The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1879-03-20
MARCH 20, 1879
Miscellaneous.
THE LIVING.
Scientific Tests OF Death
Needed.
u. \. Herald. }.

.utJ' = NOW uIi'tCI 'OIi11'tOit.iO
nv - committee Of the MedIco-
It-al Society, and it Is deemed
nroballe that the result of the re.
search and report OF the committee
will he the passage OF a law pro
vfdine for the ycrlfication Of every
case of supposed death occurring
in New York city. The wisdom
and necessity Of such Il law can
hardly be questioned by any one
who has given the subject any care
FIJI thought, and SO thoroughly IS
It acknowledged BY Europeans that
in every principal country of
Europe legal c~ognizancc Is taken
Of the possibility of syncope being
mistaken for death. And in near
" all. if not all, Of the principal
cities on the Continent there is an
officer of the law whose duty it is
to decide in every case Of apparent
death whether it is or is not real.
In England and America, however,
no protection is afforded BY the
statutes against the possibility Of a
i've person being buried.
And it is as Il guard against this
danger that laws have been enact
al and that hospitals, even, have
been erected in Europe and that
the Medico-Legal Society is now
celebrating.
The files OF any neWspapcro OF to-
day. if carefully searched, viii
show occasional stories Of the re-
moval Of collins in which the con-
dition of the inmates bones or
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 ofany
reputable paper before publishing
a story of this kind I; but that such
cases have been known is beyond
the reach of doubt. The records
Of centuries show them. and more
than one citizen Of New York can
remember instances III his own
family of sach horrible occur
rvnCeS.
As has been said, The most of
the cases on record are French OF
German. There ar. however.
some we'll known cases which are
not laid down in the books, but
which are authenticated by physi-
clans OF standing, and which we'll
eNempIify the dangers that attend
almost every case of supposed
death.
A REMARKABLE CASE.
One of the most remarkable
stories of this kind is told bv Dr..
OSulIlvan, of this city, who SAYS
he learned it from his father. who
was at the beginning Of the pres
ent century Il medical student in
Cork, Ireland. a lady of good
family in that city was taken sud
denly with commissions. and to all
outward seeming died. She was
seen by several physicians who ex-
ahmed her and was pronounced
dead. She VAS pregnant at the
time, and the commissions were
supposed to be of the nature of
premature labor. She was pre-
pared for burial and the customary
wake was held over her remains.
After the lapse of the usual time
Irom her supposed death the usual
religious rites were performed. and
the body was placed in a vault. On
iler myers were several valuable |
rings, which it had been proposed
20 remove before her burial. but
Nneh the attendants were about to
axe them off they found that the
Ilalld was SO swollen that the rings
could not be removed without cut
ING the fingers, and this the ladv's
I0Shand peremptorily forbade.
Inc rings were accordingly left in
me coffin, and it is supposed that
lh9 servants of the house plotted
TO violate the grave for the purpose
81 securing the jewels.
RISEN FROM THE GRAVE.
Late on the night following the
onFIaI the lady,s husband lay in bed
awake, when he heard a knock at
the street door Of his house. It
was before the introduction of door
o1llS' and 1t was a common thing
20 itc9gnlze ayisitor by the sound
- HIS Knock. The husband called
~. ~ ms servants to 90 to the door,
't auoed, III great agitation, that
:. MS wife were alive he would
swear she hol I,noo1-.1