The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1884-04-09
CAUSE OF oHR1srs DEATH
oCcAsIoNED BY RUPTURE OF THE
HEART cAUsED By MENTAL AGONY.

HEART CAUsED By MENTAL AGONY.
Philadslphia Times March q. a49
"The most remarkable event in
the history of the world was the
death of Jesus Christ" said Rev.
DIR. Thomas A. Hoyt, pastor Of the
Chambers Presbyterian Church,
yesterday afternoon, in beginning q
special sermon to the medical stu
dents. ats hidden meanings" he
continued, are transcsndant and it
was without parallel, the most sub
lime tragedy ever enacted" The
speaker had chosen his text from
st. Jshn, "a, 10. John, he said, stood
only few feet distant from the
Saviour and subsequently related
what he saw. The subject discuss
ed by the speaker was. "What was
tho physical cause of Christ's death?"
Several eminent physicians had de-
voted years to the study Of the
question and q book on the subject
had been published by DIR. Stroud,
Of Edinburgh, absut thirty-fve
years ago, in which he ascribed
Christ's death to rupture of the
heart. During a convention of
physicians in Scotland several years
ago the deductions arrived at in this
book were presented for their con-
sideration and they were ssnfrmed.
There are, the minister ssid, many
cases On record where death has re-
suited from violent passions of joy
or grief Pliny tells Us of Laced
amonian who fell dead with joy at
hearing that his son had won q prize
at the Olympian games. The speak
er reed several medical opinions on
the subject of heart rupture and
continued: "Thsrs is no pretence
that the spear thrust into the
Saviour's side caused death. In
fact, He was dead before the wound
was received. Christ was crucifisd
at 9 o'clock in the morning and ex-
pired at 3 sclssk in the afternoon,
or two hsurs before the centurion
dealt the blow with hisspsar. The
crucified usually lived from tive to
three days and sometimes as long
as five days ON the crsss. There is
no evidence that disease might have
caused His death and no reason to
believe that He was not Of perfect
sound health. Some have thought
that He might have died from ex-
haustion, but We are told that He
was miraculously sustained during
His trials. 1t was not weakness.
Some declare that He voluntarily
gave up life, but He did not take
His life; He simply submitted to
the conditions under which He died.
The answer to the question, what
was the physical cause Of Christ's
death 2 is, Rupture of the heart,
caused by mental agony Literally,
He died Of broken heart" The
speaker read extracts frsm many
letters from eminent physicians
giving their opinions on DIR. Stroud's
book and on his deduction as to the
death of the Saviour. They all in
dorsed his conclusion that Christ
had died of q ruptursd heart "John
says" continued the speaker, shat
when the spear was thrust into the
Savisur's side, forthwith came there
out blood and water " DIR. Hoyt
then proceeded to explain this frsm
q medical point of view. He said
that when the spsar-head punctur-
ed the psricardium the blood and
serum from the ruptured heart es-
capped. He said that all this was
simply fullfillment of q Scriptural
rs was the parting of
His raiment and casting let's among
the soldiers for His vesturs.
"But what was this mental an
guish that broke our Saviour's
heart ?" asked the speaker. 1t.
was not fear Of death, for He looked
towards that with longing. If |
be lifted up, He said, Il will draw
all men to ne. He anticipated death
as the contamination Of His labors.
'Reproach hath broken my heart
He said, and then died. He died
for US, The weight OF human guilt
broke His heart"