The Florence daily tribune., 1899-04-18
GERM CELLS OF LIFE.
THEY RETAIN VITALITY EVEN AFTER
APPARENT DEATH.
A rtIing Theory showing Tint
Instant Death L. nn tmpo--ihiiity
and Tbrt We May He Conrcious For
some Time After Dissolution.


some Time After Dissolution.
You often meet with the phrase
death WAS instantaneous. and yuu
believe it. but instant death is impossi-
BILE
A professor has been studying the
subject. "a man of renown in his own
world, and he has discovered certain
important data proving conclusively
that no one can meet with instant
death. He works out his theory on the
data afforded by the physiology of cells
He states that no one yet has proved
the niIfertDce between "a dead and n live
brain cell. When this has been done
then we can more easily ascertain how
long time elapses before the death OF II
cell takes place
But, first, what is a cell ! To be brief
both plants and Misunderstanding, of
course. man-are built up of units, ele-
mentary units. which you can only de
t,ct under the microscope Now. each
tiny cell is vital elementary unit We
are nothing but highly DEVELOPED results
of the individual vitality of huge guam
Titles of these fundamental cells
As this tx undeniably So how is ii
possible 10y simple decapitatiOn. say
to causc instant death in the millions of
cells which compose the brainr Ii is
known that brain cells have their own
cell life and are liable to live certain
time after they are cut off from outside
nutrition without the supply of any
blood whatever from the body. The
nourishment is supplied inside the cell
walls. and it can go on living after be
ing cut off from other resources
From this argument 1t is clear to the
professor that these millions of cells in
the brain must continue to live after
death has apparently intervened- that
is. when death appears, but only ON the
outside. to have been instantaneous.
After mans leg is cut off. or nm
animals. you can stimulate the nerves
for II long time. but you cannot do it
after the cells are dead You cannot get
any response ut all.
Electricity has been thought to be the
germ of life but this is tanciful tho
ory when confronted with the new laws
as by research established.
The countless millions of cells of
which our bodies are entirely composed
contain the germ of life. and it is i'm
possible for these to be visited with an
instantaneous unconsciousness.
You can take living cells from pigs
glands and this same professor Will
demonstrate to you that after these
glands have gone through their prepara-
tion the cells are still living
But the curious fact remains that at
present there are no data showing the
supposed length of time it takes for the
cells of the brain to empty themselves
of the germ of consciousness or life hut
it is certain that consciousness does not
cease Immediately after, say, head
has been cut off body The belief
however. is that mt least four or five
minutes must elapse ere death finally
steps in to arrest life
1t has been noticed in the case of
decnpitated head that the cheeks remain
red fer some minutes after the sever.
ance, II conclusive proof that the cells
are living
The heads of decapitated animals
have continued to bite and snap Mt the
air for three or four minutes after sev
erance. This phenomenon is well mark
ed in the head of tortoise separated
from the body The life of the brain.
therefore, must he retained for some
time after the head is severed, from the
very fact that. though being separated
from the trunk, its nutritious blood and
gases. taken from the fund storcd up in
the cells, are in sufficient quantity tc
carry on life. hut for what exact period
is unknown
Do the brain cells die simultaneously
No because they have their own indi-
vidual cell life, Our scientific friend
that in many diseases the brain cells.
although the person to all appearances
is dead. may live for three or four hours
after supposed death has taken place,
In the case of healthy person being
hanged. seeming death is not instanta-
neous at all Organic motion is>arrest.
ed but real death is certainly not in
Simultaneous The brain cells are the last
10 die, and life is not really extinct un-
til rigor nortis sets in. which. in the
Ease of healthy person dying sudden
ly is protracted
Now. when it is known that an ord-
nary cell lives after being removed from
a living body why. then. cannot the
brain cells retain their life when the
Immediately surrounding
them are much the same as during their
previous existencer
The head of 4 chicken was cut off.
and after certain stimuli had been
made it opened its mouth and gasped
five minutes after its head had been
decapitated from the body.
The head of certain animal was cut
off and found susceptible to light for
many minutes after it was apparent
ly dead A strong electric light was
held in front of the eyes and moved
near to and far away from
them. The pupils Of the eyes followed
the light in its movements, expanding