The Portland daily press., 1897-03-30
more put the delicate animal mechanism

more put the delicate animal mechanism
in motion.
Up to this time physicians have &C
complished little by attempts at resusoi-
tatioh, except in cases of catalepsy. syn
cope, few kinds of poisoning, drowning
hanging and other forms of asphyxia,
and electrocution. The old fashioned,
or direct, method now generally applied
in such cRses is to place the patient
upon his back and to compress and ex-
pand his chest cavity by pressure of the
hands. Renewed life has been breathed
into young children by what is known
as the mouth to- mouth Installation. The
operator. places his mouth TO that of the
patient, and by keeping up systematic
process aaof exhalation and inhalation
starts the latter's lungs Ito working
again.
Physicians now have hopes of resusoi-
tating drowned man after life has been
apparently extinguished for an hour
MAD appears to be more fortunate than
the dog In this respect. In the conrse of
experimental some time ago to determtns
tnls degree OF comparison, dogs. which
nao been held wholly under Nnter for
minute ana half never recovered, ana
their hearts stopped beating four minutes
after breathing had ceased. The testi-
mony of persons resuscitated after drown
Ing indicates that such mode of death
is not nearly SO painfuls as lone might
imagine. A ticking in the throat is about
TIE only pain which is usually expert
enced.
Physicians hive recently made obser-
vat1ons which lead TO new theories con-
corning the possibilities of ssresusoitation
in cases of death from electricity. If a
person should take sufficient dose of
nito-glycerine or nitrate of amyl Just
hot ,foa xrys4 H.
effect might be oounteracted. Electricians
are yet puzzled to locate the course
which an electric usually @takes on en-
terlng or coming in contact with the
body. There have been cases Of resusci-
tation from death By electricity, which
doctors have previously supposed to be
hopelessly fatal. The Nsw York author
itiea are frequently bothered by special
lists Offering to resuscitate eIeotroouted
criminals. DIR. Augustine Goeldet, a
high authority on such subjects, says
that nearly all persons supposed to be
killed by electricity may be resuscitated.
The general effect of severe current
uponrthe body is sudden arrest of the
muscles which control breathing and
the beating of the heart. The arrest is
caused by excitement of the correspond
Ing nerve centres in the brain. Of course
death will surely occur unless efforts nre
Immediately made to resuscitats the
patient while in this state of syncope.
The alternating electric current, usually
regarded to be the most fatal of all lis
found to produce this sssyncope in the
majority Of cases.
A few weeks ago newspaper dispatches
reported that a negro hanged in the South
had been subsequently resuscitated by
MS friends and sent out of the country.
Whether true or rot this case does not
necessarily fall 1t TOUT the bounds of
reason. Several cases of resuscitation
after hanging have been reported in the
records Of medical Jurisprudence. When
the moose breaks the mack and sewers the
spinal cord death is. ofs.course, complete.
since surgical skill has not as yet pro-
crossed sufficiently to devise means
Of repairing this delicate connection of
the brain and the nervous system of the
body. Many reputable authorities have
Expressed the opinion that many hanged
men, who have bten merely chnked to
death. are prematurely buried whom not
tiissected. Hanging causes death by
asphyxia when the neck is not broken.
In hot weather coagulation of the blood
and muscular fluids rapidly set in, ana
efforts towards resuscitntion are of no
avail after this process has begun. But
life is said to last for long time in
persons hanged and merely choked to
death, If the body is exposed to cold
temperature. which suspends the coagu-
lation of fluids. During the stage te-
tween apparent death and coaguation
the heart is said to work at low pressure.
AS far back as 1903, Aldini, nephew of
Galvani, found that every muscle in the
body of criminal named Foster, exc
outed for murder. retained Its excitabili-
ty, aud therefore, showed signs Of life.
Medical records contain the cases Of three
men and one woman who were success
fully resuscitated after hanging. Two
of the msn were each resuscitated three
times after having been hanged and APP
parently clicked to death. Testimony
COLLECTED from such cases Indicates that
hanging by asphyxia is not ua.nful a,
all. Inc sensations are described as
similar to those produced by narcotism
from negative gas or by drowning. The
subjects felt as though falling into a
deep, senseless sleep, sometime accom-.
panied by flashes of light before the eyes
and Kissing sounds in the ears.