The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1898-01-06
DO KNOCK out BLOWS KILL?
Medical Paper Not Sure That a
Fall Causes Death.
The HOSPITAL Discusses the Subject
at Length i'm Its Many lm-
portant Phases.

The Hospital, a prominent medical jour
ma, revie ewing the causes OF death when
Knockout blow is given. says:
The recent death Of a young man E the
result OF in iuries received IN boxing
match at the National Sporting Cup raises .a
from sporting and medioolegal point
Of view.
In thie case all the evidence went TO sho W
that the deceased was in good condition
UP to the last round. In this round, however,
he received two blows closely Following
one another, 10y which he was Knocked down
not 20 rise again The first Of these, ac-
oording 60 the evidence OF Sir George
Chetwynd, was in the pit OF the stomach
III, and above ne belt, and this was 70 llowed
The point OF the chin, which caused him
10 ia,i bach I'd on his head A 5 soon as
ne Tell he lay there and did not move
ne was carried upstair aud put TO ted
ahu was attended 10y doctor and a nurse
Dul HeNl morning he died, never having
recovered consciousness. At the post
Ihortein examination the Internal organs
were FOUND 10 be perfectly healthy. eNcept
for sigEs of extensive old pleuriSv on ths
Ieft SIDE. The brain itself was health v
ahH there was no Liberation of the train
substance. bat ''On the right sid, al fba
base OF the skull, there was a fracture
ABOUT one end quarter inch long.
There was an effuSfon or hlOod behind ire
,ntl OF The brain corresponding with
thaA tract TIRE. Death was attributed
10 fractur of the skull, and it was also
htsied that the fracture might have been
que 10 the l,lOw on the chin or the fall on
tue hack or the head" This, OF course
lea YES open the very point of interest, and
" Ill not Go 10 I've too ready 10 charsp
the injury 10 the fall. for what we believe
u lnchElcally spoken OF as the knock
out Is nSef very serious matter, often
az ~ rs recovered from.
III discussing the actual cause of death
~ Those cases IN which men are knocked
out ia the course OF fight, manv points
nave 10 be borne IN MIND. A direct blow
Ell the PAT OF the stomach, even af,ove the
helt, may cause a Complete cessation of
the 6ctiou OF the heart, which may or NAV
not be recovered FROM or, on the other
hanu, IL might cause actual rupture of the
heafl. liz this particular case these causes
were put out Of court hv the most lporteIn
examination, Though. In view OF the skill
shown mp 10 that found in wardinc off
The attacks OF his antagonist, il is more
than probable that the blow on the nit
of the stomach" no staggered the deceas.
+. ed a. TO prevent him guarding the knock
out" whlch he received on the point OF the
chin.
But waK the fracture and effusion the
result of TINS blow or OF the injury received
IN falling? The evidence on this point was
not conclusive: yet IL is a matter of very
considerable interest in regard 10 the
disputed question as 10 the cause of the
unconSciousness which follows on a well.
planted "knock Out''-an uncOnsciousneSS
which Is not only absolute and complete
but rs sometimes associated with Euch an
Interference with the action Of the heart
as 10 make II plain that these cases, al
though they usually come round ia a
little time, have been within an ace OF
going out altogether. Ii has been thought
that this condition is due TO Inhibition OF
the heart arising from disturbance of the
pneumoRaslic nerve: but the fact that
where death has ensued post-mortem eX-
animation has some times shown physical
changes at the base OF the skull makes ii