Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1891-11-13
How Electricity Kills.

Electricity kills by paralyzing the
nerve centres, such rs the brain and spi
nal cord, and by disintegratine the
blood. Three fourths of the BODY. or
more, is composed of water which is in
the blood. The flow of blood cannot be
disturbed without causing instant death.
In ordinary deaths the blood is found to
be coagulated aud the, heart empty. In
deaths by electricity the blood refuses to
cogulatc, and the head is ALWAYS full.
The paralysis of the nerve centres, how
ever, is the primary couse Of death. ANY
tremendous shock would have the same
effect, so far rs paralysis and death are
concerned. The members are over-stimu-
lated and death occurs at once. As to
why electricity should affect the nerve
centres we can scarcely understand, but
it certainly does SO. There seems to be
a physical change in the blood, On actual
interchange of parts. We know that the
positive pole tends to coagulate the
blood. 1t attracts acids and hydrogen.
The negative pole attracts alkalies and
hydrogen, and tends to make the blood
fluid. Possibly it is the opposing action
OF these two poles that makes the change
in the blood. It doesn't seem to tear the
tissue or cause grave LESSONS, but q few
OF tue capillary blood vessels, the very
small ones, are generally ruptured. Elec-
tricity is such tremendous force when
used for killing that it is difficult to
analyLe its effect. 1t never fails to kill
if sufficient voltage, say 1000 volts, is
used aud the electrodes are properly adj
jIsted. When it fails to kill it is because
the voltage is not sufficient, or the points
Of contact are not properly made. A
current of 1000 volts, with small cleo
trodcs, may not be equal in its effects to
one Of 1000 volts with electrodes of
considerable size. The rule is that the
larger the point of contact the less the
resistance. An expert, speaking on the
subject, said: "I think that ali of the
primarily fatal effects of electricity are
due to one of three causes, which are
distinct but inscparable, and each capa-
bic of producing death, if sufficiently
powerful. The most prominent of these
is the forcible contraction of the mus
Giles, which may be drawn so tightly
about tie arteries as to produce conges-
ton and stop the action of the heart.
If you have taken a shock from any bat
terry, such, for instance, as used to be
operated on the streets, you will remem-
Der that one of the first sensations was
as if all the nerves were being pulled
from you, and that this was followed by
an inclination to double up. That was
the result of contraction of the muscles"
Edison testifies that working people have
more resistance than those who do
not work, but that 1000 volts of an
alternating current, or of n continuous
current which is broken or interrupted
often, is sufficient co cause instant and
painless death" DR.. Cyrus Edison SAYS:
~ think that death by electricity is
entirely painless. Electricity is quicker
than sensation, and uncensciousness is
produced ut once. In the case of death
by electricity the nerves would be paral-
yzed before taey could inform the man
that he was being injured, so there would
be ho sensation. Boston Transcript.