Mountain Home bulletin. (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1888-1889, 1888-12-01
DIR. TANNERS IDEAS.
HE TALKS OF PREMATURE BURIAL
AND SUSPENDED ANIMATION.

rhe Dead In 1,lis Country Are Buried In
Criminal Haste-Thc subtle Principle Of
Life-The Doctor Convinced That Man
Can Hibernate.
Eight years have gone since DR.. II. s.
Tanner performed his wonderful feat Of
fasting forty days and nights in Clarendon
hall, in New York city. For sixteen days
he touched neither water nor food. After
the sixteenth day he began to drink water,
naming twenty -four days of his fast.
The public has not heard much of the
plucky little doctor for the last few years.
but not long ago he turned up in Chicago, |
bright and clipper, splendid specimen |
of q man in perfect health, and with
rotundity Of form Indicative rather Of the
bon vivant than of man who eats only |
two meals day In summer and only one
in winter
Where have You been keeping your
self, doctor?' asked reporter after
friendly greetings had been exchanged.
Il have just returned from New Mex
leo, where l have been for nearly four
years, pursuing certain investigations OF
a scientific nature. | am much interested
in the subject Of suspended animation or
counterfeit death. am convinced that
far greater percentage Of people are
buried alive than even those who have
ever given the matter much thought
would be willing to believe. In no c6hn.
try in the world are the dead buried with
such criminal haste, | may say, as In the
United States. have been looking into
this subject more or less for tho last
twenty five years, and the evidence have
oon,y n lot 1 10 CT linr I <oi1 30
murder, horrible murder, and it is high
time some agitation was started for tho
purpose Of securing needed legislation on
tho subject of the burial of the dead.
THE MOVEMENT IN EUROPE.
Tho principle of life is so subtle" con-
tinued tho doctor, that man with oil his
science knows nothing about it; and the
only safeguard against the awful crime
of burying alive those we love lies in the
precautions that are taken against com
hitting their bodies to the tomb before
decomposition has set in That is the
only unmistakable sign that death has
finally taken place. Tho people of Hol.
land were among the first to awaken to
| the Importance of this subject, and in
1854 q society was organized in Amster-
dam for the purpose Of looking into cases
where death seemed counterfeit rather
than real. In less than four years they
had resuscitated-sayed from cntombment
alive-no less than $50 persons. In 1903
the authorities at Milan and Venice, and
set by Holland, and little later similar
societies were formed at London, Pnrls
and Glasgow As result Of tho work aud
investigations of these societies, among
| the members OF which wero some of the
| foremost scientists OF the times, 1t has
been proved that In q great number OF
cases where every known test had been
applied and preparations made for the
burial the subjects had recovered. These
experiences led Professor Morine. of this
| University of Rome, to offer prize OF
900 francs for the best essay on Gppar-
ent death; and the Marquis d'Oucho left
10000 francs to be used In discovering the
best means that could DO applied IN Do.
tecting the counterfeit of death. And sc
in oil countries statistics collated on this
subject are startling, Us revealing the
danger of premature burial"
''Now don't you think" asked the
doctor, "that this Is subject that PEG
plo should discuss. should be walked NJ
Gboutf"
What remedy have you to offer
DOCTOR
'.Simply this: hold-and it certainly
cannot be successfully contradicted-thai
tho setting in of decomposition is tn,
only certain sign of death. In the Obj
senco of this burial should be dc1ayee
weeks and months, If necessary, for 81
long as there is no decay life may hing By
feeble thread, and. by that subtlencs.
of which | have already spoken, the re
covery DO spontaneous.
THE DOCTOR WILL HIBERNATE.
"Another discovery that have made,
said the doctor, sis that alternating ami
mails do not use their lungs during til,
period of Information For several year
have been studying the habits of th
class of animals, and, do you know,
am about convinced that man can hiber
nate'-
Hero the reporter must have looked tn
incrednlity he felt, for he doctor hastene,
to explain: Take the bear for example
its organs of respiration nro the same Q
mans, and it hibcrnates for months with
out food or drink have also bee
who used to be able to 20 into the deaf
trance at will. Their preparation for thi
was long fasting and tho trance eondi
ion following was. in my opinion, sea
son Of Information. am studying no,
with view of making some experiment.
in this line, aud the time may come whe
will permit myself TO be sealed up in a
air tight coffin and laid away until sue
time MS ] shall designate for it to i
opened"
But, doctor, You will not expect t
, come out Of test like that alive, wi
your"
Yes, indeed" was the earnest reply
Il have twice been near tho portals (
the tomb in my studies of this subject
life principle and of suspended animation
. and firmly believe can 60 still nearer
, that can to oil outward appearances
dead, and, remaining that way for
length OF time, can still come back a Ii,
ing witness Of the truth of my thcorie
: and investigations.
Speaking Of his fast. he said: III
fact is, with most people the body rule
: tho mind. while tho reverse should be Il
case--thc mind should control the bod,
clalnors for this or that desired articl
+, and people rush off to crafty II. Who
! began my forty days fasting | said
my stomach Here, old follow. l have
; Job for you. want yoa to takc goc
, long rest, and want no grnmblmg abo,
! it, That settled 1t. Az 10 o'clock Of Il
last day OF my fast. vhsn had only tn
hours to so. little child that was In Il
s room where | was thrust ripe peach III
: der my nose II Adam was tempted a.
: was then do not wonder that no fell.
b had so little longer to 60 without eatir
r that relaxed my will power. and trul
my greatest suffering. wcro during Il
!. last two hours Of my ast.'--Chicaa
\ Tribune.