The Savannah morning news., 1900-09-25


considered along with nll the other signs
that point 10 aeath. but By itself. although
b. IS q proof Of life when o. causes sweli-
INK and livid discoloration. but should
these phenomena not appear a. may lndi-
cate nothing more than that the circula-
ton has etopped-as has often occurred
with the respiration sensation. brain
functions ana calorifcaUon Tor q time
but not that 70 cannot so on again.
Various prizes have been offered and
awards made hy scicnslnc ana medical
foc settles. bat with one exception the so
called proofs % death for which the
awards have been given are deemed I'M
satisfactory. The British Medical Jour
nal, Jan. p. iss3. page ii5. thus reports
the case of awnrd for the only kind Of
proof that has been found 90 be- .nfall-
be The Academic dcs Sciences OF Paris
proposed az the subject for the pusgate
prize for lsso The Signs OF Death ana the
Means 81 Preventing Premature Burial
The prize. $50 francs. has been awarded
TO Or. Maze, who considers that putfe-
faction D. che Only certain sign lie urges
thnt deaths should be certified hy medl-
car men on oath also that ln every cen-
elerE there should be a mortuary where
dead bodies can be deposited and that
iurial should tuke place only when putre-
inctiNe changes set in" In our country
where embalminE has become such uni
Versal custom. the same precautlCn should
precede that operation and niso IN the
cases % autopsy and cremation Per
sons who are Interested IN this subject
should consult the Austrian Imperial law.
~ Y D. the most comprehensive. practical
and strict OF all others. A condensed ac-
count of u will be found in the sun
Of May u, 1888. Among the duties OF the
oihciai examiners OF the dead. which are
defined IN some sixteen rules. Is the decll-
ration that tine only sure sign OF death
being general decomposition. which as a
rule comes late IN the case. the examiner
IN the absence Of this proof must not be
guided by any single sign. bat he must
hase ME conclusions upon an aseemblaRe
OF All the signs thas point 20 death. and
20 any injuries that may Involve the
vital apparatus
Among the modern authorities on this
subject none. perhaps. has investigated
more patiently into the obscure conditions
OF trance catalepsy and other forms Of
death counierfeits than the late Sir Ben
jamin Ward Richardson. NJ D.. +. r. s..
ana he WAS Of the opinion that the ofd-
nary meshods OF examining bodies and
death certincates-except where they are
defined and guarded by legal provisions
were quite unreliable as proofs OF the fact
OF death. In a paper on the Absolute
Signs u Death" IN No. q OF the Asclcpiad.
published In 1859 he formulated the fol-
lowing eleven tests as necessary IN the
absence OF putrefaction CNo . TO deter
mine the fact Of dissolution.
]. Respiratory failure Including absence
OF visible movements OF the chest. absence
Of respiratory murmur. absence OF evil
dence Of Transportation OF water vapor
from the lungs by the breath.
. Cardiac failure. including absen OF
arterinl pulsation. or cardiac motion. and
OF cardiac sounds
3. Absence OF turRescence. or filing OF
the veins on making pressure Svtws5i;
them and the heart Ohe ligature).
T. Reducture OF the temperature OF the
body below the normal standard. IS de-
eteee Fahrenheit IN the aNiila or armpit
8 Rigor mortis and muscular collapse.
6 Coagulation OF the blood.
T. Putrefactive decomposition.
s. Absence OF red color IN seml-trans-
parent parts under the influence OF a pow
crfui stream OF light.
Q. Absence OF muscular contraction under
the stimulus Of galvanism, OF heat and
Of puncture.
10. Absence Of red blush-of the skin ar
ter subcutaneous injection Of ammonia
(Montiverdfs tesD.
n. Absence Of signs OF rust or oxidation
Of a bright steel blade. after plungiug 10
deep into the tissues Uhc needle test OF
Cloquet and Labordel. lie concludes az
follows: III an these signs point 20 death:
% there be no Indications of rcssiratory
function; n there be no signs Of movement
of the pulse and heart. and no sounds OF
the heart II the veins OF the hand do not
enlarge on the distal side OF the hilet:
" the blood Ia the veins contains coag-
ulum; if tho galvanic stimulus falls to
produce muscular contraction; n the in
lection OF ammonia causes a dirty brown
biotch. the evidence may be considered
conclusive that death is absolute. II these
signs leave any doubt. or II they leave no
doubt, one further point OF practice should
be carried out. The body should be kept
in a room the temperature OF which has
been raised to a heat of "a degrees Fahrcn-
heit. with moisture diffused through the
air, and IN this warm and moist atmo-
sphere II should remain until distinct in
dications of putrefactive decomposition
have set in"
This distinguished physician left precise
instructions that on no account was his
body 10 be buried or crematcd until Il
exhibited unmistakahle signs Of decom-
position. This was carried out by his ex-
ccutors.
Edward p Vollum, NJ. ID.
Baden-Badcn. Aug. %.