Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-09-14

person is dead Just remember how red his
cheeks were, even up to the day of his
burial" True, the characteristic appearance
of the dead Is that waxy and pale aspect
known to everybody However the mere
manner of dying may determine an excep-
ton to this rule So the face presents
blush coloration, where death has been the
result OF a disturbance in the functions OF
the lungs Tor, TO be more exact OF the lesser
circulation, Here we can enumerate all
cases of hanging, drowning suffocation, coal
gas, poisoning, etc
OTHER EXCEPTIONS
A still more striking, but also rare excep-
ton, occurs in people with habitually red
faces. In their case bright arterial hue
may remain up to the time of burial
although death may be absolute in every
sense. People also believe that hand held
up against light denotes life as long as the
margin shows a reddish, semi transparent
aspect While this test is reliable one, it
does not hold true in people dead with
dropsy. Here the Transparency will be pre-
served in spite of death Another sign
| formerly employed by medical men as in
| fallible has spread among the public. 1t il
| known that the application of mustard to
| the skin causes redness and blisters in the
| living body, We can therefore always con-
| clude as to the persistence of life whenever
such an application reacts, Unfortunately,
however the plaster might not show any re-
suits when life is not Yet extinct and recovery
| is still possible This has been observed in
cases Of extreme ntoxcation by means of
! rs nDrpbfpn Tba fact fhot
pricking of the skin is followed by the APP
pearance of drop OF blood is often cited as
proof for the existence of life. Now,
everybody knows that such is possible also
some limited time after death, although the
manner OF appearing and the shape and
color of the drop differ from that drawn
from living body The peculiar signs men,
toned at the beginning OF this article, and
usually considered SO conclusive, also find
more natural explanations than the absurd
theory of apparent death
body may change its original position
while being lowered into the grave. Biting
in the fingers and scratches in the face may
be due to rats infesting the grave yards
noises referred to a coffin are usually the re
suit OF an over excited imagination In fact
there is no sense more liable to deception
than addition, especially when we want tt
hear Everybody remembers, perhaps how
often be thought he heard the train arrive
when anxiously waiting for it
THRILLING STORIES.
There is, however, good reason to thinl
that many OF these stories are manufactures
without the presence or observation even o
any of the above signs 1t is only natural +
the human mind that. with their profount
exciting power, they should be in equal de
mand with the over and again repeate
ghost and snake stories 1t would be a pit
to leave them out from the list, when tn
narrator can enjoy the pleasure Of seeing q
eager audience follow every motion of hi
/, unost usually her lips, and then, how sui
, lime to be looked upon as the witness, or @
even more interested party, of such
, | thrilling experienced It is worth the sacrific
, of little veracityl In fact, every carefI
observer cannot fail to discover in the nj
merous accounts the variations of one oril
inal, true or fancied case to suit the partic,
lar taste of the author.
But there is one post norton occurrenc
which, at least TO the Iaity, might at fir
seem Incompatible with death. 1t is som
times observed that dead people will chang
the position OF certain parts So it is SET
that after life has escaped the mouth is ope
' because the lower jaw, following the laws
/ gravity, hangs down dropping. In son
r four to twelve hours the mouth may be four
e closed This is due to the peculiar phenor
Il enon known by the name rigor mortis, whic
being essentially coagulation OF the muse
substance, results in contraction and q
latter In movements. or course part wou
always be moved in the direction of q
u stronger muscles or the hexors. While the
: movements go on gradually and are hard
l visible we witness occasionally sudden
e spasmodic movements Thus q knee m.
: suddenly rise up in bending itself An ar
g may sweep through the air with a quiz
d motion or the muscles of the face may
: twitching. The purposeless and inco-ort
e nate character makes these manifestatio
;, appear so much more as expressions Of d
II tress and helplessness as would be the case
a living person considered dead After dea
e from cholera these occurrences are relative
|, often observed. cincinnati Commercial
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