The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1879-03-20

dition remained doubtful Tor near
" a week, some physicians declar-
ing that she was dead, while others
declared that it was at least doubt
rul. A later report said that she
had revived.
4 PERILOUS PRACTICE-PACkING
wITH ICE.
DR.. Beach. who furnished the
writer with "a portion Of the fore
going facts, speaks in terms of the
strongest disapproyal Of the preva-
lent custom of handing the body
of IA dead person owe to the under
taker as soon as life is supposed to
have left the body. In many cases
only a superficial examination is
made, and when the patient is de-
clared dead-it may be by an ig-
norant nurse of a quack physician
the remains. are washed and
placed on ice. The custom is, in
deed, almost universal, and so sim
pie is the process through which
the body passes that it is all over
in about an hour, and not %infrequ-
emily In less than two hours after a
man has been talking with his fami
ly his body is placed on ice. The
inevitable result is that if mistake
has been made-if the man has
simply lost consciousness and the
appearance Of life-he is deprived
of all chance Of reviying, and, his
tissues being frozen by the contact
with the ice, life is lost when it
might have been recovered. Other
physicians with whom the writer
talked, expressed the same opinion
IN relation to this habit of packing
the body in ice, and it seems not
improbable, now that public atten-
ton has been called to the matter,
that the custom may be changed
and some less dangerous practice
be substituted. 1t would certainly
be better to allow all bodies to be
come partially putrefied before bur
ial than to have even n or two
lives needlessly sacrificed every
year.
PROOF OF DEATH.
That all this danger may be
averted is beyond a question, for
there are undoubtedly signs which
can be detected by Il skilled per-
son, the presence of which is alb
solute proof of death. Among
these signs, one Of the most GER
tain IS the total cessation of the
heart action. If it can be abso-
lutclv determined that the heart
has ceased to act, it is considered
certain hat life is extinct. This
can be determined IN a negative
manner by ausculation, but it is
only a small percentage even of
physicians whose dictum could be
received as final on this operation.
Only one who had especially
studied this branch Of the profes-
sion. and whose ear is EXCEPTIONAL
" acute and specially trained
should be considered as entitled to
decide a doubtful case And even
if such a one should fail to detect
any heart sounds, there would al
ways remain the possibility of the
heart still being in action, although
SO feebly Us to make no sound, or
almost none. Certain tests with
the scalpel are also held to deter
mine this question. If an artery
is cut the physician should be able
to tell if any action remains IN the
heart, but this test would seem UNI
desirable by most persons if any
other could be applied.
EXAMINING THE EYE.
The test by the opthalmoscope
is, perhaps, the most satisfactory,
but the same objection exists to
this that has already been men
toned. Very few persons are able
to apply it. DR.. Beach, in his pa
per referred to, says 1.-The APP
pearance of the eve and parts con-
tiguous to it furnish valuable IN
to determine the ques-
ton Of death. If life is not pres
ent the pupil does not respond to
The eve has lost its sensi-
bility to touch, the conjunctive
changes, first becoming gray then
assuming a blackish hue. The
cornea has lost its lustre !; the ball
is sunken and has no elasticity. Ii
the eve is clear enough to make