The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1870-03-05
THE GUgLg.OTHNE.
Does Sensation Remain After
Deca,itasiOn?

To THE EDITOR OF THE LONDON
TELEGRApH .--Having had ftty-fve
years Of medical experience, and having
during that long period witnessed the
agony of death u-.der great variety of
circumstances, teelnatur,lly very much
interested in the instructive discussions
on the subject of'Sensation after decapi-
tation" which have appeared in your
columns. In conversation which l
held forty years ago with the late Sir
Ashley Cooper on this subject. that great
surgeon related TO me hat while stu.
dent in Paris during "The Reign Of Ter
ror" he had witnessed the execution of
:. young woman. Immediately the head
fell it was seized by tue hair by the exc
cutioner, who held it up and exclaime j..
Behold the head Of malignant!!' and
at this moment Sir Ashley said he dis
tinctly perceived blush difused over he
entire face Of the victim. He felt COT.
vinced that there was momentary con-
sciousness, but only for moment. for
the next instant the ashy palor of death
succeeded. / agreed with him in opiu-
ion; for the in elise excitement of feeling
produced by the incumbent expects alton
ct death would gorge the brain with
blood, and an exceptional nervous ten
sion of the grey substance would be in
duced sufficient to maintain thought tor
few seconds, but no longer for with
ont the stimulus of blood the condition OF
the brain is that of discharged Leyden
nhial, detached from the electric conduc.
tor.
About the period of this conversation
with Sir Ast'ey | performed humber
of experiments with view to facilitate
the slaughter Of animals for food. "A
quart of air injected by means Of blow
pipe into the heart of calf instantly
stopped the circulation of the blood, and
he ari nal fell to the ground srnseless as
if shot in the heart or brain The butch
er was convinced of the superior efficacy
and humanity of this kind of death, but
objected to the thereby diminished white.
ness of the veal. Without constant
supply of the vital fluid the brain ta'nts
and is unconscious. Even before the
celebrated physiological investigations
on the functions of the nervous system
conducted by Sir Charles Bell, Magen
die, Marshall Hall, Brown Seqaard, and
others, surgical pathology supplied nu
merons facts to show that pressure on the
spinal cord above the origin Of the phre
mic nerve paralyzsd the diaphragm ar
rested respiration. and, consequently
circulation, and caused sudden and per
feet death. While in Spain, fifty yea''
ago, have frequently seen the torment
I'd bull, in full career, instantly killed bJ
the matador, who penetrated with th'
point Of his sword the spinal marrow be
tween the first vertebra and he occiput
and the raging animal instantly turnet
over on his back senseless. Reasoning
from these facts come to the same con
clusion as those of your correspondent
who consider the gaillotihe as an eligible
mode Of inficting the penalty of death
and that all the speculations as to subse
queut torture arise from morbid desir
to pander to an absurd seusat,onalism.
am, sir, with much esteem, your obedien
servant, . D. o. E.
Nice, Alpcs Maritines Jan. rs, ls7(