, 1874-01-11

TnoEet, and as promptly p-oDoun.e1 tas boy
dead. Being taken home, it "as soneb?3y.s
happy though. that an ELECTRIC tetteEy eEoHld he
applied to him This MAS done, and st the fourth
shock signs of life appeared, and ultimately tls
Child recovered. 1n the -4nnnGl Register 1c-
1909, the case il mentioned OF 8 voi1an :amed
Prosser. She had long been seriously III, and
Was lately supposed By the persons iu atteat.-
ance to have died. Tae body was laid uus oy .
woman usually employed in such operations,
Who, on returning to the house about six tc'.:a
afterward, observed, that the position Of sEe
hands had been altered. and concluded that ris~
ltorH had been in tho iooul- But Oh going tc
close the mouth, she was SO awcstruck by the
supposed corpse exclaiM1ng, '' Do not close nv
mouth, for am not quito dead, that aho fell
into ! ut. The sick person subsequently recov-
ered 50 as to be able to sit up in her roon, anc
to tell how ssle heard all the conversation which
passed relative to her funeral but from extreme
weakness had not tho power OF speech ar mo-
tiou.
On the 18th February. some twenty-five years
ago, letter was read ut the Acauomy CT Sci
University Of Rome, in which he proposed to
give funds for special prize OF LEGO francs rs
reward for paper on apparent death and the
means Of rcmearius it, The Academy accepted
the offer, and proposed for the suhjec: Of prize
tho following questions: First, W1at are the
distinctive characteristics OF apparent death ?
Second, What are the means of preventing pre-
mature burial? They failed, however. to get
ESSAYS which they deemed worthy Of tho pzize
until 1sl6. 1t length i successful essa; vas
produced By II. Douchut: and the fact Of ail
others to which he directed attention was tha.
the criterion in all cases between real and ap-
parent death waa that in the latter case the heart
never ceased to beat. Even i'll the most pro-
movement. A. Douchut AYERS ihas pull
sation does not Cease In support OF this
opinion he cited the caae OF man
WHO, w reason Of q wound OF the radial artery.
experienced III 9 sho.t time many fEishtfnl flint
ing fits Utterly insensible, anu apparently i,,-
capable OF being affecied BY E:,mu:ants, he lay
Geld and white as marble. His pulse failed,
and to the hand the beating OF his heart WAS I'M
pezceptiblc, but to tho eag it was audinie Al
long intervals. u. Eouchut ioand the sa,ro in
other cases; there was the beating Of the heart
more or less weak, sometimes reduced to twenty
or oven fifteen beats III the n3inute. But in
every case Of syncopo produced by excessive
heElorrhago then beatings vi the heart could bo
easily head, and promised to be the main
ground Of difference between apparent and reat
death. OF course the probability OF g. dreadful
incident of this kind occurring ia far lcss in
country such as England, where the dead are
scarcely ever buried in less than il;e days after
death, than here. 1t is in countries
where speedy burial is demanded tia. tho
utmost Vi GLANCE Is requisite. It Was ON this
account that doctors, although they usually diff
Ter. seem agreed thai the horrible pa1}GB Of 4uf-
ferins must be brought TO an end br auIocation
within . very brief period. and tie con1oruons
which are eaid to have bean observed Ia the
case Of certain corpses were, il tho result OF
burial alive, The work Of very fex moments.
Opening the jucu!ar vein seems rather toe
severe q test, because. II tho patient really be
not dead, it would probably very soon make him
SO. Whether from apprehension, or as uat:cs
OF sentiment. the hrst Marquis OF Hastings, tue
well-known Governor Gaue:al Of India, orxlere.,
his right hand TO be cut oil and preserved. to be
placed III his wife's cofs:u a. her intcrnent. But
q right hand is too much OF Z good thing to TIE
tho risk Of losing. Most OF us, however, would
sooner jeopardze our little iuger than be buried
alive. and weinagno that our physical Lehayio1
sitter parting with that member would afford
pretty good proof Of our condition What test
Lord Iytton underwent wo have not heard.