The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-01-07
IN EYES OF THE DEAD
EXPLODED THEORY OF A PICTURE
BEING RETAINED ON A RETINA.
Stories that Murderers Have Been-De-
tected in This Manner Originated
in Fiction.
New York Herald.

New York Herald
The theory that quite frequently the last
image on the retina of a dying man is re-
tanned after death and can be seen has
been revived by the report that in one of
the eyes of Mrs. Sherman. recently muir
dered at Lakewood, in this State, there was
for a short time preserved an image of the
man who murdered her. Similar occur
rences have been reported from time to
time for centuries, and particularly during
the last fifty years, that for a while have
occasioned much discussion, which has
soon quieted until another report started it
anew. Reports of these post norton
pictures have usually been received as facts
by the masses.
Interviews on the subject with physicians,
microscopists and photographers best quail
fed authorities lead to the conclusion
that there is no scientific basis for the
theory.
Il hardly think it possible that the dead
retina should retain images, as reported
was the case in the Lakewood murder
said DR.. Henry p. Loomis. Numerous
cases of this sort have been reported every
now and then for years, but l know of
none of them being authentic or of having
been verified in court, and l know of no
reason. either from reported cases or from
my own research, for believing that such
thing ever happened or could happen.
Il have written on post mortem changes
and had occasion to look up this very mat
ter with considerable care, but have never
found sufficient evidence of the fact TO even
mention it., have examined many dead
eyes carefully, but without discovering any
evidence of these pictures that are said to
be retained on the retina. In fact, 1 have
examined especially for them without re-
ward.e,
las this matter is not at all new am
inclined to think that, with the examination
given, to the matter for many years. the
tact OF the existence of these pictures
there had been any fact. But there rs no
reason for believing that there is any such
fact, for the point is that when the cells
of the retina are dead they can retain moth
ing. The image that we see in the living
retinar is simply reflection, an intangible
thing, that disappears when the light goes
that there is any such thing as these
images being retained"
ONLY A SUPERSTITION.
When Superintendent Byrnes was asked
if, in his police experience, he had come in
contact with any cases of images on the
eyes of dead persons that give clew to the
detection of crime, he smiled in a manner
that conveyed his opinion of the theory.
There is nothing in it, answered the
Superintendent. Il have heard and read
stories of such things, but 1 have never
found any evidence of their existence and
, don't believe that there is such evidence. The
fact is 1t is nothing more less than a
L superstition, and a very old superstition
that is to be claSSed with the one that if a
murderer touches the body of his victim
the wounds that he has made will gush
= forth blood. These silly superstitions are
s revived every now and then, and my atten-
ton, is often called to them, but L pay no
attehtion to such things
81 Ihls whole thing of dead retinas retain
! ne images that might be photographed
ton said DR.. ". t. ,Lusk. There is
really nothing in It worthy of serious con-
about, but it is entirely outside the realm
of science: The fact is, that this thing of
an image being retained on a dead retina is
simply impossible, and only furnishes ma
terial for sensational story, and nothing
|. Il first read of these retained images on
the rstina back in the forties. when l was
in college" said DR. John H. Janeway, a
refired army surgeon, who is member of
but it is all nonsense The book that /
read was an English novel, which told of
the discovery of murderer by the image
oni his, victims retina. The story also told
ofoa bulls eye that retained a picture of
the axe that killed him.
fThough the theory has often been af-
frfneduand denied, believe the best con-
clusion to be that there is nothing in it,
The retina of the eye is network of very
delicate fibres, and collapses readily after
deatha making it impossible to discover an
rnagesCif it existed there which there is
notreason for believing. The whole theory
is false
i1i Image IN A FLY'S EYE
s visit to the Camera Club found its
members interested in the Photographic
phase of the question, though no member
was seen who not skeptical as to the
story of the picture on the retina.
zone of our members, Mr.. l.. p. Atkin-
son, of Brooklyn, experimental in this
matter a few years ago. said the secre-
tafy Of the club, land exhibited a slide
that he had made from a photograph of
the eye of fly, in which he claimed that
theretfwas plainly visible the head of
cat. The only difficulty was that men,
Der of the club except Mr.. Atkinson could
imagination to bring out the picture clear
ly. There were dark spots on the plate
of the cat. and a few radiating lines that
he said were the whiskers. These effects
We're evidently the results of small wrink-
les in the membrane of the lenses that
would naturally come after death.
~ don't believe there is any image in a
dead eye, that can be either seen or photo
graphed The brain, not the eye, sees. If
there was an image left on the eye after the
object was removed, it would create con-
fusion and the retina would have to be
cleaned off once in a while like slate
DIR. L. p. Atkinson, of Brooklyn, who is a
retired lieutenant of the United States navy
and who is now an enthusiastic amateur
photographer, was found in his studio and
at once showed deep interest in the subject
under discussion.
7nt.T don't believe it possible to get picture
from dead retina," he said, but / do be-
Iieve that images sometimes retained
on the lenses of the eye Theory is one
thing and fact is another, SO / will show
you what l mean.
The Doctor then exhibited the photograph
of about fifty of the 1000 lenses of the eve
of common house fly, in each of which
there We're lines that evidently resembled
something very like the head of cat.
There" he said, isn't that the head of
cat? You see there is-what is the natural
fact-a little different focus in each of the
lenses. See the eyes and nose and mouth
are quite distinct To get this picture was
no easy matter. for You know the eye of
a commop. house fly is no larger than the
head of a small pin. This has been en-
larged 740 diameters. got the original pic
ture of the fy's eye from Paris, and then
produced these photographs from it. You
see the image is produced on the lens of the
eye the same it is produced on the lens
of a camera; but what holds it there
don't know, and don't pretend to say. I
know of no theory that accounts for the
fact"
The Pullman Company Worried.
Washington Special.
The Pullman company has in many ways
signifed. its uneasiness over Senator Sher-