Arizona republican., 1899-06-10

signs of death have had full time to
 manifest themselves.
 UnquestiOnably danger lies in ilnme-
 diate embalmment, which would al
 once destroy any latent sparks of life
 For this reason the FreRch medical col
 lege desires some infalIble test which can be put into practice immediately
 CT the appearance of death. Regard
 ing this prominent New York phys 1 ici2r says:
 | With the present advanced tE0wl- | edge Of the diseases Of the nervous 1 system mistake should be impos sihle, and it may be as positively es- serted that sufficiently evident signs do exist, and with proper precaItiun
 nc enc need fear that he may one day find himself alive in coffin. ''One of the first signs of dissolution is the cessation of the cardiac pulsa- ton. and it has been established that when the central organ has ceased to operate for twenty minutes, at the
 most, life is extinct.
 Tt is well to know that without en- tirely ceasing the heart beat can ba so excessively weak that it cannot be de tected by the ear.
 Circulation is suspended the in stant the hearts action is stilled, and any one can ascertain. this fact by very simple experiment.
 If on a living persons finger we tightly tie a piece of string between the last joint and the joint of articu- laCOn, the upper joint becomes rapidly violet. but this is net the case with the dead, for the whole finger retains it's livid color.
 There are three ether phenomeua which occur speedily after death, viz, diiation of the pupil, the glassy ap- rearance of the eye and the softeDing If the eyeball
 'The dilatiOn of the pupil is a diff cult observation for persons unac6us- tcned to such an examination; fur the1more, it is transient, and the very fact of opening the eye to make the observation may Cbliterate the di.a- ton
 No enc who has ever watched the light of life fade and disappear forever from the eyes of some loved one can fail to understand the terrible significance of this last phenomenon.
 It is general rule that after death the body becomes cold, but to this ti.ere are certain exceptions, for iE tetanus QOckjaw(, cholera and typhu5 the temperature may rise many de- grees during the first few hours that fellow death.
 Be that as it may, if the central heat does not rise above 20 degrees, it IS certain that life is extinct
 The rigidity of the body, produced by the c0agulation Of the contents of the muscular fiber, commencing in the Jaw and neck and prevailing the whole body in variable order, pTesumes death.
 As every one knows, in the case Of hunted animals, Tigidity appears quickly The same detail has ire guCntly been observed in field Of bal ave been killed in the heat of the fight resain the exact position they had during the combat. the face eX- pressing enthusiasm or terror.
 "A singular case is cited during tte F FrarcO-Prussian war in 1870. An In- fortunate guard mobile was decapi- | tatcd by 3 cannon ball while lie was from his panakin.
 'tSCme hours aftepHard. when the l were going over the field of l cattle, they found the body in precise y the same position, the hand holding i he panakin to the height of the ab- ! sent mouth.
 Equally strange was the sight If i Inc headless body of Major Nolan | " hose enigmatic and impatient mes age caused the immortal charge of I he Light Brigade at Balaklava) rid lS erect in his saddle with his sword | stretched aloft, for thirty or forty ards. San Francisco Examiner