The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1878-06-28
Death 6y Hanging Painless.

10y hanging is painless, and there is posi-
lively no fact or well-founded opinion to
the contrary. Ii this is the case, then,
what is the explanation of il? Simply this
That IN every form of strangulation the
blOod-vessels of the neck are compressed.
as well the air-passages. A large part
OF the blood is returned from the head
oy the external jugular veins, which are
very near the surface, and in which the
cur'eni can be checked by slight pressure
Most of the blood from the brain itself
comes back through the internal iugulars,
which lie neai, but a little outside of, the
Carotid arteries. The walls of veins are
lax and yielding, so as to be easily com
pressed, while those of the arteries are firm
and elastic, and it requires considerable
force to approximate them. Pressure,
then, which is sufficient 10 close the iugu-
lar veins only crowds the carotidS a liStle
farther inward, and the blood is still pour
ed through them into the brain, whence it
cannot escape. When this pumping pro-
cess Is going on at the rate Of seventy
strokes minute, it is easy to understand
how the engagement of the vessels of the
brain, in very brief time, reaches a de-
gree which causes insensibility. To ex-
plain why this congestion causes uncon-
seriousness would involve n technical dis
cussion, which would here be out of place
|. must suffice to say that it does so that,
as the cerebral congestion in a hanged per-
son brings on inseusibility within a min
ute, while the physical agony of suf1oca-
zion does not begin until later, it follows
thai the victim does not feel any of the
Tangs of asphyxia. He first becomes in
sensible, with accompanying pleasure BILE
feelings. from cerebral congestion, and
then Is choked to death while unconscious.
HANGING FOR AMUSEMENT.
Two remarkable examples are on record
of persons who allowed themselves to be
hung for the entertainment of an audience.
An account of one of them is given in the
Lancet of April Il, 1S47. The man S real
name was John Harnshaw, but he perform
ed throughout England under the high
sounding professional title of Monsieur
Gou1e. lie was an athlete, and among
other feats it was customary with him to ex-
hlbit the process Of hanging. In this perfoT.
nance he relied for security on the strength
Of the muscles of the neck and throat
He had a rope with a fixed knot which
could not slip, and passed both ends of the
loop up behind one ear. The whole ac
was so adToitly managed that he prevented
any pressure of the rope on the Windpipe
or the jugular veins and could even sus
tain a weight of one hundIed and fifty
pounds in addition to that of his own body
On three separate occasions HaTnshav
sciouS, being luckily rescued each time
DR. Chowne, who writes the account, says
very truly; at cannot be doubted that a.
far as sensation and consciousness are con.
Cerned, Harnshaw passed through the
whole ordeal of dying and, had he beef
| permitted 20 remain hanging until actually
! dead, be would have passed out of exist
! ence without further consciousness
Now, this man stated. not with particu
{ n @ lnf n
! common TO all, that "he could hardly recol
/ leCt anything that happened to him in tht
rope = that ''he lost his senses all at once
/ the instant the rope got in the wrong place
| he felt as if he could not get his breath
/ as if some great weight were at his feet
could not move only to draw himself up
felt as if he wan.ed 20 loosen himself, bu
never thought of his hands," And he al
! ded "You cannot move your arms o
/ legs to save yourself; you cannot rails
your arms +; you cannot think" He di
not see sparks or light, but had in his ear
rattling sound.
UNINTENTIONAL SUICIDE.
Drowning and hanging, then, are pain
less modes Of dying, because the asphyxi
which causes death is complicated by 9th
1 or circumstances which render the dyiu
man 50 soon unconscious that the paugs Z
/ sufIocaiinn are unfelt. And the iusens
, bility which results from hanging is 50 il
sidiOus and painless in its approach, tina
/ experiments on the subject are very dan
! gerous for any one to make alone. l.
probable thai many persons who are SUI
! posed TO have committed suicide in toi
way, had really no intention of bringin
! about their own death. Some have bee
led, like the two gentlemen mentioned
| Morgagni, to thy the experiment out {
curiosity. Others may have done it out {
| pique. 1t is not impossible, nor peIhaI
Improbable, that high spirited boys OF gi.l,
after degrading punishment, should rus
of, as we read of their do ng, and han
themselves. The child puts cord aroun
his neck, ano steps off from chair, e1
pecting to be followed, found choking, an
released, 10y the anxious parents. If lie
not followed and his absence not noticed
Iotbiug can be easier for him than to sc
up on the chair again, loosen the rope, an
no one will ever know Of his folly. In th
first case he would obtain his childish II
venge for the wrong be had received, an
in the second case he would lose nothing
for he is his only accomplce. But the Ian
of nature are too stern. lgnOl ant OF hi
danger, and intending only prank 4
childish folly, he steps from his chair int
eternity, Such a possibility should max
us Chart able, and in cases Of suicide b
hanging lead us TO remember that, althoug
the case may be evidently one Of suicide
aud the hanging plainly Intentional, never
tbeleSs the death may have been undesiI e
and unlocked for.-Dr. Il. S. T'TGcH, 1
Popular Science Monthly for July.