The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-01-31
MEN MAY LIVE THOUGH BEHEADED
New York Physician Combats
Theory of Instnneous Death.
From the New York Telegrar

From the New York Telegram.
In his paper, instant Death by Decap
itation an ImpossibiHty, According to Bio
logical Analysis" read at the annua
meeting held in the Waldorf-Astoria, DR.
]. Mount Bleyer, as The father of cleo
trocution in this country" used for hi:
subject the problem of DR. Cannl of Par.
IS, Does the Stroke of the Guillotint
Cause Instant Death?"
"This revelation" said DR.. Bleyer has
caused me TO carry out a few experiments
from which / formulated a most plausible
theory, In my opinion, from all the facts
gathered l and my assistant DIT. Henry
i. Waite concluded that what is to fol
low in this paper win be received as a
most rational explanation TO the thinker
why such an instantaneous death is an i'm
possibility" Continuing, DR.. Bleyer said
in part: DIR. Canill who evidently must
be a keen observer to have brought 10 our
notice that absolute death does not follow
guillotining for several hours on account
of the fact that the brain finds nourish-
ment for an hour after decapitation. Also
during this time, the head Of the victim
retains the sense of feeling, hearing, smell
andl sight. DR.. Canill lays much stress
upon a point in connection with the blood
supply to the brain long after the head
has fallen into the basket. Conscience is
d most complex phenomena, and conscious
ness is a broad and sweeping term in APP
plying it in general in this connection af-
ter decapitation.
Eve cannot investigate the phenomena
of consciousness like we do the phenomena
of light and electricity The detection of
consciousness for any length of time after
decapitation with its many varying COM
pick phases moving onward is hardly pos
sible. so we can only theorize until we find
more positive proof that life Is totally ex-
tinct after decapitation. Gross physiology
and Psychology alone is not enough to de-
eide for US such an intricate and delicate
question. and we must therefore seek aid
among the collateral sciences.
lis il possible that such a mass OF liv-
ing matter as the brain dies Immediately
after decapitation? Protoplasm is known
to live for some time outside OF the body
when severed from its connections upon
which it lives. The blood of the body acts
as food and air supply to protoplasm, and
when this Is cut off does not Immediately
Kill the brain cell. 1t has not by any
means been proved by physiology alone
that in this condition the brain is dead to
impulse.
mo one has proved as yet the difference
between dead and living brain cell.
How is il thus possible for me to know
exactly what a live brain cell looks like
from that in contradistinction to a dead
one2 If we could differentiate between
them we could more easily ascertain how
long before the death of these cells takes
place. This would then solve the exact
life OF a brain cell after corporal death.
! cannot believe that every brain cell dies
simultaneously. The brain cell is killed
by preparing il ready so as 70 be made
demonstrable to the eye of the microscope.
Why, them could it not be possible that
the brain cell does also retain its life as
1t Is of the same constitution and same
powers as any other cells in the economy.
Already we know that a muscle cell
responds to all kinds of stimuli by con-
tracing, a gland cell by secreting; an
optic nerve can only experience the sensa-
ton of light whether stimulated by light.
worry. electricity or pressure. Irrtability
- fundamental property of living pro-
toplasm, but Is manifest itself in specific
actions, according TO the specific structure
or the prOtoplasm under the influence of
the external world.
Another peculiar phenomenon deserves
special mention, namely, the transmission
or conductiOn of stimuli If a small por-
ton of the surface Of a protoplasmic body
as stimulated the effect produced Is not
limited 10 this point alone but extends
to far outlying ends. Stimuli, as a whole
are more quickly transmitted in animal
than IN vegetable bodies, in human nerves
This accounts for the phenomenon ex-
hibited in animal bodies long after death
that when a stimulus like lectricity is ap-
piled to a piece of muscle or nerve a re.
action is the immediate result. such as con.
traction or twisted. This alone is another
proof that the cell has an independent life
and does not die when life is pronounced
by the physician or physiologist as being
extinct
AS rule we are not in a position &c
determine whether or not a body can be
stimulated, that is to say whether it re.
acts TO changes i'm its environment. since
most of the effects due to stimulation arr
imperceptible. The stimuli. perhaps. which
Will be of most interest are those Of gases
anaesthetics and electricity, as they hav,
daily applications in surgery and medieine
on the other hand, IN the physiological
economy the gases of the blood play q
principal role. And in decapitation alss
the problem revolves around blood and II,
gases. We find that all cells absorb case.
and also substances in fluid or dissolved
state, and hence diffusible conditions Fin
ally, many cells car make use of sole
substances, as blood. Protoplasm finally
absorbs the most various kinds of sub
stances in a gaseous condition. Withou
oxygen life cannot continue. AS a rule
the lack of oxygen very quickly arrest.
the functions of the cell But we find tina
the cell stores up an food and respira bl,
gases, and it therefore Is shown that tn,
cell lives for a time upon its own stores
The irritabili,y OF the nerve cell is NOR.
quickly lowered and finally destroyed thar
that of the protoplasm of other cells"
DR.. Bleyer here cited several examine,
10 prove that the irritability of ANNA
and vegetable protoplasm may be tempo
rarily destroyed without permanent harm
Continuing, he said
Taking all these scientific truths. which
thus far have been put forth and demon
strated to us by experiment and observa
ton by the learned savants all over Oh,
globe, we can readily conceive not only tn,
possibility that this independent life of tn,
cell does not die as quickly as the outward
1 ppearance of our forms show and gros.
W histology points out to us. There is nS
lEkelIlng at present by our coarse method.