The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1889-05-20


/ tions for her burial. While she was laid
/ out on the underlaker's board one of her
| friends happened to come into the room,
| and, struck by her lilo-like appearance,
/ implorcd the family TO postpone the iu.
neral. Next day tho supposed dead
woman came 10 lie, but the shock Of her
| experience almost caused her death after
ward. She had seen and heard every
| thing that was going on about her while
unable to move or speak, and when sho
saw her friends preparing to put her un.
| der ground her sullerings wero incompre-
| hcnsibly terrible.
However, in Bishops case the clrcum-
/ stances were different, ior thcrc would
undoubtedly have been something appar.
ont TO the doctors who performed tho
autopsy II life had not been extinct. The
arteries would have given out some blood
no matter how little, and the knife would
have revealed life somehow, feel reason.
| ably certain. But il would undoubtedly
have been safer and more proper to have
postponed the autopsy"
CLEARLY CoGoNER's CASE.
Dr. Lewis 4. Sayrc, the inventor Of the
instrument for treating locomolor ataxia
! by the suspension process, said: III
had been in the place Of these doctors
would havc had Coroner there. II was
clearly a Coronors ease, and in making
the autopsy without the consent OF the
| Coroner or the dead mans relatives, they
| ioolishlyand unnecessarily violated the law,
| hardly think 1t possible that Bishop was
alive ut the time OF the post-mOrtcm. II
lao had been | certainly believe that the
doctors would have known il. though, Of
course there Is, so far ~ IL known, no
absolute proof of death except dccomposi-
ton. In view OF this aud Of Bishops
previous history as catalcptc. 1t
would have been better 10 wait longer
than five hours after death. That is too
short time undor any circumstances, and
more particularly in this case.
''l had q case mp town some years ago, q
woman who was In u calalcptic trance ior
days. and all animation seemed suspended.
Nearly every one would have pronounced
her dead but person who had seen other
cases Of the same kind. In her ease,
though, the test Of life was very easy, for
on merely scratching the skin there was a
fair flow OF blood something impossible
In a dead person. That great many
catalcptic have been buried alive | DO
not think there can be any room for doubt
| Persons consigned 10 the tomb have been
10y accident rcsurrcclcd, aud numberlcss
instances are ON record where bodies have
been discovered turned clear around in q
manner that could only be- explained by q
returning Of life after the burial.
"Nor QUITE 20 QUICKLY, TuASHs!"
DIR. jared Baldwin, Jay Goulds physi-
elan, was dsinrlined to speak iur puhlica.
tion on the Indecent haste which charac.
tcrlzod the Bishop pnst-mortcm, but when
asked him II lac considered II safe TO cut
| up q man within five hours after hc VII,
supposed 10 bc dead, the Doctor smiled
grImly aud replied:
"l don't want II done on mo quite as
/ quickly ~ that. Ia rather wait a while
longer II il Is Just the same TO tho people
| who have charge of my CORPSE"
| DIR. Joseph 4. OConnor, oi No. m West
| Forty-siXth street, a well known authority
ON nervous diseases, SAID 'ln view q
bishops former history, think " WA
very unwiso aud incauilous 10 perform NJ
autopsy 10 soon after death, aud I Ger
iHinly should not have done w. even ~
had had the consent OF his wife and
mother, which ! assume would mover
have been given. Still | feel reasonably
| certain that the man WIS dead. II there
had been any life In the body, tht cutting
away ol the scalp for the incision into tho
skull would almost undoubtedly have 70.
ycalcd IL. The sensation which would nc.
| company this operation, 10y which tlu On.
tire skin ol thc top and back oi the head
: 3, loosoncd and thrown forward, would be-
most acute la life aud would rususrtalo a
/ catalcptlc.
There arc unqucs,!onably very many
/ eases whore uaialepiica hayu been buried
alive, and aiior nll thrrc is no positive sign
Of death except decomposition. Al other
tests are liable to bc mslcadn1i. Bodies
have bccn rsurrecicd, aud again cnfins
have been cshumcd whore the supposed
| dead person hnd turned himself clphr over
on his lacc. ! doubt very much, indeed.
whether The doctors had Alright to perform
post'moftcm at all under the circum-
stances.
Dr. Cmry. Of No 80 West Forlydith
street, who was formerly house surgeon nt
Bellevue. said:
That the doctors had no LEGAL right 10
perform the post. mOriciu without permit
IRON the Coroner j. an undOublcd Tact.
and the manner In which the autopsy was
rushed through i've hours after death.
without getting the consent 0i Bishops
| wiz NllN NtNtNiit W iilNAlNAN NflN AVN
ward. Under thc circumstance | should
nut have performed the operation, though
! have absolutely no doubt that the man
was dead. Decomposition, oi course, Is
thc best proof oi death, bat thorr nrr too
many other ways IN which reasonably Ger.
tain tests can be- made lor there 10 bu any
icar OF cutting q man up alive. Then, too,
after the po3t-murtem bad been begun
NYWfIl ls.ssHss
vital parts had been touched.
Reynolds System oi Medicine
somewhat old. but still standard work
among practitioners, speaks Mt some
length OF persons suffering from catglcpsy
and among other thing, siatcg
"'Othcr eases oi catalopfy aic Of much
longer duration. Tho dcalh.lkc state may
last four days. II may bo mistaken Tor
real death and treated ~ such.
This led 10 the discovery that some pcr-
sous indeed some persons of note lamOng
others Duus Scotua, tho thcologian, at
Colougcl had got out Of their collins aud
died IN vain attempt loopcn their vaults.
"Thoso who have visited the Lutheran
cathedral at Magdcbutg have probably
not failed 10 notice quaint monument 10
the Frau won Arsobufg. The
inscription relates how this noble lady,
after her marriage, was supposed 10 be
dead, aud was placed in the family vault
Lucky the entrance was left unlocked
that night, aud sho rose up aud returned
to her home and husband"
The Bi-hop Autopsy.
Nrw Yong, May ia special autopsy
4