St. Landry democrat., 1884-09-06
Proof or>Death.

II most people are alrala VI @hytitlnS
1t IS of being buried alive. That cases
do happen where it is very difficult even
for the experienced physician to de-
termine whether a person is really or
but apparently dead without his having
racourse to means while they would at
once settle the dispute, would place
life if it really still existed in jeopardy,
NAV be Judged from the fact that the
French Academy some ten or fifteen
years ago offered prize OF 4O,0O0
francs for the discovery OF some means
by With even the inexperienced may
Of once determine whether in given
case death had ensued or not. A ply
sician obtained the prize. He had dis
covered the following well-known phe-
nomenon: If the hand of the suspect
ed person is held toward the candle or
other artificial light, with the hngers
stretched, and one touching the other
and one looks through the spaces be-
tween the fingers toward the hght'
there appears scarlet red color where
the finGers touch each other, due to the
still circulating fluid blood, as it shows
itself through the transparent,
not vet congested tissues; but when lie
| is extinct this phenomenon at once
ceases. The most extensive and thor
onoh trials established the truth of this
observation, and the prize was awarded
to its discoverer. :.
| When electricity, or rather its applil-
Itcation in medicine, came in vogue, 1t
was first thought that it would be a
| means of deciding whether person
was dead or not. This assumption was
based upon the fact of ELECTROMAGNETIC
contraction. But experience soon
proved that for one to three hours after
death has taken place, and in some
cases where l1gidity but slowly ensuess
for a still longer period, the muscles OF
a dead individual respond as well to the
electric stimulus as those OF the living
being.
DR.. Max Buch now publishes in the
Central, t. Neuenhlkd., 2, '84, moditi-
cation of the above, and what promises
to he q reliable and scientific proof OF
death, for thus far no scientific test ex-
| listed.
While in the living the. temperature
of the surface over muscle in the act
of or Immediately after contraction de-
cidedlv increases, this increase is utter
" wanting in the dead, and even dur
inc the time (one-half to three hours) in
| which after death the muscle still re.
tains its contractility. Having placed,
therefore, surface thermometer on the
skin, and having waited until the tenn
perature has continued at one and the
same height for about five minutes, the
muscle lust below the bulb of the Their
mometer is made to contract by cleo.
trio irritation. If, then, the column Of
mercury does not rapidly ascend we have
the most definite and the scientific
proof that life is extinct in the body
while if the temperature increases it l:
lust as certain that there is still life
Under normal condition the skin for s
4 considerable distance increases by sew
eral degrees in temperature if in the
muscle below is caused powerful cleo
trical contraction; and this phenome
non is also observed in paralyzed limbs
while in the dead nerves the production
of heat, as induced by motion, has for
ever ceased.
The method, it is true, has not ye
been tested in the cataleptic case re
sembling death; but is to be supposed
that as long as there is the faintes
trace of circulation so long will in
creased activity in any part of the bod,
produce corresponding increase Q
heat. Apropos, this observation lead
US to another interesting fact. 1t
well-known that all over in natur
rapid motion calls forth heat, and thi
is the more apparent the more friction
attends to motion. Two stones or tW
metals rubbed together will soon Undue
warmth, and the Indians are said to b
able to start q fire by the violent fric
ton of two pieces of wood with eac
: other. 1t is said that no law of natur
knows an exception, as no amount q
motion or friction will elicit the leas
warmth in the decomposing tissue. Blu
that some mysterious process of hes
regulation is still active within the dea
body may be seen from the fact that, n
matter what the temperature of til
surrounding atmosphere, the surface
{ the body will go on decreasing its ow
, temperature until the state of rigidit
; is ended and active decomposition con
mences. - Medical and Surgical r
, porter.
The Duties Of Parents.