New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1886-07-14
Phenomena of Death.
From the Chicago News.

From the Chicago News.
Every year adds a mass OF testi-
mony more Or less convincing OF the
popular and professional ignorance
prevalent concerning the phenomena
OF death. Accounts are published
from time to time Of premature burr
ais, OF suspended animation, and
cofiined corpses which have at the
last moment electrified their respect
i've circle OF mourners by giving some
sign Of vitality just sufficient torescue
them from an unyielding grave. Some
people read these stories, others pass
them over, and in a few incidents they
are cut out and pasted into scrap
books devoted to collection OF data
bearing on the subject. Within the
space of fifteen years for example, the
amount OF such matter that may
come to the notice OF the average cas-
ual newspaper reader is enormous. 1t
will be enough to fill many alarge
scrap book, and it will embrace testi-
mony relating to all the phenomena
connected with the mystery Of physi-
cal dissolution
Such a collection would include case
after case of premature burial, sllnu-
lated death and resuscitatlon Ofthose
supposed to be dead. In case the col
lector were disposed to make a hobby
of the subject, he would have no diff
Guilty in completing his data with tes-
timony RS to the different phases OF
death by starvation, by drowning and
by hanging. Such a collection notion
ly might be made, but actually has
been made, and in all instances where
it was practicable every case has been
carefully authenticated.
Any one who will take the trouble
to review such mass OF testimony
will be pretty thoroughly convinced OF
two things The first is the lack OF
understanding Of the multitudinous
details of death The second is theis-
norance Of the simple methods Of re
suscitation and restoration that may
be etfectually employed under certain
circumstances. The inevitabieconclu-
sion to be reached from these premises
is that there is 40 absolute
proof of death in one case out OF a
hundred, as no scientific tests are APP
piled. In the majority Of cases after
respiration ceases the attending ply
sician is called He pronounces the
patient dead. The minister is sum
moned, then the undertaken, and the
body is inferred. The evidences Of
death in such a case are found simply
in the appearance Of the body. The
limbs are stark and 'igid, the under
jaw is fallen, the eyes are set, the lip
discolored, and an ashy pallor hts
swept over the countenance. Yet for
all this the vital spark may not have
been entirely extinguished. \ pro-
longed period OF hamilton, cataleptic
conditions, syncope or trancema &C
count for these appearances. This is
proved by the numerous instances in
which exhumed caskets have given in
dubitable evidence OF an appalling
struggle, in which, lining, pillows and
shrouds have been torn to shreds.
A curious fact connected with one
form Of hamilton may be found in the
trivial circumstances necessary In some
instances to recall the ebbing tide Of
life In one case, as the attendants
were removing rings from the finger OF
a supposed corpse the body straight
ened up and respiration commenced.
In another case an accidental pune
ture by q lance, and in another a sud
den Shrek served to rouse persons just
| before burial, from q state Of trance.
In other instances the terrible specta-
Gle Of the closing coffin-lid has been
sufficient toreleasethe victim from the
cataleptic state. One man sat bolt
upright in his coffin and exclaimed:
| "What is it all about7" A little girl
said: "Papa, please don't leave me, :"
and woman screamed: Il am not
dead" A singular instance of sudden
restoration is found in the case OF
Miss Clara Munce OF Greenpoint, Conn,
who has in her possession a large
silver plate on which is engraved
her name, together with the date OF
her birth and the date other supposed
death. On the last mentioned date
she was lying in her coffin perfectly
conscious of thefunnral ceremony that
was going on about ner. AS her friends
| passed round the coffin to view her re-
mains for the last time many OF them
stopped and kissed her. Suddenly
some one noticed that the corpse's
nose was bleeding. Mental agony had
superinduced this sign of life.
Decomposition is said to be the on
~ inial!ible sign OF death. By using
modern appliances OF ice and embalm
ing fluids bodies may be kept severa,
days after decomposition has set in
all doubt of death being thus removed
| Greeks and Romans seem to have re
allied this fact, for laws existed among
them forbidding interment for from
three to eight days after death. The
first recorded instance of the restora
ton of life OF an individual about tc
be buried was that of a, woman in Ag
rigentum, in ancient Greece. Her fun
eral was arrested by Empedocles, who
restored her to life.
It is related of Old Doe, a horse o
the Toronto fire department recentl,
killed while on duty, that one nigh
Z ~ cot o,,%a rf h c cta1 md. fof,y,1 q nil