The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-04-16
poES ELECTRICITY KILT
xous rRErcH AUTHoRrTT SAYS
TIE PENAL sHoCK DOES No1.

=. ,v the HALVES OF the Surgeons At
a.. ,top,y, not sy the Electrical Shock.
- m. Dares New York fhysieisns to
Experiment at Hesuseitatine the Feio1.
-.o, ,hs most distinguished scientific men
.rrance n man with regard to whose honor
ia consummate ability there is no question.
- ;ust asserted that the electric shock OF
~ nepal laws does not kill. He maintains
.nd insists that the current simply brings
.hou, a~rparcnt death. and that the person
.,hiocted TO II may be revived by ARTIFICIAL
s.snirotion, In other words. the criminals
IT, haye been subjected to death by cleo
,.i.,,v IN his state havo not been killed by the
uns,o,t. but by the knives OF the physicians
ona Conducted the autopsy upon them.
Tbese extraordinary statements are hardly
...a,hIs but he must he n bold man who
@a,,,d attempt to assert the contrary Of any
80 70 which NJ. D'Arsonval puts his name
- , ps with his high authority. A re-
m.rtoble summary OF the labors OF Frof.
n,Ir.onval on deaths and accidents caused
no biyb.,cnsion currents has Just appeared In
Uoniigr Tadustrie. Many OF the results
ah,oinod were recently presented to the Biolog-
Id society OF France. together with the con-
.,u.ions OF an experiment made BY NJ. Francis
pS,aud at NJ. Lacassagno's laboratory at
1yop.. and have been embodied In a mono.
fMM' Lscassagno and. Beraud of electricians
tMh n the world. is the most trust
V; SSI'n ,ya;,hS as Tse i as shs H%!s Of f sSo sub,
Ire s,tcasiy son5rm.toFyy q those formulated
pyg ,iricity ia shown TO xiii In two ways.
!. Iy producing mechanical LESSONS OF tho
vessels and nervous system.
y Dy inhlbiting The great functlons wholly or
p~srtially istoppage of respiration. OF the heart.
Il the. exchanges between the tissues OF the
' The iitrst kind OF death is attendant q
dlsruptIvs DISCHARGES: such g Light
Batteries. 1t is seldom encountered in cases
OF industrial discharges. Tho second. on the
contrary. is nearly always tho rule. The prac-
fr rI brincs aboutidefnltive death. the effect Of
tile second may be q state OF apparent ,ionth.
r. ttpm rrs wfIsn enc %sr pG i rs nIii ina I'm N M ediatss
"'DJEArsonval holds that . person struck By an
one drowned. and the formula, which he has
given to electricians has called, back to lie q
p fpaansen "a. M and Diraud stie matiss The putting
OF criminals to death by electric shock Is n
c"mplicats,,. fHrtnrHus. ana nnrsli ann Pro O.
I ]HE.if' "i,st '%I !. ss:c a a Sasa,S lyon p 'sf s!,%ii
D @o,n,s,.'i ,1" ma the q Kind III: OF Of o sn%sshe sllset anasy
cover Of which he Is mangled alive. and must
BE- 8" in order to really 9ssops 2 sornse;
nest exposition otthe results obtained liz his re-
cent experiments has arrested public atten-
tom in At tran sim ana 'w fssa's more = p IRAN ono Ss s'sao
10 proposing 70 adopt the New York nethod. 1t
isa Pallie duty to give an IDEA OF the facts and
While The Now York msthod. IS far from being
open to the doubt that in no case. does IT ever
accomplish its purpose. namely. that OF killing
tn: @%P 10 or wnman u " 1s, whom th b III ,aW has
val is to no believed. every maj who has been
subjected to The process in this State has
With a view to answering the questions here
raised. a reporter of THE sun, has called upon
several electrical ana medical authorities. rnd
jossrh Wetzler. editor OF the Electrical Enoi-
,"Ibsl!eve that D'Arsonvnl,s statements arc
mt the death by electricity is HORRIBLY cruel:
current Of tho strength used by the state. and
s s1s..i H as THE to a4 t .! he'll: How S' long ihs
victim !. suIies,:d +" this , torture uas before Cs on, .s-
s ssea'aia n:' to our "rrsent iiis%t:. u h s.S Only
..,1 mA,'r so ., e s"4ss sS.ru ept tGss f ss
which there can be not, the slightest Doubt.
The eharac.eIlza,io on Of electrical execution as
u IuluRho MethOu OF klnlnE IN. huseu on On
ti.rlr insufficient prem lses. and is in TIC high
sor erF tsst p shs 1s.nis an % e H. le S'snsen II Il to he he
The legislature. aid :hat ibis mode Of s%anItsi
E Pun i,s may ct Length be regarded in its
What is your opinion" Mr.. wetzler was
sssS T. .,o.t the IsSiinS Of the public with re-
the recently EXPRESSED feeling which, has led
to tho legislation with u vi,w to the abolition
BY the accounts o. electrical executions which
Lave appeared In the daily papers,. and which.
II mus, he confessed. have In some cases read
penalty ott&e law Of a S%.vilized country"
can E%lertTo'! sraprUiic hssociaiion. whose re-
APPLICATION OF electricity arc we'll known. md
SNa5fh lat year Nt%t, at ,he t Sew YORK AsaHs,"y Of
ne Medicine on Tho IniietioI Of the Death Pen.
said;
founded. hut tho difficulty IL to answer 1t 10y
Any dsnn.tN Astrological experiment as
s sts'a "na ' rhy r@rGtn' .s b'Ar 40 SsSa' FL f I." slperl:
a"d sh anu op nj ;H' SnsS sarr' to very hi Great sta MslS mt
one ffN Would al 10 m" 1 sSas he law " be 3 c chanrsd
relative 10 In" time that the nutoIsy
a.. -" W IoE v lntl. III OlneE WORDS. tnAC
me ~hntoi,sy should wait for the signs of de-
COMPOSITION. which | am positively certain
r. morally certain would appear. To delay
tne autoisy ,s-cms to me the only positive
hhswort to ". DArsonyal. All others are sIecu.
ia,inns ara hyrot',esrs. possibly. akin in that
sensr T., ms OWN olservntions."J
linen. DIR. Morton. you still adhere to the
hI.h eslinnta you have already pui licly eX-
ishWrnty' 'NA
NY opinion Is still. nnNursti0nahly, that
fmh % in"jcrn method Of execution by electric.
~ Is me perfected art ot Killing. l think |
mat hyit death Is a. nearly instantaneous
q e!nc'rlcity Is nearly instantaneous. and
WA we know to lie as near instantaneity as
hlan can get; and a. rapid in action AZ can
We i;nnEinrd. As unick ~ Is electricity, 80
quick ! g,eliere death by electricity to BE-. SO
lar ~ death means immediate. and final
ahmn'ion ~ consciousness, But 1t is more
nun rr"oaclc that the 6nallty OF
eehth IN each individual animal cell
mnY ne less. bfiuf md yet la car.
!nih: =. az animal junction of tie cell is ey.
uhIIlshen ~ m Infinitely small portion Of a
second. ncVrrto revive, AID still this %extinc.
lion may not be so rapid as thai Of consrioms.
ness A ara,lsitotho Heath OF the indiviInHi
may be ur f"nni in The ex~nsrimeRts Of Tnssi.,
aunicelIular organism found In water n pro'
tnplasni that changes its form, travels hr a..
own movement, and bears n daridnd 49,