St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-10-19
PREMaTUKE RURIALS.

The hasty burial of deceased persons can
not be too seriously discouraged There is
too much evidence to doubt that preventive
burials occur in cases where there is only
suspended animation instead of death. The
burial of person before life is extinct is
too dreadful for calm contemplation. The
greatest caution in this point should be OBJ
served. Even expert physicians cannot al
ways correctly decide in such cases. Time
only can decide, and sufficient time should
be allowed to pass after apparent death, TO
decide the case beyond the possibilities of
doubt The case of the Rev. Mr.. Tennont,
of New Jersey is an authority on this point.
After severe sickness he was thought to
have died. His funeral was arranged for,
and the hour of burial arrived. AT the in
stance of a young physician who doubted
his being dead, the burial was postponed.
The burial hour again arrived, and at his
earnest beseechings, ii was again postponed.
The funeral ceremonies were again about TO
proceed, when the ardent physician begged
for further delay. A brother of the supposed
deceased, became angry and denounced the
physician for tampering with the corpse.
Nothing daunted the physician begged for
one hour more of delay, and then agreed to
give 1t up. Within that hour Mr.. Tennont
opened his eyes with terrific groan, which
struck with CONSERVATION the numerous per-
sons present, who had come to witness his
burial. He lived many years, aud the church
where he preached is standing to this day.
Another distressing feature in regard to
the treatment of the bodies of the supposed
dead is the freezing process which is so often,
perhaps always applied, while the bodies are
still warm, and there are cases where it is
known beyond a reasonable doubt that the
patient was literally frozen to death, instead
of dying of disease. It has become fixed
a fashion to put bodies on ice that the friends
OF the deceased fear the Opprobrium of their
neighbors if they do not comply with it. The
consequence is that when death or apparent
death takes place, some too-readY member of
the family, or friend of the deceased, rushes
ut once to the undertaken in stead of to the
! physician. Competition in business will not
| permit of the undertaken being a laggard
when summoned. A box filed with ice is
| placed in his ever-ready wagon, and, as too
! frequently happens, before the warmth of
life has entirely left the body the chill of the
| ice hastens the chill of death or weakn ess of
disease. The friends of the deceased feel
wonderful satisfaction peryading their grief
at having complied with the demands of
! fashion.
The physician, whose duty it is TO fur
nish the certificate of death, is too frequent
/ ly not called upon until after the undertake
! er has done his duty. In many cases he
does not see the dead body of his patient at
at all. He is notified through the undertake
era man perhaps of reputable standing
| that his patient is dead, and the necessary
certificate to procure burial permit is re-
| quested. On this certificate the Board of
| Health grants the permit, and .he poor Wet
| i'm who perhaps has been frozen to death, is
marshalled away to his long home, followed
| by mourning relatives and sorrowing friends
who feel that they have done their whole du-
! ty by the deceased. A physician of Newark,
n. j., furnishes couple of instances illus
! trative of this feature. One was the case of
awoman afflicted with lingering disease.
The physician was called in to consult about
( the case. The woman was in no immediate
danger of death and another consultation
was appointed for the following day. The
| physician says:
/ When we called we found Grape upon the door.
/ On entering the house we were told that the
woman had died some few hours previously
knowing from the nature OF the disease that the
patient was liable to fall into faint, and in her
weak condition assume all the appearance OF
death. we both believed that it was simply sus-
pended animation, and not real death, over which
| the family were mourning. What was our
| horror brOupht infO no of ha
! body to find it stiffened with cold from the ice
! upon which 1t was laii. she was certainly dead
| but have always believed was frozen to death
one victim out of scores who meet with the same
end.
The same physician relates another case
where he had been attending, occasionally,
lady afflicted with palpitation of the heart.
Persons so affected frequently pass into a
condition of coma, where only faint or hard
| ly perceptible pulsation can be detected.
Respiration seems at an end. In fact. they
appear dead. Afterwards animation will be
restored completely, and the person will en-
tirely recover. In this case there was no
valvular or organic disease of the heart The
| trouble was with the pericardium, and syn
cope was liable to result closely resembling
death. The physicians story is;
1nlS lauy VINO HVed on Cottage street,
afternoon exclaimed to her servant: ~ feel
faint" Immediately she sank into a chair. APP
/ parently lifeless. The nearest physician was
called He examined her casually fe,t of her
/ pulse, placed his hand over her heart, and say
/ ing she was dead, left the house, The sudden
ness of the shock caused the relatives desire to
/ have the remains with them as long as possible
| The undertaken was sent foe; and when l called
! (having been requested, q regular attending
physician, TO give certificate of desth) the body
was frozen in ice; bat the peculariies OF her
! trouble, together with peculiar changes which
/ the undertaken said had come over the face of
! the deceased suffusion of blood about the tenn
pies, and other indications, which were mention
| ed as having been noticed, have convinced me
/ that the woman was frozen TO death, and but for
undue haste might be living to-day.
! No doubt can exist that these are only
samples of many instances where bodies are
! placed on ice before life is extinct an / their
doom sealed. Less haste is urged in placing
! in the hands of undertakers the bodies of
persons supposed to have died. Too much
! precaution cannot be exercised Proper de-
! lay is the safer course. Even physiciaus,a
/ they have done, may make great mistakes.
/ Never hasten funeral and burial ceremonies.
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