St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1888-03-24

premature.
Although there is no positive proof
of the fact, it is probable that the ter
rible cpidemics of the Oriental plague
and of the black death, which devas-
tated Europe during the Middle Ages,
were accompanied by similar phe-
nomena of post-mortem movements.
These diseases certainly furnished very
similar conditions to those which &C
company Asiatic cholera and yellow
fever of our own time.
In the later centuries. those marked
by the revival of learning, the discov-
cry of several Supplying agents, chief
among them those derived from the
poppy, gave into the hands of the I'M
sucrupulous the means of procuring a
passable counterfeit of death in those
whose disappearance from the ranks of
the living was thought desirable. The
secret poisoner fourished and chemists
mad not yet learned to detect the pres
ence in the dead body of the harmful
substance which had been given with
criminal intent. 1t is known that ar
senic in some form was the usual and
most certainly deadly of the
destructive agents employed. But
it is very likely that the sleeping po-
ton was prepared from something
containing opium. In the absence of
skilled physicians-and at that time
there were few in the entire world-it
was easy enough to represent the indi-
vidual in deep stupor as already dead,
as well as to hasten the funeral Pre-
mature burial was probably not at all
uncommon in those "good old times. :"
OF course, this is all pure speculation,
bntit is somewhat interesting to those
who take an interest in such matters.
Late in the progress of organic dis
ease of the heart particularly when
fatty degeneration has nearly COM
pleted the work of destruction that has
been begun by overgrowth and nearly
finished by overdilatation, there may
come time when the organ becomes
overdistended in all its cavities with
blood. The circulation stagnates all
over the body, because the few remain
ing muscular fibers in the heart are so
nearly paralyzed by overstraining that
the contractions of that organ almost
entirely disappear. They become i'm
perceptible to the touch and ear The
brain receives very little blood, and
what is sent there is deficient in oxy-
gen. As a consequence consciousness
is abolished; the pulse can be no longer
felt in any artery; the surface becomes
cold and blush, and to the ordinary
observer life appears extinct. A few
years ago, Dr.. Reid, of Hot Springs,
Ark, reported case of this kind, in
which, preparations for burial had
been made. but where, by well-directed
efforts, stimulants, friction, ETC., ami
nation was restored and life was pro-
longed for several weeks. 1t is proba-
BILE that if premature burial had taken
place in this case, the suspended ami
nation would have been followed by
death without a return of conscious
ness on the part of the victim. Pro-
found weakening of the hearts action
by other causes, such as partial suffo-
cation, profuse .hemorrhage, etc. may
lead to q similar condition of affairs.
IT. is only necessary to mention the
possibility of such an occurrence to
suggest the proper means to be used
to prevent any unfortunate accident
of the kind from taking place.
The fear of apparent death being
mistaken for the genuine article has
inspired the most elaborate prepara-
tions against the possibility of such an
event. Prizes have been offered for the
discovery of signs which can be implic-
lily trusted to establish the fact that
death has taken place. Elaborate con-
trivances have been devised to show
by the ringing of bells, or the breaking
of an electric circuit, that some move-
ment had been made by the supposed
dead body. The keeping Of the dead
in situations where they can be OBJ
served until the beginning of putre-
faction; the testing of the muscles by
electricity, from time to time. to show
the presence or absence of contractil-
ity; the tieing of ligature around a
finger SO tightly as to interfere with
the return of blood through the veins
while the arteries are unobstructed,
have all been suggested. The two
methods last named are the most trust
worthy, and may be relied upon to tell
the truth.
In the true post-mortem rigidity. to
be observed usually within six to eight
hours after life has ceased, the muscles
undergo a change that utterly units
them for contractions of any kind, and
this .'electro-muscular contractility''
never reappears after it has once
ceased. The test may be made by ap-
plying current from a galvanic bat
terYof moderate intensity, either to
the muscle itself, or intermediately
through some large nerVe-trunk going
to the limb where the muse}ese to be
tested. If both these forms of 4 totrical
testing fail-., produce A shoraa > ing Of
the muscles in four limbs It may be
concluded that iii Md really ssktinct-
The electrical tes IS .issnn6 fusive, but