The Van Buren press., 1896-03-21
BURIAL ALIVE.
A Dreaded Fate Which Many People Do
Not Escape.

Dreaded Fate Which Many People Do
Not Escape.
Many who are not at all afrnid to die
IRE afraid of being buried before they
have died. The fear is not unreason-
able. Premature burial happens very
rarely, but often enough to call for
more precaution.
In British journals this has recently
been much discussed, showing no small
uneasiness in the public mind. There
was need of 1t. British law is quite too
lax in requiring proof of death before
burial. Hundreds of burials take place
every year 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
distressing case in his own family.
The grewsome fact is that it has al
ways been so. Ancient writer's refer to
1t. Pliny has a chapter .'On those who
have revived on being carried forth for
burial" Lord Bacon records that there
have been ''yery many cases. Bruhierg
French writer in the last century.
produced a book on the subject. 1t
mentioned "a cases of persons buried
alive, 50 of revival after being cotfined,
72 of mistaken pronouneement 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 The distinguished Nesalius,
who, having opened body, found the
heart still beating. The case of G.
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 1t 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
premature burial is occasionally re-
vealed. 1t is stated that in New York
six eases 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 i'll
every 300 has come to life again. A re-
eently-published work by DIR. L. Hart
mann strongly draws attention to the
danger of booming to the grave some
who have not really died. He has col
lected over 700 authenticG ID instances.
Of these he describes 10S 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
eatalepsy. 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-
lible sign Of incipient decomposition.
Even experienced physicians are de-
ceived. A celebrated case in the last
century was that of Rev. William Ten
nent, a Presbyterian minister in New
Jersey, who revived after a three-days'
tatalepsy, in which he narrowly es-
capped burial. An account of it, now
out of print, was written by Judge
Elias Boudinot. The cases of resur-
rection, or rather resuscitation men
TONED III the Bible, as the Shunamitc's
son and Jalrus' daughter, may have
been this sort. In oriental countries,
where burial follows quickly after
death, the likelihood of premature in
terment is greater. Mr.. T. j. Hudson,
in his book "The Law of Psychic Phe
nomena," refers to a lady, now at the
head of public institute, who has
been twice pronounced dead by the
attending physicians, twice prepared
for the grave, and twice resuscitated
by her friends" The London Specta-
lor relates case in Ireland last sep
tember 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.