The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-05-04

! "Iz&V ~ were arrested. these
X ~ facts are merely men
toned as an introduction TO the question:
Will a blow from fist cause death?
Prize fighting is a subject with which
the medical profession has little to do.
1t is not pastime that appeals to man.
kind generally. 1t is a brutal sport,
but this is not material The question,
IS it possible for a blow from fist 10
cause death? is one that should be
carefully dealt with. II opens wide
field, and to consider it lightly would
be to slight su bject which is of great
/ interest to the community at large and
especially to followers of pugilism.
! In the prize ring-and here let it be
understood, please, that the writer
/ knows nothing of this kind of sport
and has never witnessed such an exhi-
/ bition in his life-blows are to be ex-
pected. We have premeditated and ac-
! cidental blows. In the accidental class
a blow, while struck premeditatively,
may not be landed on any particular
part of the anatomy. In the premedi
tated blow Of the pugilist some vulner-
able point is desired to be reached, as,
for instance, the side Of the jaw or a
spot over the heart.
The purpose OF the pugilist is not to
kill his antagonist but merely to dis
able him so that he cannot respond to
the call for the next round.
John l.. Sullivan, whom the writer eX-
amined lin his capacity as physician
before his fight with Corbett, said he
always tried to disable his antagonists
by striking them over the heart or on
the side of the jaw. Blows delivered
on these parts of the body, in Sullivan's
case. were always more ''effectuaf' than
others, and if they did not knock his
opponent Immediately INTO unconscious
ness, aided largely in securing him a
victory.
Sullivan, though he had no anatom-
ical knowledge whether blow on the
stomach or one over the heart was more
effective than one on the side of the
jaw. was aware from experience that
the blow on the side of the jaw did its
work more quickly and more completely
than one delivered on either of the two
other parts named.
1t was by means of blow on the side
OF the jaw. the newspa pers tell us, that
Pugilist Donovan lost consciousness
and died some hours later.
But did Donavan die from the shock
Of the blow, or was he suffering at the
time from some disease, which, added
to the shock caused his death?
Let the reader strike himself or her
self smartly over the sides of the jaw
and note the shock, measured, of course,
by the force of the blow. Immediately
its effect is felt in the disturbance of
equilibrium.
Shock may he gradual or sudden. A
man of sound health is capable of re-
ceiving more punishment than another
who is not healthy. In the case of the
healthy man, if he is struck repeatedly
on certain parts of the body, the shock
to his nerves will be gradual. In the
unhealthy mans case one blow, of the
same force as the dozen received by the
healthy man, will often be sufficient to
cause sudden shock, or, in ring par
lance. a knockout.
Atthis time another question suggests
itself. Is it possible to kill an I'M
healthy man with blow of the fist?
Decidedly, yes. If any of the organs
are diseased, such disease, combined
with the shock of the blow, is likely to
cause death.
Is it possible to kill healthy man
with a blow of the fist? Yes but nat
urally, not so easy as in the case of the
man. for the reason already
given.
When two men train hard and faith
fully for n prize fight and enter the
ring in perfect condition, providing they
have no organic, or even functional
trouble, l contend it is impro ba bic that
one can be killed instantly by the force
OF blow from the others fist, or that
he may die later from its effects. He
may lie in an unconscious state for
hours, but unless there is an internal
or the brain receives an acct
dental and direct injury by pressure
from fractured skull or ruptured
blood vessel, he has every chance for
recovery.
Ina majority of cases death by shock.
and especially in cases where a blow of
the fist was the alleged cause. the au-
topsy showed evidences of disease.
The writer does not know the result
OF the autopsy, or If one was held. IN
the case Of Pugilist Donovan and is un-
q bic, therefore, to talk intelligentlv
about this particular case. Its almost
an assured fact however, that death in
his case was not caused by the blow
alone
SuAivan's experience as Z "knocker-
out" indicates he was right in selecting
the side of the jaw near the chin as the
most vulnera bic point. a blow on the
top or siGa Of the head or on the tenn
pies Or - the back of the neck. or in
the stomach are all liable to knock a
man out, but mono are so sure OF ac-
complishing this purpose asa hard blow
delivered on the side Of the chin.
When the side OF the chin is struck.
the central poise of the head is disturbed
IN two directions-s deways and back
wards - and the victim is doublv
knocked from his balance.
Each special sense has a nerve centre.
II one receives a blow on the nose, be
hind the ear. etc. It Is communicated
10 the nerve centres OF the brain. anc
produces a direct conclusion OF the
brain, but not necessarily fatal in
jury.
When two well-trained and healthy
nugiliSts enter the ring their stomachs
are empty. Thus is large part OF the
danger to life avoided But If 2 puEilist /
has any heart difficulty, however
slight. a blow on the pit OF the stomach !
may prove fatal
There are number OF cases n nedi- /
al history where death has been caused /
ny a blow in the pit Of the stomach