The New York herald., 1879-03-09
BURYING The LIVING.
Measures Proposed BY the Medico-Lssal Society
to Prevent Premature Intament
SCIENTIFIC TESTS OP DEATH NEEDED.
Dangers of the Existing Want of
Supervision Exposed.

subject Of more than ordinary interest Is now
under consideration by committee OF the Medico-
Legal Society and is deemed probable that the
suit OF the research and report Of the committee will
be the passage of law providing for the veriacaton
OF every case of supposed death occurring IN
New York city. The wisdom and necessity o;
such law hardly be questioned by any
one who has given the subject any careful thought
and so thoroughly is IL acknowledged by Europeans
that every principal country of Europe legal cog
nizance taken of the possibility Of syncope being
mistaken for death. And in nearly ALL if not ALL Of
the principal cities on the Continent there Is off,
Ger OF the law whose duty it is to decide in every
case Of apparent death whether il is or is not real
In England and America. however. protection is
afforded by the statutes against the possibility of
live person being buried.
DR.. Wooster Beach, who was for many years an
assistant in this city the forciby
when he says that every person who chooses to prac
tce medicine any form of "the healing art" and
who asserts himself to be physician is recognized
by the law as physician If any such person
chooses he may have his name entered on the list
of physicians kept by the Board of Health. His
certificate that John Smith is dead is thereafter
held by the Board of Health to be proof that
John Smith really is dead, and unless accident
should reveal the necessity for official inquiry
is made. The Board of Health does not require
that the physician shall certify that he has seen
the dead body, but he may If he ft, accept the
statement Of any messenger that of his patients
is dead and he may on this information issue his
certificate. John Smith is thereupon buried
NO PROTECTION BY THE STATUTES.
1t is evident on this statement that any protection
which the community has from the danger Of prema-
ture burial to which it may be exposed by the
ignorance Of quacks or by any other does not
come from the Board Of Health. nor. in any direct
way. from the statutes The facilities afforded for
the concealment Of crime are too obvious to
need reorganization. and it would be easy to
enumerate cases in which malpractice or crime has,
in all probability. been concealed by means of a
physcians certificate But far subtle and
more far reaching is the danger of premature burial
since no police regulations or vigilance, love
tender can ward off the possibility Of an error
in question in which scientists sometimes at
laws have been enacted and that hospitals, even.
have been erected in Europe and that the Medico-
Legal Society is now celebrating.
The hles of any newspaper OF to-day, IL carefully
searched, will show occasional stories Of the
moval OF collins in which the condition Of the in
mates bones dress indicates almost surely that
consciousness was recovered after burial. Many of
these stories are doubtless sensational and care
should be taken in the Office Of reputable paper
before publishing story of this kind; but that
such cases have been known is beyond the reach of
doubt The records of centuries show them and
more tnan one CITIZEN OF New YORK can remember in-
stances in his own family of such horrible occur
rences. While it is remembered that few cases of
this kind are discovered. it should also be remem-
bered that very few collins. comparatively speaking.
are opened after they buried and that there
1S therefore, no means OF knowing how many such
. STUDY suBJEcr BY PHYSICIANS
1t Is as certain as anything IN medical science that
there are Numerous cases of suspended animation
which may easily be mistaken by superficial OBJ
servers for death, and physicians say that Of
these cases are Of such nature that it is difficult for
still remains in the seemingly lifeless body. In
America the subject has not been so care
fully studied as to lead to any compla-
tion of cases, and it is consequently very
difficult to collect verify these cases OCCASION
ally. from different parts Of the country, reports
come of individuals who have been supposed to be
dead. and whose burial has been prepared for, but
the verication Of such is not always made by
professional men, and is apt disort or OK
aggerate them; so that any quotation Of them in
article like this would be unjustifable In France and
Germany, however the case is very different There.
particularly in Fance for some the attention
OF physicians has been drawn to the subject and for
long time 1t has been subject of special study.
Prizes have been offered OF considerable sums of
money for the best papers the subject and the
suit has been comparson ana classification OF cases.
together with reatises the best methods of deter
mining the real presence Of death and thus obvatng
the horrors of premature burial. As long ago
1887 prize of 800 francs offered by Professor
Monni, of the University of Rome for the essay
on suspended animation. This prize was won by NJ.
Bouchut. Among other prizes offered have been
legacy of 10000 francs left by the Marquis dOuche.
q
death that could bc applied readily by people who
not educated in medcine and legacy OF 500 francs
per annum left to the French Academy of Science
to establish prize 500 francs to be paid every ve
years for the best test of death number of French
physicians have taken these prizes and their papers,
read before the Academy. furnish perhaps the best
trcatses the subject which accessible. In Ger
many. = physician named H9feland aroused public
interest the subject to such extent that hospi-
tails for such cases were established.
CAUSES OF SUSPENDED ANIMATION
among the writer's on the subject: NJ Josat is per-
hest unhyt mats isla1u nfad IIa
collected and classified 162 cases. verifying each
carefully, and he gives the Of the seeming
and concussion of the brain Other cases
o laid down in medical works as resulting
from wounds. drunkenness. anasthesia and lightning
strokes The duration of the seeming death varies
from two to forty-two hours. In Josats classihca-
ton he declares that in thirtyfour it lasted
from two to eight hours. In hfty-eight from
eight to fifteen hours, in forty-seven cases from
fifteen to twenty hours. in twenty-five cases from
twenty TO thirty-six hours and in seven from
thirty to forty-two hours.
As has been said. the most of the cases on record
are French or German There are. however, some
books, but which authenticated by physicians of
standing, and which well exempify the dangers that
attend almost every case of supposed death.
REMARKABLE CASE.
One of the most remarkable stories of this kind Ii
lold by Dr. Osullivan. OF this city. who says he
learned 1t from his father who at the beginning
Of the present century medical student In Cork
ireland. lady OF good family in that city was
saken suddenly with commissions, and to all outward
seeming died. she by several physisi Jams
who examined her and was pronounced dead She
was pregnant at the time. and the commissions
supposed TO be of the nature premature labor She
prepared for burial and tho customary wake was
held her remains. After the lapse OF the usual
time from her supposed death the usual religious
rites were performed and the body was placed in q
vault On her fingers were several valuable rings,
which 1t had been proposed to remove before
her burial, but when the attendants were about to
take them OIL they found that the hand was
swollen that the rings could not be removed without
cutting the fingers. and this the lauy's husband
peremptorily forbade. The rings were accordingly
LETT in the con and II Is supposed that the servants
or the house plotted violate the grave for the pur
pose OK securing the jewels.
IlIsEN FROM THE GRAVE.
Late on the night following the burial the lady's
husband lay in bed awake. when he heard knock at
the street door of his house. IL before the In
PRODUCTION OF door-bells, aud 1t q common thing
to recognize visitor by the sound of his knock.
The husband called to his go the door,
aud added, In great agitation, that IL his
wife were alive he would swear she had
knocked Paralyzed with superstious fear. which
probably enhanced by consciousness of guilt, the
servants oil refused to answer the summons and the