The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-08-17
ONE SURE SIGN OF DEATH.
A Physician Who Says He Has Tried

A Physician Who Says He Has Tried
1t In More Than a Thousand Cases.
The question of an absolutely sure
sign Of death has troubled mankind
from ancient times. 1t has been most
variously answered, but never to entire
satisfaction. The difficulties we meet
With are: First, that not all organs of
the body die In the one moment; and
second, that the action of some of the
vital organs may be SO diminished that
by ordinary means it appears almost
impossible to decide whether the life in
them Is in fact extinct or not.
The actual causes of physiological
death are three: First, cessation of
brain Junction. second, cessation of re-
SEPARATION or failure of the lungs; third
failure of the heart.
The first, involving immediate death
of the central or naimal nervous sys-
tenn only, Is not at once followed by the
inactivity of the peripheral nervous
system and its special, so-called, vege-
tative centers as long ago was demon
strated by Browns equard, Schlff and
others. So the lungs may continue to
contract and expand, the heart may
continue to beat, even if with great
| diminished power. We know further
that the life Of the skin is not extinct;
hair and nails continue to grow; the
stomach continues to digest, the liver to
secrete bile, etc. Respecting the second
| cause Of death, we well know that res
p1ration may cease for quite a while
! IL the brain Is not affected and the cir
culation not interrupted. And of the
third cause, by heart failure, the same
may be said. So we see that we may
speak of true absolute physiological
death only after the cessation of func-
ton Of the three organs together, or
at least without the life action of
which the brain certainly cannot OPP
crate.
Now as regards respiration, we have
very simple means to demonstrate it's
cessation. oS remains, In fact, as the
only one oshow it's true death, the
heart This to prove indeed with abso-
lutte certainty Is quite a difficult prob
lem. Upon the absence, therefore, of
any and all traces Of circulation In the
body have been concentrated most ex-
periments. And as regards the same we
have to take into consideration that,
by disease the heart beats might be
diminished to but so few faint pulsa-
Gons per minute, might become so i'm
perceptible; that without the aid of
special instruments and long-continued
observations nothing Of their existence
may be detected.
In the following shall give the SIM
Pile means by which any person easily
enough may convince himself of the
a hcpnnp or of eli ol,4
est traces of circulation:
If we ligate tight d member Of the
body, best for example, a finger be-
tween the first and second joint, in the
living we will soon notice beginning al
most at once a reddish celebration of
the portion above the ligature 1t be-
cmes darker and darker red and final
ly assumes a dark blush red color
The entire upper portion will be titus
affected and only directly around the
ligature there will be a small colorless
white ring. Now as sure as this dis
coloration will be observed in the living
absent in the dead The blush discol-
Grafton occasionally observed of and
around the finger nails In some corpses
is Of no influence upon, nor does 1t in
terfere in the slightest with the phe- !
nomenon and its correct Interpretation. I
The phenomenon, Of course, is easily |
enough explained in the living by the |
stagnationuof' the blood in the veins and |
the capiliaries when q new supply |
through the arteries and the back flow I
through the veins is cut off by the |
ligature. The white ring around the .
latter is produced by the partial ar
taria1 martial yyopc,,S aroo,,,;o
In place of a finger, If, as it at times |
may happen, the skin seems too thick !
and horny to show the phenomenon
plainly-though this will but seldom oc-
cur-one may use the toes the earlaps,
even the tip of the nose, If desired. The +
member must be only thin enough in
order to make the ligature as light and
perfect as possible.
T have used this means in ahol1t O20