Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-12-20
Is 1t Death or @ Trance?

is IL Death or q trance?
A PULsELEss, BREATHLEss BODY WHICH MYsT1FIEs
CANADIAN PHYSICIANS.
Quebec Special to the N. Y. World Dec 18.
C. Morrissette, whose death or coma is the
subject Of so much interest here, is ffty-two
years Of age. He was in apparently good
health until the early part of last week, when,
complaining of a slight indisposition, he kept
his room, but still attended to business. His
partner, Mr.. st. George, member of the Ca
madam parliament for Port Neuf, entered the
room on Thursday last and found Morrissette
apparently dead in his chair. Having studied
medicine, MIR. st. George practiced artificial
respiration for half an hour, but without sue
cess. Everything was in readiness for the flu
neral yesterday morning at 9 o'clock, when the
report was circulated that the interment had
been postponed till Wednesday. The under
taker, hearse and mourners went away, and
the basilica was Invested of its emblems of
mourning.
The family, it appears, had been surprise
all along at seeing no change in the appearance
of the body, but they called in no doctor and
drew no attention to the fact, expecting each
day to see signs of decay. When at the hour
appointed for the funeral the supposed corpse
presented every appearance of the living body,
the relatives deferred the obsequies and called
in a number Of physicians, including Drs. Rim
fret, st. George, Lemieux, Verge and Bedard.
The body was removed from its coffin and sub
jected to q minute examination. Not the
slightest sign of rigor nor the least indication
Of approaching decomposition could be OBJ
served, and the eyes, which are open, retain
their ordinary brightness. It was deemed
necessary to try the usual experiments for de-
termining whether or not life il extinct, and,
these having been resorted to, a majority of
the doctors decided that death had done its
work. They based this opinion on the fact
that atropine, applied to the eye, failed to
| cause dilation Of the pupil, and that the tight
| ening of bandages around the extremities pro-
duced no perceptible effect. Ammonia was
applied to the abdomen ON wadding and under
a small glass cover without raising blister.
This is considered conclusive by DR.. Verge and
Dr. Ahern, both professors of Laval university.
Others are still incredulous, however, and so
strong is the fear that the man may yet be
buried alive that, no matter how unanimous
the medical opinion on the matter may be. Mr.
Morrissette relatives and friends are not likely
| to permit the interment to take place until de-
composition has clearly set in.
Asked tonight by the World correspondent
to explain how the body Of u man cut down in
| full health and vigor could remain four days
after death without the least sign of frigidity
or symptom of decomposition and with the
eyes and skin natural as in life. the doctors
| who set aside the trance theory said that Nor
rissette's habits of indulging in stimulants like
morphine, &C., would undoubtedly have had
much to do in arresting bodily decay after
death. Another medical man claims that if
MOrrissette be really dead, the period of his
death was probably much later than hitherto
| supposed. DR.. Belleau, secretary of the Col
lege of Physicians and Surgeons Of this prov
ince and coroner Of Quebec. while inclining to
agree with the general consensus of medical
opinion that MOrrissette il really dead, ex-
presses q desire to see the effect of an ncision
in an artery or an injection of spirits or strong