, 1873-06-22

| asAh mube!I I11 Gu66tiof1Y WIlGt.4NE II "oulQ ne
be possible, when q, rat provided with such ii
| appendaga draws near the close OF luis existence
to remove the appendage from him, and trans
| plant It to q young animal, which in hls tur
| would be deprived Of the ornament in. the sam
| way in his old age in favor Of some specimen 0
. new generation, md so on in succession. Thi
| tail, tranBplanted in regular course to youn
| animals aud imbibipg at each trRnsference bloc
full OF vitality, perpetually renewed, yet eve
| remaining the Same, would thus escape death
see, WAS yet undertaken by II. Bert, but circu1n
stances did not allow it to be prolonged for m
| considerable time, and the fact Of the perpe
| tuity Of an organ, periodically rejuvenated, re
mains to be demonstrated.
Roal death, then, is characterized by the posi-
t1vec easing Of vital properties and functions boil
in the organic or vegetable life, and in the nnima
! life, properly 80 termed. When animal life dis
! appears without any interruption occurring il
organ life, the system is in state of seeming
death. In this state the body is possessed b!
profound sloep quite similar to that OF hibernat
| ing animals al the usual expressions aud al
signs Of internal activity have disappeared, ane
give place to inVincible torpor. The most pow
erfnl chemical stimulants exert no control ove,
! the organs the walls Of the chest are motion
appearance it il impossible not to think Of it az
dead. There are quite numerous states Of the or
ganlBm which may thus initiate death more OF
loss CLOSELY: the commopest ono is that of faint.
Ing. In this case neither aensation nor move
percept;bla. tha warmth ia lowared the akin
pallid and colorless. Instances OF hysteria are
cited in which the attack has been prolonged for
Beyeral days, attended with fainting. In this
remain snsnendad vat thev nre MT IA it va
ionn amnnnasd .nsncndad ahaonta1v IT
Roncbesl h.s n3rorad th.t IN tha oravast c.aas
IT fsnt;nc ~ nn1satons ~ H. has ~ cnn+;nna
weaker and rareT' and herdeT to he hard than
tha ear "a Iaia nnon tha 1rscnrdfs1 Tcoion m
the other hand. ia nnscfna ratain the7r sunnle-
ness and the limbs their pliabiity.
Asphyxin. which ia properly SUSPENSION Of
breathing, and consequently Of tho blood's To-
fsintiuu condition followed by seeming death.
from WRioh tha snfreraT recorerz liter nariod
of yary1ne lenrth' This state NAV be induced
either bv drowning or by inhnling Gas unit for
respiration, such a. carbonio acId il deep walls,
minas. or hv snfrocation. IL 1850 q woman
n.mad A., Graen wrs hanged at Oxford. ghn
ind hean hanging for naIf an hour. and several
neonlo to ahortsn her suffering. had pulled her
e. ho faot r,;t, all their efranr+h Aftor sha
vas ,1i,nsd IN her coffin it was observed that ehe
rtui breathed. The executioner's assistants It,
tomnted to and har exigtanca, bnt. thanks to the
help Of iphysicians, she came back to lite, and
continued to live some time afterward. Drown
inv occasions An eouallv deep inaensibilitv dur
ing which. yery sincularly. the psychcal faculties
retain some degree Of .ctiyity. Sailors. after
timely reanscitation from drowning. daclaro
that, while under water, they had returned in
thought to ther families, and sadIy fanciod the
orief about to be caused by their death. After
few minutea Of phyBicaI rest thew nufYerod rio-
1ent collie Of Tho heart. which seemed to twist
itself about in tncir chests; aftetward this
anen,sh wss Followed by utter annihilation of
%.------
dnteTnine how lonc annarent death mar he nro-
tracted in an organism under water. It varies
greatly with temperaments.
In the islands Of the Greek Archipelago. where
the business Of gathering sponges from the bot
tom Of the sea ID pursued, children are not al
grown accustomed to remain = certain tine IN
der water, old divers Of the archipelago say
that the time to return and take breath 1t the
surface is indicated to them by painful
conyulsions Of the limbs, and very &C.
we're contractions in the region Of the
heart. This power Of enduring asphy1ia for
some time, and resisting by force Of will tho
NOV ements OF respiration, has been remarked
under other circumstances. The case of Hin
doc is mentioned, who used to creep into the
Ganges, by the ladies Of Calcutta, seizo one Of
them by tie Legs. drown her, and rob her OF her
rings. It was supposed that crocodile carried
her of. Ono Of Lis intended victims succeeding
II escaping, the eG6aasln WAS 6GlZcQ aud exc
cutcd in 18l7. he confessed that he had prac-
tised the horrible business for soren years.
Anothar instance is that Of spy, who, seeing
making for his execution, endeay-
orcd to escape it b. feigning death. He held his
breath, and suspended all voluntary motions for
Twelve hours, and endured all the tests applied
70 him to put the reality Of his death beyond |
doubt. Anmsthetics, too, Like chloroform and !
ether, sometimes produce stronger effects than !
the surgeons using them desire, aud occasion q
state OF seeming death instead OF temporary !
nsensibilty.
1t is easy to recall persons to life who ara in q
state OF seeming death it is only neodful to !
stimulate powerfully the two mechanical systems
hat a1o more or loss completely suspended IN
lotion, namely those Of respiration and circula-
ion. Such movements are communicated to tho
rano Of the chest, that tho lungs are alternately
and dilated. sort OF shampooiug
8 applied over the whole body, which restores
he capillary circulation; chemical stinoulants,
Iuch as ammonia or acetic acid, are brought
1nder the patients nostrils. This is the mode
II treatment for drowned persons, whose con-
lition is brought on by ceasing to breathe the
!ir not 5y taking in too much water, A yery