River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1879-08-28
A Murdered Mans Eyes.
DO They Retain an Impression of His MUIR



DO They Retain an Impression of His MUIR
derer?
A Star reporter found DIR. j. W. ). |
Arnold, the eminent Psychologist, 1T his
residence. No. 80 West Thirty Second
street, and obtained short conversation
with HIM on the subject of dead mems
eyes. DIR. Arnold is a sayant of high
standing 10 this city, and he has a wide
reputation US an authority on he human
eye.
Il have just returned from fishing
excursion" said he. sand am pretty
well tired out Such information as
can give you, however, you are welcome
to-
The first question propounded to the
doctor was; "Does the eye OF muir
dered man retain an impression Of his
murderer
THAT question" DIR. Arnold replied,
lis some Ahat difficult To answer. That
the eye restraints an impression after deatn
is an established fact-that is. provided
the murderer Is the last object seen, ana
the eye be closed Immediately after the
impression is produced, so as to exclude
the entrance OF any more light; then the
image, which has been form d on the re-
tina, can be made visible for consider
able time after death. Bit in death. par
ticulary when man is murdered his ewes
generally remain open, so that, with III
lapse OF time, it 10 impossible to see the
impression. There have been expert
ments made with rabbits by confirming
them in dark rooms, cutting their heads
off, and placing them quickly in the light.
and the eye has shown the impressions OF
passing objects in the street, just like .
photoglap ic plate. The suppositinn
that the eye receives an impression after
death is a very old one; but until two or
three years ago the theory was never Sue
cessfally demonstrated. About 1877
Kuhne and Brucke, German psychologists,
made experiments with very gratifying
results, under the following conditions /:
1. The impression must enter the eye
Then the eye must be screened or pre-
vented from receiving any OF err impIes
sion. .. In dark ON the eye is soak
ed III four per cent. solution OF alum.
3. The eye is dried, and the image will
| be seen on the retina.0
"What is your opiuion with regard te
Is theory, as applied to the Hull casei'
MY opinion is that it would he diff
cult TO get any clew. except under the
conditions | have Just named. And you
can see that, even so, it would be ques
tionablc one. Let us suppose at a man
is murdered in his bed, and that his
murderer has escaped. An instant later
another man enters the room to assis. the
murdeTer's victim, on whose eve, if il
Ia1p ha - i,a
mans image is made. Upon examina-
tiOn the latter is found upon the rctina
of the dead man eye, and although per
fectly innocent of the deed. if he has
been an enemy OF the murdered man he
is Immediately suspected. I question
whether this theory will ever he made
practicable for the detection of e MUIR
dercr, although in this scientific age there
is. | believe, much to be looked tor in
this direction" The doctor, at this
point in the conversation, pleaded an en-
ga0Cment, and was released.
i he ieporter's next visit as 10 an emf
nent oculist residing in fashionable nv
enuc in the central part Of the city, and
who did net wish ms name TO appear in
this article.
"Will you kindly give me your views
about the impression left upon the retina
Of the cye?n asked the writer OF this gen
tleman.
with respect to a Photographic pic
ture being received upon the retina which
could be develored after death, will
tell you that no such picture has ever
been developed from the human retina
and the experiments made IN Germany
and elsewhere in regard to tins theory.
with the ewes of rabbits, show nothing
conclusive a. to G ability OF science Ia
produce Photographic picture, but only
that at the bottom of the eve and in Ger
tain portions of the retina a oolored pig
ment exists which is affected bv the ac-
ton Of light; and, moreover, that this
coloring matter does not exist at the
point OF the human retina by which the
most exact vision is performed. That
this coloring matter has something to
do with function OF vision cannot
be doubted, although what this is
is now entirely unknown. 1t is true
that by exposing q rabbits eye, in
a fixed position, opposite a window, for
considerable length o time, the gen
eral outline Of the divisions OF the win
dow can be developed after death. This,
however, meIely shows the interruptions
ot liz and shade, ami the effect pro
duced upon the colnring matter Of rau
bits eye. and is not applicable in any
way to the human eve; nor does il sho
at all that vision is series Of physica
photographs which can be reproduced
after death On the contrary, the
latest developments Of science 90 to show
precisely the reverse of this"
DR.. Bull, why resides in East Twenty
third street, characterized tho theory as
humbug, SO far as any good it would do
in the way Of the detection Of murderer j.,
saying thata murderer would have to
stand for three minutes opposite the eye
Of his victim before the impression couid
register itself, and then the IMPRESSION
if seen at all, would be very imperfect.
The reporter visited many other men o
authority on this subject, and found that
while there existed great diversity Of
opinion among them, the prevailing inn
preston among them was that the theory
as applied to the human eye is valuelees
as an aid IN the detection Of murder
Neao York lStnP