The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1878-07-03

It fact. as strange as it is sad, that
so MANY persons are buried before they
are thronghIy dead. The reason is per
haps that much ignorance still prevails
in regard to what is real death. Even
physicians, who should know better,
have frequently been mistaken IN pro-
nouncing a person dying or dead when
it was only fainting hit of long dura-
ton. with cessation of circulation and
respiration. The signs of death com
monty believed in are to place mirror
on the face of the person and observe II
any moisture is condensed on that por-
ton of the class over the mouth, or to
tie string tightly around finger and
notice if it swells up. The moisture on
the mirror and the swelling up OF the
finger are, to be sure, certain signs that
death has not taken place, while they
are the result of continued-however
weak-resnration and circulation; but
the failure to observe any such results is
by no means guarantee that the per-
son is dead, because there are numerous
cases of a trance state IN which respI-
ration and circulation had totally stopped,
and after many hours, and even days,
were restored. A person in such con-
dition gives no signs of life Whatsoever
no ausculation can detect the slightest
trace of the beating Of the heart; 1t Is
only suspension of these functions OF
life, which certainly are also the first
symptoms of the beginning of death, but
| do not constitute death itself, which takes
place sometimes afterward. If, now,
this real death does not follow, and the
| e. q
ton, from some unknown causes,
are restored to the individual, he
soon regains his consciousness; and
| if, in the meantime, the relatives
| ignorant of the above facts, had too
much confidence in the physician,
who declared the patient dead, and lis
tened to the advice of the undertakers,
who are always anxious TO finish up their
| Jobs, so as not to be cheated out Of them,
the poor patient has buried alive, and been
his feelings, on awakening in the narrow
coffin, buried in the earth beyond help,
are most horrible thing to contemplate.
Real death does not commence before
the lingering vitality has been so far ex-
tinguished that the ordinary chemical
processes and reactions between the diff
erent parts constituting the body takes
place without hinderarce.
If we have a soul or spirit which can
exist Independent of the body, this spirit
cannot become free from its entangle-
ments IN the material body before this
body begins to decompose and loses its
vital functions entirely; before that time
unconscousness prevails. Behold, there
fore, that the death begins with uncon-
seriousness, and that there is an after life
of the spirit, the real death or departure
of this spirit only takes place when de-
composition of the body begins, which
alone constitutes real death Of the body,
while the soul is gradually set free, or
evolved from the decaying body.
The sure sign of this decomposition is
not the odor, as many sick persons emit
bad signs of decomposition, which are a
greenish discoloration, first appearing on
the abdomen or in the region of the
stomach. This sign is absolutely GER
tain, and if we had the power, we would
have a law enacted forbidding the burial
Except in cases of prevailing dangerous
epidemics) of any individual in which
this sign had not appeared.-Manufac-
turer and Builder.