The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-03-05
BURIAL ALIVE.
A Dreaded Fate which Many People Dc
Not Escape

Not Escape
Many who are not at all afraid TO die
are afraid of being buried before they
have died. The fear is not unreason-
able. Premature burial happens very
rarely, but often enough 10 call for
more precaution.
In British journals this has recently
been much discussed, showing no small
uneasiEess in the public mind. There
was need of it. British law Is quite TOO
lax in requiring proof of death before
burial Hundreds of burials take place
every wear without certificates of death.
The London Chronicle reported dozen
recent cases of discovery that supposed
death was not actual. The Spectator
believes that "a distinct percentage" OF
premature burials occur every year"
One of its correspondents confesses to
a distressing case in his own family.
The grewsome fact is that it has al
ways been so. Ancient writers refer TO
It. Pliny has a chapter ION those who
have revived on being carried forth for
burial" Lord Bacon records that there
have been very many cases. Bruhler,
q French writer in the last century.
produced a book on the subject 1t
mentioned 81 cases of persons buried
alive. So of revival after being cefiiDed,
IL of mistaken pronouncement that
death had taken place and four OF per-
sons dissected before they had ceased
to live. A noted case occurred under
the hands OF thedistinguished Vesalius,
who, having opened a body, found the
heart still beating. The case of &.
Washington Bishop, the mind reader,
is comparatively recent Not few
persons believe that he was the victim
of an autopsy undertaken before he
was actually dead. 1t is a fact that
when body-snatching by medical stu
dents or common robbers was more
frequent than now it occasionally re-
suited in the rescue from the grave OF
those that were still alive.
Old cemeteries are sometimes re-
moved, and more frequently individual
graves are opened for the removal of
remains. Then the distressing fact OF
a prema ture burial rs occasionally re-
veaied. 1t is stated that in New York
six cases in 1000 have occurred. In
Holland the percentage is five in 1000.
Perhaps the Paris morgue is the last
place where one might expect to find
the living among the dead after the
corpse has been examined by both the
police inspector and the official sur
geon. Yet even there about one in
every 800 has come to life again. A re-
cently-published work by DIR. +. Hart
mann strongly draws attention to the
who have not really died. He has col
lected over 700 authenticated instances.
Of these he describes JOS as typical
cases, under the title of Buried Alive"
The danger of premature burial arises
from that semblance of death which is
popularity termed suspended animation
or trance, and scientifically known as
cata1epSy. Persons of nervous temper
aments are more liable TO this than
others, and women more than men.
In catalepsy all the signs of death are
sometimes present save the one infal
iible sign of incipicnt decomposition
Even experienced physicians are de-
ccived. A celebrated case in the last
century was that of Rev William Ten
rent, a Presbyterian minister in New
Jersey, who revived after a three-days'
catalepsy, in which he narrowly es-
capped burial. An account of il, now
ont of print, was written by Judge
Elias Boudinot. Tho cases of resur-
rection, or rather resuscitation, men
.i3ned Ill the Bible, as the summarizes
son and Jalrus' daughter, may have
been this sort. In oriental countries,
where burial follows quickly after
death, the likelihood of premature in
ternlent is greater. Mr.. T. J. Hudson,
in his book. The Law of Psychic Phe
ncm-na,' refers to lady, now at the
head of a public institute, who has
been twice pronounced dead by tie
attending physicians, twice prepared
for the grave, and twice resuscitated
10y her friends" The London Specta-
tor relates a case in Ireland last Sep
TENDER where. upon suspicion of pre-
mature burial. the body was disin-
TERED and life restored, after lying in
the grave from Saturday till Tuesday.
Even more remarkable cases are on
record. Chicago Record.