The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1866-04-26

lightning, the motion of all bodies on I'll
!. earth's surface would, as Dove has r,
! marked, appear suspended A cannon
e ball, for example, would have its figt
apparently arrested, and seem to han
e motionless in space as long as the lumin
GUS impression which revealed the baI
remained upon the eye
!, Ii, then, a rihe-bulle move with sufi
cient rapidity to destroy life without tn
lnterposltion of sensation, much more is
flash oflightning competent to produc,
this effect. Accordingly, we have we'll
authenticated cases of people being struck
senseless by lightning, who, on recovery
had no memory of pain. The following
circumstantial case is described by Hem.
mer. On the 3Oth of June, 1873, a soldier
in the neighborhood of Mannheim, being
overtaken by rain, placed himself under a
tree, beneath which woman had pre-
viously taken shelter He looked upward
to see whether the branches were thick
enough to afford the required protection,
and just then was struck by lightning,
and fell senseless to the earth. The wo-
man at his side experienced the shock in
her feet, but was not struck down. Some
hours afterward the man revived, bat
knew nothing about what had occurred,
save the fact of his looking up at the
branches. This was his last act of con-
sciousness, and he passed from the con-
sclous to the unconscious condition with
out pain. The visible marks of light
ming stroke are usually insignificant the
hair is sometimes burnt slight wounds
are observed, while, in some instances, a
red streak marks the track Of the dis
charge over the skin.
The effects of shock of artificial light
ming on gentleman of our acquaintance,
who IS very sensitive to the electric dis
charge, may be here described. Under
ordinary circumstances, the discharge
from small Leyden jar is exceedingly
unplaseant to him. Some time ago he
happened to stand in the presence of
numerous audience, with battery of ff-
teen large Leyden jurs charged beside
him. Through some awkwardness on his
part, he touched wire which should not
be touched, and the discharge of the bat
terry went through his body. Here life
was absolutely blotted out for a very sem
sible interval, without trace of pain
In second or two consciousness return
ed the recipient of the shock saw him
self IN the presence of his audience and
and, by the help of these ex-
ternal facts, Immediately concluded that
he had received the battery discharge
His intellectual consciousness of his
position was restored with exceeding ra-
pidity, but not so his optical conscious
ness. To prevent the audience from be-
ing alarmed, he observed that it had often
been his desire to receive accidentally
4 shock, and that his wish had at length
been fulfilled. But while making this re-
mark, the appearance which his body pre-
5ented to him was that of a number of
separate pieces The arms, for example,
we're detached from the trunk, and seem
ed suspended in the air. In fact, memo
ry, and the power of reasoning, appeared
to be complete long before the optic nerve
was restored to healthy action. But what
We wish chiefly to dwell upon here is the
absolute painlessness of the shock and
here cannot be doubt that in the case
If person struck dead by lightning, the
passage from life to death occurs without
consciousness being in the least degree
implicated. 1t is an abrupt stoppage of
sensation, unaccompanied by pang.