The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1874-06-25
"Winding Up a Corpse"

A New orleans paper lellS d ualu o'oly ~
connection with the remarkable resuscitatior
of life in child's dead body, which any Of
our readers are at perfect liberty to believe, il
they so desire:
Hearing in the course of our reportorial
rounds that severe accident and death by
falling had occurred at 164 Adele street, We
hurried to the place to inform ourselves OF the
circumstances. A policeman told US that
Young child had fallen from the upper gallery
and killed itself Seeing white Grape floating
on the door, we were naturally unwilling to
disturb the afflicted inmates; but con9u1erlng
such unprofesssional impulses, rang and were
ushered in by negro girl, who Informed us
that the child was not dead. The door was
about being shut in our face, when the tails
manic words, GA reporter" gained US admis-
sion.
A Young man who introduced himself as
DR.. George Ewing, graduate of the Pennsyl:.
vania University, invited us in, and requested
that we should witness an experiment which,
with the permission of the aunt of the child,
he had performed on the body. The child had
fallen forty feet, producing conclusion OF the
brain, and, as several physicians certified,
death. After several experiments, such as the
feather, looking-glass, &C., to assure themselves
that the child had really departed this life, and
when the body was already beginning to lose
its freshness of complexion and become OF that
pale transpa rent hue that the corpse assumes
Just before it grows stiff, DIR. Ewing had tried
an experiment to recuperate the corpse and set
the various vital organs again to work.
The doctor proceeded to explain the expert
ment practically, and let US into the room
where the body was lying, entirely naked,
upon the table. Several young men were seat
ed around. A strong Leyden battery was con-
nected with the body just above the ribs, and
pipe supplied by common pair OF bellows,
inserted in the boys mouth. These were all
the instruments we saw there. The corpse had
all the freshness and warmth of life. The bat
terry had evidently strong effect on the mus
cles of the body; it writhed and twisted, jerk
ing its arms around in wild manner The
lungs, too, filled by the bellows, seemed to be
performing all their natural functions: 1t was
plain, then, that there was no life in the lungs,
the muscles and the heart, and life there is all
that is necessary to keep the body warm, the
blood circulating, and the flesh preserved
The heart, indeed, seemed to work with unusu-
al vigor, pumping out the venous blood with
such force as to cause the whole body TO rise
and fall with each throb.
This, DR.. Ewing explained, was caused by
the battery, which, being so attached as to con,
meet Immediately with the diaphragm, caused
this tremulous movement of the muscles and
the consequent contraction and relaxation of
the muscles and the consequent contraction and
relaxation of the heart, which forces the blood
to circulate.
A pin inserted in the skin seemed to cause
pain; the child moved uneasily, and clumsi!y
stretched out its arms as if to remove the ob-
iect that caused the pain. it was impossible
to say whether this movement was magnetic or
caused by some instinct of life.
A stronger charge of electricity caused the
corpse to sit up on the table, and the pain was
evidently so intense that the body broke out
into loud groans and even indstnct murmur,
inss and words Its eyes were wide open, ana
evidently capable Of seeing, for on motlonlng
toward them they would wink or shut.
But with all the doctors experiments he
could get no sign that the soul or mind was
awake. So regular had become the action OF
the lungs and heart that the experiment was
tried of removing the instruments, the battery
and the bellows that gave them life and force
Apparently the blood was circulating naturally
and the lungs and heart continued their regu-
lar workings without any extraneous assist
ance
After we had convinced oursclf that the
corpse or automaton (by whatever name it was
to be ca!,ed) was possessed of all the semblance
and powers of vitality and life, the doctor pro-
cceded to explain to us the diagnosis of the
case and the mode Of his experiment, but, after
the manner of physicians, in such technical
and scientific language that we could barely
follow the drift of what he was saying.
'You medical Gentiles are perfectly ignor-
ant" said he, "of yourselves; utterly oblivious
of Popes doctrine:
"'The proper study Of mankind is man.
'I don't really believe that any of you know
as much as Mother Goose's doctor, who as
cribed death to want of BREATH Death is but
q total stoppage of the circulation of the blood,
caused by the refusal of the two ortal organs
the lungs and the heart-to perform their
duties. If these organs refuse to work, on
account of disease, there is no cure; but if
thew are stopped from the work by any shock
If for instance, as in this case, these organs
are paralyzed, then death can be put Oft, by
causing them artficially to perform the:s prop
er duties.
Seeing we were lost in these surgical fields,
the doctor stopped.
ut is Just like clock. Smash the ma
chinery, your clock will never go again. But
if you simply shock it, so as to stop IT, then all
it needs is a little winding up. What am
doing now is winding up that corpse"
Thanking the doctor for good deal more
information than he gave us on the subject of
vitality, we left the house. The next day,
Tuesday, on calling, we found the artificial life
still going on, and the body still preserving
every appearance of health, with rosy rosy cheeks
warm body, slow, easy breathing, and regular
movement of the pulse.
On Thursday morning DR.. Ewing came to
the office to represent that the case had alto.
gether failed by most unlucky accident. All
the dS, young men who had assisted il in the ex.
pertinent had become so fatgue,d land and tired that
it oa ocfed tnf% Amy my Tps to teeu hou
watch watt over the corpse. About 2 o'clock on
Wednesday @ night the watcher became 50 ut;
terly exhausted that he gave way and fell
asleep. The corpse was then in splendid action,
freely breathing, and we'll warmed.