The weekly mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado County, Calif.) 1861-1862, 1862-01-11
Buried Alive.

pressions produced by churchyard ghost
stories, which they heard in childhood,
90 there are others, who, from equally
false sources, have All unreasonable terror
Of being buried alive. A cruel Roman
superstition consigned to that dreadful
fate the VeStal Virgins" who proved
faithless to their VOWS Shut up in vaults,
with q scanty stock of food and drink,
they we're left to perish miScrably. Such
accidents are supposed to be occasiOned
BY q trance being mistaken for death.-
The most remarkable instances Of the
body remaining inanimate for long time,
and then returning to life, are those told
Of the Hindoo Fakirs, which appear suffi-
GENTLY well authenticated. Carpenter,
the Psychologist, says, that it is quite GER
tain that an apparent cessation of all the
vital functions may take place without
that entire loss of vitality which would
leave the organism in the condition of
dead body, liable to be speedily diSintc-
grated by the operation of latent chcmi-
cal and physical agencies. The state
Of syncope is sometimes so complete,
that the hearts action cannot be perceiv-
ed. nor any respiratory movements be
observed, all consciousness and power of
motion being at the same time abolished;
and yet recovery has spontaneously taken
place, which could scarcely be the case it.
all vital action had been suspended. 1t
is not little remarkable that certain in
dividuals have possessed the power of
voluntarily inducing this condition. We
will cite u single case. The trial was
made under the direct superintendent of
q British officer. A Hindoo dcvotee was
buried for three days in a grave lined
with masonry and covered with large
slabs Of stone, and strictly guarded. The
appearance of the body when disintcrred
was quite corpse-like, and no pulSation
could be detected in the heart or arteries.
The means of restoration were warmth
and friction, and the fanatic soon recov.
cred perfectly. Other cases are narrated
Of ten days aud even six weeks duration.
The form of apparent death designated
trance, or catAlepsy, is one in which there
is reduction Of all the organic functions
to IN extremely low ebb. While con-
sciOusness is preserved, the power of vol
untAry movement is suspended. Some
OpRCOto W OO LUIOWH upOu LUcSc
states by the phenomena of somnambu-
lism and mesmerism, which may involve
the secret Of the performances of the In
dian FakirS, just referred to. 1t is well
known that the alternating animals re-
main for months in a state of profound
TepOse, without other food than that for
niShed by the gradual absorption Of the
fat Of their own bodies And the warmth
Of the atmosphere in India would prevent
that serious loss of animal heat which
must sOOn occur in cooler climate, when
the processes by which it is generated
are brought to a stand.
The peculiar feature of the cemetery at
Munich is the dead-roOm. BY munich
pal regulation, all corpses are obliged to
be removed from that city within twelve
hours after death. To avoid the chance
Of accident, they are kept for several DAYS
in the dead.room before being interred.-
The bodies, in full dress, recline upon ta-
bleS, and to their fingers is attached a
bell-eord, which would sound an alarm
ct the slightest trembling of finger indi.
eating return to life. Notwithstanding
these precautions in that populous city,
the first instance of resuscitatiOn has not
occurred in many years.-NOrM Ameri-
can Rsoies0.