The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-05-11

%- facts arc merely mem
toned rs anintroduction to the question:
Will a blow from II fist cause death?
Prize fighting is Il subject with which
the medical profession has little to do.
1t is not pastime that appeals to man.
kind generally. 1t is II brutal sport,
but this is not material. The question,
is it possible for blow from a fist to
cause death? is one that should be
carefully dealt with. 1t opens wide
field, and to consider it lightly would
te to slight subject 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 III sport
and has never witnessed such an cNhi-
bition in his lifc-blows arc to b. ex-
pcctcd We have premeditatcd and ac-
cidental blows. In the accidental class
blow, while struck premeo;itativcly,
may not be landed on any particular
part of the anatomy. In the prcmcdi
tated blow of the pugilist some vulncr-
able point is desired to be reached, as,
for instance, the side of the Jaw or Il
spot over the heart.
The purpose of the pugilist is not to
kill his antagonist, but merely 10 dis
able him so that he cannot respond to
the call for the next round.
John l.. Sullivan, whom the writcrcx.
nmined lin his capacity as II 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
- H.
case, were always moro ''ctfcctual' than
others, and if they did not knock his
opponent immediately INTO unconscious
ness, aided largely in securing him
victory.
Sullivan, though he had no anatom-
Zeal knowledge whether a 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 newspapers 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 be gradual or sudden A
man of sound health is capa bic OF re-
ceiving more punishment than another
who is not healthy. In the case of tho
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 Il sudden shock, or, in ring par
lance, n knockout.
Atthis time another question suggests
itself Is cit possible to kill an I'M
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 a healthy man
with Il blow of the fist? Yes, but nat
urally, not SO easy rs in the case of the
unhealthy man, for the reason already
given.
When two men train hard and faith
fully for a prize fight and enter the
ring in perfect condition, providing they
have no organic, or even functional
trouble, contend it is improba BILE that
one can be killed instantly by the force
of blow from the others fist, or that
he may die later from it's effects. He
may lie in an unconscious state for
hours, but unless there is an internal
ailment, or the brain receives an acct
dental and direct injury by pressure
from fractured skull or rupturcd
blood vessel, he has every chance for
recovery.
In a majority of cases death by shock,
md especially in cases where 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-
able, therefore, to talk intelligcntly
about this particular case. tits almost
an assured fact, however, that death in
his case was not caused by the blow
alone.
Sunivan's experience as 'lsnockcr-
out indicates lie was right in selecting
the side Of the jaw near the chin as the
most vulnerable point. a blow on the
top or side of the head, or on the tenn
pies. or on the back of the neck, or in
the stomach, are all liable to knock a
man out, but none are so sure of ac
complishing this purpose asa hard blow
delivered on the side Of the chin.