St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-07-15

but spoke out plainly and emphatically.
II think, and have thought for many
years." said the doctor, 'stbat people in
very numerous instances exhibit a very
undue haste in asserting that life is ex-
tinct in persons supposed to be dead"
s'You mean, then, that as result of
the system people are often buried
alive?"
mo. don't say that exactly. l do
say, however. that the means of saying
whether they are dead or living are not
applied as they should be, the result
being that it is quite possible for per-
sons to be buried alive. and there is a
reasonable probability that some per-
sons are"
"Have you ever seen cases where a
person supposed to be dead was really
found not to be dead at all?''
81 have. There have been many such
cases. / can recall two that came under
my notice in New York. One was the
case of gentleman living in New York
and preparations were made to bury
him. In fact, the funeral was being
held, when his colored servant insisted
that he had seen a twitchlng of the
muscles of the supposed dead man. An
other examination of the body was
made, and, sure enough, that man was
found to be alive. He is alive now, and
is prosperous merchant in New York
city to-day.
There was another case that came
under my notice in New York. Among
my patients some years ago there was
one who was possessed of fear of be-
ing buried alive that almost bordered on
mania. She had made me promise
that,in case of her death, would apply
every means known to science to de-
termine il life were extinct. Now, this
woman was wealthy. She was not on
the best of terms with the young man
who, in the natural order of things,
would become her heir, and when sick
she absolutely refused to allow him to
handle her medicine Or to attend upon
her.
well, one night 1 was surprised to
receive the announcement that Mrs.
was dead. ] hurried to her house and
was told she had been dead for several
hours. and that she had already been
placed in temporary casket, III ac-
man Of whom ] have already spoken.
This found to be true. The body had
been hurried into an alright casket,
and there was certainly no life in it
when examined it. Neither was there
any evidence of foul play nor anything
upon which charges against any one
could be formed. Yet l believed, and
believe to-day. that had physician
been sent for when the woman was
seemingly stricken by death. and had
proper remedies been applied, she
would not have died at that time. But
being placed in an air-tight coffin set
tied the matter. could do nothing.
This hurry i'll the way of getting
persons who are supposed to be dead
under the ground is all too common,
even among the best meaning persons.
When they see friend or relative dying
their first thought is to run off to an
undertaken. Now that is all wrong,
and it is my experience in cases of this
kind that led me to advocate the organ
iZation of society to devise means
by which we might insure people
against the awful calamity of being
buried alive before they are really
dead. With scientific appliances and
by the methods propose, | think we
eau venture to assert that there is no
possible likelihood of any such terrible
error being made. and that the fear and
dread that the ordinary man or woman
will be entirely dispelled.
II would, in the first place, make 1t
mandatory to have thorough eXamlna-
ton made of the body of every person
supposed to be dead. This examina-
ton would, of course, be made by the
physician and by means of the best
known scientific appliances. The ex-
animation should be made in accord
ance with a positive law. so that it
would not be possible to evade it. as
some persons would be apt to try to do.
There are any number of tests that can
be applied. Some of them are as old as
civilization and older.
Nov, the thing should be done in
this way. In every case where per-
son dies or is supposed to have died. a
competent physician should at once be
called in. No undertaken should be al
lowed to handle the body before this is
done. The body should not be placed
in an alright casket where life, it it be
not extinct, is smothered out, nor should
it be placed in an ice box where it is
frozen out. Such treatment of a body
before it has thoroughly examined is
not only barbarous, but absolute GRIM
inaI. Neither should body be en-
balmed.
Nov as to the tests. I should say
that, while there are many, the best
way to determine the absence of life
would be to attach the muscles of the
various parts of the body to an ap-
pIiance connected with electric bat
teries, so that the very slightest move
ment of the body would cause a bell to
ring, and thus occasion alarm. You
know it is very difficult thing to de-
termine or state definitely just when
the spark of life becomes extinct. The
matter has been much discussed, and
again and again valuable prizes have
been offered for some means by which
this important fact might be definitely
determined. However, the test as to
whether there is life in the body that |
mention is about as sure as any that
can be named.
''ThiS is much more important
matter than most persons imagine.
There never was time when catalepsy
and similar complaints were more prev
alent then now. This is especially the
case among women, particularly among
young women. Young girls working in
factories OF stores. where they are under
a constant strain, mental and physical,
who do not get sufficient exercise or re-
Taxation, and who in some cases are but
III hOaA lOhSNt oLO pNA PAOhS
to fits, cataIeptic or otherwise. and to
fall into frances that the layman appear
to be death. Under the present system
the relatives of these girls can
bring in an undertaken, put the body in
a casket OF OH ice before calling in a
physician, and the result is that, when
the latter dose come, he can do nothing.
1t is too late. l feel very strongly about
this matter, and find that most other
physicians do. The present system
should be changed, and that is what our
society is inended to do.'
The men who are pushing the new
movement are working very quietly,
but they seem much in earnest. Mr..
Morrison, who is doing most of the cler-
ical work of the proposed organization
now in its formative state, is already re-
ceiving letters from persons living in
various parts of the country concerning
the society. These are mainly requests
for information, but the earnest manner
in which the questions are asked indi-
Gates that the matter of premature
burial is one that interests very large
class of persons in all walks of life. 1t
is this fact that leads the physicians and
lawyers belonging to the New York
n n -