hesitate in the work of embalming. Some -months ago a man came to me fifteen minutes after a relative had breathed -his last, and asked me to embalm the body. I went to the house, and, -after seeing the corpse, refused, saying that I would not do it until after -the expiration of twelve hours. The man had died of consumption, yet, -for fear of it being a case of suspended animation, I would take no -chances.</p> - -<p>“At another time a person had died of dropsy. Within half an hour I -was summoned. The attending physician had not been there, and twenty-four -hours afterwards he gave a certificate of death from cancer. The body -was very warm when I arrived, and neighbours who had kindly volunteered -to prepare it were doubtful if life was extinct. I had the corpse laid on an -embalming table for two hours, and then placed it in what is known as a -Saratoga patent box, in which are pans filled with salted ice, so arranged -that cold air circulates around the body. Had this been a case of suspended -animation, it would have taken several hours to dispel the heat within the -corpse.</p> - -<p>“Of course there are some supposed unmistakable signs. The only positive -signs of dissolution are those which depend on molecular change or -death-rigidity of the muscles of the whole body, and putrefaction of the -tissues. These are most marked in organs and tissues the vital functions of -which are the most active. The action of the heart, the movements of -respiration, may be reduced as to be altogether imperceptible, so that the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_353" id="Page_353">[353]</a></span> -functions of circulation and respiration appear to be arrested. This is -occasionally observed in temporary syncope, in which a person to all -appearances dead has, after a time, regained consciousness and recovered.</p> - -<p>“The peculiar condition of the nervous system called catalepsy, and the -state of trance, are likewise further examples of the so-called apparent -deaths; but, on the occurrence of actual death, the irritability of the -muscles by degrees disappears, electricity no longer excites their contraction, -and then cadaverous rigidity sets in.... Some action will, in -all probability, be urged upon the next Legislature or upon the Board of -Health.”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4"><a id="appe" name="appe">APPENDIX E.</a></h2> - -<p class="pch">SUMMARY OF ORDINANCES, ETC., RELATING TO THE -INSPECTION OF CORPSES AND OF INTERMENTS.</p> - -<p class="pn"><span class="smcap">In</span> the sixteenth Council of Milan, Saint Charles Borromeo prohibited -burials before twelve hours after ordinary cases of death, and twenty-four -hours after cases of sudden death. As early as the sixteenth century -serious attention in the examination of the dead was made obligatory by -the enactment of Article 149 of the Criminal Statutes of Charles the Fifth. -This was the foundation of legal medicine in Germany. In France, a -similar ordinance was first established in 1789.</p> - -<p class="psh">NETHERLANDS.<br /> -<i>Act of April 10th, 1869.</i></p> - -<p>No burial is allowed without the written permission of the Civil -Recorder, granted upon the production of a certificate of a qualified -physician, and not until thirty-six hours have elapsed after death, nor -later than the fifth day after death. But this regulation can be set -aside, and a longer period allowed, by the Burgomaster, on the application -of a doctor.</p> - -<p>Dead-houses are in use for bodies dead of infectious diseases.</p> - -<p class="psh">FRANKFORT-ON-THE-MAIN.</p> - -<p>Death must first be established by a licensed physician, who carefully -examines the body for that purpose, and, if satisfied, then issues a -certificate which states the name, age, sex, place, and date, and immediate -cause of death. The certificate is taken within twenty-four hours after the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_354" id="Page_354">[354]</a></span> -death to the Standesamt, where the death is recorded, and a certificate to -that effect is given, and presented to the Cemetery Commission, which -assigns the place of burial. The corpse is required to remain unburied -three days, either at the place of death or at the mortuary, where it is -under the observation of attendants; but there is no State-appointed inspector -of the dead, nor electric bells or other means for announcing and recording -any movements of the body. The system of inspection and certification -by qualified physicians, with the delay of three days, and the favourable -condition of the dead-houses, have been the means of preventing the living -from being mistaken for the dead in a number of cases.</p> - -<p class="psh">FRANCE.</p> - -<p>Interments must not take place, according to Article 77 of the Code -Napoleon, before twenty-four hours of death, but in practice it is twenty-four -hours after death-notification by the <i>mort-verificateur</i>. During -epidemics, or when deaths occur from infectious or contagious diseases, -the interments must invariably be made within twenty-four hours of death.</p> - -<p>Article 77 of the Civil Code states that “No burial shall take place -without an authorisation, on free paper and without expense, of the officer -of the Civil State, who will not be empowered to deliver it, unless after -having visited the deceased person, nor unless twenty-four hours after -the decease, except in cases provided for by the regulations of the police.” -It results from this that no corpse can be buried before a minimum delay -of twenty-four hours shall have expired after the decease. The formal -record of the decease must be made by the officer of the Civil State (the -mayor), or, which is what takes place in most of the communes, by a -medical man delegated by the mayor, and who takes the title of medical -officer of the Civil State.</p> - -<p>The Article 77 of the Civil Code is generally strictly observed in Paris -and in other cities of France. The obligation to await the delay of twenty-four -hours is intended to prevent too hasty burials. One considers, in fact, -that that delay is generally necessary in order to be able to have certain -proofs of death.</p> - -<p>By Article 358 of the Penal Code, the burial of a deceased person without -such authorisation is punishable by a maximum period of two months’ -imprisonment, and a maximum fine of fifty francs, without prejudice to other -criminal proceedings which may be applicable under the circumstances.</p> - -<p>Exceptions, however, have been established in certain cases. For example, -in times of epidemics, or of too rapid decomposition of the corpse -in the usual case, there is urgent need, in fact, to bury the body of a person -attacked with a contagious or epidemic malady, in order to suppress one of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_355" id="Page_355">[355]</a></span> -the causes of propagation of the epidemic, or of the contagion. In the -second case, it is understood that one could not keep longer, without -danger to the public health, a corpse in complete putrefaction. There is -occasion also to observe that, in these circumstances, the end which the -legislator has proposed to himself is equally obtained, since there cannot -be any doubt as to the real death. However that may be, it is the mayor -(officer of the Civil State) to whom it appertains, according to the terms of -the Article 77 of the Civil Code, to give authority to bury; and if he gives -that authorisation before the expiration of the delay of twenty-four hours, it -is after having established by himself, or by the medical officer of the Civil -State, the fact of its necessity, resulting from the circumstances of which -we have just spoken.</p> - -<p>It is to be remarked that the Article 77 fixes a <i>minimum</i> and <i>not a -maximum</i> delay. It is always the mayor to whom it appertains to fix the -day and the hour of the burial, and there may happen such and such a -circumstance which necessitates a delay of the obsequies. The mayor need -only assure himself in that case that no danger will result to the public -health, which naturally is the case when the corpse is embalmed, or is -placed in a leaden coffin.</p> - -<p>Outside Paris and other large cities, and especially in the rural districts, -much laxity prevails both as to verification of death and the time of burial, -and cases of premature burial are not infrequent.</p> - -<p class="psh">AUSTRIA.</p> - -<p>The laws relative to funerals and burials are very strict—perhaps -the most thorough in their requirements of any in Europe. They -provide for a very careful inspection of the body by medical inspectors, -quite independently of the attending physicians, in order to ascertain if the -death be absolute. Minute and specific official directions guide them as to -the method of examination and the signs of death to be looked for. And -they further provide for carrying out any particular method, as to which the -deceased may have given directions, in order to prevent a possible revival -in the coffin. Should the surviving relatives desire it, a <i>post-mortem</i> operation -may be made upon the body, in the presence of the medical inspectors -and the police; in which case the heart is pierced through; and a full report -of the operations must be forwarded to the civic magistrate. A fee of six -florins is allowed for such an operation.</p> - -<p class="psh">CITY OF VIENNA.</p> - -<p>Every death to be inquired into by the municipal physician. The first -of five objects is to ascertain whether the person be really dead. In<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_356" id="Page_356">[356]</a></span> -examining whether there are any remaining indications of life, he will rely -not upon any one sign, nor even upon putrefaction, but upon the totality of -the signs of death. If there are any indications of life remaining, he must -at once institute the means of resuscitation approved by science, and continue -them until such time as the family medical attendant is assured of -their uselessness. If there be any doubt as to the reality of the death, a -second inspection of the body is to be made by the municipal physician -within twenty-four hours. Burial, as a rule, is not to be until forty-eight -hours after death; but the interval may be shortened in cases of infectious -diseases or of unusually rapid decomposition.</p> - -<p class="psh">PROVINCE OF DALMATIA.<br /> -<i>Vice-Governor’s Order of 29th April, 1894.</i></p> - -<p>Every death to be inquired into by the parish physician, or a deputy -appointed by the mayor. The first of six objects of the inquest is to -ascertain whether the person be really dead. In the event of a non-medical -examiner discovering signs of life, he is to send for a doctor. -Inasmuch as decomposition, the only sure sign of death, is, as a rule, -a phenomenon of later occurrence than the time appointed for the inquest -(within twelve hours of the notification of death), the examining person -must base his certainty of the extinction of life, not upon one sign, but -upon the totality of the signs of death.</p> - -<p class="psh">KINGDOM OF SAXONY.<br /> -<i>Law of 20th July, 1850.</i></p> - -<p>The burial of a corpse must not take place until seventy-two hours after -death, and the signs of decomposition are clearly visible. Any proposed -departure from this rule, in the event of earlier putrefaction, or the absence -of decomposition at the end of seventy-two hours, requires the authority of -a physician called in. By the above Law, the following Orders are suspended: -(1) the Order of 11th February, 1792, concerning the treatment -of the dead, and the precautions necessary to prevent the apparently dead -from being buried prematurely; (2) the General Order of 13th February, -1801, concerning precautionary measures in the burial of those dead of -infectious diseases; (3) the Law of 22nd June, 1841, together with the -Administrative Orders, concerning the examination of corpses and the -establishment of mortuaries.</p> - -<p class="psh">CITY OF MUNICH.<br /> -<i>Order of 30th October, 1848.</i></p> - -<p>The ordinance hitherto in force, as to making an incision in the sole of -the foot in cases of patients who die in the hospitals, is abolished; the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_357" id="Page_357">[357]</a></span> -hospital physicians to use their discretion whether or not the incision -should be made; but, in cases for which is demanded an earlier burial than -is usually prescribed, whether they have been hospital or private patients, -the incision is to be made in the sole of the foot at the end of the second -inspection, and every other means taken to ascertain whether the death be -apparent or real.</p> - -<p class="psh">CALCUTTA.</p> - -<p>1. The prevailing custom for Christians and Mahomedans is to bury the -dead. The Hindoos burn them as a rule, but many prefer to throw them -into a sacred river, particularly the Ganges or its tributaries, if they can do -so unmolested by the authorities.</p> - -<p>2. There are no mortuaries. The signs which are assumed to indicate -death are the various conditions and appearances when animation is -suspended.</p> - -<p>3. Cases of revival from supposed death are sometimes heard of among -the Hindoos, who regard such persons as outcasts. If the signs of returning -life are not very manifest when a person begins to revive, he is sometimes -killed by stuffing the mouth and nose with mud, which generally accomplishes -the object.</p> - -<p class="psh">BOMBAY.</p> - -<p>1. There are no laws or regulations in India for the disposal of the dead. -The customs and formalities follow the traditions and requirements of -religious belief.</p> - -<p class="pind"><i>a.</i> The Hindoos burn their dead immediately after death takes place.</p> - -<p class="pind"><i>b.</i> The Parsees take their dead to a “Tower of Silence” as soon as -death takes place, and, after certain prescribed ceremonies, the -body is speedily devoured by vultures.</p> - -<p class="pind"><i>c.</i> The Europeans and Mahomedans bury their dead within from twenty-four -to forty-eight hours, because putrefaction usually sets in soon -after death on account of the heat and humidity of the climate.</p> - -<p>2. There are no mortuaries, excepting in connection with hospitals, where -observations can be made.</p> - -<p class="psh">CAPE TOWN, AFRICA.</p> - -<p>1. There are no laws nor regulations relative to the disposal of the dead, -excepting in cases requiring an inquest or <i>post-mortem</i> examination. The -custom is to bury within twenty-four to thirty hours after death, but the -time is sometimes extended to two or three days.</p> - -<p>2. There are no dead-houses, except at the hospitals, which are under the -management of the superintendent.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_358" id="Page_358">[358]</a></span></p> - -<p>3. The certificate of the medical attendant is sufficient for burial purposes. -The complete cessation of respiration and the heart’s action are -considered an absolute indication of death. When decomposition sets in, -it usually appears within twenty-four hours after death, although in winter -that process may be longer delayed.</p> - -<p class="psh">MOSCOW.</p> - -<p>Orthodox Russians keep their dead three days before burial. During -that time the body lies with the face uncovered, and a deacon chants and -prays over it twice a day. A medical certificate of death is imperative -before burial.</p> - -<p class="psh">BRUSSELS.</p> - -<p>Burials are regulated by the Communal Council in accordance with law. -The system is complicated, but thorough. The medical men connected -with the Government Medical Service (“Doctors of the Civil Government”) -have the sole control of the examinations of deaths, as well as births, -accidents, sudden deaths, suicides; and attend to burials, autopsies, postponements -of burials, etc., on their own motion. Interments usually take -place within forty-eight hours of death, but they may be carried out sooner -during epidemics for the public safety.</p> - -<p>There are mortuaries in the city and suburbs, to which bodies may be -taken at the request of surviving relatives, or by the order of the health -authorities, according to private necessities or for the public safety. Except -by the special authorisation of the officers of the civil government, bodies -cannot remain in the mortuaries longer than forty-eight hours; and a burial -cannot take place in less than twenty-four hours. Special care is taken to -test the reality of death in still-born infants, and efforts are made to revive -them, as well as all other cases of seeming death. In cases of women -dying during advanced pregnancy, the infant must be roused by artificial -respiration, in order to restore animation if possible. The process for -obtaining a delay for burial is intricate and cumbersome, and to a foreigner -unaccustomed to the language and the local usages the chances would be -against securing such a permit before the time allowed for burial had -transpired.</p> - -<p class="psh">DENMARK.</p> - -<p>Mortuaries are connected with all the churches, cemeteries, and some of -the hospitals, and are growing in favour in the country places; but as yet -they are unprovided with any appliances for the resuscitation of the -apparently dead, or for the prevention of premature burials. No corpse, -however, is allowed to be taken to a mortuary before it has been inspected, -and a death-certificate issued by a qualified physician; but, when this is<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_359" id="Page_359">[359]</a></span> -done, death is considered absolute. No corpse is allowed to remain in any -church, chapel, or mortuary longer than seven days after supposed death, -without special permission. Coffins that contain bodies which have died -from infectious diseases must be so indicated, and cannot be opened in the -mortuaries.</p> - -<p>As a rule, bodies are kept seventy-two hours before burial. The signs -that are considered sufficient to establish death are the glazed appearance -of the eyes, livid spots on the skin, and muscular rigidity. In doubtful -cases, the time before burial can be extended by authority of the Board of -Health, of which the Police Director is a member.</p> - -<p class="psh">SPAIN.</p> - -<p>Burials usually do not take place until twenty-four hours after death. -For example, if a death takes place about four p.m., the burial is made late -in the following afternoon. In time of epidemic, bodies are hurried to the -cemeteries, where depositories are provided, which are under the care of -watchers until the expiration of twenty-four hours after death. The -certificate of a reputable physician as to death is sufficient to authorise -burial. Relatives or friends usually remain with the body until burial, -excepting in cases when judicial proceedings are held over it to determine -the circumstances of the death.</p> - -<p class="psh">IRELAND.</p> - -<p>There are no laws in Ireland regarding the disposal of the dead, but the -Sanitary Acts of the United Kingdom can be applied in any case within a -reasonable period, on the ground of public health. There is no fixed -period for keeping a body before burial. The Roman Catholics usually -bury on the third or fourth day after death; but in some districts custom -sanctions burial within twenty-four or thirty-six hours. Local burial -authorities sometimes require a medical certificate before burial, but, there -being no legal obligation for it, this is often omitted. In cases of suicide, -sudden death, or death by violence, the Coroner holds an inquest, and -gives a certificate accordingly.</p> - -<p>There are no dead-houses in Ireland, where bodies may be observed for -a period of time before burial.</p> - -<p>Concerning burials in England, see Glen’s “Burial Acts” for the general -burial practice; also “Regulations for Wilton Cemetery.”</p> - -<p class="psh">THE UNITED STATES.</p> - -<p>In the United States of America, as a rule, everything relative to the -disposal of the dead is regulated by local Boards of Health, as authorised<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_360" id="Page_360">[360]</a></span> -by State laws. A burial cannot take place without a certificate from a -legally licensed physician, which must state the cause of death; the place -and time when it occurred; the full name; age; sex; colour; occupation; -birth-place; names and birth-places of both parents. There are no laws -or regulations that require the inspection of the body to verify the fact of -death (the certificate, as in England, as to the cause is considered sufficient -for this purpose), and no time is fixed when a body must, or must not, be -buried. This is regulated by, and left to, the convenience of the family -of the deceased, by the season of the year, by the opinion of the attending -physician, etc. But the Health Officers can order the burial whenever, in -their opinion, the public health requires it. As a rule, burials after supposed -death are made sooner in the South, and among the poor, than in -the North, and among the well-to-do classes. In remote unsettled regions -burials not seldom take place without these formalities, and they are often -carried out in a hasty manner; but usually they do not take place till three -days after supposed death, and sometimes, particularly in cold weather, a -longer time is allowed. All large cemeteries have chambers for the -temporary deposit of bodies, but they are not under observation, as it is -taken for granted that they are dead.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4"><a id="appf" name="appf">APPENDIX F.</a></h2> - -<p class="pch">THE JEWISH PRACTICE OF EARLY BURIAL.</p> - -<p class="pn"><span class="smcap">R. J. Wunderbar</span>, in his standard work on “Biblisch-talmudische -Medicin,” Riga and Leipzig, 1850-60, gives, in pp. 5-15 of the concluding -section (Abtheil. 4, Bd. ii.), the following summary of the origin of the -peculiar Jewish practice of burying the corpse within a few hours of death:—</p> - -<p>In the Levitical law (Num. xix. 11-22) every dead body was an -unclean thing, including those dead in the tent and on the battlefield. -Touching a corpse involved purification and separation for seven days. -This ordinance is supposed to have had a sanitary motive, having probably -originated with cases of infectious disease. There is only one Biblical -ordinance as to early burial, and that is indubitably restricted to persons -executed for crime: Deut. xxi. 22, 23, “And if a man have committed a -sin worthy of death, and he be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree, -his body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise -bury him that day (for he that is hanged is accursed of God), that thy land -be not defiled which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_361" id="Page_361">[361]</a></span>”This statutory limit to the exposure of the bodies of malefactors was the -most convenient way of checking the practice, common in other countries, -of leaving corpses of criminals to hang upon the gibbet until they -rotted, or were consumed by birds of prey. Its motive was to prevent, -by the promptest measure, an indefinite degree of neglect in altogether -special cases.</p> - -<p>There is nothing else in the Bible concerning early burial; on the -contrary, the patriarchal practice, in the case of eminent persons, seems to -have been to keep the body for a considerable time above ground, after the -manner of Egypt. Prior to the Babylonian exile there is not a trace of the -later practice of speedy burial. The post-Talmudic custom had arisen -entirely from a misunderstanding. It is true that the Talmud enjoins that -corpses—according to circumstances—be kept unburied not longer than -one day; but it also permits them to lie above ground for days, so that -elaborate funeral preparations might be made, or time given for mourners -to arrive from a distance. Lastly, the Talmud relates the burial of one -apparently dead who revived and lived for twenty-five years, and begat -five children; whereupon a rabbinical ordinance was made that the corpse -(which would have been laid in a vault or in a tomb above ground) should -be visited diligently until three days after death. (The references to the -Talmud are: Semachoth 8; Moedkaton 1, 6; Sabbat 151, 152; -Sanhedrin 46a.)</p> - -<p>Wunderbar admits that there had been cases of premature burial among -the Jews, but he asserts their extreme rarity, and doubts the authenticity of -most of the traditional or historical cases in general.</p> - -<p>In Jewish circles in Germany towards the end of last century there was -much controversy as to the inexpediency of the practice of early burial. -In the “Berlinische Monatschrift” for April, 1787, p. 329, (cited by -Marcus Herz, “Ueber die frühe Beerdigung der Juden,” Berlin, 1788, -p. 6,) there is printed a letter from Moses Mendelssohn to the Jews of -Mecklenburg, in which he advises them to keep their dead unburied for -three days. “I know well,” he adds, “that you will not follow my -advice; for the might of custom is great. Nay, I shall perhaps appear to -you as a heretic on account of my counsel. All the same, I have freed my -conscience from guilt.”</p> - -<p>The above-cited essay by Dr. Marcus Herz, of Berlin, arguing -against the Jewish practice, called forth a reply by Dr. Marx, of -Hanover, who was of opinion that the burial might safely proceed after -the body had been left on the bed for three hours, and had then been -pronounced lifeless by the medical attendant, according to the practice -in that part of the country. To that Dr. Herz rejoined, in a second<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_362" id="Page_362">[362]</a></span> -edition, that the medical attendant was no better judge than an ordinary -man, inasmuch as all experimental tests were fallacious, and decomposition -the only sure sign. He cites the following statement by an -experienced Jewish physician, Dr. Hirschberg, of Königsberg (from the -Jewish periodical, “Sammler,” vol. ii., p. 153):—“I have practised -medicine for forty years, and have always grieved over the practice -amongst us of too hasty burial of the dead—on the day of decease. -It happened once in my practice that a woman lay for dead three -days and then awoke and revived. At first I would not allow the body to -be moved from the bed, but the undertaker’s men violently resisted me, -taking up the body and laying it on the ground. According to their custom, -they would have buried it the same day, had I not earnestly called out to -them: ‘Beware lest you do lay her in the ground this day! She is still -alive, and the blame will be on you.’ I had her covered with warm, -woollen clothes; on the following morning some signs of life were manifest; -she lay still, and gradually awoke out of her death-slumber.”</p> - -<p>Herz declared, as Wunderbar did subsequently, that the passages in the -Talmud on which the Jewish custom was based had been misinterpreted; -and he specially accused the rabbis Jacob Emden, of Altona, and Ezechel, -of Prague, of rabbinical subtilty on the one hand, and of a fallacious -dependence upon scientific signs of death on the other.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>At the World’s Medical Congress (Division of Eclectic Medicine), held -in Chicago, June 3, 1893, the following resolution was proposed by Dr. -John V. Stevens, and adopted:—</p> - -<p class="pind">“Whereas we believe that many persons in the past, in the condition -simulating death from various causes, have been buried alive; -therefore,</p> - -<p class="pind1">“Resolved—That it should be the duty of all Governments to -pass laws prohibiting the burial of bodies without positive proofs of -death; that the nature of these proofs should be taught in all -schools and printed in all newspapers throughout the world.”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_363" id="Page_363">[363]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4">BIBLIOGRAPHY.</h2> - -<hr class="p4" /> - -<p class="pch"><i>SEVENTEENTH CENTURY.</i></p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Kornmannus</span> (Henricus). De miraculis mortuorum. Francof., 1610.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Tirellus</span> (Mauritius). De causis mortis repentinae. Venet., 1615.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Zacchias</span> (Paulus). Quaestiones medico-legales. Lib iv. cap. i., -quaest. xi, “De mortuorum resurrectione,” fol. 241-247 of editio -tertia. Amstelaedami, 1651.</p> - -<p class="pbq">[Gives many of the classical cases, with critical remarks.]</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Kirchmaier</span> (Theodor) and <span class="smcap">Nottnagel</span> (Christoph). Elegantissimum -ex physicis thema de hominibus apparenter mortuis. Wittenbergae, -1670.</p> - -<p class="pbq">[Collects cases, from ancient and more recent writers, of the apparently -dead having been taken for dead:—Pliny, Hist. Nat., lib. vii. 52; -Plutarch, De sera numinis vindicta; Apuleius, Floridorum, lib. vi.; -St. Augustine, De cura mortuorum; Thuanus (no ref.); Diomed -Cornarus, Hist. admirand. (case of a Madrid lady who is supposed to -have given birth to a child after she was laid in the tomb, the corpse -having a new-born dead infant in the right hand when the vault was -opened a few months after); Chr. Landinus, notes to Virgil, Æn. vi. -(incident at a funeral, of which he was an eye-witness at Florence); -Horst. Med. mir., cap. ix. (woman left for dead of the plague at -Cologne in 1357); and the case of a glazier, then living at Wittenberg, -who was treated as dead when a child of three years.]</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Garmann</span> (L. Christ. Frid.). De miraculis mortuorum libri tres, quibus -praemissa dissertatio de cadavere et miraculis in genere. Opus -physico-medicum curiosis observationibus experimentis aliisque rebus -exornatum. Ed. L. J. H. Garmann. Dresden and Leipzig, 1709. -(First ed., Leipzig, 1670.)</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Bebel</span> (Balthasar). Dissertatio de bis mortuis. Jena, 1672.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_364" id="Page_364">[364]</a></span></p> - -<p class="pch"><i>EIGHTEENTH CENTURY.</i></p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Hawes</span> (Dr.). On the duty of the relations of those who are in -dangerous illness, and the hazard of hasty interment. A sermon -preached in the Presbyterian Chapel of Lancaster in 1703, wherein it -is clearly proved, from the attestation of unexceptionable witnesses, -that many persons have been buried alive.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Lancisi</span> (Johannes M.). De subitaneis mortibus libri duo. Romae, -1707; Lucae, 1707; Lipsiae, 1709.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Wilfroth</span> (Johannes Christianus). Dissertatio de resuscitatione semi-mortuorum -medica. Halae, 1725.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Ranft</span> (Michael). Tractat von den Kauen und Schmatzen der Todten in -Gräbern, worm die wahre Beschaffenheit derer Hungarischen Vampyrs -gezeight, etc. Leipzig, 1734.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Beyschlag</span> (Fr. Jac.). Sylloge variorum opusculorum. “De hominum -a morte resuscitatorum exemplis.” Halae Sueviorum, 1727-31.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Winslow</span> (Jacques Benigne), Professor of Anatomy at Paris. An mortis -incertæ signa minus incerta a chirurgicis quam ab aliis experimentis. -Paris, 1740. Dissertation.</p> - -<p class="pind2">—— Dissertation sur l’incertitude des signes de la mort, et l’abus -des enterremens et embaumemens precipités; traduite et commentée -par Jacques Jean Bruhier. Paris, 1742. (With the Latin text.)</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Bruhier</span> (Jacques Jean), d’Ablaincourt. Mémoire sur la nécessité d’un -règlement général au sujet des enterremens et embaumemens—addition -au mémoire presente au Roi. Paris, 1745-46.</p> - -<p class="pind2">—— Dissertation sur l’incertitude des signes de la mort, et l’abus -des enterrements et embaumemens précipités. Second ed. Two vols. -Paris, 1749.</p> - -<p class="pind2">—— The uncertainty of the signs of death and the danger of precipitate -interments and dissections. Second ed. London, 1751.</p> - -<p class="pbq">[Bruhier, in his work Dissertations sur l’incertitude des signes de -la mort et l’abus des enterremens, produces accounts of one hundred -and eighty-one cases, among which there are those of fifty-two persons -buried alive, four dissected alive, fifty-three that awoke in their coffins -before being buried, and seventy-two other cases of apparent death.]</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Anon.</span> The uncertainty of the signs of death, and the danger of precipitate -interments and dissections demonstrated. Dublin, 1748.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_365" id="Page_365">[365]</a></span></p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Cooper</span> (M). Uncertainty of the signs of death, precipitate interment -and dissection, and funeral solemnities. London, 1746.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Janke</span> (J. G.). Abhandlung von der Ungewissheit der Kennzeichen des -Todes. Leipzig, 1749.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Louis</span> (Antoine). Six lettres sur la certitude des signes de la mort, ou -l’on rassure les citoyens de la crainte d’être enterrés vivans; avec des -observations et des experiences sur les noyés. Paris, 1752.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Plaz</span> (Antonius Gulielmus). De signis mortis non solute explorandis. -Specimen primum, Lipsiae, 1765; secundum, 1766; tertium, 1766; -quartum, 1767.</p> - -<p class="pind2">—— De mortuis curandis. Diss. Lipsiae, 1770.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Menghin</span> (Joh. Mich. de). Diss. de incertitudine signorum vitae et -mortis. Vienna, 1768.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Eschenbach</span> (Christ. Ehrenfr.). De apparenter mortuis. Vienna, 1768.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Janin de Combe Blanche</span> (Jean). Reflexions sur le triste sort de -personnes qui sous un apparance de mort ont été enterrées vivants, -etc. Paris, 1774.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">De Gardane</span> (Joseph Jacques). Avis au peuple sur les asphyxies ou -morts apparentes et subites. Paris, 1774. Portuguese transl. included -in Avisos interessantes sobre as mortes apparentes. Lisbon, 1790.</p> - -<p class="pind2">—— Catechisme sur les morts apparentes, dites asphyxies, etc. -Paris, 1781.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Navier</span> (Pierre Toussaint). Réflexions sur les dangers des inhumations -precipitées et sur les abus des inhumations dans les eglises, etc. -Paris, 1775.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Pineau</span> (——). Mémoire sur le danger des inhumations precipitées, et -sur la nécessité d’un règlement pour mettre les citoyens à l’abri du -malheur d’etre enterées vivans. Niort, 1776.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Maret</span> (Hugues). Mémoire pour rappeler à la vie les personnes en état -de mort apparente. Dijon, 1776.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Brinkmann</span> (Joh. Pet.). Beweis der Möglichkeit dass einige Leute -können lebendig begraben werden, etc. Düsseldorf, 1777.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Swieten</span> (Baron Geerard Van). De morte dubia. Vienna, 1778.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Testa</span> (Antonio Guiseppe). Della morte apparente. Firenze, 1780.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_366" id="Page_366">[366]</a></span></p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Doppet</span> (F. A.). Des moyens de rappeler à la vie les personnes qui ont -toutes les apparences de la mort. Chambery, 1785.</p> - -<p class="pbq">[In 1784 the Imperial and Royal Academy of Sciences, etc., of Brussels -proposed as a subject for a prize essay, What are the means that can be -employed by medicine and police to prevent the dangerous mistakes of -premature burial?]</p> - - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Wauters</span> (Pierre Englebert). Responsum ad quaesitum, Quae tum -medica, tum politica praesidia adversus periculosas inhumationum -praefestinatarum abusus? Reprinted from the Mem. Acad. Imper. et -Roy. de Sc. de Bruxelles. Bruxelles, 1787 [1788].</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Previnaire</span> (P. J. B.). Mémoire sur la question suivante proposée en -1784 par l’academie imperiale et royal des sciences, belles-lettres, et -arts de Bruxelles: Quels sont les moyens que la médecine et la police -pourroient employer pour prévenir les erreurs dangereuses des enterremens -precipités? Ouvrage qui a concouru pour la prix de l’annee -1786. Bruxelles, 1787.</p> - -<p class="pind2">The above in a German translation by Bernhard Gottlob Schreger. -Leipzig, 1790.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Ledulx</span> (Gul. Petrus). De signis mortis rite aestimandis. Hardervici, -1787. Thesis.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Thiery</span> (Franciscus). La vie de l’homme respectée et defendue dans ses -derniers moments; ou instruction sur les soins qu’ on doit aux morts, -et à ceux qui parroisent l’etre; sur les funerailles et les sepultures. -Paris, 1787.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Steinfeld</span> (Johannes Christianus). De signis mortis diagnosticis dubiis -cautè admittendis et reprobandis. Thesis. Jena, 1788.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Herz</span> (Marcus). Ueber die frühe Beerdigung der Juden. Zweite -vermehrte Auflage. Berlin, 1788.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Durande</span> (J. Fr.). Mémoire sur l’abus de l’ensevelissement des morts, -etc. Strasbourg, 1789.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">De Hupsch</span> (Baron Joh. Wilh. Carl Adolph). Nouvelle découverte d’une -methode peu couteuse, efficace et assurée de traiter tous les hommes -décédés afin de rappeler à la vie ceux qui ne sont morts qu’en apparance. -Cologne, 1789.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Anon.</span> Des inhumations precipitées. Paris, 1790. (Attributed by -Barbier to Madame Necker.)</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_367" id="Page_367">[367]</a></span></p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Hufeland</span> (Christoph W.). Ueber die Ungewissheit des Todes, und des -einzige untrügliche Mittel ... das Lebenigbegraben unmöglich -zu machen, etc. Salzburg, 1791; Halle, 1824.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Reinhardt</span> (Julius Christophorus). Dissertatio de vano praematurae -sepulturae metu. Jena, 1793.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Marcello</span> (Marin). Osservazioni teoriche-pratiche-mediche sopra le morti -apparenti. Two vols., with nine plates. Venezia, 1793.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Anschel</span> (Salomon). Thanatologia, sive in mortis naturam causas -genera, etc., disquisitiones. Goettingae, 1795.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Himly</span> (Carolus). Commentatio mortis historiam causas et signa sistens. -Goettingae, 1795.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Pessler</span> (B. G.). Leicht anwendbarer Beystand der Mechanik um Scheintodte -beim Erwachen im Grabe auf die wohlfeilste Art wieder daraus -zu erretten. Braunschweig, 1798.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Desessartz</span> (Jean Charles). Discours sur les inhumations precipitées. -Paris, an vii. (1798).</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Köppen</span> (Heinrich Friedrich). Nachrichten von Menschen welche -lebendig begraben worden. Als erster Theil des Buchs: Achtung -der Scheintodten. Halle, 1799. (Dedication to Friedrich Wilhelm -III., King of Prussia, Queen Louise, and Friedrich August, Prince of -Hesse Darmstadt.)</p> - -<hr class="d4" /> - -<p class="pch"><i>RESUSCITATION OF THE DROWNED.—THE ROYAL -HUMANE SOCIETY.</i></p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Gruner</span> (Jacobus). Dissertatio inauguralis de causa mortis submersorum -eorumque resuscitatione observationibus indagata. Groningae, -1761.</p> - -<p class="pind2">Memoirs of the society instituted at Amsterdam in favour of drowned -persons. For the years 1767-71. Translated by Thomas Logan, M.D. -London, 1772.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Johnson</span> (Alexander), M.D. A short account of a society in Amsterdam -... for the recovery of drowned persons; with observations -showing the advantage ... to Great Britain from a similar -institution.... Extended to other accidents. London, 1773.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_368" id="Page_368">[368]</a></span></p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Johnson</span> (Alexander), M.D. A collection of cases proving the practicability -of recovering persons visibly dead, etc. London, 1773.</p> - -<p class="pind2">—— Relief from accidental death; or, summary instructions for the -general institution proposed in 1773. London, 1785.</p> - -<p class="pind2">—— Abridged instructions. London, 1785.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Cullen</span> (W.), M.D. A letter to Lord Cathcart concerning the recovery -of the drowned and seemingly dead. London, 1773.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Hunter</span> (John). Proposals for the recovery of persons apparently -drowned. <i>Phil. Trans.</i> 1776.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Hawes</span> (William), M.D. An address to the public [concerning the -dangerous custom of laying out persons as soon as respiration ceases]. -With a reply by W. Renwick, and observations on that reply. -London, 1778.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Fuller</span> (John), M.D. Some hints relative to the recovery of persons -drowned and apparently dead. London, 1784.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Kite</span> (Charles), of Gravesend. An essay on the recovery of the apparently -dead. London, 1788.</p> - -<p class="pind2">—— Essay on the submersions of animals. London, 1795.</p> - -<p class="pind2">Reports of the Humane Society for the recovery of persons apparently -drowned. For the years 1777-80 and 1785-86. London.</p> - -<p class="pind2">The transactions of the Royal Humane Society from 1774 to 1784. With -an appendix of miscellaneous observations on suspended animation. -Edited by W. Hawes, M.D. London, 1794.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Franks</span> (John). Observations on animal life and apparent death. With -remarks on the Brunonian system of medicine. London, 1790.</p> - -<p class="pind2">—— The same in an Italian translation. Pavia, 1795.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Goodwyn</span> (Edmund), M.D. De morbo morteque submersorum investigandis. -Thesis. Edin., 1786.</p> - -<p class="pind2">—— The connexion of life with respiration; or, an experimental -inquiry into the effects of submersion, strangulation, and several kinds -of noxious airs on living animals; with an account of the nature of -the diseases they produce, and the most effectual means of cure. -London, 1788.</p> - -<p class="pind2">Reflections on premature death and premature interment. Published by -the Humane Society. Rochester, 1787.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_369" id="Page_369">[369]</a></span></p> - - -<p><span class="smcap">Anon.</span> An essay on vital suspension: being an attempt to investigate and -ascertain those diseases in which the principles of life are apparently -extinguished. By a Medical Practitioner. London, 1791.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Hamilton</span> (Robert), M.D. Rules for recovering persons recently -drowned. London, 1795.</p> - -<p>Directions for recovering persons apparently dead from drowning, and -from disorders occasioned by cold liquors. Published by the Humane -Society. Philadelphia.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Curry</span> (James). Popular observations on apparent death from drowning, -suffocation, etc. Northampton, 1792; London, 1793, 1797, 1845. -French transl. by Odier, Geneva, 1800.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Fothergill</span> (Anthony). Inquiry into the suspension of vital action in -drowning and suffocation. Third ed. Bath, 1794.</p> - -<p>—— Preventive plan; or, hints for the preservation of persons -exposed to accidents which suspend vital action. London, 1798.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Cailleau</span> (J. M.). Mémoire sur l’asphyxie par submersion. Bordeaux, -1799.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Bichat</span> (M. F. Xavier). Recherches physiologiques sur la vie et la mort. -Paris, 1800, 1805, etc.</p> - -<p class="pch"><i>NINETEENTH CENTURY.</i></p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Coleman</span> (Edward). Dissertation on natural and suspended respiration. -Second ed. Lond., 1802.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Struve</span> (Christian August). A practical essay on the art of recovering -suspended animation. Transl. from the German. Second ed. -Lond., 1802.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Oswald</span> (John). On the phenomena of suspended animation from -drowning, hanging, etc., together with the most expeditious mode of -treatment. Philad., 1802.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Luga</span> (——). Traitement des asphyxiés, ou moyen de rendre impossible -l’enterrement de personnes vivantes. Paris, 1804.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Ackermann</span> (J. F.). Der Scheintod und das Rettungsverfahren. -Frankft., 1804.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_370" id="Page_370">[370]</a></span></p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Burke</span> (William). On suspended animation, etc. Lond., 1805.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Berger</span> (J. F.). Essai physiologique sur la cause de l’asphyxie par -submersion. Paris, 1805.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Thomassin</span> (J. Franç.). Considerations de police médicale, sur la mort -apparente, et sur le danger des inhumations precipitées. Strasbourg, -1805. Also an earlier essay on same subject, with Durande, in 1789.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Davis</span> (——). L’abus des enterrements précipitées. Moyens de rappeler -à la vie les personnes en état de mort apparente. Verdun, 1806.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Barzelotti</span> (Giac.). Memoria per servire di avviso al populo sulle -asfisse o morte apparente. Parma, 1808.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Marc</span> (C. C. H.). Des moyens de constater la mort par submersion. -(Manuel de l’Autopsie, par Rose, transl. from the German.) Paris, -1808.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Colorini</span> (Ant.). Sulle varie morti apparenti, etc. Pavia, 1813.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Portal</span> (A.). Sur la traitement des asphyxies: avec observations sur les -signes qui distinguent la mort réelle de celle qui n’est qu’apparante. -Paris, 1816.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Orfila</span> (F.). Directions for the treatment of persons who have taken -poison, and those in a state of apparent death. Transl. from the -French by R. H. Black. Other transl. by W. Price, M.D. Both at -London, 1818.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Snart</span> (John). Thesaurus of horror; or, the charnel-house explored, -Lond., 1817.</p> - -<p class="pind2">—— An historical inquiry concerning apparent death and premature -interment. London, 1824.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Valpy</span> (R.). Sermon before the Royal Humane Society, with observations -on resuscitation. Norwich, 1819.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Whiter</span> (Rev. W.). A dissertation on the disorder called suspended -animation. Norwich, 1819.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Chaussier</span> (——). Vivants crus morts, et moyens de prévenir cette erreur. -Paris, 1819.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Donndorf</span> (J. A.). Ueber Tod, Scheintod, und zu frühe Beerdigung. -Quedlinburg, 1820.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_371" id="Page_371">[371]</a></span></p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Herpin</span> (M.). Instruction sur les soins à donner aux personnes asphyxiées. -Paris, 1822.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Kaiser</span> (Ch. L.). Ueber Tod und Scheintod, oder die Gefahren des frühen -Begrabens. Frankfurt-am-Main, 1822.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Calhoun</span> (T.). An essay on suspended animation. Philad., 1823.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Bunoust</span> (Marin). Vues philanthropiques sur l’abus des enterrements -précipitées, précautions à prendre pour que les vivants ne soient pas -confondus avec les morts. Arras, 1826.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Speyer</span> (Carl F.). Ueber die Möglichkeit des Lebendigbegrabens, und die -Einrichtung von Leichenhäusern. Erlangen, 1826.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Chantourelle</span> (——). Paper at the Royal Academy of Medicine of -Paris, on the danger of premature burial, etc., with discussion thereon, -10th and 27th April, 1827. Archives générales de médecine, vol. -xiv. (1827), p. 103.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Günther</span> (Johann Arnold). Geschichte und Einrichtung der Hamburgischen -Rettungs-Anstalten für im Wasser verunglückte Menschen. -Hamburg, 1828.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Taberger</span> (Joh. Gottf.). Der Scheintod in seinen Beziehungen auf das -Erwachen in Grabe und die verchiedenen Vorschläge zu einer wirksamen.... -Rettung in Fällen dieser Art. With a copper plate. -Hannover, 1829.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Bourgeois</span> (R.). Observations et considérations pratiques qui établissent -la possibilité du retour à la vie dans plusieurs cas d’asphyxié et de -syncope prolongée avec apparence de la mort. 8vo. Paris, 1829.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Schneidawind</span> (Franz Joseph Adolph). Der Scheintod, nebst Unterscheidung -des scheinbaren und wahren Todes, und Mitteln, etc. -Bamberg, 1829.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Walker</span> (G. A.). Gatherings from grave-yards, etc. Lond., 1830.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Tacheron.</span> De la vérification légale des décès dans la ville de Paris, et -de la nécessité d’apporter dans ce service médical plus de surveillance. -Paris, 1830.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Pichard</span> (——). Le danger des inhumations précipitées. Paris, 1830.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Chaussier</span> (Hector). Histoire des infortunés qui ont été enterrés vivants. -Paris, 1833.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_372" id="Page_372">[372]</a></span></p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Desberger</span> (Ant. F. A.). Tod und Scheintod, Leichen-und-Begrabungswesen -als wichtige Angelegenheit der einzelnen Menschen und des -Staates. Leipzig, 1833.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Fouchard</span> (P.). Aperçu général des précautions prises en France avant -l’inhumation des citoyens morts; réforme que l’humanité réclame. -Tours, 1833.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">De Fontenelle</span> (Julia). Recherches médico-legales sur l’incertitude des -signes de la mort, les dangers des inhumations précipitées, les moyens -de constater les décès et de rappeler à la vie ceux qui sont en état de -mort apparente. Paris, 1834.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Legallois</span> (C.). Expériences physiologiques sur les animaux tendant à -faîre connaitre le temps durant lequel ils peuvent étre sans danger -privés de la respiration, etc. Paris, 1835.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Marc</span> (C. C. H.). Nouvelles recherches sur les recours à donner aux -noyés et asphyxiés. Paris, 1835.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Sommer</span> (——). De signis mortem hominis absolutam ante putredinis -accessum indicantibus. Havniae, 1833.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Schwabe</span> (C.). Das Leichenhaus in Weimar. Nebst einigen Worten über -den Scheintod und mehrer, jetzt bestehender Leichenhäuser, sowie -über die zweckmässigste Einrichtung solcher Anstalten im Allgemeinen. -Leipzig, 1834.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Kay</span> (J. P.). The physiology, pathology, and treatment of asphyxia, -including suspended animation in new-born children, and from -drowning, hanging, wounds of the chest, mechanical obstruction of -the air-passages, respiration of gases, death from cold, etc. London, -1834.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Kool</span> (J. A.). Tabellarisch overzigt over alle gevallen von schijndoode -drenkelingen, gestikten, en gehangenen, bekroond door de Maatschappij -tot Redding van Drenkelingen, opgerigt in den jare 1767 te -Amsterdam. Seder thare stichting tot en met den jare 1833 [-53]. Uit -authentieke stukken opgemaakt en met opmerkingen voorzien. -Four vols. Amsterdam, 1834-54.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Manni</span> (Pietro), professor at Rome. Manuale pratico per la cura degli -apparentemente morti, premessevi alcune idee generali di polizia -medica per la tutela della vita degli asfittici. Roma, 1833. Napoli, -1835. Germ. transl. by A. F. Fischer, Leipzig, 1839.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_373" id="Page_373">[373]</a></span></p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Simon</span> (L. C.). Quelques mots sur les enterrements prématures, et sur -les précautions à prendre sur-le-champ, relativement aux noyés et -asphyxiés. St. Petersbourg, 1835.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Le Guern</span> (H.). Rosoline, ou les mystères de la tombe. Paris, 1834.</p> - -<p class="pind2">—— Du danger des inhumations précipitées, exemples tant anciens -que récents de personnes enterrées ou dissequées de leur vivant. -Paris, 1837, 1844.</p> - -<p class="pind2">—— Encore un mot, etc. Paris, 1843.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Lessing</span> (Mich. Bened.). Ueber die Unsicherheit der Erkenntniss des -erloschenen Lebens, etc. Berlin, 1836.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Schnackenberg</span> (Wilh. Ph. J.). Ueber die Nothwendigkeit der -Leichenhallen zur Verhütung des Erwachens im Grabe. Cassel, 1836.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Missirini</span> (Melchiore). Pericolo di seppillire gli uomini vivi creduti morti. -Milano, 1837.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Vigne</span> (——). Memoire sur les inhumations précipitées, des moyens de -les prevenir, des signes de la mort. Rouen, 1837; Paris, 1839, 1841.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Biophilos.</span> Die neue Sicherungsweise gegen rettungloses Wiedererwachen -im Grabe. Neustadt, 1838.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Schaffer</span> (Fried.). Beschreibung und Abbildung einer Vorrichtung -durch welche Scheintodte sich aus dem Sarge in Grabe befreien -können. Landsberg, 1839.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Villeneuve</span> (P. E.). Du danger des inhumations précipitées et des -moyens de les prévenir, etc. Paris, 1841.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Deschamps</span> (M. H.). Précis de la mort apparente. Paris, 1841.</p> - -<p class="pind2">—— Du signe de la mort réelle, etc. Memoir read at the Acad. -des Sc., March 28, 1843, in Gaz. Med., Ap. 1st.</p> - -<p class="pind2">—— Du signe certain de la mort, nouvelle epreuve pour éviter d’etre -enterré vivant. Paris, 1854.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Nasse</span> (Frièd.). Die Unterscheidung des Scheintodes von wirklichen -Tode, zu Beruhigung über die Gefahr lebendig begrahen zu werden. -Bonn, 1841. French transl. by Fallot. Namur, 1842.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Hickmann</span> (J. N.). Die Elektricität als Prüfungs-und-Belebungsmittel -im Scheintode. Wien, 1841.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_374" id="Page_374">[374]</a></span></p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Dendy</span> (W. C.). The philosophy of mystery, etc. London, 1841. -[Contains chapters on premature interment, resuscitation from catalepsy -or trance, etc.]</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Welchman</span> (E.). Observations on apparent death from suffocation or -drowning, choke-damp, stroke of lightning, exposure to extreme cold, -with directions for using the resuscitating apparatus invented by author, -and gen. instruc., etc. 8vo. New York, 1842.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Lenormand</span> (Leonce). Des inhumations précipitées. Macon, 1843.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Gayet</span> (——). De la nécessité de la verification des décès Nantes, 1843.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Chalette</span> (J.), fils. Du danger des inhumations précipitées et de -l’importance de faire constater les décès par les gens de l’art. Châlons-sur-Marne, -1843.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Barjavel</span> (C. F. H.). Nécessité absolue d’ouvrir au plus tôt des maisons -d’attente; considérations de police médicale, précedées d’un sommaire -analytique, et suivies d’indications bibliographiques relatives -au sujet de cet écrit. (Tirage à cinquante exemplaires seulement). -Carpentras, 1845.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Debay</span> (Auguste). Les vivants enterrés et les morts resuscités. Considerations -physiologiques sur les morts apparentes et les inhumations -précipitées. Paris, 1846.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Gaillard</span> (X.). Préservatif contre le danger d’être enterré vivant, ou -devoirs sacrés des vivants envers les morts. Paris, 1847.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Lothmar</span> (C. J.). Ueber das Lebendigbegraben. Leipzig, 1847.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Du Fay</span> (Hortense G.). Des vols d’enfant, et des inhumations d’individus -vivants, suivi d’un aperçu pour l’etablissement des salles mortuaires. -Paris, 1847.</p> - -<p class="pbq">[In 1839 the Paris Academie des Sciences threw open to competition the -Prix Manni (1,500 francs, founded in 1837 by Professor Manni, of Rome,) -for the best work on the signs of death and the means of preventing premature -burials. The prize was not assigned on that occasion, nor in 1842; -but in the competition of 1846 it was assigned to Bouchut, on the report to -the Academy by Rayer, May 29, 1848.]</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Bouchut</span> (E.). Traité des signes de la mort et des moyens de ne pas être -enterré vivant. Paris, 1849. Second ed., 1847; third ed., 1883.</p> - -<p class="pind2">—— Mémoire sur plusieurs nouveaux signes de la mort, fournis par -l’opthalmoscopie, et pouvant empêcher les enterrements précipitées. -Paris, 1867.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_375" id="Page_375">[375]</a></span></p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Braid</span> (James). Observations on trance, or human hybernation. -London, 1850.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Kaufmann</span> (M.). De la mort apparente et des enterrements précipités. -Paris, 1851.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Kerthomas</span> (Hyac. L. De). Inhumations précipitées. Lille, 1852.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Harrison</span> (James Bower). The medical aspects of death. Lond., 1852.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Crimotel</span> (J. B. Valentin). Des inhumations précipitées; épreuve -infaillible pour constater la mort; moyens de rappeler à la vie dans -les cas de mort apparente causée par l’ether, le chloroforme, etc. -Paris, 1852.</p> - -<p class="pind2">—— De l’épreuve galvanique ou bioscopie électrique, moyens de -reconnaître la vie ou la mort et d’eviter les inhumations précipitées. -1866.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Josat</span> (——). De la mort et ses caractères. Necessité d’ une révision de -la législation des décès pour prévenir les inhumations et les délaissements -anticipés. Ouvrage entrepris et exécuté sous les auspices du -gouvernement et couronné par l’Institut. Paris, 1854.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Londe</span> (C.). Lettre sur la mort apparente, les conséquences réelles -des inhumations précipitées, le temps pendant lequel peut persister -l’aptitude à être rappelé à la vie. Paris, 1854. Plates.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Kempner</span> (F.). Denkschrift über die Nothwendigkeit einer gesetzlichen -Einführung von Leichenhäusern. New ed. Breslau, 1856.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Peyrier</span> (J. P. P.). Récherches sur l’incertitude des signes de la mort: -enumeration des maladies qui peuvent produire la mort apparente; -abus des enterrements précipités. Paris, 1855.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Collongues</span> (L.). Application de la dynamoscopie à la constatation des -décès. Paris, 1858, 1862.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Halma Grand</span> (——). Des inhumations précipitées. Paris, 1860.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Welby</span> (Horace). Mysteries of life, death, and futurity (with chapter on -premature interment). London, 1861.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Reyher</span> (O. C. A.). Ueber die Verwerthung der bekannten Leichenerscheinungen -zur Constatirung des wahren Todes. Leipzig, 1862.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Chevandiere</span> (Antoine Daniel). De la vérification des décès et de -l’organisation de la medecine cantonale. Paris, 1862.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_376" id="Page_376">[376]</a></span></p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Desmaire</span> (Paul). Les morts vivants. Paris, 1862.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Barrangeard</span> (Antoine). Extrait de divers mémoires publies depuis tres -longtemps par le Docteur Barrangeard, sur le danger des inhumations -précipitées et sur l’indispensable nécessité de constater avec soin tous -les décès sans exception. Lyon, 1863.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Bonnejoy</span> (E.). Des moyens pratiques de constater la mort par -l’électricité à la aide de la faradisation. Paris, 1866.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Levasseur</span> (P.). De la catalepsie au point de vue du diagnostic de la -mort apparente. 8vo. Rouen, 1866.</p> - -<p class="pind2">—— De la mort apparente et des moyens de la reconnaître. Rouen, -1867. Re-issued, with a second essay, in 1870.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Jacquand</span> (Frédéric). Appareil respiratoire avertisseur pour les tombes. -Assurance contre la mort apparente. Paris, 1867.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Bianco</span> (Giuseppe). Le pericolose consequenze della morte apparente -prevenute da un confaciente riforma del servizio mortuario. Torino, -1868.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Gannal</span> (Félix). Mort apparente et mort réelle. Moyens de les distinguer. -First ed. Paris, 1868. Third ed. (mention honorable a l’Institut de -France), 1890.</p> - -<p class="pbq">[In 1868 the Académie de Médecine of Paris threw open to competition -the Prix d’Ourches of 20,000 francs for the discovery of a simple and -popular means of detecting the signs of real death certainly and beyond -doubt. The prize was not awarded, but premiums were given to several -competitors.]</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Hoarau</span> (H.). La mort, sa constatation, ou procédé à l’aide du quel on -peut la reconnaître et éviter des enterrements de vifs. Paris, 1874.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Veyne</span> (——). Mort apparente et mort réelle, artériotomie donnant le -moyen de les reconnaître. Paris, 1874.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Monteverdi</span> (A.). Note sur un moyen simple, facìle, prompt et certain -de distinguer la mort vrai de la mort apparente de l’homme. -Cremone, 1874.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Martel</span> (——). La mort apparente chez les nouveaux-nés. Paris, 1874.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Boillet</span> (Ch.). Mort apparente et victimes ignorées. Paris, 1875.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">De Comeau</span> (——). Les signes certains de la mort mis à la portée de -tout le monde. Limoges, 1876.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_377" id="Page_377">[377]</a></span></p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Belval</span> (Th.). Les maisons mortuaires. Paris, 1877.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Fritz-Andre</span> (——). Du danger des inhumations précipitées. Bruxelles, -1879.</p> - -<p class="pbq">[The Prix Dusgate was founded by a decree of November 27, 1874, -authorising the Académie des Sciences of Paris to accept the legacy of M. -Dusgate of a quinquennial prize of 2,500 francs for the best work on the -diagnostic signs of death and on the means of preventing premature burial. -The essays of the first competition were received on June 1, 1880, and on -March 14, 1881, the prize was divided among the three following competitors. -In 1885 the prize was not awarded.]</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Onimus</span> (E. N. J.). Modification de l’excitabilité des nerfs et des muscles -apres la mort. (Published.)</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Peyrand</span> (H.). De la détermination de la mort réelle par le caustique -de Vienne.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Le Bon</span> (G.). Recherches experimentales sur les signes diagnostiques de -la mort et sur les moyens de prevenir les inhumations précipitées. (A -temperature of 25° C. on a thermometer kept in the mouth for a quarter -of an hour.) Also, Article on Premature Interment in Monit. scient., -viii. Paris.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Allen</span> (F. D.). Remarks on the dangers and duties of sepulture, or security -for the living with respect and repose of the dead. Boston, 1873.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Burdett</span> (H. C.). The necessity and importance of mortuaries for towns -and villages, with suggestions for their establishment and management. -London, 1880.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Fletcher</span> (Moore Russell). One thousand persons buried alive by -their best friends. A treatise on suspended animation, with directions -for restoration. Boston, 1890.</p> - -<p class="pind2">“A Hygienic Physician.” Earth to earth burial and cremation by fire -[includes cases of premature burial]. London, 1890.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Hernandez</span> (Maxime F.E.M.). Contribution à l’étude de la mort apparente. -Bordeaux, 1893.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Lignieres</span>(Dr. D. De). Ne pas être enterré vivant. Paris, 1893.</p> - -<p class="pind2">Traitement physiologique de la mort apparente. Series of twenty-five -papers in “La Tribune Médicale,” Paris, 1894, vol. xxvi., 2 ser.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Giles</span> (Alfred E). Funerals, suspended animation, premature burials, -Boston, 1895.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_378" id="Page_378">[378]</a></span></p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Gaubert</span> (B.), Avocat. Les chambres mortuaires d’attente, devant -l’histoire, la legislation, la science, l’hygiène et le culte des morts. -(Le péril des inhumations précipitées en France.) With sixty figures, -maps or plans. Paris, 1895.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Hartmann</span> (Franz). Buried alive: An examination into the occult -causes of apparent death, trance, and catalepsy. Boston, U.S., 1895. -Lond., 1896. Also, Lebendig begraben. Leipzig, 1896.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Wilder</span> (Alexander). The perils of premature burial. London, 1895.</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - - -<p class="pind2">French theses (at Paris, unless otherwise stated,) on apparent death, the -signs of death, danger of premature burial, etc.:—</p> - -<table id="t04" summary="t04"> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">Jouy</span> (Montpellier), 1803.</td> - <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">D’Alencastre</span>, 1832.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">Thomassin</span> (Strassbourg), 1805.</td> - <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">Champneuf</span>, 1832.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">Laurent</span>, 1805.</td> - <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">Boniface</span>, 1833.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">Pierret</span>, 1807.</td> - <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">Linares</span>, 1834.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">Verney</span>, 1811.</td> - <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">Menestrel</span>, 1838.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">Foucher</span>, 1817.</td> - <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">De Silveira Pinto</span>, 1837.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">Greslon</span>, 1819.</td> - <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">Carre</span>, 1845.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">Ferry</span>, 1819.</td> - <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">Dosais</span>, 1858.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">Lepaulmier</span>, 1819.</td> - <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">Greslon</span>, 1858.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">Levy</span> (Strassbourg), 1820.</td> - <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">Parrot</span>, 1860.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">Amand d’Ambraine</span>, 1821.</td> - <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">Legludic</span>, 1863.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">Pouier</span>, 1823.</td> - <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">Schneider</span> (Strassbourg), 1863.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">West</span>, 1827.</td> - <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">Acosta</span>, 1864.<br /></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">Pierret</span>, 1827.</td> - <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">Edmond</span>, 1871.<br /></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">Gleizal</span>, 1829.</td> - </tr> - -</table> - -<p class="pc1">Graduation theses other than French, on the same theme:—</p> - -<table id="t05" summary="t05"> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">Van Geest</span> (Lugd. Bat.), 1811.</td> - <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">Bettman</span> (Munich), 1839.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">Davies</span> (Edin.), 1813.</td> - <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">Schmidt</span> (Nürnberg), 1841.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">Goury</span> (Leodii), 1828.</td> - <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">Kluge</span> (Leipzig), 1842.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">Tscherner</span> (Breslau), 1829.</td> - <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">Wendler</span> (Leipzig), 1845.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">Sommer</span> (Havniae), 1833.</td> - <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">Kribben</span> (Bonn), 1873.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">Nyman</span> (Dorpat), 1835.</td> - <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">Sorgenfrey</span> (Dorpat), 1876.</td> - </tr> - -</table> - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_379" id="Page_379">[379]</a></span></p> - -<p class="pch"><i>FRENCH ARTICLES IN JOURNALS.</i></p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Abadie</span> (C.). Note sur l’examen ophthalmoscopique du fond de l’oeil -comme signe de la mort réelle. Gaz. d’Hôp., vol. xlvii, p. 290. Par., -1874.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Bouchut</span> (E.). Mort apparente durant six heures, avec absence des -battements du coeur à l’auscultation. Gaz. d’Hôp., vol. xxvii., p. 223. -Par., 1854.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Bourgeois</span> (R.). Du danger d’être enterré vivant et des moyens de constater -la mort. Bull. Acad. de Méd., vol. ii., pp. 619-626. Paris, -1837-38, and Rev. Méd. Franç. et étrang., vol. ii., pp. 360-378. -Paris, 1838.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Brown-Séquard</span> (——). “Extraordinary prolongation of the principal -acts of life after the cessation of respiration.” Arch. de Physiol. Norm. -et Path., vol. vi., 2 S., pp. 83-88. Par., 1879.</p> - -<p class="pind2">——“Researches on the possibility of recalling temporarily to life -persons dying of sickness.” J. de la Physiol. de l’Homme, vol. i., -pp. 666-672. Par., 1858.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Cazin</span> (——). De la nécessité de faire constater tous les genres de mort. -Précis d’Trav. Soc. Méd. de Boulogne-sur-mer, vol. i., pp. 27-33. -1839.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Chaussier</span> (——). Rapport sur les enterremens précipités. Bull. Fac. de -Méd. de Par., vol. v., pp. 467-476. 1816-17.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Deschamps</span> (M.-H.). Mémoire sur,la vérification des décès et sur le danger -des déclarations précipitées. Union Med., vol. xxi., N.S., pp. 56, 106. -Par., 1864.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Devergie</span> (——). Inhumations précipitées. Ann. d’Hyg., 2 S., vol. -xxvii., pp. 293-327. Paris, 1867. De la création de maisons mortuaires -et de la valeur des signes de la mort. Ann. d’Hyg., vol. xxxiv., -2 S., pp. 310-327. Par., 1870.</p> - -<p class="pind2">—— Des signes de la mort; étude de leur cause, appréciation de -leur valeur. Ann. d’Hyg., vol. xli., 2 S., pp. 380-405. Par., 1874.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Fodere</span> (——). Signes de la mort. Dict. de Sc. Med., vol. li., pp. -294-306. Paris, 1821.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Fouanes</span> (——). Sur la rigidité cadavérique comme signe certain de la -mort. Gaz. Med. de Par., vol i., 3 S., p. 91. 1846.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_380" id="Page_380">[380]</a></span></p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Fouquet</span> (——). Mémoire sur la roideur cadavérique considerée comme -signe certain de la mort. Gaz. Med. de Par., vol. ii., 3 S., pp. -250-255. 1847.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Fournie</span> (——). Les signes de la mort et le prix d’Ourches. (Also translated -into Italian.) Gaz. d’Hôp., vol. xlvii., pp. 273-275. Par., 1874.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Girbal</span> (——). Mort apparente: mesures prématurés d’inhumation: -topiques stimulants, prompte cessation des phénomenes léthiformes, -guérison. Revue de Thérap. du midi, vol. ii., pp. 161-167. Montpellier, -1851. Also, Gaz. d’Hôp., vol. iii., 3 S., p. 142. Par., 1851.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Gretscher de Wandelburg.</span> (For Marquis d’Ourches’s prize.) Des -moyens de distinguer la mort réelle de la mort apparente. In his Mém. -de Méd. et Chir., pp. 49-54. 8vo. Par., 1881.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Hamon</span> (L.). Simple note sur la mort apparente; acupuncture cardiaque -et diaphragmatique. Rev. de Thérap Med. Chir., vol. xlvii., p. 482. -Par., 1880.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Henrot</span> (H.). Persistance des battements du cœur pendant plus d’une -heure après la cessation de la respiration. Bull. Soc. Méd. de Reims., -No. 15, pp. 139-144. 1876-77.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Laborde</span> (J. V.). Gaz. hebd. de. Méd., vol. viii., 2 S., pp. 605, 623, -710. Par., 1871.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Larcher</span> (——). Arch. gén. de Méd., vol. i., pp. 685-709. Par., 1862.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Legrand</span> (A.). Rev. Méd. Franç. et étrang., vol. i., pp. 705-714. -Par., 1850.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Levasseur</span> (P.) et <span class="smcap">Martins</span> (S.). France Méd., vol. xiv., pp. 169, 177, -204, 226, 228. Par., 1867.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Malhol</span> (J.). Journ. Gén. de Méd. Chir. et Pharm., vol. xxii., p. 470. -Par., 1805.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Michel</span> (A.). Bull. gén. de Therap., etc., vol. xxxvii., pp. 462-464. -Par., 1849.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Monfalcon</span> (J. B.). Art. “Mort,” Dict. de Sc. Méd., vol. xxxiv., -pp. 319-347. Par., 1819.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Nicati</span> (W.). Un signe de mort certaine, emprunti à l’ophthalmotonométrie; -lois de la tension oculaire. Compt. Rend. Acad. de Sc. -cxviii., p. 206. Paris, 1896.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_381" id="Page_381">[381]</a></span></p> - - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Papillon</span> (F.). Rev. des Deux Mondes, vol. civ., pp. 669-688. -Par., 1873.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Pingault</span> (——). Bull. Soc. de Méd. de Poitiers, vol. xxviii., pp. 83-86. -1860.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Plouviez</span> (——). Union Méd. Paris, vol. i., pp. 408-424. 1870.</p> - -<p class="pind2">Report to French Academy of Sciences on apparent deaths, etc., by Rayer. -Compt. Rend. Acad. de Sc. (Séance, May 29, 1848.) Also in Ann. -d’Hyg., vol. xl., pp. 78-110. Par., 1848; and in Ann. de Méd. -Belge., vol. lv., pp. 1-24. Brux., 1848; and in Bull. Soc. de Méd. -de Poitiers, vol. xv., pp. 39-53, 1849.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Simon</span> (A.). Bull. gén. de Therap., etc., vol. xxxvii., pp. 221-226. -Par., 1849.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Simonot</span> (——). Union Méd. de Par., vol. xii., 2 S., pp. 211, 286, 1862.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Tourdes</span> (G.). Art. “Mort: la mort apparente,” in Dict. Encycl. d. Sc. -Méd., vol. ix., 2 S., pp. 598-690. Par., 1875.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Tournie</span> (——). Union Méd., vol. viii., p. 235. Par., 1854.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Van Gheel</span> (——). Gaz. d’Hôp., vol. xliv., pp. 345, 353. Par., 1871.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Van Hengel</span> (J.). Journ. de Méd. Chir. et Pharm. Col., vol. vi., pp. -523-525. Brux., 1848.</p> - -<p class="psh"><i>GERMAN ARTICLES.</i> (<i>The Titles Translated.</i>)</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Alken</span> (——). Restoration to life of one apparently dead. Wochenschr. -f. d. ges. Heilk., p. 319. Berlin, 1838.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Arnold</span> (J. W.). On acupuncture of the heart as a means of recovery in -apparent death. Heidlb. klin. Ann., vol. vii., p. 311. 1831.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Baldinger</span> (E. G.). Literary contribution to the history of being buried -alive. N. Magaz. f. Aerzte., vol. xiv., p. 84. Leipzig, 1792.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Betz</span> (F.). Sudden apparent death in a child with vomiting and purging. -Memorab., vol. v., p. 119. Heilbrn., 1860.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Deubel</span> (——). New and simple means for the recovery of the apparently -dead. Wochenschr. f. d. ges. Heilk., p. 597. Berlin, 1846.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Diruf</span> (——). On the dread of being buried alive, etc. Ztschr. f. d. -Staatsarznk., extra part, p. 72. Erlang., 1840.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_382" id="Page_382">[382]</a></span></p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Dyes</span> (A.). Apparent death caused by inflammation of the lungs. -Deutsche Klinik, vol. xxiii., p. 44. Berl., 1871.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Handschuh</span> (——). A few remarks on mortuaries as a means of preventing -the burial of the apparently dead. Ztschr. f. d. Staatsarznk., -vol. xxi., p. 34. Erlang., 1831.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Hecht</span> (S. C.). Reflections and proposals concerning the impracticability -of the existing regulations to prevent the burial of the apparently dead. -Ann. d. Staatsarznk., vol. v., p. 395. Freib., 1840.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Hoffmann</span> (——). Simple means of preventing the being buried alive. -Allg. Med. Centr. Ztg., vol. xvi., p. 609. Berl., 1847.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Hoppe</span> (J.). Recovery of one apparently dead and of one dying, by burning -on the breast. Memorabilien, vol. vi., p. 199. Heilbrn., 1861.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Huber</span> (M.). On inspection of the dead. Ztschr. d. Gesellsch d. Aerzte -zu Wien, vol. ii., p. 120. 1853.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Hufeland</span> (——). Report on the certain and uncertain signs of death, -on the indications of returning vitality, and how one should deal with -corpses in general. Weimar ordinance, 1794. Beytr. z. Arch. d. Med. -pol., vol. vii., 1 S., p. 61. Leipzig, 1797.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Kaiser</span> (K. L.). What means has the State to take so as to ensure that -no one be buried alive? Ztschr. f. d. Staatsarznk., fourteenth extra -number, p. 100. Erlang., 1831.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Klein</span> (F. X.). Metallic irritation as a means of proving death. Extract -from Dissertation in Beytr. z. Arch. d. Med. pol., vol. vi., 1 S., p. 118. -Leipzig, 1795.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Klose</span> (C. L.). On the risk of being buried alive: several precautions -against it. Ztschr. f. d. Staatsarznk., vol. xix., p. 143. Erlang., -1830.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Kunde</span> (F. T.). Physiological observations on apparent death. Arch, -f. Anat. Physiol, u. wissenssch. Med., p. 280. Berlin, 1857.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Magnus</span> (H.). Certificates of death and sanitary reports. Wochenschr. -f. d. ges. Hlkde., p. 385. Berlin, 1841.</p> - -<p class="pind2">—— A certain sign that death has taken place. Virchow’s Archiv., -vol. lv., pp. 511, 523. 1872.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Maschka</span> (J.). On symptoms of the corpse. Vrtljschr. f. d. prakt. -Heilk., vol. iii., p. 91. Prag., 1851.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_383" id="Page_383">[383]</a></span></p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Maschka</span> (J.). On diagnostic errors in medical jurisprudence. Vrtljschr. -f. d. prakt. Heilk., vol. lxxix., p. 13. Prag., 1863.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Meyn</span> (——). Fortunate resuscitation of an apparently dead woman. -Mitth. a. d. Geb. d. Med. vi., Hft. 6-7, p. 76. Altona, 1838-9.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Mosse</span> (——). Certificates of death and sanitary reports. Wochenschr. -f. d. ges. Heilk., p. 696. Berlin, 1842.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Nasse</span> (F.). Measuring the temperature for the diagnosis of death. J. d. -pract. Heilk., vol. xciii., 4 St., p. 130. Berl., 1841.</p> - -<p class="pind2">—— Discrimination of apparent death from real death, to reassure -as to the danger of being buried alive. Rev. of his essay (Bonn, 1841) -in Mitth. a. d. Geb. d. Med., vol. ix., p. 11. Altona, 1841-43.</p> - -<p class="pind2">Ordinance of the Elector of Saxony concerning the treatment of corpses, -and to provide against the premature interment of the apparent dead. -Med. Chir. Ztg., vol. ii., p. 150. Salzburg, 1793.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Plagge</span> (T.). Is the failure of the heart-beat a certain sign of death? -Memorabilien, vol. v., p. 71. Heilbrn., 1860.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Radius</span> (——). The awakening apparatus in the Leipzig Mortuary. -Beitr. z. Prakt. Heilk., vol. i., p. 532. Leipzig, 1834.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Rampold</span> (——). On the inaudibility of the heart-beat as a sign of death. -Cor. Bl. d. Württemb. ärztl. Vereins, vol. xxi., p. 353. Stuttg., 1851.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Röser</span> (——). On being buried alive, and the mortuaries. Cor. Bl. d. -Württemb. ärztl. Vereins, vol. xxvii., p. 115. Stuttg., 1857.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Rosenthal</span> (M.) Researches and observations on the dying of the -muscles, and on apparent death. Wien. med. Presse, vol. xiii., pp. -401, 419. 1872.</p> - -<p class="pind2">—— On the newest and safest means of knowing apparent death. -Wien. med. Presse, vol. xvii., p. 461. 1876.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Schmidt</span> (J. H.). On mortuaries, with a case of apparent death that did -not end in death till twenty days after. Wochenschr. f. d. ges. -Heilk., vol. i., p. 385. Berl., 1833.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Schneider</span> (——). On the risk of being buried alive. Ztschr. f. d. -Staatsarznk., vol. xxxiv., p. 157. Erlang., 1837.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Sickler</span> (J. V.). Directions for preventing the burying of each other -alive. Beytr. z. Arch. d. Med., 2 Samml., vol. iv., p. 158. Leipzig, -1793.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_384" id="Page_384">[384]</a></span></p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Speyer</span> (——). On the possibility of being buried alive, and on the -erection of mortuaries. Ztschr. f. d. Staatsarznk., fifth extra part, p. -326. Erlang., 1826.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Struve</span> (——). Simplified application of galvanism, etc., in cramps and -in apparent death, and for proving actual death. J. d. Prakt. Arznk., -2 R., vol. xxiii., 4 St., p. 5. Berl., 1806.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Tengler</span> (G.). Critical remarks-on the signs of death, with reference to -the inspection of the dead. Wien. med. Wochenschr., vol. vii., -p. 519. 1857.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Thierfelder</span> (——), sen. On apparent death and medical inspection of -the dead. Deutsche Ztschr. f. d. Staatsarznk., vol. xxv. p. 241. -Erlang., 1867.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Varges</span> (L.). On the awaking of one apparently dead. Ztschr. d. -nordd. chir. Ver., vol. i., p. 353. Magdeb., 1847.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Von Jäger</span> (——). Account of an alleged coming to life in the grave. -Ztschr. f. d. Staatsarznk, vol. vi., pp. 241-252. Erlang., 1823.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Wildberg</span> (C. F. L.). State precautions to obviate all anxiety as to -being buried alive. Jahrb. d. ges. Staatsarznk, vol. iv., p. 169. -Leipzig, 1838.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Zaubzer</span> (O.). Fragments on thanatology, for the police of the dead in -Munich. Aerztl. Intellig. Bl., vol. xx., p. 106. München, 1874.</p> - -<p class="pch"><i>ENGLISH AND AMERICAN ARTICLES.</i></p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Aldis</span> (C. J. B.). On the danger of tying up the lower jaw immediately -after supposed death. Lancet, vol. ii., 1850, p. 601.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Anon.</span> Cases of apparent death. Calcutta J. M., vol. ii., pp. 380-387. -1869. From All the Year Round, July, 1869.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Anon.</span> Signs of death. London M. Rec., vol. ii., pp. 205, 221. 1874.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Bourke</span> (M. W.). Resuscitation of a child after ten minutes’ total submersion -in water, etc. Dublin M. Press, vol. xliii., p. 103. 1859.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Brandon</span> (R.) Construction of houses for the reception of the dead; -means for the recovery of those, etc. Med. Times, vol. xvi., p. 574. -Lond., 1847.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_385" id="Page_385">[385]</a></span></p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Clark</span> (T. E.). Buried alive. Quart. Journ. Psych. Med., vol. v., -pp. 87-93. N.Y., 1871.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Coldstream</span> (John). A case of catalepsy. Edin. Med. and Surg. Journ., -vol. lxxxi., p. 477.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Dana</span> (C. L.). The physiology of the phenomena of trance. Med. -Rec., vol. xx., pp. 85-89. N.Y., 1881.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Davis</span> (M.). Hasty burials. Sanit. Rec., vol. iv., p. 261. Lond., 1876.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Denman</span> (J.). Resuscitation after two hours’ apparent death (drowning). -Med. Press, and Circ., vol. iii., p. 95. Dublin, 1867.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Douglas</span> (H. G.). Recovery after fourteen minutes’ submersion. Lond. -Med. Gaz., vol. i., p. 448. 1842.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Ducachet</span> (H. W.). On the signs of death, and the manner for distinguishing -real from apparent death. Am. M. Recorder, vol. v., -pp. 39-53. Phila., 1822.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Fraser</span> (W.). Distinctions between real and apparent death. Pop. Sci. -Month., vol. xviii., pp., 401-408. New York, 1880-81.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Gairdner</span> (W. T.). Case of lethargic stupor or trance, extending continuously -over more than twenty-three weeks, etc. Lancet, vol. ii., -1883, p. 1078, and vol. i., 1884, pp. 5, 56.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Goadby</span> (H.). Death trance. Med. Indep., vol. i., pp. 90-99. Detroit, -1856.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Godfrey</span> (E. L. B.). Report of the resuscitation of a young girl apparently -dead from drowning. Phila. M. Times, vol. ix., p. 375. 1879.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Huffy</span> (T. S.). Two cases of apparent death. Tr. M. Soc., N. Car., -vol. xxi., pp. 126-131. Raleigh, 1874.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Jamieson</span> (W. A.). On a case of trance. Edin. Med. J., vol. xvii., -pp. 29-31. 1871-72.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Lee</span> (W.). The extreme rarity of premature burial. Pop. Sc. Month., -vol. xvii., p. 526. N.Y., 1880.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Mackay</span> (G. E.). Premature burials. <i>Ibid.</i>, vol. xvi., p. 389.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Madden</span> (T. Moore). On lethargy or trance. Dubl. J. Med. Sc., -vol. lxxi., p. 297. 1881.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Miller</span> (T. C.). The state of the eyelids after death—open or shut? -Med. Rec., vol. xii., p. 4. N. Y., 1877.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_386" id="Page_386">[386]</a></span></p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Osborne</span> (W. G.). Impositions of the Indian faqueer, who professed to -be buried alive and resuscitated in ten months. Lancet, vol. i., -1839-40, p. 885.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Pope</span> (C.). A case of recovery after long immersion. Lancet, vol. ii., -1881, p. 606.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Povall</span> (R.). An account of successful resuscitation of three persons from -suspended animation by submersion for twenty-five minutes. West -Med. and Phys. J., vol. ii., pp. 499-503. Cincin., 1828-29.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Reid</span> (T. J.). A case of suspended animation. St. Louis Clin. Rec., vol. -vi., pp. 261-263. 1879-80.</p> - -<p class="pind2">Report of Committee on suspended animation. Proc. Roy. M. and Chir. -Soc. Lond., vol. iv. (1862), pp. 142-147; vol. vi. (1870), p. 299. See -also Transactions, vol. xlv. (1862), p. 449.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Richardson</span> (B. W.). Researches on treatment of suspended animation. -Brit. and For. M. Chir. Rev., vol. xxxi., pp. 478-505. London, 1863.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Richardson</span> (B. W.). The absolute signs and proofs of death. Asclepiad, -No. 21. 1889.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Romero</span> (Francisco). Infallible sign of extinction of vitality in sudden -death. (Latin.) Med. Tr. Roy. Coll. Phys., vol. v., pp. 478-485. -London, 1815.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Shrock</span> (N. M.). On the signs that distinguish real from apparent death. -Transylv. J. M., vol. viii., pp. 210-220. Lexington, Ky., 1835.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Silvester</span> (H. R.). A new method of resuscitating still-born children, -and of restoring persons apparently drowned or dead. Brit. M. J., -pp. 576-579. London, 1858.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Twedell</span> (H. M.). Account of a man who submitted to be buried alive -for a month at Jaisulmer, and was dug out alive at the expiration of -that period. India J. M. and Phys. Sc., vol. i., N. S., pp. 389-391. -Calcutta, 1836.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Thomas</span> (R. R. G.). The Marshall Hall method successful in a case of -drowning of ten minutes’ duration, and an interval of half an hour -before its application. Lancet, vol. ii., 1857, p. 153.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Taylor</span> (J.). Case of recovery from hanging. Glasg. Med. J., vol. xiv., -p. 387. 1880.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">White</span> (W. H.). A case of trance. Brit. M. J., vol. ii., 1884, page 52.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_387" id="Page_387">[387]</a></span></p> - -<p><i>SPANISH ARTICLES.</i></p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Alcantara</span> (F. C.). Encicl. Méd. Farm., vol. ii., pp. 265, 273, 275, 289, -297. Barcelona, 1878.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Del Valle</span> (G.). An. r. Acad. de Cien. Méd. de la Habana, vol. viii., -pp. 480-489. 1871-72.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Gelabert</span> (E.). A case of premature interment. Rev. de Cien. Méd., -vol. vii., pp. 67-69. Barcel., 1881.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Guerejaze</span> (——). España Med., vol. x., p. 111. Madrid, 1865.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Pulido</span> (——). Anfiteatro Anat., vol. iv., pp. 164, 181. Madrid, 1876.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Ramon Vizcarro.</span> Siglo Méd., vol. xxvi., p. 777. Madrid, 1879.</p> - -<p class="pind2">—— Sentido Catól., vol. i., p. 284. Barcel., 1879.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Ulloa</span> (——). Entierros prematuros. Gac. Méd. de Lima, vol. xii., -p. 219. 1867-8.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="pch"><i>ITALIAN ARTICLES.</i></p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Bianco</span> (G.). Report and discussion upon his work, “Dangers of -Apparent Death” (Torino, 1868). Gior. d. r. Acad, di Med. di Torino., -vol. vii., 3 S., pp. 243, 304, 366, 370. 1869.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Chiappelli</span> (G.). Sperimentale, vol. xliii., pp. 74-77. Firenze, 1879. -Also in Gaz. Med. Ital. Prov. Venete, vol. xxii., p. 94. Padova, 1879.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Imparati</span> (M.). Guglielmo da Saliceto, vol. ii., pp. 293, 325, 357. -Piacenza, 1880-81.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Pacini</span> (F.). Imparziale, vol. xvii., pp. 41, 75. Firenze, 1877.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Pari</span> (A. D.). Arch. di Med. Chir. ed ig. Roma, vol. ix., p. 5-35. 1873.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Sonsino</span> (P.). Imparziale, vol. vii., pp. 225-231. Firenze, 1867.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Tamassia</span> (A.) and <span class="smcap">Schlemmer</span> (A.). Riv. sper. di Freniat., vol. ii., -pp. 628-639. Reggio-Emilia, 1876.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Verga</span> (A.) and <span class="smcap">Biffi</span> (S.). Gaz. Med. Ital. Lomb., vol. iii., 8 S., -pp. 92-94. Milano, 1881.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Ziliotto</span> (P.). Gior. Venete di Sc. Med., vol. i., 3 S., pp. 323-336. -Venezia, 1864.</p> - -<p class="pind2"><span class="smcap">Zuradelli</span> (G.). Ann. univ. di Med., vol. vii., pp. 3-241. Milano, 1869.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_388" id="Page_388">[388]</a></span></p> -<p> </p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_389" id="Page_389">[389]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4">INDEX.</h2> - - -<p class="pni p2"><span class="smcap">Aldis</span>, Dr. C. J. B., letter on tying up the chin after death, <a href="#Page_343">343</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni"><i>All the Year Round</i>, paper cited from, on apparent death and means of recovery, <a href="#Page_268">268-273</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Andersen, Hans Christian, his dread of being buried alive, <a href="#Page_154">154</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Angell, Mr. George T., <a href="#Page_259">259</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Animation, suspended, in a case of small-pox, <a href="#Page_99">99</a>.</p> -<p class="pnii">(See “Trance.”)</p> - -<p class="pni">Apathy, public, concerning live burial, <a href="#Page_39">39</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Apoplexy, certified, in cases of apparent death, <a href="#Page_83">83</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Lénormand on, as cause of apparent death, <a href="#Page_175">175</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Asclepiades recovers a corpse from the bier, <a href="#Page_325">325</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Auscultation, fallacies of, in diagnosis of death, <a href="#Page_261">261</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Austria, laws of, for inspection of dead, <a href="#Page_355">355</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni"><a id="Awaking" name="Awaking">Awaking</a> in coffin, inference as to, at Les Innocens, Paris, <a href="#Page_51">51</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">at Fort Randall, U.S.A., <a href="#Page_351">351</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">case of at Tonneins, <a href="#Page_52">52</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">at Greenwood Cemetery, Brooklyn, <a href="#Page_53">53</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">at Rudenberg, <a href="#Page_53">53</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">at Montflorin, <a href="#Page_54">54</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">at Bohaste, <a href="#Page_54">54</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">at Salon (Bouches du Rhône), <a href="#Page_55">55</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">at Naples, <a href="#Page_55">55</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">at Grenoble, <a href="#Page_56">56</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">at New York (two cases), <a href="#Page_56">56</a>, <a href="#Page_57">57</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">at Derbisch, Bohemia, <a href="#Page_58">58</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">at Majola, Mantua, <a href="#Page_58">58</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">at Cesa, Naples, <a href="#Page_58">58</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">at Erie, Pa., <a href="#Page_59">59</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">at Tioobayn, St. Petersburg, <a href="#Page_59">59</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">at Le Pin, Grenoble, <a href="#Page_60">60</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">in Madras, <a href="#Page_60">60</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">at Calcutta, <a href="#Page_61">61</a>, <a href="#Page_62">62</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Köppen’s cases of, <a href="#Page_212">212-214</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">case of, in Franciscan monk, <a href="#Page_211">211</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">at Bordeaux, <a href="#Page_224">224</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">old cases at Cologne, <a href="#Page_326">326</a>, <a href="#Page_327">327</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">at Dijon, <a href="#Page_327">327</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">at Vesoul, <a href="#Page_328">328</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">of a cardinal at Rome, <a href="#Page_329">329</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">of case related by Elliotson, <a href="#Page_334">334</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">of Robert Scott, <a href="#Page_336">336</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">of Rev. John Gardner, <a href="#Page_337">337</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">of case related by Dr. Herz, <a href="#Page_337">337</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">of Mrs. Goodman, <a href="#Page_339">339</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">of cases related by Köppen, <a href="#Page_340">340</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">cases related by <i>British Medical Journal</i>, <a href="#Page_342">342</a>, <a href="#Page_343">343</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni p2"><span class="smcap">Barnett</span>, Dr. J. M., publishes letter on the blister test, <a href="#Page_260">260</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Bavaria, official regulations of, for preventing premature burial, <a href="#Page_204">204</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">police instructions of, for corpse inspection, <a href="#Page_206">206</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Berkeley, Bishop, his dread of being buried alive, <a href="#Page_154">154</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Beugless, Mr. J. D., on the dread of premature interment, <a href="#Page_156">156</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Bibliography, seventeenth century, <a href="#Page_363">363</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">eighteenth century, <a href="#Page_364">364-367</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">relating to humane societies, <a href="#Page_367">367</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">nineteenth century, <a href="#Page_369">369</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">theses, <a href="#Page_378">378</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">French articles, <a href="#Page_379">379</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">German articles, <a href="#Page_381">381</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">English and American articles, <a href="#Page_384">384</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Spanish articles, <a href="#Page_387">387</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Italian articles, <a href="#Page_387">387</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Billimoria, Mr. N. F., writes to the author on premature burning in India, <a href="#Page_134">134</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">relates cases of Parsees recovered from apparent death, <a href="#Page_139">139</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">on advantages of the Parsee customs in assuring revival, <a href="#Page_141">141</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Bishop, Mrs. Eleanor F., her escape from premature embalming, <a href="#Page_231">231</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Blau, M., certifies an escape from live burial at Toulouse, <a href="#Page_145">145</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Blavatsky, Madam, the late, had an escape from live burial, <a href="#Page_104">104</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Blunden, Madam, her burial alive at Basingstoke, <a href="#Page_51">51</a>.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_390" id="Page_390">[390]</a></span></p><p class="pni">Bombay, customs in disposal of dead, <a href="#Page_357">357</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Bonawitz, Mr. J. H., relates two experiences of escape, <a href="#Page_279">279</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Bordeaux, corpses shown in cathedral of, which had moved in the coffin, <a href="#Page_224">224</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Bouchut, Dr. E., his book gives sensational cases, <a href="#Page_20">20</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">relates case rescued alive from coffin, <a href="#Page_122">122</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Braid, Mr. James, narrates case of catalepsy, <a href="#Page_37">37</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">on animal hibernation, <a href="#Page_41">41</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">on trance in fakirs, <a href="#Page_46">46</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">on Sir Claude Wade’s testimony, <a href="#Page_47">47</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">cases of trance with sense of hearing good, <a href="#Page_334">334</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Brandon, Mr. R., his paper on mortuaries for recovery cited, <a href="#Page_289">289</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni"><i>British Medical Journal</i>, on signs of death, <a href="#Page_198">198</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">case of difficulty in diagnosing real death, <a href="#Page_199">199</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">hardly any one sign but putrefaction infallible, <a href="#Page_200">200</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">records two cases of revivals in the coffin, <a href="#Page_342">342</a>, <a href="#Page_343">343</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Brewer, Dr., relates cases of narrow escape, <a href="#Page_75">75</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Broadwey, Dorset, catalepsy in a bride at, <a href="#Page_38">38</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Brouardel, Dr. P., experiment on live dog in coffin, <a href="#Page_211">211</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Brown-Séquard, Dr., on fallacy of clenched jaws as sign of death, <a href="#Page_187">187</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Bruhier, Dr., relates case of premature dissection, <a href="#Page_233">233</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Brussels, regulations for verification of death, <a href="#Page_248">248</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">burial regulations and mortuaries of, <a href="#Page_358">358</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Buffon, Comte de, on the treatment of the dead, <a href="#Page_215">215</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Bukovina, case of resuscitation in, <a href="#Page_176">176</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Burial, ancient practices of, <a href="#Page_331">331-333</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Burial, hasty, case of, at Roscrea, <a href="#Page_350">350</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Burial, live, experiment on, at Westminster Aquarium, <a href="#Page_48">48</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Burial, premature, a class of probable cases of, <a href="#Page_113">113-119</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">G. A. Walker on risks of, <a href="#Page_215">215</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Fletcher on risks of, <a href="#Page_217">217</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">number of cases of, <a href="#Page_220">220-228</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">frequency of estimated, <a href="#Page_220">220-228</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Hufeland on risks of, <a href="#Page_221">221</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Buried alive, cases of. (See under “<a href="#Awaking">Awaking</a>.”)</p> - -<p class="pni">Burning Ghat, the, of Calcutta, visited by the author, <a href="#Page_129">129</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Burton, Lady, provisions of her will against risk of live burial, <a href="#Page_154">154</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni p2"><span class="smcap">Cadaveric</span>, the, countenance as sign of death, <a href="#Page_187">187</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Calcutta, the Burning Ghat, visited by the author, <a href="#Page_129">129</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">burial customs at, <a href="#Page_357">357</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Cameron, Sir C., M.D., of Dublin, mortuary needed, <a href="#Page_303">303</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Cameron, Sir C., M.P., on worthless or wanting death-certificates, <a href="#Page_243">243</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Cape Town, want of mortuary regulations at, <a href="#Page_357">357</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Carnot, M., petitions French Senate on premature burial, <a href="#Page_74">74</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">his statistics of live burial, <a href="#Page_223">223</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Carpmael, Mr. E. E., hypodermic strychnine as a reviver, <a href="#Page_265">265</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni"><i>Casket, The</i>, on testimony of opened graves, <a href="#Page_351">351</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">on hasty embalming, <a href="#Page_351">351</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni"><i>Cassell’s Family Physician</i>, account of catalepsy from, <a href="#Page_33">33</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Catalepsy, definition and symptoms of, <a href="#Page_32">32-34</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">cases of, by Good, <a href="#Page_34">34</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Jebb, <a href="#Page_35">35</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Dr. King Chambers, <a href="#Page_35">35</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Paris correspondent of <i>Lancet</i>, <a href="#Page_37">37</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Braid, <a href="#Page_37">37</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">at Broadwey in 1895, <a href="#Page_38">38</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Gowers on predisposition to, <a href="#Page_120">120</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">case of revival on eve of burial, <a href="#Page_122">122</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Dr. Milner on, <a href="#Page_186">186</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Cavendish, Miss Ada, provision in her will against risk of live burial, <a href="#Page_154">154</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni"><a id="Certificates" name="Certificates">Certificates</a> of death, laxity of, <a href="#Page_11">11</a>, <a href="#Page_241">241</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">prematurely given, <a href="#Page_242">242</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">worthless or wanting, <a href="#Page_243">243</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">directions for filling up, <a href="#Page_242">242</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">in France, <a href="#Page_246">246-248</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">in Brussels, <a href="#Page_248">248</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">in Würtemburg, <a href="#Page_249">249</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">in Dover, New Hampshire, <a href="#Page_252">252</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Mr. A. Braxton Hicks on, <a href="#Page_253">253</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Mr. Brindley James on, <a href="#Page_254">254</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii"><i>Daily Chronicle</i> on, <a href="#Page_255">255</a>;</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_391" id="Page_391">[391]</a></span></p><p class="pnii">a German resident on the Würtemburg practice in, <a href="#Page_255">255</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Ceylon, risks of premature disposal of dead in, <a href="#Page_132">132</a>, <a href="#Page_133">133</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Chambers, Dr. T. King, relates and cites cases of catalepsy, <a href="#Page_35">35</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Chantourelle, Dr., raises debate on premature burial at Paris Academy of Medicine, <a href="#Page_51">51</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Chew, Dr. Roger S., relates cases of live burial, <a href="#Page_60">60-63</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">his own case of escape from same, <a href="#Page_89">89</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">other cases of escape from same, <a href="#Page_90">90-94</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">case of chloroformed girl buried as dead, <a href="#Page_125">125</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">on cholera collapse mistaken for death, <a href="#Page_126">126</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">on safety of soldiers in India from live burial, <a href="#Page_136">136</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">on putrefactive test, <a href="#Page_183">183</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">on <i>rigor mortis</i>, <a href="#Page_185">185</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">on frequency of live burial, <a href="#Page_227">227</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">on auscultation sounds after death, <a href="#Page_261">261</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Chippendale, Mr. J., on <i>post-mortem</i> sweating, <a href="#Page_29">29</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Chloral, supposed death from, <a href="#Page_192">192</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Chloroform, effects of simulating death, <a href="#Page_125">125</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Cholera, special risk of live burial in cases of, <a href="#Page_92">92</a>, <a href="#Page_95">95</a>, <a href="#Page_101">101</a>, <a href="#Page_126">126</a>, <a href="#Page_149">149</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Chri, Mr. Vira Raghava, describes disposal of dead at Madras, <a href="#Page_131">131</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Chunder Sen, Mr., relates case of trance in a fakir, <a href="#Page_44">44</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Coffin, sounds from the, <a href="#Page_106">106</a>, <a href="#Page_107">107</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Colerus, on apparent death, <a href="#Page_330">330</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Collins, Dr. W. J., advises the providing of mortuaries, <a href="#Page_309">309</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Cologne, old instances of revival at, <a href="#Page_326">326</a>, <a href="#Page_327">327</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Colombo, a Catholic priest of, subject to death-trances, <a href="#Page_130">130</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Conclamation, practice of, by the Caribs, <a href="#Page_331">331</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">in antiquity, <a href="#Page_331">331</a>, <a href="#Page_332">332</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">in Russia, <a href="#Page_332">332</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">in the case of the Widow of Nain’s son, <a href="#Page_332">332</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Conclusions, summary of, <a href="#Page_321">321</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Constantinople, risks of live burial at, <a href="#Page_147">147</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Cooper, Mr. M., surgeon, on apparent deaths, <a href="#Page_17">17</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">relates case of Madam Blunden, <a href="#Page_51">51</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">case at Toulouse of escape from live burial, <a href="#Page_145">145</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">condemns hasty burial, <a href="#Page_171">171</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Cork, case of revival from apparent death in a child at, <a href="#Page_318">318</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Creighton, Dr. C., his History of Epidemics cited, <a href="#Page_282">282</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Cremation, at Calcutta, <a href="#Page_129">129</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">among Brahmins at Madras, <a href="#Page_131">131</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">at Benares, <a href="#Page_131">131</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">as a preventive of premature burial, <a href="#Page_274">274-278</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">approved on general grounds, <a href="#Page_282">282</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Crowe, Mrs., cases related by, <a href="#Page_336">336</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Curran, Dr. W., brigade-surgeon, his papers in <i>Health</i> on Burial Alive, <a href="#Page_103">103</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">relates case of premature dissection, <a href="#Page_236">236</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Curry, Dr. James, women predisposed to death-counterfeits, <a href="#Page_121">121</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">on slow ebbing of life, <a href="#Page_174">174</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">on exciting the skin as a test, <a href="#Page_258">258</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">cases cited from, <a href="#Page_334">334</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Cyclopædia of Practical Medicine, on premature dissections, <a href="#Page_233">233</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">relates remarkable case of revival after apparent death, <a href="#Page_340">340</a>.</p> - - -<p class="pni p2"><i>Daily Chronicle</i>, on lax death-certification, <a href="#Page_255">255</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Dalmatia, ordinances of, for inspection of dead, <a href="#Page_356">356</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Davies, Major-General T., his account of hibernating jerboa, <a href="#Page_40">40</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Dead, the, treatment of, <a href="#Page_215">215</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Buffon on same, <a href="#Page_215">215</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">G. A. Walker on, <a href="#Page_215">215</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Fletcher on, in United States, <a href="#Page_217">217</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Whiter on, <a href="#Page_218">218</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">as a department of medical practice, <a href="#Page_218">218</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Death-certification, Select Committee on, purport of its evidence, <a href="#Page_11">11</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">advises authorisations to embalm, <a href="#Page_232">232</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">evidence before, <a href="#Page_238">238</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">recommendations of, <a href="#Page_239">239</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">support of same at medical meeting, <a href="#Page_239">239</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">questions by as to premature burial, <a href="#Page_244">244</a>.</p> -<p class="pnii">(See under “<a href="#Certificates">Certificates</a>.”)</p> - -<p class="pni">Death, counterfeits of, <a href="#Page_27">27</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">their duration, <a href="#Page_208">208-214</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Josat’s table of same, <a href="#Page_209">209</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Köppen’s illustrations of same, <a href="#Page_212">212</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Death, signs of, popular, <a href="#Page_180">180</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">scientific, <a href="#Page_181">181-207</a>.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_392" id="Page_392">[392]</a></span></p><p class="pnii">(See also under “<a href="#Tests_of_death">Tests of Death</a>.”)</p> - -<p class="pni">Death, sudden, the only real cases of, <a href="#Page_159">159</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Farr on definition of, <a href="#Page_160">160</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Granville on same, <a href="#Page_160">160</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Tidy on causes of, <a href="#Page_161">161</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Wilder on same, <a href="#Page_163">163</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">recent instances of, from newspapers, <a href="#Page_164">164-170</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">from heart-disease, <a href="#Page_176">176</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii"><i>Manchester Criterion</i> on revivals from, <a href="#Page_178">178</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Dr. Wilder on risks of premature burial in, <a href="#Page_178">178</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">laws against early burial after, <a href="#Page_179">179</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Death, uncertainty of, <a href="#Page_43">43</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">G. A. Walker on, <a href="#Page_216">216</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii"><i>London Review</i> on, <a href="#Page_316">316</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Death, verification of, <a href="#Page_246">246-256</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Denmark, burial and mortuary regulations of, <a href="#Page_358">358</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Diaphanous test, the, failure of, <a href="#Page_187">187</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Haward on, <a href="#Page_188">188</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Gannal on, <a href="#Page_191">191</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Orfila on, <a href="#Page_191">191</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Richardson on, <a href="#Page_192">192</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Dijon, case of awaking in the tomb at, <a href="#Page_327">327</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Disraeli, Benjamin, endures a week’s trance, <a href="#Page_23">23</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Dissection, premature, probable case of, related by Ogston, <a href="#Page_232">232</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Bruhier’s case of, <a href="#Page_233">233</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Louis’ case of, <a href="#Page_234">234</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Cyclopædia of Pract. Med. on stories of, <a href="#Page_234">234</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Le Guern’s case of, <a href="#Page_235">235</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Hartmann’s case of, <a href="#Page_235">235</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Curran’s case of, <a href="#Page_236">236</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">case at Lille, <a href="#Page_311">311</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">by Vesalius, <a href="#Page_329">329</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">of a Spanish lady, <a href="#Page_330">330</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Dog, the, his instinct for the presence of life in Parsee ceremonies, <a href="#Page_137">137</a>, <a href="#Page_138">138</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">in an Austrian case, <a href="#Page_142">142</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">in a Moravian case, <a href="#Page_143">143</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Donnet, Cardinal Archbishop, relates to French Senate cases of narrow escape from live burial, <a href="#Page_71">71-74</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">including his own case, <a href="#Page_73">73</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Douce, Francis, the antiquary, his fear of being buried alive, <a href="#Page_153">153</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Dover, New Hampshire, ordinances of, for verification of death, <a href="#Page_252">252</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Drowned, recovery of the, <a href="#Page_347">347</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">cases of, by Struve, <a href="#Page_347">347</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Londe’s case of, <a href="#Page_347">347</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Green’s case of, <a href="#Page_348">348</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">recent cases of (Royal Humane Society), <a href="#Page_349">349</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Dryden, Lady, her testamentary provisions, <a href="#Page_334">334</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Duncan, Dr. Ebenezer, statistics of Glasgow burials, <a href="#Page_284">284</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Duration of death-counterfeits, <a href="#Page_208">208</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">statistics of, <a href="#Page_209">209</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">experiments on, <a href="#Page_210">210</a>, <a href="#Page_211">211</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">in case of Franciscan monk, <a href="#Page_211">211</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Köppen’s illustrations of, <a href="#Page_212">212-214</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni p2"><span class="smcap">Electricity</span> as a restorative agent, <a href="#Page_262">262-265</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Elliotson, Dr., case related by, <a href="#Page_334">334</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Embalming, makes death certain, <a href="#Page_229">229</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">cases of premature, <a href="#Page_230">230</a>, <a href="#Page_231">231</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">case of escape from same, <a href="#Page_231">231</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">authority of Home Secretary advised for, <a href="#Page_232">232</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">hasty, in the United States, <a href="#Page_351">351</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Empedocles, his recovery of woman supposed dead, <a href="#Page_330">330</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni"><a id="Escape" name="Escape">Escape</a> from dissection at Lille, <a href="#Page_311">311</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Escape from live burial, <a href="#Page_64">64</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">case of Sir W. Lindsay, <a href="#Page_64">64</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">case related by Vigné, <a href="#Page_66">66</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">case of professor’s wife at Tübingen, <a href="#Page_66">66</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">case at Coventry in 1858, <a href="#Page_67">67-70</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">case at St. Agnan de Cenuières, <a href="#Page_71">71</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">cases related by Cardinal Donnet, <a href="#Page_71">71-74</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Dr. Brewer on, <a href="#Page_75">75</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">case at Cleveland, Ohio, <a href="#Page_76">76</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">two cases of, related by Dr. M. S. Tanner, <a href="#Page_76">76</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">case by Dr. W. O’Neill, of Lincoln, <a href="#Page_77">77</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">case at Clinton, Ky., <a href="#Page_78">78</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">at Memphis, Tenn., <a href="#Page_79">79</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">at Burham, Rochester, <a href="#Page_80">80</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">at St. Leonards, <a href="#Page_80">80</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">case related by Dr. F. A. Floyer, <a href="#Page_81">81</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">at Penn Station, U.S., <a href="#Page_83">83</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">at Vagueray, Lyons, <a href="#Page_83">83</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">at Limoges, <a href="#Page_84">84</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">at St. Louis, <a href="#Page_84">84</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">at Lagos, <a href="#Page_84">84</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">at Militsch, Silesia, <a href="#Page_85">85</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">at Sprakers, Rondout, N.Y., <a href="#Page_85">85</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">at Heap Bridge, Heywood, <a href="#Page_86">86</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">in the daughter of a physician, <a href="#Page_87">87</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">in a case related to the author, <a href="#Page_88">88</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Dr. R. S. Chew’s personal experience of, <a href="#Page_89">89</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">in cases communicated by him, <a href="#Page_90">90-96</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">in the cases of two Irish persons of rank, <a href="#Page_96">96</a>;</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_393" id="Page_393">[393]</a></span></p><p class="pnii">in case related by Dr. Colin Valentine, <a href="#Page_97">97</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">in case related by Dr. A. Stephenson, <a href="#Page_97">97</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">in the case of the Metropolitan of Lesbos, <a href="#Page_98">98</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">in cases of small-pox, <a href="#Page_99">99</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">in cases related by Rev. Harry Jones, <a href="#Page_100">100</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">in case at St. Paul’s, Belchamp, near Clare, <a href="#Page_101">101</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">in case at Neufchâtel, <a href="#Page_102">102</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">in case at Alleghany, <a href="#Page_103">103</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">in the case of the late Madam Blavatsky, <a href="#Page_104">104</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">in a case at Toulouse, <a href="#Page_145">145</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">in a case in Würtemburg, <a href="#Page_251">251</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">in case related by Graves, <a href="#Page_254">254</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">in two cases certified dead by several physicians, <a href="#Page_277">277</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">in case at Lille, <a href="#Page_311">311</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">in the Munich mortuary, <a href="#Page_311">311</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">in a mortuary at Berlin, <a href="#Page_313">313</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">in the Frankfort mortuary, <a href="#Page_313">313</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">in a Brussels mortuary, <a href="#Page_314">314</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">in a Cassel mortuary, <a href="#Page_314">314</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">in a Lille mortuary, <a href="#Page_314">314</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">in a Buffalo mortuary, <a href="#Page_315">315</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">in the Marylebone mortuary, <a href="#Page_315">315</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Escapes from being cremated alive in India, <a href="#Page_132">132-135</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Exhumation, law of, in England, <a href="#Page_106">106</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">cases of, too late for rescue, <a href="#Page_106">106-110</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">case of, in time to save life, <a href="#Page_111">111</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni p2"><span class="smcap">Fabri</span>, William, condemns hasty burial, <a href="#Page_171">171</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Fagge, Dr. Hilton, on risk of live burial in cases of sudden death, <a href="#Page_175">175</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">on putrefaction as the only certain sign of death, <a href="#Page_183">183</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Fakirs, cases of trance in, <a href="#Page_44">44-48</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">experiment with, related by Hartmann, <a href="#Page_49">49</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Farquharson, Dr. R., M.P., on lax death-certification, <a href="#Page_240">240</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">examines a witness as to live burial, <a href="#Page_245">245</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Farr, Dr. William, on definition of sudden death, <a href="#Page_160">160</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Fear of premature burial, <i>Spectator</i> on, <a href="#Page_18">18</a>, <a href="#Page_153">153-158</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">eminent subjects of, <a href="#Page_153">153</a>, <a href="#Page_154">154</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Rev. John Kingston on prevalence of, <a href="#Page_156">156</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Ferrier, Dr., on signs of death, <a href="#Page_184">184</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni"><i>Figaro, Le</i>, correspondence in, on live burial, <a href="#Page_228">228</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Fletcher, Dr. Moore Russell, on animal hibernation, <a href="#Page_42">42</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">relates cases of narrow escape, <a href="#Page_76">76-88</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">on negligent treatment of the dead, <a href="#Page_217">217</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">on restoratives, <a href="#Page_265">265</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Floyer, Dr. F. A., relates case of narrow escape, <a href="#Page_81">81</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Forestus on possibility of recovering supposed dead, <a href="#Page_331">331</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Formalities, fatal consequences of, <a href="#Page_105">105</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Foster, Sir Walter, M.D., examines a witness as to live burial, <a href="#Page_245">245</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Fothergill, Dr. A., on cadaveric countenance, <a href="#Page_187">187</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">on the art of restoring animation, <a href="#Page_320">320</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">France, laws of, relating to burials, <a href="#Page_354">354</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Frankfort, regulations for inspection of the dead, <a href="#Page_353">353</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Froriep, M., cited as to ratio of revivals in grave, <a href="#Page_222">222</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni p2"><span class="smcap">Gairdner</span>, Dr. W. T., case of trance for twenty-three weeks, <a href="#Page_23">23-27</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Gannal, Dr. Félix, his valuable Bibliography, <a href="#Page_3">3</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">on putrefaction the only real test, <a href="#Page_185">185</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">on diaphanous test, <a href="#Page_191">191</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">on fallacious signs of death, <a href="#Page_203">203</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Gaubert, M., his estimate of ratio of live burials, <a href="#Page_226">226</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">his essay proves that waiting mortuaries are useful, <a href="#Page_309">309</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni"><i>Gazette Medicale</i> on putrefactive test, <a href="#Page_183">183</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni"><i>Gazette Medicale d’ Orient</i> asserts live burials at Constantinople, <a href="#Page_147">147</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Germany, waiting mortuaries of, <a href="#Page_11">11</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">movement in, to prevent premature interment, <a href="#Page_146">146</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Gibbons, Dr. P. J., on premature embalming, <a href="#Page_231">231</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Glycas, Nicephorus, Metropolitan of Lesbos, escapes live burial, <a href="#Page_98">98</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Goa, resident of, prematurely coffined, <a href="#Page_133">133</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Godfrey, Mrs., case of, <a href="#Page_339">339</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Gooch, Dr., his case of catalepsy, <a href="#Page_34">34</a>.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_394" id="Page_394">[394]</a></span></p><p class="pni">Goodman, Mrs., celebrated case of, <a href="#Page_339">339</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Gowers, Dr. W. R., on trance, <a href="#Page_22">22</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">on catalepsy, <a href="#Page_32">32</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">on predisposition to same, <a href="#Page_120">120</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Granville, Dr. A. B., on sudden death, <a href="#Page_160">160</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Graves, Dr. F., relates case of escape from live burial, <a href="#Page_254">254</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Green, Anne, case of, at Oxford, <a href="#Page_328">328</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Green, Dr. J. W., case of tardy recovery after immersion, <a href="#Page_348">348</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Guern, M. le, his experience of frequency of live burial, <a href="#Page_223">223</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">relates case of premature dissection, <a href="#Page_235">235</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Guy, Dr. W. A., on neglect of the subject in England, <a href="#Page_10">10</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni p2"><span class="smcap">Hanged</span> person, the heart beating at the dissection of a, <a href="#Page_172">172</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">recovery of a, <a href="#Page_328">328</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Hanham, Mr. T. C. Swinburne, on safeguards used by Cremation Society, <a href="#Page_281">281</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Hartmann, Dr. Franz, his essay published at Boston, U.S., <a href="#Page_9">9</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">distinguishes trance from catalepsy, <a href="#Page_32">32</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">relates two cases of rescue from live burial fatally delayed, <a href="#Page_108">108</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">case of catalepsy revived, <a href="#Page_122">122</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">case of Orrendo’s body found beside the empty coffin, <a href="#Page_122">122</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">on predisposing causes of trance, <a href="#Page_127">127</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">relates case of resuscitation from spasms of the heart, <a href="#Page_176">176</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">on putrefaction the sole test of death, <a href="#Page_194">194</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">on frequency of live burial, <a href="#Page_227">227</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">case of premature dissection, <a href="#Page_235">235</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">two cases of escape from death after formal certification, <a href="#Page_277">277</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">on resuscitation, <a href="#Page_320">320</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Haward, Dr. Edwin, case of failure of diaphanous test, <a href="#Page_188">188</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Haweis, Rev. H. R., advocates cremation to prevent live burial, <a href="#Page_278">278</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Hearing, sense of, in suspended animation, <a href="#Page_335">335</a>, <a href="#Page_336">336</a>, <a href="#Page_337">337</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Heart, disease of, sudden apparent death in, <a href="#Page_176">176</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Heart, stoppage of, as test of death, <a href="#Page_181">181</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Hedley, Dr. W. S., on use of electricity as a restorative, <a href="#Page_263">263</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Herachborg, Dr., relates case of a Jewess rescued from the undertakers, <a href="#Page_146">146</a>, <a href="#Page_362">362</a> (Hirschberg).</p> - -<p class="pni">Heraclides of Pontus, on a disease marked by absence of breathing, <a href="#Page_21">21</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Herz, Dr. Marcus, opposes hasty burial among the Jews, <a href="#Page_146">146</a>, <a href="#Page_361">361</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Hibernation, instance of, in the jerboa, <a href="#Page_40">40</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Braid on, in lower animals, <a href="#Page_41">41</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Russell Fletcher on, in reptiles and fishes, <a href="#Page_42">42</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Hibernation, so-called human, <a href="#Page_43">43</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Hicks, Mr. A. Braxton, on lax certification of death, <a href="#Page_253">253</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Hincks, Amelia, a case of narrow escape, <a href="#Page_68">68-70</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Hindus, their motive for speedy disposal of dead, <a href="#Page_132">132</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Historical cases, appendix of, <a href="#Page_325">325</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Holmes, Mrs. Basil, on the extension of burial-grounds, <a href="#Page_283">283</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Honigberger, Dr. J. M., his researches on trance in India, <a href="#Page_50">50</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Hopps, Rev. J. Page, advocates cremation to prevent live burial, <a href="#Page_281">281</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Hotels, hasty burials from, on the Continent, <a href="#Page_152">152</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Howard, Col., of Co. Wicklow, his escape from live burial, <a href="#Page_97">97</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Hufeland, Dr. C. W., on trance, <a href="#Page_43">43</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">narrates narrow escape from live burial, <a href="#Page_66">66</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">on risks and horrors of live burial, <a href="#Page_221">221</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">devised the Weimar mortuary, <a href="#Page_286">286</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Humane Society, the Royal, cases from its reports, <a href="#Page_337">337</a>, <a href="#Page_344">344</a>, <a href="#Page_345">345</a>, <a href="#Page_349">349</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">literature relating to, <a href="#Page_347">347</a>, <a href="#Page_367">367</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Hypodermic medicines, as restoratives or tests, <a href="#Page_265">265</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni p2"><span class="smcap">India</span>, premature burial and cremation in, <a href="#Page_129">129</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Mr. Billimoria on the risks of the same, <a href="#Page_134">134</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">soldiers in, not liable to risk of same, <a href="#Page_136">136</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Infants, recovery of supposed dead, <a href="#Page_342">342-345</a>.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_395" id="Page_395">[395]</a></span></p><p class="pni">Influenza followed by trance, <a href="#Page_30">30</a>, <a href="#Page_124">124</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Ireland, death-certification in, <a href="#Page_241">241</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">practice of burial in, <a href="#Page_301">301</a>, <a href="#Page_359">359</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">no mortuaries in, <a href="#Page_302">302</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Irvine, Mr. Clarke, on popular trust in the signs of death, <a href="#Page_203">203</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni p2"><span class="smcap">Jackson</span>, Dr., of Somerby, relates case of supposed death by lightning-stroke, <a href="#Page_192">192</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">James, Mr. J. Brindley, on risks of live burial, <a href="#Page_254">254</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Jaws, clenching of, as signs of death, <a href="#Page_187">187</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Jebb, Dr. John, his graphic case of catalepsy, <a href="#Page_35">35</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Jerboa, the, its hibernation, <a href="#Page_40">40</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Jews, hasty burials among, opposed, <a href="#Page_146">146</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">cases of, restored to life by delay, <a href="#Page_146">146</a>, <a href="#Page_147">147</a>, <a href="#Page_148">148</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">their law of burial criticised, <a href="#Page_150">150</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">funeral practices of, <a href="#Page_332">332</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">history of their practice of early burial, <a href="#Page_360">360</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">discussions on same, <a href="#Page_361">361</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni"><i>Jewish World</i>, on the special risk of live burial amongst Jews, <a href="#Page_150">150</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Jeypore, fakir in a trance at, <a href="#Page_44">44</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Johnson, Walter, exhibits himself in a trance, <a href="#Page_48">48</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Jones, Rev. Harry, relates cases of escape from live burial, <a href="#Page_100">100</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Josat, Dr., on absence of cardiac action at birth, <a href="#Page_182">182</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">statistics of duration of apparent death, <a href="#Page_209">209</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">on interval between apparent and real death, <a href="#Page_310">310</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Joseph, Mr., on risks of premature burial or burning in Ceylon, <a href="#Page_132">132</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni p2"><span class="smcap">Kenny</span>, Dr. J. E., M.P., disposal of the dead in Ireland, <a href="#Page_301">301</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Kerthomas, M. H. L., relates revival of corpse at Lille, <a href="#Page_311">311</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Kesteven, Mr. W. B., on fallacy of cardiac test of death, <a href="#Page_182">182</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Kite, Dr. Charles, on uncertain signs of death, <a href="#Page_14">14</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Köppen, H. F., case of rescue from grave fatally delayed, <a href="#Page_106">106</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">cases of long vitality in coffin or grave, <a href="#Page_212">212-214</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">cites estimate of ratio of live burials, <a href="#Page_220">220</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Kuhn, Dr., reports on trance, <a href="#Page_50">50</a>.</p> - - -<p class="pni p2"><span class="smcap">Labordette</span>, Dr. A. de, on fallacy of clenched jaws as sign of death, <a href="#Page_187">187</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Lagenberg, Van, Dr., information from, as to premature burials at Colombo, <a href="#Page_130">130</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni"><i>Lancet, The</i>, on the horror of live burial, <a href="#Page_16">16</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">on a case of revival from death-trance at Nuneaton, <a href="#Page_67">67</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">on cholera patients buried alive, <a href="#Page_149">149</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">on reality of premature interment, <a href="#Page_155">155</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">on diagnosis of apparent death, <a href="#Page_196">196</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">on lax death-certification, <a href="#Page_243">243</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">on mortuaries, <a href="#Page_293">293</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">its testimony, <a href="#Page_318">318</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">on recovery of the still-born, <a href="#Page_346">346</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Lancisi, Dr., his belief in reanimation, <a href="#Page_13">13</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">opposes delay in burial, <a href="#Page_144">144</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Laurens, Miss, her recovery from apparent death, <a href="#Page_340">340</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Lénormand, Dr. Léonce, enumerates death-like conditions, <a href="#Page_127">127</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">on apparent death in cases of apoplexy, <a href="#Page_175">175</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">on delay of asphyxia in coffin, <a href="#Page_210">210</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">estimates ratio of live burials, <a href="#Page_223">223</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">on laxity of the <i>médécins verificateurs</i>, <a href="#Page_246">246</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Lesbos, Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of, his escape from live burial, <a href="#Page_98">98</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Levitical law of corpses and burials, <a href="#Page_360">360</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Lethargy, synonym of trance, <a href="#Page_23">23</a>, <a href="#Page_28">28</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Lightning-stroke, cases of apparent death from, <a href="#Page_192">192</a>, <a href="#Page_371">371</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Lignières, Dr. de, on premature burials from hotels, <a href="#Page_152">152</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">on large ratio of uncertain deaths, <a href="#Page_201">201</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Lindsay, Sir W., his escape from live burial, <a href="#Page_64">64</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Londe, Dr. Charles, on duration of breathing in a coffin, <a href="#Page_210">210</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">relates case of tardy recovery after immersion, <a href="#Page_348">348</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">London, burial-grounds of, <a href="#Page_283">283</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">mortuaries of, <a href="#Page_295">295-298</a>.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_396" id="Page_396">[396]</a></span></p><p class="pni">Looking-glass test of death, <a href="#Page_180">180</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Louis, Dr. Antoine, relates case of premature dissection, <a href="#Page_234">234</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Lytton, Edward Bulwer, Baron, his dread of being buried alive, <a href="#Page_154">154</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni p2"><span class="smcap">Macnish</span>, Dr., on trance, <a href="#Page_22">22</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Madden, Dr. T. More, cases of death-counterfeits, <a href="#Page_27">27</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni"><i>Manchester Criterion</i> on revivals after sudden death, <a href="#Page_178">178</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Manning, Rev. Owen, case of, <a href="#Page_338">338</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Martineau, Harriet, provision of her will against risk of live burial, <a href="#Page_154">154</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Marylebone, case of recovery in the mortuary of, <a href="#Page_9">9</a>, <a href="#Page_298">298</a>, <a href="#Page_315">315</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Mason, Mr. R. B., of Nuneaton, authenticates case of narrow escape, <a href="#Page_69">69</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Mayo, Dr. Herbert, on trance, <a href="#Page_22">22</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">on states predisposing to same, <a href="#Page_127">127</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni"><i>Médécins verificateurs</i>, their duties perfunctorily discharged, <a href="#Page_246">246</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni"><i>Medical Examiner</i> on putrefactive test, <a href="#Page_183">183</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni"><i>Medical Times</i> on hospital mortuaries, <a href="#Page_299">299</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni"><i>Medical Times and Gazette</i> on Cardinal Donnet’s cases of live burial, <a href="#Page_71">71</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">on vivisection of a criminal, <a href="#Page_172">172</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Medicine, profession of, sceptical as to death-trance and live burial, <a href="#Page_113">113</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">a new sphere of work for, <a href="#Page_218">218</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">its overcrowded state, <a href="#Page_219">219</a> (<i>footnote</i>).</p> - -<p class="pni">Mendelssohn, Moses, writes against early burial, <a href="#Page_361">361</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Meyerbeer, his dread of being buried alive, <a href="#Page_54">54</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Milner, Dr. Ebenezer, on appearances of death in trance, <a href="#Page_186">186</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">on <i>rigor mortis</i>, <a href="#Page_186">186</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Misson, M. Max, his opinion on frequency of live burial, <a href="#Page_222">222</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">instances cited by, <a href="#Page_326">326</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Mody, Ervad Jivanji, his explanation of the “Sagdeed” at Parsee funerals, <a href="#Page_138">138</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">on the use of the chain at the Towers of Silence, <a href="#Page_138">138</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Molloy, J. F., alleges trance in B. Disraeli, <a href="#Page_23">23</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Monteverdi, M., his test of death, <a href="#Page_193">193</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Moore, Dr. G., on so-called human hibernation, <a href="#Page_43">43</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Mortuaries, an illustration of their use, <a href="#Page_95">95</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">waiting, should be established in all sanitary districts, <a href="#Page_285">285</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">movement in favour of, began in France, <a href="#Page_286">286</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">first executed in Germany, <a href="#Page_286">286</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">new and sumptuous example of, at Munich, <a href="#Page_289">289</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">called for in London in 1847 by R. Brandon, <a href="#Page_289">289-293</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">as now existing in London, <a href="#Page_295">295-298</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">only one case of resuscitation reported from same, <a href="#Page_298">298</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">suggestions for their improvement and extension, <a href="#Page_298">298</a>, <a href="#Page_303">303</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii"><i>Medical Times</i> on those of hospitals, <a href="#Page_299">299</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">as now existing in provincial towns, <a href="#Page_300">300</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">want of, in Ireland, <a href="#Page_301">301-303</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">those of Brussels, <a href="#Page_305">305</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">of Paris, <a href="#Page_305">305</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">of Berlin, <a href="#Page_306">306</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">of Vienna, <a href="#Page_306">306</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">of Stockholm, <a href="#Page_307">307</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">that of Weimar, <a href="#Page_307">307</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">suggested joint-stock company for, in Paris, <a href="#Page_308">308</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">utility of, <a href="#Page_309">309</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Moscow, burial customs at, <a href="#Page_358">358</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Munich, new sumptuous mortuary at, <a href="#Page_289">289</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">utility of the mortuary at, <a href="#Page_309">309</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">ordinances of, for ascertaining death, <a href="#Page_356">356</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni p2"><span class="smcap">Necker</span>, Madam, her practical suggestions to prevent live burial, <a href="#Page_286">286</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Needle test of death, <a href="#Page_194">194</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Netherlands, the, burial laws of, <a href="#Page_353">353</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Newsholme, Dr. A., on unregistered still-births, <a href="#Page_346">346</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Newspaper cases, of trance, <a href="#Page_30">30</a>, <a href="#Page_31">31</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">of sudden death, <a href="#Page_164">164-170</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">some head-lines from, <a href="#Page_318">318</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni"><i>Nonna, La</i>, form of trance following influenza, <a href="#Page_30">30</a>, <a href="#Page_124">124</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Nowroji, Mr. Ardeshar, on premature exposure of the dead among Parsees, <a href="#Page_138">138</a>.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_397" id="Page_397">[397]</a></span></p><p class="pni">Number, probable, of live burials, <a href="#Page_220">220</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Nuneaton, authentic case at, of narrow escape, <a href="#Page_67">67</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Nusserwanje, Mr. Dadabhoy, on cases of restored animation in Parsees, <a href="#Page_139">139</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni p2"><span class="smcap">O’Connell</span>, Daniel, his dread of being buried alive, <a href="#Page_154">154</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">O’Rourke, Mr. John, on hurried embalming, <a href="#Page_352">352</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">O’Neill, Dr. W., relates case of narrow escape, <a href="#Page_78">78</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Ogston, Prof. Francis, records probable case of premature dissection, <a href="#Page_232">232</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Ordinances. (See under “Regulations.”)</p> - -<p class="pni">Orfila, M., diaphanous test useless, <a href="#Page_192">192</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Orrendo, case of, at Kronstadt, <a href="#Page_122">122</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Oswald, Dr. John, on means of restoration to life, <a href="#Page_266">266</a>, <a href="#Page_267">267</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Ouseley, Rev. J. G., estimates ratio of live burials, <a href="#Page_222">222</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni p2"><span class="smcap">Parsees</span>, their mode of disposing of the dead, <a href="#Page_136">136-142</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">their prejudice against persons restored to life, <a href="#Page_139">139</a>, <a href="#Page_142">142</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Patzki, Dr. J. H., his case of recovery by artificial respiration, <a href="#Page_266">266</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Pembroke, William, Earl of, embalmed, <a href="#Page_230">230</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Perspiration a sign of revival, <a href="#Page_28">28</a>, <a href="#Page_363">363</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Petitions for prevention of premature burial, <a href="#Page_225">225</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Phelps, Lieut.-Gen. A., advocates cremation to prevent live burial, <a href="#Page_278">278</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Plato, his reason for advising tardy disposal of dead, <a href="#Page_144">144</a>, <a href="#Page_331">331</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">relates a case of revival, <a href="#Page_325">325</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Pliny gives instances of the dead restored, <a href="#Page_326">326</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Plutarch, case of revival cited from, <a href="#Page_325">325</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Prasad, Mr. Durga, relates escape from burning alive, <a href="#Page_132">132</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Pratt, Dr. Samuel B., on <i>rigor mortis</i>, <a href="#Page_185">185</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Predisposition to trance, from nervous exhaustion, <a href="#Page_120">120</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">in women, <a href="#Page_121">121</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">habitual, <a href="#Page_122">122</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">from cold, <a href="#Page_123">123</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">after influenza, <a href="#Page_30">30</a>, <a href="#Page_124">124</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">from narcotics, <a href="#Page_125">125</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">in cholera, <a href="#Page_126">126</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">in various morbid states, <a href="#Page_127">127</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Pregnancy, apparent death during, <a href="#Page_66">66</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Probability of life, recent rise in, <a href="#Page_319">319</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">how same might be further raised, <a href="#Page_319">319</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Prevention, means of, various, <a href="#Page_258">258</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">by exciting the skin, <a href="#Page_258">258-261</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">by auscultation, <a href="#Page_261">261</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">by electricity, <a href="#Page_262">262-265</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">by hypodermic injection, <a href="#Page_265">265</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">by artificial respiration, <a href="#Page_266">266</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">summary of, in <i>All the Year Round</i>, <a href="#Page_268">268-273</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">prizes for discovery of, <a href="#Page_273">273</a>.</p> -<p class="pnii">(See also under “Tests of death.”)</p> - -<p class="pni"><i>Prix Dusgate</i>, <a href="#Page_274">274</a>, <a href="#Page_377">377</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni"><i>Prix Manni</i>, <a href="#Page_274">274</a>, <a href="#Page_374">374</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni"><i>Prix d’Ourches</i>, <a href="#Page_274">274</a>, <a href="#Page_376">376</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Prize by the Brussels Royal Academy, <a href="#Page_366">366</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Publisher, a well-known, relates to the author a case of narrow escape, <a href="#Page_88">88</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Putrefaction, the one safe test of death, Dr. Chew on, <a href="#Page_183">183</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Dr. Fagge on, <a href="#Page_183">183</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii"><i>Medical Examiner</i> on, <a href="#Page_183">183</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Dr. Gannal on, <a href="#Page_185">185</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Pye-Smith, Dr. P. H., on caution to be used in cases of trance, <a href="#Page_175">175</a> (<i>footnote</i>).</p> - -<p class="pni p2"><span class="smcap">Quenstedt</span> on dormancy of vital principle, <a href="#Page_325">325</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Quintilian gives reason for tardy burial by the Romans, <a href="#Page_144">144</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni p2"><span class="smcap">Rachel</span>, Mlle. (actress), said to have been prematurely embalmed, <a href="#Page_230">230</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Recommendations of the authors, <a href="#Page_323">323</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Regulations, against early burial after sudden death, <a href="#Page_179">179</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">in Würtemburg for ascertaining real death, <a href="#Page_195">195</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">in Bavaria for same, <a href="#Page_204">204-207</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">in the Netherlands, <a href="#Page_353">353</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Frankfort, <a href="#Page_353">353</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">France, <a href="#Page_354">354</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Austria, <a href="#Page_355">355</a>;</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_398" id="Page_398">[398]</a></span></p><p class="pnii">Vienna, <a href="#Page_355">355</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Dalmatia, <a href="#Page_356">356</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Saxony, <a href="#Page_356">356</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Munich, <a href="#Page_356">356</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Calcutta, <a href="#Page_357">357</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Bombay, <a href="#Page_357">357</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Cape Town, <a href="#Page_357">357</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Moscow, <a href="#Page_358">358</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Brussels, <a href="#Page_358">358</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Denmark, <a href="#Page_358">358</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Spain, <a href="#Page_359">359</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Ireland, <a href="#Page_359">359</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">United States, <a href="#Page_359">359</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Respiration, artificial, in case of apparent death, <a href="#Page_266">266</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Respiration, failure of, as test of death, <a href="#Page_181">181</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Resuscitation, cases of. (See under “<a href="#Awaking">Awaking</a>,” “<a href="#Escape">Escapes</a>,” and “<a href="#Rescue">Rescue</a>.”)</p> - -<p class="pni">Richardson, Sir B. W., his paper on the Absolute Signs of Death, <a href="#Page_10">10</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">cites case of narrow escape, <a href="#Page_75">75</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">on effects of narcotics simulating death, <a href="#Page_125">125</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">his enumeration of signs of death, <a href="#Page_181">181</a>, <a href="#Page_192">192-194</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">applies the tests of death in a case, <a href="#Page_189">189</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni"><i>Rigor mortis</i> a sign of death, <a href="#Page_185">185</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni"><a id="Rescue" name="Rescue">Rescue</a> from live burial, fatally delayed by formalities, <a href="#Page_105">105</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">cases of, <a href="#Page_106">106-110</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">cases of, promptly successful, <a href="#Page_111">111-112</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Romans, ancient, their burial practices, <a href="#Page_333">333</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Roper, Dr., relates cases of still-born recovered, <a href="#Page_355">355</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Roy, Dr. Mohan Chunder, on risks of live burial or burning at Benares, <a href="#Page_131">131</a>.</p> - - -<p class="pni p2">“<span class="smcap">Sagdeed</span>,” the, ceremony at the Towers of Silence, <a href="#Page_138">138</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Salzburg, case of delayed rescue from live burial at, <a href="#Page_108">108</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Saxony, burial law of, <a href="#Page_356">356</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Schmid, Dr. J., case of sudden death revived, <a href="#Page_176">176</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Scott, Robert, of Scott’s Hall, case of, <a href="#Page_335">335</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">his wife’s case, <a href="#Page_336">336</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Servius, cremation delayed among the Latins, <a href="#Page_144">144</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Sethna, Mr. Phiroze C., accompanies the author to the Towers of Silence, <a href="#Page_136">136</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Shaw, Mr. Oscar F., narrates case of live burial, <a href="#Page_53">53</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Sheffield, a premature death-certificate at, <a href="#Page_242">242</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Silence, Towers of, visit of author to, at Bombay, <a href="#Page_136">136</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Small-pox, cases of suspended animation in, <a href="#Page_99">99</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Snart, Mr. John, on number of live burials, <a href="#Page_221">221</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Somaglia, Cardinal, prematurely embalmed, <a href="#Page_230">230</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Spain, burial practices in, <a href="#Page_359">359</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Spasms of the heart, recovery after supposed death from, <a href="#Page_176">176</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni"><i>Spectator, The</i>, on indifference to the danger, <a href="#Page_18">18</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Spinosa, Cardinal, prematurely embalmed, <a href="#Page_230">230</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Sri Sumangala on risks of live burial or burning in Ceylon, <a href="#Page_133">133</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Stevenson, Dr. A., refuses demand for death-certificate in case of trance, <a href="#Page_97">97</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Still-born, the, resuscitation of, <a href="#Page_341">341-346</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Struve, Dr. C. A., case of rescue fatally delayed, <a href="#Page_106">106</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">on duration of apparent death, <a href="#Page_208">208</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">case of recovery by electricity, <a href="#Page_262">262</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">cases of recovery of still-born, <a href="#Page_342">342</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">of recovery of drowned, <a href="#Page_347">347</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Syncope, statistics of death by, <a href="#Page_173">173</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">definition of, <a href="#Page_173">173</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni p2"><span class="smcap">Talmud</span>, the, its teaching as to burials, <a href="#Page_361">361</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Tanner, Dr. M. S., relates two cases of narrow escape, <a href="#Page_76">76</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Tatham, Dr. John, examined as to live burials, <a href="#Page_245">245</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Terilli, Dr., tardy burial a safeguard, <a href="#Page_145">145</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni"><a id="Tests_of_death" name="Tests_of_death">Tests of death</a>: respiratory, <a href="#Page_181">181</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">cardiac and arterial, <a href="#Page_181">181</a>, <a href="#Page_182">182</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">putrefactive, <a href="#Page_183">183</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii"><i>rigor mortis</i>, <a href="#Page_185">185</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">cadaveric countenance, <a href="#Page_187">187</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">clenched jaws, <a href="#Page_187">187</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">diaphanous web of fingers, <a href="#Page_187">187</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Richardson’s enumeration of, <a href="#Page_193">193</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Hartmann on fallaciousness of, <a href="#Page_194">194</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">official statements of, <a href="#Page_195">195</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii"><i>Lancet</i> on fallaciousness of, <a href="#Page_196">196</a>;</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_399" id="Page_399">[399]</a></span></p> -<p class="pnii"><i>British Medical Journal</i> on same, <a href="#Page_198">198-201</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Wilder on same, <a href="#Page_201">201</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Gaubert on same, <a href="#Page_201">201</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">expert <i>verificateurs</i> of, <a href="#Page_202">202</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">popular trust in, <a href="#Page_203">203</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Bavarian official directions for, <a href="#Page_204">204-207</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Thouret, Dr., his inference from opening of graves, <a href="#Page_51">51</a>, <a href="#Page_228">228</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Thieurey, Dr., his estimated number of live burials cited, <a href="#Page_222">222</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Thompson, Sir Henry, on defective death-certification, <a href="#Page_240">240</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">advocates cremation to prevent live burial, <a href="#Page_276">276</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Thompson, Mr. W. Arnold, case of still-born child recovered, <a href="#Page_345">345</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Tidy, Dr. C. M., on progressive nature of death, <a href="#Page_160">160</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">on causes of sudden death, <a href="#Page_161">161</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">on still-born infants, <a href="#Page_341">341</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Tobacco a cause of sudden death, <a href="#Page_163">163</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Trance, definition and symptoms of, <a href="#Page_21">21-23</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Gairdner’s case of, <a href="#Page_23">23-27</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Madden’s cases of, <a href="#Page_27">27-29</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">other cases of, <a href="#Page_29">29</a>, <a href="#Page_30">30</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">prolonged cases of, <a href="#Page_31">31</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Hufeland on, <a href="#Page_43">43</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">in a fakir at Jeypore, <a href="#Page_44">44</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">at Lahore, <a href="#Page_47">47</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">self-induced at Westminster Aquarium, <a href="#Page_48">48</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">cases of, require caution (Pye-Smith), <a href="#Page_175">175</a> (<i>footnote</i>);</p> -<p class="pnii">Milner on diagnosis of, from death, <a href="#Page_186">186</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni"><i>Truth</i>, relation in, of a case of unverified death, <a href="#Page_115">115</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Turnbull, Mr. Peveril, communicates to <i>Spectator</i> case of exhumation alive, <a href="#Page_111">111</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni p2"><span class="smcap">Undertakers</span>, testimony of, <a href="#Page_57">57</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">their experience of dubious death, <a href="#Page_118">118</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">their fear of premature interment, <a href="#Page_156">156</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni"><i>Undertakers’ and Funeral Directors’ Journal</i>, on risks of hasty burial, <a href="#Page_171">171</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">on frequency of live burial, <a href="#Page_226">226</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">on necessity for mortuaries, <a href="#Page_295">295</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni"><i>Union Medicale, La</i>, on premature burial, <a href="#Page_247">247</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">United States of America, regulations in, for disposal of dead, <a href="#Page_359">359</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni p2"><span class="smcap">Valentine</span>, Dr. Colin S., relates case of escape from burial, <a href="#Page_97">97</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Verification of deaths, in France, <a href="#Page_246">246</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">in Brussels, <a href="#Page_248">248</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">in Würtemburg, <a href="#Page_249">249</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">in the United States, <a href="#Page_252">252</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Vesalius, Andreas, his case of live dissection, <a href="#Page_329">329</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Vienna, ordinances of, for inspection of dead, <a href="#Page_355">355</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Vigné, Dr. J. B., narrates a narrow escape, <a href="#Page_66">66</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">testamentary directions to prevent his own live burial, <a href="#Page_257">257</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Vivisection of a criminal, <a href="#Page_172">172</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni p2"><span class="smcap">Wade</span>, Sir Claude, eye-witness of trances in fakirs, <a href="#Page_47">47</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Wadia, Mr. Soabjee Dhunjeebhoy, <a href="#Page_138">138</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Waiting Mortuaries, Gaubert on, <a href="#Page_309">309</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Walker, Dr., of Dublin, his case, <a href="#Page_338">338</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Walker, Mr. G. A., on risks of premature burial, <a href="#Page_215">215</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Walters, Rev. W., on death-certification in Ireland, <a href="#Page_241">241</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Waterman, Dr. S., recoveries from apparent death in heart-disease, <a href="#Page_176">176</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni"><i>Wiener Medicinische Zeitung</i> on a premature Jewish interment at Lemberg, <a href="#Page_148">148</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Welby, Mr. Horace, dread of live burial a prevalent one, <a href="#Page_153">153</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Whiter, Rev. Walter, advice as to treatment of the dead, <a href="#Page_218">218</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Whitney, Constance, her tomb in Cripplegate Church, <a href="#Page_338">338</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Widgen, Mrs., recovers many still-born at lying-in hospital, <a href="#Page_344">344</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Wilder, Dr. Alex., brings subject before State Legislature, N.Y., <a href="#Page_19">19</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">on predisposition to trance, <a href="#Page_120">120</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">on the causes of sudden death, <a href="#Page_163">163</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">on risks of premature burial in sudden deaths, <a href="#Page_178">178</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">on fallacious signs of death, <a href="#Page_201">201</a>;</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_400" id="Page_400">[400]</a></span></p><p class="pnii">advocates cremation to prevent live burial, <a href="#Page_280">280</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Winslow, Dr. Jacques B., a pioneer in the prevention of live burial, <a href="#Page_257">257</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">on signs of death, <a href="#Page_333">333</a>, <a href="#Page_334">334</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Wunderbar, R. J., on the origin of, and authority for, early burial among the Jews, <a href="#Page_360">360</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni">Würtemburg, official directions of, for ascertaining real death, <a href="#Page_195">195</a>, <a href="#Page_249">249-251</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">case of escape from premature interment in, <a href="#Page_251">251</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">regulations of, recommended for imitation, <a href="#Page_255">255</a>, <a href="#Page_256">256</a>.</p> - -<p class="pni p2"><span class="smcap">Yates</span>, Edmund, bequeaths fee to surgeon to ensure that he was not buried alive, <a href="#Page_154">154</a>.</p> - - -<hr class="d5" /> -<p class="pc reduct"><i>Hay Nisbet & Co., Printers, 16 St. Enoch Square, Glasgow, and<br /> -25 Bouverie Street, London, E. C.</i></p> - -</div> - -<div class="chapter"> - - -<h2 class="p4">FOOTNOTES:</h2> - - -<div class="footnotes"> - -<p class="pfn4"><span class="ln1"><a name="Footnote_1_1" id="Footnote_1_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_1_1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a></span> -“The Recovery of the Apparently Dead,” by Charles Kite, Member -of the Corporation of Surgeons in London, and Surgeon at Gravesend in -Kent. London, 1788.</p> - -<p class="pfn4"><span class="ln1"><a name="Footnote_2_2" id="Footnote_2_2"></a><a href="#FNanchor_2_2"><span class="label">[2]</span></a></span> -“Histoire de la Médecine,” La Haye, 1729, p. 333.</p> - -<p class="pfn4"><span class="ln1"><a name="Footnote_3_3" id="Footnote_3_3"></a><a href="#FNanchor_3_3"><span class="label">[3]</span></a></span> -“Linnæan Transactions,” 1797, vol. iv., p. 155. “An Account of -the Jumping Mouse of Canada—<i>Dipus Canadensis</i>.”</p> - -<p class="pfn4"><span class="ln1"><a name="Footnote_4_4" id="Footnote_4_4"></a><a href="#FNanchor_4_4"><span class="label">[4]</span></a></span> -Archives gén de Med., 1827, xiv., p. 105.</p> - -<p class="pfn4"><span class="ln1"><a name="Footnote_5_5" id="Footnote_5_5"></a><a href="#FNanchor_5_5"><span class="label">[5]</span></a></span> -The case referred to, being attended with considerable doubt, is -omitted.</p> - -<p class="pfn4"><span class="ln1"><a name="Footnote_6_6" id="Footnote_6_6"></a><a href="#FNanchor_6_6"><span class="label">[6]</span></a></span> -<i>Evening News</i>, Nottingham, January 10, 1896.</p> - -<p class="pfn4"><span class="ln1"><a name="Footnote_7_7" id="Footnote_7_7"></a><a href="#FNanchor_7_7"><span class="label">[7]</span></a></span> -<i>Health</i>, May 21, 1886, edited by Dr. Andrew Wilson, pp. 120-1. -After relating other cases, Surgeon Curran continues:—“I have myself -personally seen or heard on the spot of three such cases—cases that in -other hands or in other localities might have passed as dead, were they -not buried as such accordingly.”</p> - -<p class="pfn4"><span class="ln1"><a name="Footnote_8_8" id="Footnote_8_8"></a><a href="#FNanchor_8_8"><span class="label">[8]</span></a></span> -For the antiquity of the Jewish practice of early burial, see note in -Appendix.</p> - -<p class="pfn4"><span class="ln1"><a name="Footnote_9_9" id="Footnote_9_9"></a><a href="#FNanchor_9_9"><span class="label">[9]</span></a></span> -Dr. A. B. Granville, “Sudden Death,” p. 278.</p> - -<p class="pfn4"><span class="ln1"><a name="Footnote_10_10" id="Footnote_10_10"></a><a href="#FNanchor_10_10"><span class="label">[10]</span></a></span> -Ibid., p. 278.</p> - -<p class="pfn4"><span class="ln1"><a name="Footnote_11_11" id="Footnote_11_11"></a><a href="#FNanchor_11_11"><span class="label">[11]</span></a></span> -Ibid., p. 279.</p> - -<p class="pfn4"><span class="ln1"><a name="Footnote_12_12" id="Footnote_12_12"></a><a href="#FNanchor_12_12"><span class="label">[12]</span></a></span> -Tidy, “Legal Medicine,” part i., pp. 279-280.</p> - -<p class="pfn4"><span class="ln1"><a name="Footnote_13_13" id="Footnote_13_13"></a><a href="#FNanchor_13_13"><span class="label">[13]</span></a></span> -In the 3rd ed., by Dr. Pye Smith, the following occurs at p. 817 of -vol. i., under “Trance”:—“These are the cases which have led to the -popular belief that death is sometimes only apparent, and that there may -be a danger of persons being buried alive; and it cannot be denied that a -patient in such a condition might easily be allowed to die by careless or -ignorant attendants, or might be buried before death.”</p> - -<p class="pfn4"><span class="ln1"><a name="Footnote_14_14" id="Footnote_14_14"></a><a href="#FNanchor_14_14"><span class="label">[14]</span></a></span> -<i>Bulletin Therap. Méd.</i>, tome xxvii., p. 371.</p> - -<p class="pfn4"><span class="ln1"><a name="Footnote_15_15" id="Footnote_15_15"></a><a href="#FNanchor_15_15"><span class="label">[15]</span></a></span> -“Premature Burial: An Examination into the Occult Causes of -Apparent Death, Trance, and Catalepsy.” By Franz Hartmann, M.D. -Second Edition. London: Swan Sonnenschein & Co. (One Shilling).</p> - -<p class="pfn4"><span class="ln1"><a name="Footnote_16_16" id="Footnote_16_16"></a><a href="#FNanchor_16_16"><span class="label">[16]</span></a></span> -“Pour se convaincre de l’erreur où l’on tomberait en adoptant cette -opinion populaire, il suffit de refléchir d’abord qu’un cercueil n’est pas -exactement moulé sur les proportions du corps qu’il contient; que, par -consequent, tous les intervalles sont remplis d’air respirable, en quantité -très-grande, égale à-peu-près à un cube dont le côté aurait 50 centimètres de -hauteur. Or, chaque inspiration absorbe environ 1,200 centimètres cubes -d’air dont l’oxygène n’est employé dans l’hématose que pour sa cinquième -partie, le reste étant rendu pendant l’expiration; il en resulte donc que -chaque inspiration ne consomme en réalité que 240 centimètres cubes. -L’homme, à l’état normal, respire à-peu-près 800 fois par heure; et, comme -un cube de 50 centimètres de côté contient 125,000 centimètres cubes, -on doit conclure que cette quantité d’air peut suffire à 520 inspirations -normales, c’est à dire à soutenir la vie pendant près de trois quarts d’heure. -Mais, d’un autre côté, il est démontré, en botanique, que l’air filtre dans la -terre; celui contenu dans le cercueil peut donc en partie se renouveler. -On doit nécessairement tenir compte de la nature du terrain où le cercueil -à été déposé; s’il est sec, léger ou sablonneux, il laissera pénétrer, circuler -pour, ainsi dire, l’air atmosphérique plus facilement, que des terres humides, -grasses ou argileuses. Ajoutons enfin, que les quantités determinées plus -haut pourraient être réduites de plus de moitié, sans causer directement la -mort. On voit donc qu’un homme peut vivre sous terre pendant plusieurs -heures, et que ce temps sera d’autant plus court que le sujet sera plus -pléthorique, c’est-à-dire predisposé aux congestions cérébrales, puisque, -dans ce cas, ses inspirations seront plus larges et plus frequentes.”</p> - -<p class="pfn4"><span class="ln1"><a name="Footnote_17_17" id="Footnote_17_17"></a><a href="#FNanchor_17_17"><span class="label">[17]</span></a></span> -Report on “Suspended Animation.” By a Committee of the Royal -Med. Chirur. Society, July 12, 1862.</p> - -<p class="pfn4"><span class="ln1"><a name="Footnote_18_18" id="Footnote_18_18"></a><a href="#FNanchor_18_18"><span class="label">[18]</span></a></span> -The <i>British Medical Journal</i>, August 15, 1894, p. 381, reports a -“Discussion on the Overcrowding of the Profession,” in which Dr. -Frederick H. Alderson says:—“The very crowded condition of the -medical profession concerns a very large body of the profession; neither is -the evil limited to any particular section of it. Our physicians are too -numerous, our surgeons alike too many, and our general practitioners are -legion.”</p> - -<p class="pfn4"><span class="ln1"><a name="Footnote_19_19" id="Footnote_19_19"></a><a href="#FNanchor_19_19"><span class="label">[19]</span></a></span> -Quoted by Dr. Franz Hartmann in “Premature Burial.”</p> - -<p class="pfn4"><span class="ln1"><a name="Footnote_20_20" id="Footnote_20_20"></a><a href="#FNanchor_20_20"><span class="label">[20]</span></a></span> -Alas for the futility of human expectations of reform when left to the -initiation of Governments—this was written twenty-seven years ago, and -nothing has been done to remedy the evil!</p> - -<p class="pfn4"><span class="ln1"><a name="Footnote_21_21" id="Footnote_21_21"></a><a href="#FNanchor_21_21"><span class="label">[21]</span></a></span> -During the five years ending 1895 the population of France, where of all European -countries premature burial is most in vogue, has increased by only 133,819, or, leaving out -the immigration of alien population, the increase is under 30,000. The population for -all practical purposes may be regarded as stationary.</p> - -<p class="pfn4"><span class="ln1"><a name="Footnote_22_22" id="Footnote_22_22"></a><a href="#FNanchor_22_22"><span class="label">[22]</span></a></span> -With reference to the burial customs in Ireland, the <i>Kings County Chronicle</i>, -Parsonstown, September 17, 1896, says:—“Young children are buried the day after -death, but adults are waked for two, and sometimes three nights.”</p></div></div> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<div class="transnote p4"> -<h2 class="pc large">TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE:</h2> -<p class="ptn">—Obvious print and punctuation errors were corrected.</p> -</div></div> - -</div> - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Premature Burial and How it may be -Prevented, by William Tebb and Col. 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