The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1892-06-10
BEING DECAPITATED.
AN INTERESTING QUESTION THAT
MAY NEVER BE ANSWERED.

Are the Movements of the Head and
Face After DeGapitatiOn Involuntary
or Are They Attended with Some Slight |
Action Of the wiI-some Experiments.
The question Of the duration of con-
sciousness in the brain of criminals after |
execution by hanging or by the guillo-
tine is being discussed with greater in
forest than ever since Anastay, the muir
derer of Baroness Dellard, paid bis debt
to society. 1t 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
ConstitL tes my thinking being cannot 80 soon
be accomplished. | believe there is survival
of about an hour, Come, then, Leon, be pres
ent at my execution and insist that my heaa
be given to you. Call me with your voice ans
my eyes will reply to you,
This is but the repetition Of 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 mel" to
which the exeCutioner replied with
| slight kick that sent the head rolling to
@ distance. The story never gained much
credence, but is still worthy Of discus
sion. Its truth or falsity would depend
| on the possibility of the instrument
being SO thin and sharp that the walls
| OF the veins would not be displaced, in
which case the circulation of the blood
might continue for a few seconds, and
whether consciousness might continue
| for moment after the veTtebre of the
neck was severed. This last difficulty
would be tho greatest, since utter un-
consciousness is supposed to be slmul-
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 few seconds after the fatal
stroke, or who have made experiments
with decapitated animals, dOnot favor
the theory.
Several French physicians, and among
them Dr. Paul LOye, now deceased, but
once professor at the Sorbonne, have
experimental 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
} duce the movements which in rarC
cases have been observed in human
subjects. Persons whom this treatmen
of dumb animals might revolt are begged
to remember that the suffering is muct
+ less than in yiviseCtiOu, since thest
t methods Of execution are generally rec
5 ognized as producing the least pain
The guillotine employed by DR.. 10y,
G was similar to that used for the eXecu
ton Of ordinary criminals in France. |
consisted of triangular knife or ak
gurluouuted by mass of lead weighing
) over twenty pounds and falling owe
six feet upon the neck of the animal
y which was severed at the third verte
: bra. The phenomena observed wer
J similar to those remarked by othe
French and by foreign savants who's
exDeriments have been less elaborate.
At the moment the head was detaChe
from the body the mouth opened widt
/, as if the animal was making an extrao1
n dinary effort at inhalation. The tOngu
! was applied to the lower part of I'll
= mouth and underwent brief period {
r agitation. The eyelids were closed wit
r, light contractions. Then the eyes wei
Opened and rolled from side to side an
" top to bottom, the pupils in the meal
time gradually contracting At tt
game time the jaws were opened an
violently closed, and the face was rRpi
70 Iy convulsed. This was followed |
t. changes at the corners of the mouth, '
:: bration of the uOstrils, trembling Of ii
Inns and erection of the ears. The Q
semble Of these movements eonstitqtl
a series of horrible grimaces like tho
seen on the face of the guillotined, al
IS, seemed to express the most intense a
:, ony. II the cornea Of the eye W
~ touched the eyelids closed, but if an O
iect, no matter of what kind, was plac
ss before the eye there was no movemeI
Neither did crying nor whistling in
h. the ears Of the dog appear to cause t
ng slightest sensation. The pinGhing
OF the tongue caused slight shrinking
that organ. Although the pupil Of t
eve was contracted, the approach of
light rendered the orifce still smaller
,ts These phenomena occupy about t
q. seconds, and are followed by period
all repose continuing to the fifteenth
"a twentieth second, during which
mouth rests closed and the eyes OF
.ty and without movement At the end
this time the mouth opens and clio
- quickly, the nostrils dilate and contra
N During this time, although the irritati
les of the cornea has caused slight vii
81 ing, neither whistling in the ear
IN touching the tongue or nostrils with q
am monia OF cologne has been able to p
sn; duce any effect. The opening and q
ing Of the mouth resemble gawnil
and are reproduced dozen times, af
wo which the motions gradually cea
Then the cornea loses its sensibility
tho touch, though, half q minnie havi
INV elapsed, the yawning is still active, 4
ltSs pupil Of the eye dilates at the approi
nd Of light, but does not contract, and
n't cornea loses its glistening appearan
q. AZ the end of two minutes the yawn
Ihe and other phenomeua have ceased, g
"A ing in mere contraction Of the tibt
and the head takes eorpselilSe looh
I = ~