Daily Yellowstone journal., 1890-10-16
THE PREMATURE BURIAL HUMsUa


Authenticated Case.
The subject of premature burial has
been of late revived in thk country by
the appearance of sensational para.
graphs in the daily press. Not long
ago the public were Mortified by "A story
from Leeds of a gravedigger having
heard sounds proceeding from a coffin
recently buried. Ii required a coroner's
inquest and the evidence of Mr.. Scat
tergood, the lecturer on forensic medi-
cine. to reassure the public that the
rumor was false, the deceased woman
having died a perfectly natural death,
while, although its aus was typhoid
fever, the burial had been by no e
fastened, and il was clear that death
had occurred at the time stated by
those around her.
More recently there was a sensational
story from Southampton Of a clergy
man who stopped the interment of Il
friend, whose funeral he had come
from a distance to attend, On the
grounds that he saw some sign of life,
which proved TO be simply his own i'm
agination. So far as this country is
concerned there has not been a single
authenticated case recorded of prema-
ture burial, though there have un.
doubtedly been eases where persons
have revived after apparent death, and
many alleged eases of premature burial
in addition to those previously alluded
to. But all these have the appearance
Of sensational stories manufactured for
the penny dreadfuls' and those news
papers which thrive on sensation.
Even on the Continent, In America
and in other countries. where In conse-
quence Of the intense heat burial must
take place within twenty-four hours
after death, the authenticity of the
stories of alleged premature burial has
never been proved, and il may be safe
ly asserted that II genuine ease would
have led TO an alteration in the law
and the postponement of burial until
after a longer period.
In England, on the contrary. there
is less reason to complain Of too speedy
burial as of too prolonged an interval
between death and burial. Mr.. Sey-
mour Haden's suggestion of burial with
in thirty-six hours was not favorably
received. and is, indeed, for this coun.
try too short an interval. A universally
exact interval cannot be laid down; il
must vary according to the time of
year. the weather and other circum.
stances. In these days Of cheap disin-
~fectants a body can be kept without
prejudice to the living for four or five
days after death, which interval is long
enough to satisfy the wishes of the most
timid. There is a circumstance well
known. to the profession which, If it
were better known to the public. would
go far to reassure those whose minds
may have been disturbed by these
sensational paragraphs.
Every day bodies apparently lifeless
are received at metropolitan and pro-
vincial hospitals, having been found in
every variety Of posture. clothed, half
clothed or naked. and under varying
circumstances. At the hospital the
resident surgeon must give a prompt
and decisive answer to the question,
rs he Tor she) alive or dead" To send
q corpse to the ward or to keep it un.
duly long in the reception ROOM would
be a very stupid blunder; to send q
living person to the dead house would
be a crime. These cases amount in
the aggregate TO thousands annually,
and yet we have never heard of a mis-
take being made. IL is probably this
circumstance which makes members of
the profession skeptical of these stories
Of SO called premature burial, and
causes them to reject with an incredu-
lous smile the suggestion that 50 horri-
BILE a fate might occur to any of u.s.
London Lancet.