Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1880-04-23
BROUGHT BACK TO LIFE.
A Hungarian Murderer Resusci-
taied by Doctors, After His
Execution.

The following cable special is pub
lished by the New York Evening Tel
egram:
"a most extraordinary case of re-
su~scitation is reported to have taken
place at Raab, about si~xty.seven
miles from this city. The town is
built on the river of the same name,
and is a place Of some commercial i'm,
portance. A young convict named
Takaco, who had murdered two
women, was hanged. He was about
twenty three years of age. After
the body was cut down and
examined by the physicians, life was
pronounced extinct. AS a scientific
experiment, the body was subjected
to an electro-gavlanic current, and
after a few hours signs of life were
perceptible. The resuscitated con-
Wet completely recovered the use of
his senses, and his first actions were
of violence toward the prison officials
by whom he was surrounded. He
soon began to suffer from congestion
of the brain, and became delirious
during the night. lie made repeated
attacks upon the keepers, and com
planned Of violent pains, asking at
times for milk and water. Death re-
leased him finally from his suFerings
yesterday morning" -.
Concerning the above, a New York
dispatch says;
The entire medical faculty in this
city are considerably exercised over
the case. Several New York physi-
clans were interviewed with reference
to the above.
DR.. James r. Wood said: II have
never known of resuscitation to life of
a criminal officially executed and Of
icially pronounced dead by physicians.
| have never found any attested case
in the books in the whole course OF
my studies. | myself have wit
messed experiments on the bodies
OF executed convicts. There was
one experiment | remember very we'll
Of a man executed in the old peniteu.
; tiary, then Immediately back of the
present Bellevue hospital. The man
had been hanged and pronounced dead
; by the physicians. Soon after the
4, execution the body was let down the
wall in a bag and taken to the college
Ofphysicians and surgeons, in Barclay
street. When everything was ready,
: | touched one pole of the el~ectro-gal-
vanic battery to the phrenic nerve,
or the nerve which presides over the
movements of the movements of the
diaphragm. Then the other pole Of
the battery was applied directly over
the diaphragm itself, the most i'm
) portant muscle of respiration. The
-, effect was startling. The muscular
; movements were more vigorous. The
; arm was used with power. The re-
markable exhibition continued for an
! hour, and then ceased. The con.
! traction of the muscles by electric
! current was first demonstrated bJ
; Galvani, and the apparatus which he
! used may now be seen in the univer
. sity of Bologna. Claude Bernard
Physiology gives at length the histor!
of many experiments of the scientist
: to restore men hanged by state au
thorities and pronounced dead b.
medical men, but | do not know 0
d the record of a single case of restora.
h ton 10 life under such circumstances.
Professor X. Ogden Doremus said
81 have never heard OF the restoration
J. to life Of a criminal who had beef
Is hung, and who had been pronounce,
dead by medical men acting as official
h for the state. Perhaps, occasionally
If persons who have been sufocatod b.
IS submersion in water or by ligatur
e. around the neck have been restore,
1t TO life by the stimulus of electricity
1t Even where the person is undoubt
n eddy dead, the electric current, wher
II properly applied, will excite muscula
If motions which simulate life. At SCI
| entifc lectures the heads Of bullock
1t removed during the lecture have beef
o brought in before the audience, an,
l. have bleated out and moved the yari
Il GUS muscles Of the face yigorousl.
9, when simulated by the %galvanic bat
terry"