The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1885-06-17
JUMPING mEDICA LY CONSIDERED.
OdIum's Death and Its ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Facts for Ordinary People.
Boston Adyertiser.1

Boston Advertiser.
The current number of the Boston Medical
and Surgical Jurnal contains an interesting
article upon the physiology OF falling
bodies" suggested By the recent daring and
fatal experiment of Robert Odlum in jumping
fiem the Brooklyn Bridge. From the nature
of the case, Ut says the physiological uestions
10 q considerable extent can De answered
only By prior reasoning. For ia fatal cases
it must remain undecided what was toe
pIozimate cause of death and whether the
heart stopped beating before the body struck
or not" But there is little reason &c. doubt
that for the most psrt, professional j6m pers
have retained cOnsclousns IS through distan-
ces as great as $50 feet The time occupied
by Odium was three and a quarter seconds
al the rate of molten just before the water
was reached was not more than 100 feet per
second, speed not rarely equallei by rail
way trains and exceeded by ice b bats. He
was probably perfectly conscious, therefore,
ct The moment OF striking the water. Coz
corning the dangers of vertical morio1 st a
rapid rate of speed, the Medical and Surgical
Journal remarks
The only way in which this motion could
bsN an elect greater than nor JL9nsel mo
lion at an equal rate would be eithsr by in
yClging sudden change in barometric pres.
sure, or by accommodating the blood In the
brain through the Wis inertia, the motion be-
ing IN the direction of the long axis OF the
bodv. AS TO the fsrmer point, we may say
that tor the height in question, at average
temperatures, the differ IN ce in the baromet-
ric record would be moie than one.hsh OF an
inch. OF course change Of pressure even
to this amount occurring in three sec lnds is
mere rapid than one is ordinarily subj scsed
to; bat there seems no reason to suppose the
body could not accommodate itself to it.
even il any effect were produced in 3D. short
time. AS to the throwing OF bloo1 back
upon the brain by the rapid motion in the
dit clon of the feet, we know that persons
who are inexperienced in travelling often
sleep in railway trains with their feet fore
most without evil effects"
1t is reasonably plain. therefore, if this rea-
soning be correct, as it doubtless is, that
0dlum must have been killed by the shock
of the impact. If he bad struck the water
feet foremost he would probably have es
capped. But the Journal expresses dO1ot IL
any person, however skillful, can maintain
unbaIlasted vertical position through SO
long q descent. The fact that drunken
man once jumped from High Bridge into
the Harlem River and was taken up alive
may, il admits, be proof that inebriation is
a better means of safety than deliberate at.
tempt to maintain equilibrium. But par
achute attachment upon the head is recon-
mended IS the best means to overcome the
dangers Of such trip.
The Journal combats strongly the theory
advanced since Odlum's fatal leap, that hs
had nevertheless proved the possibility OF
any person dropping a considerable distances
without danger to life. On this point f.
says:
ut does not, however, follow that because
acrobsts and sailors can drop $50 feet or so
without losing consciousness, the same thing
would hold true of ali persons falling from
such a height. The sensation of giG1iness
caused in inexperienced persons By high
elevation sometimes leads to sYnoope, aud
there Is no reason why the giddiDess induced
by high altitude when increased by ths
terror of sctuallg falling, may not cause syn
core, If not death by the shock, before the
COZ cussion comes We have no right to as
sumo that what may happen to a cool, pro-
fessional gymnast, taking s leap intention
ally must happen in the case of q man IN.
Us, 70 glddy heights falling accidentally"