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

PREMATURE BURIALS.

1bE- II CH6 ADC hAd4~o.
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, it 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 tamperlng with the corpse.
Nothing daunted the physician begged for
one hour more of delay, and then agreed to
| give it up. Within that hour Mr.. Tennont
opened his eyes with a terrific groan, which
struck with CONSERVATION the numerous per-
sons present, who had come to witness his
burial. He lived many years, and 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. 1t has become so 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
at once to the undertaken instead 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 weakne ss of
disease. The friends Of the deceased feel
wonderful satisfaction pervading 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 the 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 a couple of instances Illus
trative of this feature. One was the case of
awoman afflicted with a 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 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 il was simply sus-
pended animation, and not real death, over which
| the family were mourning. What was our
| horror when brought into the presence OF the
| body to find it stiffened with cold from the ice
upon which il was laii. She was certainly dead
| but have always believed was frozen 20 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
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 physician's story is:
This lady who lived on Cottage street, one
afternoon exclaimed TO her servant: al feel
fhint!" Immediately she sank into chair. ap-
parently lifeless. The nearest physician was
called. He examined her casually. felt 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 for; and when i called
(having been requested, as q regular attending
physician, to give certificate of deathl the body
was frozen in ice; but the peculiarities OF her
trouble, together with peculiar changes which
the undertaken said had come over the face of
the deceased, suffusiou 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 AMI their
doom sealed. Less haste is urged in placing
in the hands of undertakes the bodies of
persons supposed to have died. Too much
precaution cannot be exercised Proper de-
lay is the safer course. Even physicians.
they have done, may make great mistakes.
] Never hasten funeral and burial ceremonies,
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