The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-05-28
AFTER DEC APITATIoN.
An Extremely Interesting Question
That May Never Be Answered.
From tho Snr Fronciero Cbro,;cJa

An Extremely Interesting Question
That May Never Be Answered.
From the San Francisco Chronicle.
The question of the duration of conscious
ness In the brain of criminals after execu-
ton by hanging or by the guillotine is be-
ing discussed with greater interest than
| ever since Anastay, the murderer of Bar
| oness Dellard, paid his debt 20 society, It
is said that this remarkable criminal sent to
hts brother a letter on the subject as fol-
lows:
1.-THE separation of my body and that
which constitutes my thinking being can
| not SO soon be accomplished. believe there
is a survival of about an hour. Come then,
Leon, be present at my execution, and in
sist that my head be given to you. Call
me with your voice and my eyes will reply
to you"
This is but the repetition of popular be-
lief that has prevailed for centuries. There
is legend Of a state execution in England
at an epoch when the ak and block were in
use, which sets forth that after the instru-
ment had failed the person whose head was
| on the block exclaimed "You have
missed mem to which the executiouer re-
piled with slight kick that sent the head
| rolling to distance The story never
gained much credence,s but ia still worthy of
discussion. Its truth or fslsity would de-
pend on the possibility OF the Instruments
being 30 thin and sharp that the walls of the
veins would not be displaced, in which case
the circulation of the blood might continue
| for few seconds and whether conscious
ness might continue for a moment after the
| vertebrae of the neck was severed. This last
difficulty would be the greatest since utter
Inconsistencies Is supposed to be simulta-
neous with the severing OF the spinal cord
or breaking Of the neck. In any event,
| scientists who have taken the trouble TO
study the faces OF thes sguillotined for few
seconds after the fatal stroke, or who have
| made experiments with decapitated animals,
do not favor the theory.
Several French physicians, and among
them DR.. Paul Loye, now deceased, but once
professor at the Sorbonne, have expert
mented with dogs, using for their hanging
or decapitation machinery like that em
ployed in public executions. The dog was
chosen for the experiments as having the
most mobile face and being able to repro
| duoe the movements which in rare cases
have been observed in human subjects.
Persons whom this treatment of dumb ami
mails might revolt. are begged to remember
| that the suffering is much less than in vivi-
section. since these methods Of execution
are generally recognized as producing the
least pain. The guillotine employed by DR..
Loye was similar 70 that used for the exc
cution of ordinary criminals in France. 1t
consisted Of a triangular knife or ak, sur
mounted by a mass of lead weighing over
twenty pounds, and falling over six feet
upon the neck, Of the animal, which was
severed at the third yertebra. The phenom-
ena observed were similar to those re-
marked by other French and 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 extraordinary
effort at inhalation. The tongue was APP
piled to the lower part of the mouth, aud
underwent a brief period Of agitation.
The eyelids were closed with light contrac-
lions. Then the eyes were opened and
rolled from side to side and top to bottom,
the pupils in the mesnrime gradually con-
| tracing. At the same time the jaws were
| opened and violently closed, and the face
was rapidly convulsed. This was followed
| by changes at the corners of the mou b,
| vibration of the nostrils trembling Of the
| lips, and erection Of the ears The ensem-
| BILE of these movements constituted series
| Of horrible grimaces like those seen on the
face of the guillotined. and seemed to ex-
press the most intenseagony. II the corner
OF the eye was touched the eyelids closed,
but if an object, no matter of what kind,
| was placed before the eye there was no
movement. Neither did crying or whist
ling 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 a light
rendered the orif1ce still smaller.
These phenomena occupy about ten sec
| onds, and are followed by a period OF re-
pose continuing to the 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 nos
| triIs diIate and contract During this time,
although the irritation of the cornea has
| caused a slight winking, neither whistling
| in the ear, nor touchiL the tongue or nos
| trils with ammonia or cologne has been
| able 60 produce any effect. The opening
! and closing of the mouth resemble yawn-
| ing and are reproduced a dozen times,
| after which the motions gradually cease.
| Then the cornea loses it's sensibility to the
touch, though, half minute having
| elapsed, the yawning is still active. The
| pupil of the eye dilates at the approach Of
| light, but does not contract, and the cornea
lsses its glistening appearance. At the end
| of two minutes the yawning and other phe-
nomena have ceased, ending in mere con-
traction of the fbers. and the head takes
corpse-like look.
No experimenter has been able 20 decide
whether the movements saecifed were in
voluntary or attended with some slight
action Of the will No dog ever responded
by special movements TO these efforts to ex-
cite his senses. All perception of axternal
objects has entirely disappeared at the
moment OF decapitation, as far as the OBJ
servers have been able to determine, and
the movements have come. or appeared to
come, from the prolonged activity OF the
nervous ceuters DR.. Loye obtained pre-
ciselv the same manifestations from dogs
that he had plunged into state Of complete
anaesthesia. There seems, then. no reason
to believe that any sort OF consciousness con-
nected with the action Of the will exists in
the head of the person who has been gull
hanged, which will not prevent the pre-.
iudice or the superstition to continue and
| have its effect on certain minds for long
ages to come.