Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1882-11-24

The almost instantaneous abolition of
sensation described by DIR. Graeme NJ
Hammond III the experiments undertaken
by him upon his own person, with view
to test the comparative painlessness Of
death by strnngulation and death by dis-
location of the second ceryical vertebra,
which is now the practice in this city in
executing capital sentences, has received
many combinations in the literature Of
the subject, not only at the hands Of per
sons who have attempted suicide by
hanging, but also by medical inquirers
who have tested the question. Lord Ncr-
ulam, in the History Vito ct Mortis,
Instances the case Of gentleman who,
being curious to satisfy himself as to the
sensations experienced by criminals suh-
lect to the death penalty, hanged himself
by mounting upon n stool and then drop
ping himself of, thinking, of course, that
he would be able to regain the stool at
pleasure.
The experiment wculd have ended ia
tally but for the opportune intervention
of friend who released him from hia
perilous situation When questioned as
to his sensations, he replied that he felt
no pain whatever but at first saw round
about him the appariliOn of vast eX-
Va
an intense blackness, followed by IL vast
field of pale blue or sea green, such rs i.
often described by persons in faint
Montagnac, who was rescued from death
10y hanging by Marshal Turenne, declar-
ed that all sensation ceased instantly, and
a beautiful light, vivid beyond all descrir-
tion, filled surrounding space. Flesch
mann, whose essay ON death hy stran-
aulation, "Annales d'Hvgienc, Tome
VIII, page lS2, is n classic authority,
gives n narrative Of several experiments,
the first OF which lasted two minutes. At
the moment the cord tightcncd he cxpc-
rienced Il sensation of great weight, nc-
companied by Kissing noises in his ears
Then sensibility cease |, and he knew no
more until resuscitated.
According to Jacqucmain, who gather
ed his information from woull-be-suicides
III the Ma2as prison, at the instant OF pres
sure there is invariably II sensation of
great heat i'll the head, followed by loud
noises, which are musical in their tenor.
| The latter are succeeded by a sense of
weight i'll the limbs, and then sensation
departs--the whole series of phenomena
not lasting apparently more than few
seconds. In some cases the pressure is
followed by instant syncope, and there is
10 sensation whatever. The convulsive
movements, spasmodic contractions of
the facial muscles contraction of the prl-
pills and contortlOns of the eye-b ball that
belong to the second stage and give the
cOuntenance such terrible expression
are not according to Jucquemain accom-
panied by amy Consciousness Of suffering
and Taylor and Tardieu are OF the same
opinion. The latter believes that death
superyenes within ten minutes, and the
former that resuscitation is impossible at
the expiration of the fifth minute. Tie
marvellous tales OF recovery after srs-
pension Of half an hour are very apocry-
phal and rest upon no sufficient fJunda-
ton.
Ii the rope is 50 adjusted that compress
sion of the vessels and occluslon of air
from the lungs are instantaneous, it is
evident that sensation is at once abolish
ed, and This agrees with the results of ex-
pcriments oil uuimals, in which sensation
is suspended with the complete suspen-
sion Cf respiration by compression Of the
gullet. The difference between the first
sensations, rs described by Montlgnac
and Fleischmann, may, without taxing
the yeraclty of either, be accounted for
upon the assumption that III the case OF
the former, mad the experiment been car
ried to the end, death would have result
ed from asphyxia, while in that of the
latter the symptoms were apoplec.ic d..
Hammond felt II sensation OF pressure IN
the head, with noises i'll the ears like the
murmur Of sea-shell. In his first ex-
pertinent consciousness lasted 50 seconds
and in his second trial only 30 seconds.
Vision disappeared almost Instantaneous
| ly III each case but there we're no tllsues
OF color.