The Red Cloud chief., 1884-08-29

~ INST people r afraid Of ANYTHING
- OF being buried alive. That eases

49,
~ r,Sf people are afraid 81 a,yfhiny
IL - OF being buried alive. That eases
10 happen where IL - ye-y diihcul; evcn
f"r tie experienced phys clan ~ de-
tsrr'ne whether \ per-on = rally or
but apparently dead wiitou; his having
ccourse tie means Will. thy would n
once settle the dispute. would lac
life il IL really sill existed in leopariy.
NAV be judged from the fact ;iis; the
French Academy some ten or fifteen
wears ago osered . prize % $500
francs for the discovery of some means
by which even the inexperienced nav
NJ once determine whether IN = given
case death tad cnsued or not A ply
scian obtained tb. pine. He hsd dis
covered the following well-known phe-
nnrn-non: II the hand OF the suspect
Ell person is held toward the candle or
other artificial light. with the fingers
stretched. and one touching th. other.
and n looks through the spaces be-
tween the fingers toward the light.
there appears = scarlet red color where
the fingers touch each other. due To the
sill circulating iuid blood. rs il show.
itself through the transparent.
Dot vet conge.ted tissues; but when lie
is extinct this phenomenon IT once
ceases. The most extensive and thor
ough trial. established the truth 81 this
observation. and the prize was awarded
10 its discoyerer.
When electricity. or rather lis appli-
eaton IN medicine, am in vogue. il
Wa first thou sht that il would be 3
means If deciding whether n person
was dead or not This assumption was
based mon the fat oi ELECTROMAGNETIC
contraction But experience U
proved tha, for one 10 three hours after
death has taken place. and in some
cases where rigidity but slowly ensues
for q still longer period. the muscles Of
n dead individual respond as well To the
electric stimulus a. those Of the living
being.
DR.. Max Bnch now publishes in the
Central, (. Neuenhlkd.. ,, 81. a modiii-
eaton Of The above, ami what promises
To be = reliable and scientific proof of
death, for thu, FAR no scientific test ex-
i.ted.
While in the living the temperature
OF The surface over q muscle in the act
OF or7{Anediately after contraction de-
cidcdfS Increases. this increase is utter
" wanting in the dead. and even dur
Ing the time (one-half to three hours) in
which alter death the muscle still re-
tains its ~contractility. Having placed.
there ore. 4 surface thermometer on the
skin and having wait d until the lem
pcrature has continued at one and the
same hci. hit for about five minutes, the
muscle just below the bulb of the Their
mometer is made To contract by cleo
erie irritation. Ii, 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 is
just 4, certain that there is still life.
Under normal coni ton the skin for a
considerable distance in ar.ases by sew
eral degrees in t~emperature il in the
muscle below is caused a powerful e!ec-
.ricaI contraction; and this ~pheIome-
non is also observed in paraiyHed limbs;
while in the dead nerves the produ .lion
of heat, Is induced by motion. has for
ever ceased.
The method. it is true. ha, not vet
been tested in the cataleptic case re-
scmbling death; but it is to he supposed
that as long as there is the faintest
trace oil circulation so long will in
creased activity in any part of the body
produce a corresponding increase Of
heat. Apropos, this cbScrya, on leads
us to another interesting fact. 1t is
~wcll-known that all over in nature
rapid motion calls forth heat. and this
i the more apparent the more friction
attends 10 motion. Two stones or two
metals rubbed together W II soon induce
warmth. and the Italians are said to be
able 10 start . IRE by the violent fric-
ton o. Two pieces of wood with each
other. IL is said that no law of nature
knows an exception. rs no moun Of
motion or friction will elicit the least
warmth in tie decompOsing tissue. But
that some mysterious process of heat
regulation is still active within the dead
todv NAV be seen from the fact that. no
matter what the temperature of the
surrounding atmosphere. the surface of
the body will 90 oil decreasing it, own
temperature until the state of rigidity
is ended and active decomposition com
mences. - .HedtcH ant SUrgica! Re
porter.