Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1892-06-23
BEING APITAT TED.
AN INTERESTING QUESTION THAT
MAY NEVER BE ANSWERED. y

MAY NEVER BE ANSWERED. !.
Are the Movements Of the Head and
Face After Decapitntion Involuntary
or Are They Attended with Some Slight
Action of the Will-Some Experim snts.
The question of the duration Of an
seriousness in the brain of criminals . ,er
execution by hanging Or by the g-...;-
tine is being discussed with greater in
terest than ever since Anastay, the muir
derer of Baroness Dellard, paid his debt
to society. It is said that this remarka-
BILE criminal sent to his brother letter
on the subject as follows:
The separation of my body and that which
constitutes my thinking being cannot 80 soon
he accomplished. believe there is survival
of about an hour. Come, then, Leon, be pres
ent at my execution and insist that my head
be givon to you. Call me with your voice and
my eyes will reply to you.
This is but the repetition of q popular
belief that has prevailed for centuries.
There is a legend of state execution in
England at an epoch when the ak and
block were in use, which sets forth that
after the instrument had fallen the per-
son whose head was on the block ex-
claimed, "You have missed mew to
which the executioner replied with a
slight kick that sent the head rolling to
distance. The story never gained much
credence. Int is still worthy of discus
sion. it's truth or falsity would depend
On the possibility Of the instrument
being so thin and sharp that the walls
of the veins wonld not be displaced, in
which case tho circulation of the blood
might continne for a few seconds, and
whether consciousness might continue
for a moment after thelvertebra of the
neck was severed. This last difficulty
would he the greatest. since utter un-
consciousness is supposed to be stimuli
taneous with the severing Of the spinal
cord or the breaking of the neck. In
any event, scientists who have taken tho
trouble to study the faces of the guillo-
tined for a few seconds after The fa*al
stroke, or who have made experiments
with decapitated animals, do not favor
the theory. y
Several French physicians, and among
them DR.. Paul Loye, now deceased, bnt
once professor at the Sorhonne. have
experimented-with dogs. using for their
hanging or decapitation machinery like
that employed in public executions.
The dog was chosen for the ex-
periments as having the most mo-
bile face and being able to repro
dnce the movements which in rare
cases have been observed in human
subjects. Persons whom this treatment
of dumb animals lnightrevuo are begged
to remember that the suffering is ,nnch
less than in vivisection, since these
methods of execution are generally rec
ognized as producing the least pain.
The gnillotine employed by Dr.. Loye
was similar TO that used for the execu-
| ton of ordinary criminals in France. It
consisted of triangular knife or ak,
surlnounted by mass of lead weighing
over twenty pounds and falling over
six feet upon the neck of the animal,
which was severed at the third verte-
bra. The phenomena observed were
similar to those remarked by other
French md by foreign savants whose
experiments have been less elaborate.
| At the moment the head was detached
from the body the mouth opened wide,
as if the animal was making an extraor-
binary effort at inhalation. The tongue
was applied to the lower part of the
mouth and underwenta brief period Of
agitation. The eyelids were closed with
light contractions. Then the eyes were
opened and rolled from side to side and
ftep to bottom, the pupils in the mean:
time gradually contracting At the
same time fhe jaws were opened and
Violently closed, and the faceswasrapid-
lly convulsed This was followed by
changes at the corners of the mouth, vi
bration of the nostrils, trembling OF The
Hips and erection of the ears. The en-
semble of these movements constituted
a series of horrible grimaces Like those
seen on the face of the guillotined, and
seemed to express the most intense ag-
ony If the cornea Of the eye was
touched the eyelids closed, but if an OBJ
ject, no matter of what kind, was placed
before the eye there was no movement.
Neither did crying nor whistling into
the ears of the dog appear to cause the
slightest sensation. The pinching of
the tongue caused slight shrinking of
that organ. Although the pupil of the
eye was contracted, the approach OF q
light rendered the orifce still smaller.
These phenomena occupy about ten
seconds, and are followed by period of
repose continuing to Che fifteenth or
twentieth second, during which the
mouth rests closed and the eyes open
and without movement. At the end of
this time the mouth opens and closes
quickly, the nostrils dilate and contract.
During this time, although the irritation
of the cornea has caused slight wink
ing, neither whistling in the eur nor
touching the tongue or nostrils with am
monia or cologne has been able to pro
duce any effect. The opening and clos
ing of the mouth resemble yawning,
and are reproduced dozen times, after
which the motions gradually cease.
Then the cornea loses it's sensibility to
the touch, though, half a minute having
elapsed, the yawning is still active. The
pupil of the eye dilates at the approach
I:of light, but does not contract, and the
cornea loses its glistening appearance.
At the end of two minutes the yawning
and other phenomena have ceased, end
ing in mere contraction of the fbers,
and the head takes co1pselike look
San Francisco Chronicle.
Coffee Good for thu Voice. =