The times., 1899-09-11
LIFE MAY BE RESTORED.
Victims of the Electric Chair May
Breathe Again.

Breathe Again.
NEW YORK, Sept. I9.-Dr. Richard II.
Cunningham. Of Columbia University, as
serts that he can bring the dead TO life
when death has been caused by an electric
shock. DR.. Cunningham has for long
time been engaged in making experiments
a. the Vanderbilt clinic at Amsterdam Ave-
nue. and Sixtieth Street, on dogs. turtles,
and frogs. He states that it has been DEM
onstrated beyond contradiction that an an
imal apparently killed by contact with an
electric current and in whose body respira-
ton and circulation have ceased, may be
brought to life.
IL is also asserted by DR.. Cunningham
that an ordinary inducted current,
such as is used in performing legal
executions in New York State, does not
produce instant death, and that if it were
possible to have in constant readiness suit
able apparatus the suspended vital fune-
tions and consciousness could be restored.
Experiments which he has made, according
to the proposition, establish the fact that
in cases where death follows an electric
shock it is not caused by paralysis OF the
heart or by any of the other causes 10
which death has heretofore been attrib
]
heart, which results in collapse of the ner
vous system. In all cases of this kind il
it claimed, death is preceded by period
OF consciousness during which the recip-
lent of the shock feels, but at the same
time it is improbable that there is an ac-
companying sensation of pain. DR.. Cum
ningham says that 1t is only in the case
Of an electric shock wherein the current is
so strong that all the tissues are cooked,
and the nervous system thus destroyed,
/ that death is instantaneous.
Particular interest is attached TO DR..
/ Cunninghams experiments because Of the
I constantly increasing number of acci-
dental deaths due TO the greater use of
/ electricity, and also because Of the electro
cution of criminals, doubt having arisen
4 in certain quarters as to the desirability
of this means of legal killing
DR.. Cunningham, as a result of his ex-
4 periments, believes that while a crimi-
nal may not die Immediately from the
4 effects of the application of an electrical
current. IL is not probable that the SUBJ
I iect is alive by the time he has passed 10
the operating table, it being unlikely that
4 the nervous system has continued to exist
for so long a time. The heart in some
instances is not dead. 1t is the nervous
system that has received the shock and
exhausted its vitality.
Because a mans respiration and circu-
lation have been suspended he has not
positively passed the point where il would
be possible to restore animation. DR.. Cum
ningham would not in such cases, attempt
to induce artificial respiration, a system
to which recourse is often had, but which
DR.. Cunningham believes to be useless In
his laboratory he has an apparatus which
he has used in experiments upon dogs He
has found ii to be absolutely necessary to
have supply of fresh blood at hand. He
found 1t preferable to have blood from
animals of the same species.
To restore life in a human being under
similar conditions DR.. Cunningham be-
lieves human blood would be necessary.
II would be necessary for practical pur-
poses. DR.. Cunningham says, TO have ap-
paratuses in various places which could be
resorted 10 without delay. They should be
placed in drug stores or similar establish
ments. In cases Of contact with electric
currents no valuable time would thus be
lost in applying the restoratiyes.
In describing the experiments which he
has made with dogs, frogs, turtles, etc,
as subjects, DR.. Cunningham says:
If the thorax of an animal be opened
Immediately after strong electric current
has passed through the heart via the skin
: and the heart be exposed, it will be seer
} that although the co-ordinated beat of tht
heart as a whole is absent, the little bun
lax with considerable vigor, but as the
right cavities of the heart become more
t and more distended the action of the mus
cles ceases.
THE quivering is the state known as
fbrillar contraction. In this condition tht
hea-t can be restored to its functions b.
the perfusion OF its blood vessels with
warmed defbrinated dogs blood, diluted
with an s per cent saline solution. By
means of it, have repeatedly caused tn,
fibrillating hearts, after having been takef
from the body of dogs. apparently killed
{ by electricity. to beat co-ordinately for al
/ hour. This clearly disproyes the fact tha
muscular substance has been paTalyzed o.
e killed by the current.
Il have endeayored repeatedly to electro
! cute frogs and a small turtle with the IL
volt continuous dynamo current, but nom
, could be killed, and all the frogs full,
recovered within few minutes Accord
! ing to the consensus of opinion, writers ol
: the subject Of death by electric shocl
agree tnat such a death is instantaneous
: From my tracings recording the mus
cular and nervous contractions, from tn
experiences of three OF my patients VIII
have received severe shocks, and from III
published accounts of sixteen cases O
L recovery after electrical shocks, ther
seems 10 be ample time before loss of con
sciousness occurs for the recipient of tn
2 shock 10 become fully aware that he j:
b or has been, in contact with an electri
: current. Thus. every one OF the ninetee
: mentioned felt some very distinct forr
:. OF sensation before consciousness was los
y Generally speaking the sensation was nc
a exactly painful, and was described by theI
as similar in character to the sensatio
produced by catching hold of the cleo
'i trodes Of a small but strong medical induc
= tion coil.
II after an apparently fatal shock ha
been received from a current the prope
ie measures are to restore quickly the oircu
/ lation not only OF the nervous system,
keep il from dying. but also Of the hear
e so that il may quickly recover its cS
at ordinate contractions AS far as I kno
there is but one way in which this ma
possibly be accomplished-na namely, /
= creating artificially temporary circuli
- tion of a fluid capable Of sustaining Il
heart and the nervous system until Il
as heart has recovered sufficiently TO mainta
ad the circulation in the normal manper'
w