The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1884-10-01
4 Wonderful Resurrection.

I'LL III ODuOI tfft VI 1SHt1hipSh "
il recorded a case Of resuscitation after
apparent dc 9TH by hanging. 50 remarka-
bic as to be worthy of notice and discuss
ion outside of purely professional circles.
The case is reported by DIR. Ernest w.
White, senior medical officer to the Kent
Lunatic Asylum at Cartham, near Can
terbury. The patient was a woman fifty
three years old, afflicted with that form
Of insanity known as m~elancholia. She
had tried to kill herself before admission
into the asylum. and made several at
tempts to take her life after being re-
ceived into the institution. Finally she
succeeded in escaping the watchfu,neSs
of the attendants who had frustrated her
previous efforts at self-destruction, and
hid herself in a bath room, where she
was found hanging to a ladder by a cord
formed of portions of her dress, eight
minutes after she had been seen alive by
another patient.
When cut down she was apparently
lutte lead. Animation was soon so COM
~pletely suspended that there was no symp-
tom which enabled the medical men
present to distinguish her condition from
that OF real death. This is the remarka-
BILE feature OF the case SO far as the
doctors could zee, the woman was dead.
The skin was ashy pale, the surface tcm.-
perature very low, the lips were livid,
and the eyes d,lated and insensible 10
the action Of light; there was no pulse at
the wrist or temples; no definite heart
beat could be detected even by the seth
oscope; respiration had absolutely ceased,
aud unconsciousness was complete. Even
the apr l~ication of galvanism failed to
contract the muscles. If the woman had
been q criminal who had suffered the
extreme penalty of the law, the physi-
eians would doubtless have been JUST
fed by the symptoms in ~pronouncirg
her dead; yet she is alive to-day. and not
only well physically. but fast recovering
from all mental arrangement.
DIR. White and his assistants wisely
refused to act upon appearances. They
gave their patient the benefit of the
doubt IN their minds, although that
doubt was very slight. I.esort was had
to artificial respiration according to what
is known in medicine as the Sylvester
method. The movements were perform
ed s~lowly-only ten times a minute but
about ten minutes after they were begun
On exceedingly feeble attempt at natural
respiration was noted, and very weak
pulsations of the heart were perceived
by the aid Of the stethoscope. Ten min
utes is a long time to wait for the first
signs of returning life, and it Is to be
feared that in many cases of apparent
death, especially by drowning, the meas.
ures necessary for resuscitatiOn are not
continued long enough to rekindle the
smouldering spark of life that remains in
the body. There can hardly be too much
patience or perseverance. la this case
artificial respiration was steadily main
tanned for two fours before the natural
breathing was sufficiently established to
dispense with assistance in this way. If
it had been abandoned earlier, the wo-
man would probably have died, notwith-
standing her partial restoration to sensi-
biiity.
We need not follow the treatment in
detail. The patient became imperfectly
conscious about eleven hours after the
act of s~trangulation, and il the course of
q fortnight was N good bodily health.
She lost her melancholy illusions and be-
came cheerful, booking back at her at
tempt to suicide with horror. For two
days from the time Of ha' : i however,
her memory was a complete blank.
This extraordinary case IL interesting
in several aspects. Finally, this remark
able occurrence may well load to specu-
lation as to the many stories which have
been published of the restoration to life
OF men who have apparently suffered
death by hanging on the g2llows.
1t is probable that fully seven minutes
had elapsed between the of the
act OF suspension and the time when the
woman was cut down. W no can saw
that similar measures might not have
brought about resuscitation if she had
remained hanging twice as long? And
might not a strong man possess the po-
tentlal ability to recover with like as,is-
lance, from the effects of ~strangulation
lasting half an houry Who can not as
sert, with conti lence, that a convict with
neck unbrokcn cut down after hanging
thirty minutes, and turned over TO friends
having all the Of modern med
ical science at command, might not be
called back to existence In this world?
!